"A treasure trove for Marxists of all stripes." -Joe Adamson
The Animated Marx Brothers To many people, The Marx Brothers always seemed cartoonish. Small wonder that film animators plucked their personas from their first appearances in The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930) and caricatured them in countless animated appearances in theatrical cartoons. Their animated likenesses have since been wisecracking in television cartoons, direct-to-video movies, fan films, commercials, flip books, avatars, emoji, a slot machine, and two TV pilots so rare they were once thought not to exist.
At last, Marx Brothers fans can rejoice. Matthew Hahn's search for every animated appearance of a Marx brother has trailed longer than Groucho's coattails. His discoveries include the backstories of the studios, moviemakers, and stars, rare test drawings from the Smithsonian Institution National Portrait Gallery, abandoned projects, connections, coincidences, and apocrypha.
Through the reels of Silly Symphonies, Looney Tunes, and Merrie Melodies, to their comic clashes with Heckle & Jeckle, Oswald Rabbit, Krazy Kat, Pooch the Pup, Buddy, Cubby, Willie Whopper, Flip the Frog, and Popeye, journey back through the most detailed analyses ever compiled of animated Marx Brothers appearances. The author also draws from appearances in You Bet Your Life (1950), Quick Draw McGraw(1959), The Simpsons (1989), Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), and Animaniacs (1993), among many others.
Featured contributions include Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, Walter Lantz, Rudold Ising, Hugh Harman, Shamus Culhane, Joe Grant, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, T. Hee, Robert McKimson, Bob Godfre, Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, Michael Maltese, Daws Butler, Dayton Allen; Pat Harrington, Jr.; Frank Felker, Frank Ferrante, Dan Castellanata, Laurel & Hardy, Joe E. Brown, Greta Garbo, Frank Nelson, and Jerry Colonna.
Illustrated. Foreword by Joe Adamson, an authority on The Marx Brothers and animation. Epilogue contains a never-before-published Groucho anecdote. Index. Bibliography.
About the author: Matthew Hahn is an award-winning filmmaker, whose research for this subject took more than thirty years.
"Just when I thought I knew everything about The Marx Brothers, Hahn's book is a complete and detailed guide to the rare and unexplored world of Marx animation. From famous Warner Bros. shorts to TV commercials, theatrical releases, print ads, promos and unreleased gems and on and on, this is the first companion that perfectly lays out every aspect of anything ever drawn of The Marx Brothers. Concise and nicely written, it made me want to search high and low for these amazing treasures."
- Mike Rowe, actor, comedian, and TV presenter
"The Marx Brothers arguably generated more laughter than any other comedy team. And Mr. Hahn's wonderful book is a potent reminder of their pop culture influence. Mickey Mouse and Popeye donned Groucho's greasepaint. Bugs Bunny was inspired by the Marx spirit. The Marx presence in animation perpetuates their legacy as does this brilliant contribution."
- Frank Ferrante, Groucho Marx portrayer
"Matthew Hahn has written an authoritative guide to the appearances of our Brothers' likenesses in animated cartoons, from the dawn of the motion picture age to today. . . I can assure you that this deserves a place on your Marxian bookshelf. Includes a beautifully-written foreword by Joe Adamson himself!'
- Noah Diamond, author, Gimme a Thrill: The Story of I'll Say She Is, The Lost Marx Brothers Musical and How It Was Found