When the four Marx Brothers became an overnight sensation on Broadway in “I'll Say She Is” in 1924, they had already spent 20 years in show business. Their uncle, character actor Al Shean (of Gallagher and Shean), helped them get started in the business, spurred on by their mother Minnie. The boys toured the vaudeville circuits, first as singers and eventually as comedians, until they slowly improved enough to make it to Broadway.

Ultimately, the Marx Brothers revolutionized American comedy with their anarchistic, faster-than-lightning, anything-goes approach. By the time of their first film, “The Coconuts” in 1929 – which was a filmed version of their second Broadway hit – brother Gummo (Milton Marx, 1897-1977) had retired from the act and been replaced by the youngest, Zeppo (Herbert Marx, 1901-1979). Zeppo retired from performing as well, leaving the three Marx Brothers best-known today: Chico (Leonard Marx, 1886-1961), Harpo (Adolph Arthur Marx, 1888-1964) and Groucho (Julius Henry Marx, 1890-1977).

Each of these three had his own screen persona: Chico was the Italian who mangled the English language and played the piano; Harpo never spoke, chased blondes, created general mayhem and played the harp; and Groucho, with his greasepaint mustache and tilted walk, was a fast-talker who cracked wise jokes and was often on the dubious side of the law or morality. Off-screen the brothers could be just as wild as they were on-screen, and tended to create chaos wherever they went.

The Library is home to a variety of invaluable resources for the study of the Marx Brothers’ lives and work. A resource guide features presentations and selections from online exhibitions, Chronicling America and American Memory.

The Library is also home to the papers of Groucho Marx. Although the collection isn’t digitized, a finding aidprovides scope and content information on the resource.

Another giant of American comedy, Bob Hope, is a popular draw at the Library. Opened in June 2010, “Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture” draws from the personal papers, joke files, films, radio and television broadcasts, and other materials donated to the Library by Hope and his family. To put the history of the involvement of entertainers in politics into perspective, the exhibition also profiles the politically oriented activities of other prominent figures represented in the Library’s collections.