(Crossposted from my blog, "Music For My Daughter," a future conversation with my girl about our music collection)
Anything by the Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers made some of the funniest movies of all time. Brilliant physical comedy along with some of the most clever wordplay you’ll get to hear (if you can, read anything by S.J. Perelman, one of their collaborators). You can always count on a Marx Brothers film to cheer you up.
We have to appreciate people like the Marx Brothers. They honed their skills on the vaudeville circuit before making movies, and let me tell you: many vaudevillians were true renaissance men (and women). They could act, sing, dance, play multiple instruments, and make you laugh. As performers go, vaudeville vets were the best of the best. These were seriously talented people who deserve the highest praise.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise what accomplished musicians Chico and Harpo Marx were.
Chico could really rip on the piano:
And Harpo was a demon on the harp, a very difficult instrument to master:
I'll be smiling the rest of the day now.
UPDATE: Thanks for all the posts with clips and info on these geniuses. Keep 'em coming! I could use a Marx Brothers Day today!