Minnie Marx

Minnie Marx (born Miene Schönberg, 9 November 1864 – 13 September 1929)[2] was the mother and manager of the Marx Brothers, a family of vaudevillains, Broadway and film actors and was also the sister of comedian and vaudeville star Al Shean.

Minnie Marx
Born
Miene Schönberg

(1864-11-09)9 November 1864
Dornum, East Frisia,
Kingdom of Hanover
Died13 September 1929(1929-09-13) (aged 64)
New York City, NY, U.S.
Other namesMinnie Palmer
SpouseSam "Frenchie" Marx
ChildrenManfred Marx (1885–1886)[1]
Leonard "Chico" Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx
Julius "Groucho" Marx
Milton "Gummo" Marx
Herbert "Zeppo" Marx
RelativesAl Shean (brother)

Early life

Marx was born Miene Schönberg in Dornum, Kingdom of Hanover. Her parents Fanny née Salomons (1829–April 10,1901) and Levy "Lafe" Schönberg (1823–1919)[3] were members of the local Jewish community. Her mother was a yodeling harpist, her father a ventriloquist. Her younger brother, Abraham Elieser Adolf, the future "Al Shean," was born in 1868.

Minnie with her husband Sam and their sons Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo in 1915

About 1880 the family immigrated to New York City, where Minnie married Samuel "Frenchie" Marx in 1884.[4]

Her son Manfred died in infancy in 1886. Her other children were Leonard Joseph (born 1887), Adolph (1888), Julius (1890), Milton (1892) and Herbert (1901), who would grow up to perform as the Marx Brothers.

Career

While managing the Marx Brothers, she went under the name of Minnie Palmer, so that booking agents would not know that the agent representing the Marx Brothers was their mother. She played the harp.

All the brothers confirmed that Minnie Marx had been the head of the family and the driving force in getting the troupe launched, the only person who could keep them in order, and a hard bargainer with theatre managements. As a tribute to her, all the brothers' daughters were given names that began with 'M': Chico with Maxine; Harpo with Minnie; and Groucho with Miriam and Melinda. Gummo and Zeppo had no daughters.

Minnie lived long enough to see her sons' 1929 film debut in The Cocoanuts, but died later that year of a stroke.

Death

Marx died from a stroke on September 13, 1929, aged 64. She was buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale, Queens. When her husband died four years later, he was buried next to her.

Marx and some of her sons appear briefly as characters in Glen David Gold's novel Carter Beats the Devil; the narrative identifies her as Minnie Palmer, and only gradually offers clues that the struggling vaudeville act traveling with her are the later-famous Marx Brothers. Marx (played by Shelley Winters) was also the main character in the stage musical Minnie's Boys.

References
  1. "Chronology". The Marx Brothers. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  2. "Mrs. Minnie Marx. Mother of Four Marx Brothers, Musical Comedy Stars, Dies". New York Times. September 16, 1929. p. 27. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  3. "Ancestry of the Marx brothers". Wargs.com. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  4. Timphus, Stefan. "The Marx Brothers – Family". www.marx-brothers.org. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
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