Giving Thanks 2020

Charles E. Martin
The New Yorker, November 26, 1966

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1966-11-26/flipbook/CV1/

I want to use today to thank those generous individuals who have contributed to this blog over the past year. It's been a difficult year for all of us, but this blogging pursuit has been blessed with more support than ever in 2020. Frankly, the number and quality of the submissions has quite often taken my breath away. Friends, I thank each and every one of you:

Tom Bloom

Dick Buchanan

Scott Burns

John Colquhoun

David from Manhattan

Frank Ferrante

A Friend of the Blog

Sarah Getz

Claude Haber

Joel Jacobus

Stephen Kroninger

Joe Petro III

Steve Stoliar

Jerome Wrinkle

Labels linking to posts made possible by each of these contributors may be found below, with the exception of A Friend of the Blog, who causes me to exceed my 200-character limit on labels. A link instead is provided here.

My thanks also to those family members and friends who have helped me out in a great variety of ways, usually anonymously. You know who you are. I also wish to thank my family for putting up with this whole outlandish pursuit of mine.

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Groucho Marx's Copy of "The Butter and Egg Man" by George S. Kaufman

"Groucho Marx is the only actor I ever allowed to ad-lib in a show I wrote. That was because I couldn't stop him."

—George S. Kaufman on the liner notes of "An Evening With Groucho" (1972)

Frank Ferrante, who provided me with the quotation above, writes about a prized book in his library that once belonged to Groucho Marx:

I have a piece that is particularly special. A 1926 first edition of George S. Kaufman's play "The Butter and Egg Man" [1925]. One of GSK's few solo efforts. Inscribed by George to Groucho. 1925...the year that they collaborated on the Broadway version of "The Cocoanuts." Their first collaboration. Both gents were about 35 years old. (Both wrote pieces for The New Yorker.) Much has been written about their relationship. Many quotes from Groucho referring to GSK as his 'god.' Their synthesis, combined sensibilities, similarities may have shaped and influenced American humor in all media more than any other creative partnership. And still does.

Copyright is 1926. So it was gifted and signed to Groucho during the Broadway run of “The Cocoanuts.” For what it’s worth I portrayed George S. Kaufman and Groucho Marx in one-person stage shows that I also wrote: “By George” and “An Evening With Groucho.”

This book recalls a brief line of Groucho's about Boston that appeared in The New Yorker of April 4, 1925.

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1925-04-04/flipbook/024/

Note:  My thanks to Frank Ferrante for going above and beyond

Five years ago, Frank posted different images of this book in The Marx Brothers Council, a private Facebook group. The post may be found here. Members of the group may access this post including the discussion.

Images of items personalized by the hand of George S. Kaufman or Groucho Marx would be considered welcome contributions to future Attempted Bloggery blog posts.

My post from 2015 about The New Yorker's seventh issue (April 4, 1925) is in the archives here.

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William Hamilton: The Tautology of Their Symbolism

A 1971 New Yorker cartoon by William Hamilton was deemed good enough to be included in The New Yorker Album of Drawings 1925-1975. The setting is a college seminar; the Harvard seal is prominent in the window. A professor and several students are seated at a long table while one student makes his thoughtful argument.


It was only when listening to the expanded audio edition of Steve Stoliar's compelling Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House (1996, 2012) that I learned that Groucho Marx himself had owned Hamilton's original cartoon art corresponding to this gag. And why wouldn't he? The cartoon mocks academic pretense, as Groucho himself had been known to do, while referencing three classic Marx Brothers films. He had it proudly displayed in his Beverly Hills home. Having already contacted Steve to inquire about a book that was once in Groucho's library, I decided to ask as well whether he knew what had become of that cartoon original after Groucho's death. He responded:

No. It was in the front entryway on the left. Across from it was the John Decker "Dutch masters" painting and nobody seems to know what happened to that either, dammit. I was out of the loop after he died. I know a solid chunk of memorabilia did go to the Smithsonian, but when I found a "Paris Review" book that [Dick] Cavett inscribed to Groucho at a local Hollywood bookstore a few years later, I was irked when the bookseller told me there was like a garage sale of a lot of Groucho's stuff, and he got that book amongst other things. I wish I'd've known...But—again—I know not where any of the art ended up.

I asked the same question of acclaimed Groucho portrayer Frank Ferrante, who also knows a thing or two about the comedian and his family life. He replied:

I don’t know of its whereabouts. In fact I didn’t realize he actually owned the original art.

So, a dead end. With no new information to go on, there are frustratingly many possibilities here. The Hamilton drawing might still be held by the heirs of Groucho Marx or it might have found a new owner. It is my hope that someone reading this may know and provide us with more information. A photograph or two, perhaps?

With cartoons by Warren Miller and William Hamilton

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1971-12-11/flipbook/052/

Note:  My thanks to Steve Stoliar for so ably assisting me in my search for the hopelessly unfindable. This is his fifth mention here on the blog. As I've noted just recently, I highly recommend the expanded audiobook edition of Raised Eyebrows which includes Steve's own outstanding narration and voice characterizations. Would I steer you wrong?

Thanks again to Frank Ferrante. This is already his second mention here on the blog.

Let me repeat myself: Attempted Bloggery seeks information, preferably documentary evidence, on the current whereabouts of this splendid work of original cartoon art by William Hamilton. If you've encountered it at any time after Groucho's death in 1977, please drop me a line. Or, better still, write me a thesis.

I'd also be happy to hear from readers with information about other celebrities who might be fortunate enough to own a work or two of original New Yorker art. Relevant photos and stories would be a plus.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

William Hamilton

Steve Stoliar

Groucho Marx

Attempted Bloggery's Lost and Found Index

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Groucho Marx's Copy of The Hokinson Festival

Responding to some of my recent posts about Helen E. Hokinson (1893-1949) and her cartoons, Stephen Kroninger sent along an old press photo showing Groucho Marx (1890-1977) at home in his study. On one shelf at the far right Stephen had somehow discerned a copy of The Hokinson Festival, the 1956 cartoon collection memorializing Hokinson including a memoir by her collaborator James Reid Parker. Stephen reports that this very book is today in the library of Frank Ferrante, the actor and distinguished portrayer of Groucho.

AP photograph courtesy Stephen Kroninger

Stephen has circled the dust jacket of The Hokinson Festival and he provides a photo of his own dust jacketed copy for reference. Once you know what you're looking at, there is no mistaking it, although you might need to find yourself a jeweler's loop.

The Hokinson Festival (1956)

Stephen Kroninger's photo of his copy

So good old Groucho owned a copy of The Hokinson Festival! Naturally, I wanted to know all about it. Stephen suggested I contact Frank Ferrante to find out what he knew about the photograph and about Groucho's old cartoon book. Not a bad idea... You can pretty much infer what my queries were from Frank's gracious reply:

The photo of Groucho looks to me like late 1950s—From his home office on 1083 Hillcrest in Beverly Hills. The book was handed down to his daughter Miriam Marx Allen and from her to me. There is no signature or personalization by any party nor is there an estate stamp. There seems to be some water damage and the dust jacket is no longer. Bookstand below the publication you reference is in my living room as is the 1935 Columbia Encyclopedia that’s placed upon it. There are multiple items in his office in that photo that are now in my possession.

Terrific! With that information in hand, I contacted Steve Stoliar, author of Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House. He expended some effort in the 1970s cataloguing Groucho's home library and I was curious whether he might have remembered seeing the cartoon book.

He replied:

I don't have anything to add on the Hokinson item. I wouldn't have known who she was at the time and was far too distracted by his inscribed Benchleys, Kaufmans, Perelmans, etc. His bedroom office still looked very much like that when I worked there, although the big dictionary in the wheeled stand somehow migrated into the main hallway.

On the other hand, I was gratified to learn that the press photo itself was familiar to him. Indeed Steve owns a print of it that formerly resided in the "morgue" of the Herald Examiner and he was able to provide me with the written copy that originally accompanied it. Here then is the full caption:

"Groucho's Den In New Home—

Comedian Groucho Marx settles down to business affairs of the moment in the new $250,000 home he and his wife, Eden, built so she could have a new sunken circular bathtub. The study is Groucho's domain.

Associated Press Photo."

Saturday, March 12, 1958 [Herald-Examiner]

AP photograph courtesy Stephen Kroninger

AP caption courtesy Steve Stoliar

That date would make the book only two years old in this photo. It is gratifying to know that Groucho, a world-class comedian, possessed at least one collection by Hokinson, a world-class cartoonist. As Steve notes, Groucho had a library teeming with significant work by the great prose humorists of his day. Are we at all surprised that he followed the work of Helen Hokinson too?


September 20, 2020 Update:  Stephen's two photos and four additional ones from Frank Ferrante previously appeared in The Marx Brothers Council, a private Facebook group. There was some discussion there as well. Members may access the February 12 posting here.


Note:  My thanks first go to master collagist and illustrator Stephen Kroninger who found the photo that connects Groucho Marx, my favorite comedian, with New Yorker cartoons, my great passion. His discovery is at the very limit of my eyesight; in fact I'm quite sure I never would have spotted the book even if I had the photograph enlarged and hung above my own sunken circular bathtub. This is Stephen's 33rd contribution to the blog and not the first to knock my socks off.

Thanks too go to Frank Ferrante for carefully answering all of my questions about the book. He is new to the blog today. Welcome aboard, Frank. Just don't expect to find anything about bloggery in that 1935 encyclopedia.

I can't believe my luck! Steve Stoliar just happened to be sitting on his own copy of this press photo. Many thanks to him as well. This is his fourth mention here on the blog, not that it's a competition. By the way, I greatly enjoyed the expanded audiobook edition of Raised Eyebrows narrated by Steve himself and I give it my highest recommendation.

I still have questions. For example, did Groucho ever meet Helen Hokinson? It's probably not all that farfetched. Harpo Marx and New Yorker editor Harold Ross certainly knew each other from the Algonquin Round Table, so there are no more than three degrees of separation between Groucho and Hokinson, at least if my math is right. Verifiable anecdotes wanted. 

More broadly, I would love to hear from readers who have a little something to share regarding celebrities and their cartoon books, particularly New Yorker cartoon books. If you've got the goods, drop me a line. I'd be interested in posting rare Marxiana as well, and I don't mean Karl.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Groucho Marx

Helen E. Hokinson

Miriam Marx Allen

James Reid Parker

Stephen Kroninger

Steve Stoliar

Attempted Bloggery's Eagle-Eyed Index

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