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L0st_in_the_Stars OP t1_iqmaxq7 wrote

As best I can make it out, the inscription reads: "Harpistically Yours. xxxx Harpo Marx".

From all I've read about him, including his delightful autobiography Harpo Speaks, Harpo was one of the sweetest and happiest people ever. He enjoyed a contented marriage with four adopted children. When he was asked by George Burns in 1948 how many children he planned to adopt, he answered, "I’d like to adopt as many children as I have windows in my house. So when I leave for work, I want a kid in every window, waving goodbye."

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isecore t1_iqmt9nw wrote

My favorite story about Harpo is how he was friends with Salvador Dali. Harpo got his nickname because he loved playing the harp, so Dali gifted him a harp that had barbed wire for strings. Harpo sent back a photo of himself with a sad face and bandages on his hands.

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Theblackswapper1 t1_iqnnr47 wrote

He apparently lived pretty close to Groucho, and he'd regularly welcome Groucho's daughter into the home.

There's a You Bet Your Life clip where Harpo makes a surprise guest appearance to promote his book. Groucho isn't exactly thrown off his game, but you can tell he's genuinely happy to see his brother.

One last story that I guess is a little bittersweet but speaks to how sweet and happy Harpo was, evidently Chico was a compulsive gambler. Someone once asked him "how much money do you think you've lost over the years just from gambling?".

Chico said "ask Harpo how much money he's saved over the years and you'll have your answer."

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L0st_in_the_Stars OP t1_iqnpjsl wrote

Gilbert Gottfried used to do an imitation of the elderly Groucho, that mostly consisted of explaining that the Marx Brothers continued to work into their later years "because Chico needed the money."

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