There are few humans in history who had a better grasp on the English language than Groucho Marx. His ability to play with words was so legendary that even today, there are few who could even contend to be considered on the lower rung of his level. Maybe George Carlin came close, but even he's off feeding fertilizer at this point.People generally just think that Groucho was only good for puns, and while that certainly made up a large part of his arsenal (I'd also contend that coming up with puns like he did on the fly takes some serious talent), it wasn't all he was good at. He was also a vigorous writer: he never got an education past the third grade, and spent most of his adult life reading and writing to make up for it. He also loved his fans, and every so often someone who wrote him a bit of fan mail would end up getting a letter from the King of Snark.
The pretty interesting blog lettersofnote posted one such letter today, written to a Corporal Darrow in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, showcases Marx's wit, while also giving a glimpse at the more human side his on-screen persona never had much use for. It's fascinating stuff, and cements Groucho's place as one of America's greatest treasures. Read the letter yourself:
No comments:
Post a Comment