"First and foremost, this is the saga of a family whose theatrical roots stretch back to mid-nineteenth-century Germany, and whose American debut was prefigured by their maternal uncle, vaudeville pioneer Al Shean. From Julius "Groucho" Marx's first warblings with the singing Leroy Trio, this book brings to life the vanished world of America's wild and boisterous variety circuits, leading to the Marx Brothers' Broadway successes, and their alliance with New York's theatrical lions, George S. Kaufman and the Algonquin Round Table."--BOOK JACKET.

"Thomas Dunne Books."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 452-455) and index.

Includes filmography: p. 426-434.

Prologue Noxis on the Conoxis Act I. 'Love Me and the World is Mine' 1. Our Father's Kugel 2. The Heart and the Harp 3. Kidding the Captain: 'Was has Gesachta?'- Uncle Al, the Original Marx Brother 4. Horatio Alger and the Tin Can Swinger 5. 'Impersonations of the Yiddisher' - from the Whangdoodle Four to Mrs. Schang 6. The Incubator and the Chicks - from Wayburn's Nightingales to Minnie's Mascots Act II. The Road from Nagacdoches 7. 'Ah Poosh, Ah Poosh, Ah Poosh!' 8. Sex, Life and Vaudeville 9. Down by Pantages 10. 'An Elaborate Disorder of Amateur Antics' 11. The Kaiser, Art Fisher and the Rhode Island Reds 12. Farewell to the Old Five-and-Dimes ... Act III. The Four Horsemen of the Apoplexy 13. There Is No Chapter 13 in This Book 14. 'Washington with a Mustache' 15. Humor Risks 16. Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Men - the Four Horsemen Meet the Round Table 17. Vive la France! or Opening Sardines with a Sword 18. From Coolidge to Cocoanuts - 'Do You Want to be Wage Slaves?' 19. The Mystery and Mystique of Daisy Dumont - Staying at a Bum Hotel

20. Triumph of the Left-Handed Moths Act IV. The Magician's Grandsons and the Magical Lens Prologue: Get the Marbles Out of Your Mouth! 21. Before Hollywood or 'Why Are You So Concerned with Having Real Backgrounds When One of the Leading Characters Wears an Obviously False Moustache?' 22. Stowaways in the Forward Hatch 23. The Pleasure Principle and the Poetic Seal 24. 'Hey, Where's Your Brother?' 25. This Program is Coming to You from the House of David! - the Short and Snappy Life of Waldorf T. Flywheel 26. Cracked Ice - Freedonia to Moscow Express 27. Make That Three Hard-Boiled Eggs! 28. Get Your Tutsi-Frutsi Ice Cream! 29. 'Step This Way' or How Long Can These Swans Keep Singing? Act V. The Vanishing Species 30. Custody of the Moustache 31. Of Thee I Sing - from 'Dear Mir' to The Almost Last Hurrah ... 32. Solo Dreams 33. "Is It Sad or High-Kicking? 34. Twilight to the Gags or 'Wife Failed to See Anything Funny in Groucho Jokes' 35. What Price Pumpernickel? - The Marxist Manifestos or Beyond the Ghosts 36. Coughing in the Night or Lingering Past the Late Show. Epilogue: The Legacy The FBI and the Marx Brothers Marx/Schoenberg Family Tree.