Marx Brothers, Comedy, anti-Semitism, challenging students today with humor | Dr. Robert Weir #68

Groucho, Zeppo, Gummo, Chico, and Harpo--also known as The Marx Brothers--not only changed the way we think of comedy, but they helped shape our modern notions of cinema as well. Does their biting wit and chaotic humor hold up today? I absolutely think so. In fact, I think we need a lot more humor today to help us break the tensions that we feel on a daily basis--and our guest agrees. Dr. Robert Weir is a retired history professor who most recently taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He's a former senior Fulbright scholar to New Zealand, a past president of the Northeast Popular Culture Association, and the author of 11 books and numerous other academic works. We talk about comedy today, do college-age students get the humor of the Marx Bros, the anti Semitism that they faced, and the origins of their rise to stardom. If you have never seen a a Marx Bros. film, drop everything and go check out A Night at the Opera or my personal favorite, Horsefeathers. In fact, you stay here and I'll drop everything and go watch a Marx Bros. film.
If you want to join our growing community and support our efforts to bring civility back to mainstream discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, leave a thoughtful comment for me and my guest, and share the show with a friend. As always, your support is greatly appreciated.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Book link: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-marx-brothers-and-america/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
01:16 Introduction
03:22 Start of conversation
06:25 How did the Marx Bros. become a cultural interest?
10:17 Did the humor catch on with your college students?
16:08 My approach to education with my students
19:15 How did their mother impact the Marx Bros. showbusiness careers?
23:46 Pioneers in "talkies" or early cinema with sound
28:27 Some feedback from the Catholic Telegraph for the Cocoanuts. (It sounds like the setup for a great Groucho zinger.)
33:51 How did anti-Semitism impact their careers?
45:54 Before Jim Halpert was breaking the wall, Groucho was showing how it is done by bringing in popular culture.
49:02 The Marx Bros. did NOT want the music in the film, which sounds absurd.
52:15 Why was Harpo silent?
58:23 Margaret Dumont reminds me of Bea Arthur--owning every scene she is in with nothing more than a look.
1:01:06 Why was Horsefeathers an unpleasant film to make?
1:04:14 Is the speakeasy in Horsefeathers a reflection of reality or a political statement?
1:06:56 What did writing this book teach you about comedy?
1:10:09 I get asked about my favorite form of comedy. Things get chaotic.
1:11:40 Concluding thoughts and I even throw in a few of my own Marx Bros.-inspired jokes.

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. ChatGPT, Cheating, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Humanity and AI | Dr. Teo Susnjak #65? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Z6nUr-1Pg&t=0s

2. What we don't hear about incel culture | Drs. Sarah Daly & Shon Reed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

3. Why not violence? Dr. Duane Armitage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

4. Visual Thinking, Rebuilding the Trades, Animal Consciousness, Training AI | Dr. Temple Grandin - https://youtu.be/P8FvlKD6Y9Q

5. Crisis in Men, Anger and Alienation in boys, What is Going on? | Dr. Robert Tyminski - https://youtu.be/cwFMjuXf5xI

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

#comedy #grouchomarx #humorous