CHICO MARX
Name: Leonard Marx
Born: March 22, 1887 New York, New York
Died October 11, 1961 Hollywood, California
Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 - October 11, 1961) was one of the
Marx Brothers.
He was originally nicknamed Chicko due to his reputation as a ladies man, or a "chicken
chaser" in the popular slang of the day. A typesetter accidentally dropped the "k"
in his name and it became Chico. It was still pronounced "Chick-o" although
those who were unaware of its origin tended to pronounce it "Cheek-o". Radio
recordings from the 1940s exist where announcers and fellow actors mispronounce
the nickname, but Chico apparently felt it was unnecessary to correct them. As
late as the 1950s, even Groucho used the "wrong" pronunciation for comedic
effect. A guest on You Bet Your Life told the quizmaster she came from Chico,
California and Groucho responded that he had a brother named "Cheek-oh." (Chico
can sometimes be spotted in cutaways to the studio audience, out of character
and costume.)
Marx used an Italian accent for his on-stage character; stereotyped ethnic
characters were common with Vaudeville comedians, and all the Marx brothers
sometimes performed "dialect characters" early in their careers, but Chico was
the only one to continue this into their films.
Name: Leonard Marx
Born: March 22, 1887 New York, New York
Died October 11, 1961 Hollywood, California
Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 - October 11, 1961) was one of the
Marx Brothers.
He was originally nicknamed Chicko due to his reputation as a ladies man, or a "chicken
chaser" in the popular slang of the day. A typesetter accidentally dropped the "k"
in his name and it became Chico. It was still pronounced "Chick-o" although
those who were unaware of its origin tended to pronounce it "Cheek-o". Radio
recordings from the 1940s exist where announcers and fellow actors mispronounce
the nickname, but Chico apparently felt it was unnecessary to correct them. As
late as the 1950s, even Groucho used the "wrong" pronunciation for comedic
effect. A guest on You Bet Your Life told the quizmaster she came from Chico,
California and Groucho responded that he had a brother named "Cheek-oh." (Chico
can sometimes be spotted in cutaways to the studio audience, out of character
and costume.)
Marx used an Italian accent for his on-stage character; stereotyped ethnic
characters were common with Vaudeville comedians, and all the Marx brothers
sometimes performed "dialect characters" early in their careers, but Chico was
the only one to continue this into their films.