Groucho Marx

Fun Facts

Alice Cooper was a neighbor of Groucho and would drop by on occasion to watch old movies with Groucho when he had a hard time sleeping. Actor Bud Cort was also a favorite visitor to the aging comedian.

When Elton John was visiting California in 1972, he and Marx became friendly. Marx insisted on calling him “John Elton”. According to writer Philip Norman, when Elton John was playing the piano at Marx’s home, Marx jokingly pointed his index fingers as if holding a pair of six-shooters; John put up his hands and said, “Don’t shoot me, I’m only the piano player,” thereby giving him the title of the album he had just completed.

As he passed his 81st birthday in October 1971, Marx became increasingly frail, physically and mentally, as a result of a succession of minor strokes and other health issues. In 1972, largely at the behest of his companion Erin Fleming, Marx appeared in a live one-man show at Carnegie Hall that was later released as a double album, An Evening with Groucho, on A&M Records. He also made an appearance in 1973 on a short-lived variety show hosted by Bill Cosby. Fleming’s influence on Marx was a matter of controversy. Some close to Marx believed that she played a significant role in reviving his popularity, and the relationship with a younger woman likely boosted his ego and vitality. Others described her as a Svengali, exploiting an increasingly frail Marx in pursuit of her own (failing) acting career.

Shortly after Groucho’s death, Erin Fleming was successfully sued by the Groucho Marx estate and the lawsuits were ultimately resolved in favor of Groucho’s children. A judge ordered Fleming to pay $472,000, which she bilked from Groucho’s bank accounts while she worked for him. Fleming spent much of the 1990s in and out of mental health facilities, suffering from a variety of psychiatric illnesses, and was often homeless. Her life ended with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2003 at the age of 61.