Welcome to Login

Chico Marx

Chico (variously pronounced as "Cheek-o" and "Chik-o") was the dumb but wisecracking, piano-playing Marx Brother, whose character protected the innocent Harpo while flummoxing the all-knowing Groucho. Wearing a dark curly wig, a pointed hat and a goofy grin, he portrayed an Italian stereotype common in early 20th-century vaudeville which would later be deemed offensive. The eldest of the brothers, Chico (supposedly nicknamed for his success with "chicks") started his career with brother Harpo, after teenaged jobs as a pianist and wrestler. Such acts as "Fun in Hi Skool" (1911) and ""Home Again" (1914), helped the brothers hone their stage personalities: notably the smart-mouthed con-man (Groucho), the dumb Italian (Chico) and the mute faun (Harpo).