I object strenuously to mentioning the Marx Bros. and the Stooges in the same breath. Groucho, Harpo, and Chico were by no means as "buffoonish" than the Stooges. The Stooges shtick is that they were slapstick bumblers who kept smacking each other around and getting into trouble. The Marx Bros. humor included puns, wordplay, sight gags, absurdism, bedroom farce, and, yes, some slapstick. And the Bros. were anarchists, not bumblers. They caused chaos for the fun of it, much to the consternation of stuffed-shirts and "proper" society.
Did I mention I'm a huge Marx Bros. fan? Pretty much memorized all of Groucho's monologues as a teen.![]()
Was there a sanity clause in the pocket books contract?