Trivia

At the beginning of the film Monkey Business (1931), The Marx Brothers, playing ship's stowaways concealed in barrels, are first introduced harmonizing unseen, singing the popular song "Sweet Adeline." And although he cannot be seen, this musical performance marks the only time during one of The Marx Brothers' movie that Harpo's voice -- a clear and pleasant baritone -- is ever heard.

Groucho Marx gave this reason for Harpo's silence: Once, while playing a theater in Winnipeg, Manitoba, during a vaudeville tour, The Marx Brothers had a disagreement with the theater's manager regarding their pay. At the end of The Marx Brothers' engagement there, the manager paid them the amount they had demanded...in several large sacks containing the proper amount in the form of pennies, nickels, and dimes. Since the brothers' train was departing in ten minutes, the brothers had no choice except to lug the sacks onto the train with them. As the train departed, Harpo shouted to the manager, "I hope your theater burns to the ground." And that night, it did. Groucho always said that Harpo's voice was like the axe hanging on the backstage wall of every theater: To be used only in case of emergencies.

Once crashed a Hollywood costume party at the home of Marion Davies, dressed as Kaiser Wilhelm II. He had to hitchhike to get home and ended up being arrested by Beverly Hills police on charges of vagrancy, illegal entry, escaping from jail in Gloversville, New York, impersonating Kaiser Wilhelm II, and impersonating Harpo Marx.

When he taught himself to play the harp, he later learned that he played it the wrong way. However, when he became famous and wealthy, he on occasion throughout his career, took harp lessons from various harpists and music teachers in both New York City and Los Angeles to better increase his skill. However, due to his natural born talent, many musicians and music teachers ended up approaching him to learn his method of harp playing. One mentor whom Harpo truly appreciated was Mildred Dilling, who not only took the time to instruct him in the proper techniques but he would regularly consult her when he was having difficulty with a particular composition.

After his death, he was cremated and his ashes were allegedly sprinkled into the sand trap at the seventh hole of the Rancho Mirage golf course in California, USA where he used to play golf on a monthly basis.

As a child, Harpo was apparently infatuated with music. He rejoiced when his family bought a piano. He then fell into dispair when he found out that they could only afford to let one brother have piano lessons. His brother Chico Marx ended up with the lessons, which he did not take seriously. Harpo, of course, later mastered the harp.

Was seldom recognized when out of character because he was almost completely bald.

Re-created the mirror scene from Duck Soup (1933) in Harpo Marx (1955).

Harpo first using the gag of chasing a screaming girl as a quick prank to throw his brother Groucho Marx's timing off on stage. Groucho wasn't fazed, but Harpo got in trouble when he found out the hard way that the girl had a violent mobster for a boyfriend. He quickly made peace with the man and incorporated the girl chasing for the rest of his career.

Harpo was vacationing in the French Riviera and was engaged in nude sunbathing when he was surprised by an elderly man and woman. He wrapped his towel around his middle and stood up and introduced himself. The husband introduced himself as George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer and philosopher. Without warning Shaw snatched the towel away and then said, "And this is Mrs. Shaw!" It was the start of a lifelong friendship.

Died on the day of his 28th wedding anniversary.

Harpo officially became a mime after a theater critic noted in 1914 that Harpo was brilliant until his character spoke. From then on, Harpo never spoke while in character.

Although it is popularly believed that Harpo never spoke on film, he is faintly heard in the newsreel footage during the premiere of MGM's The Great Ziegfeld (1936). He approaches the microphone without his wig and make-up and says to Joe Schenk just out of range of the mic: "You gotta do the talkin'." (in a very thick New York City accent) Harpo leans in to the mic after Schenk finishes speaking, and loudly says: "Honk! Honk!".

He was voted, as one of The Marx Brothers, the 62nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Legally changed his given name to Arthur around 1911 because he much preferred it to the very German Adolph. Of course, that name change coincidentally also allowed him to avoid trouble with such a name during the World Wars, especially in the second with the enemy leader, Adolf Hitler.

Inducted into the United States Croquet Hall of Fame in 1979.

He and Chico were usually mistaken as twins when they were young.

Served as the basis for the character Banjo in the long-running comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner" by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The play had one of its most memorable productions at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania, where Kaufman played Sheridan Whitside (the character based on critic Alexander Woollcott, Hart played Beverly Carlton (the character based on Noël Coward, and Harpo played Banjo, speaking his first lines on stage in over twenty years.

W.C. Fields said that The Marx Brothers were the only act he couldn't follow on the live stage. He is known to have appeared on the same bill with them only once, during an engagement at Keith's Orpheum Theatre in Columbus, OH, in January 1915. At the time the Marx Brothers were touring "Home Again", and it didn't take Fields long to realize how his quiet comedy juggling act was faring against the anarchy of the Marxes. Fields later wrote of the engagement (and the Marxes), "They sang, danced, played harp and kidded in zany style. Never saw so much nepotism or such hilarious laughter in one act in my life. The only act I could never follow . . . I told the manager I broke my wrist and quit.".

The character of Banjo in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's play "The Man Who Came to Dinner" is based on Harpo.

One of only two Marx Brothers to play a recurring role in their films (not counting when they used their own names). He played the role of "Pinky" in both Horse Feathers (1932) and Duck Soup (1933).

Is portrayed by 'J.M Henry' in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994).

He, Groucho and Chico had three goes at a weekly tv series but they all failed.

In 1959 The Marx Brothers reunited for GE Theatre's 'Incredible Jewel Robbery' The silent half hour starred Chico and Harpo as a pair of jewel thieves who, disguised as Groucho, plan the perfect crime. Groucho joins them in the police line up at the end of the show. A TV pilot in 1959, Deputy Seraph again teamed Chico and Harpo, this time as two angels whose spirits possess the bodies of people on Earth. The pilot episode was never finished and never seen but a few seconds showed up on the A&E Network's biography of Groucho.

He was portrayed by actor Daniel Fortus in the Broadway musical "Minnie's Boys," which ran at the Imperial Theatre for 80 Performances from Mar 26 to May 30, 1970.

In the Laurel and Hardy film Flying Deuces when Stan and Ollie are in a prison cell and Stan takes up his mattress frame and starts playing it like a harp the actual playing was dubbed by Harpo.

Caricatured in Hollywood Steps Out (1941).

He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935).

He could play the harp, clarinet, harmonica, and piano.

Great-uncle of Jade Marx, Gregg Marx, Laura Guzik, Andy Marx and Brett Marx.

Brother-in-law of Barbara Sinatra, Ruth Johnson, Kay Marvis and Eden Hartford,