The man at right in the above photo is, as you've probably guessed, the real Frank Ferrante…Groucho Marx. Like at least a third of the people who'll read this, I've been fascinated by Groucho Marx for years and have tried to see everything he ever did and read every book about him. That can be tough because there have been some very bad books about Groucho.
The man at left in the photo is Steve Stoliar. He didn't write one of those bad books about Groucho. He wrote a very good one called Raised Eyebrows. It's subtitle is My Years Inside Groucho's House…and Steve was not a cat burglar or the guy who rented the place after Groucho died. He was a kid hired to archive Groucho's crates of souvenirs and memorabilia, and as such was a key witness to the last years of Julius H. Marx. I had a few brief first-hand glimpses into those years and Groucho's relationship with the troubled and controversial Erin Fleming, the lady who managed his last years and who seemed to have been more caretaker than caregiver. I envy Steve his proximity to the guy above in the beret and we should be grateful for all he did for Dr. Hackenbush…but I sure don't envy him being around That Woman.
Fortunately for us, Steve is a writer…a darn good one, too. His book recounts his story in a non-sensationalized manner and there isn't a word in it that seems false or self-serving. A case can be made that Ms. Fleming was good for Groucho…or perhaps good until the final year or so. Another person I know who was around some of that thinks she was not good for Groucho but as good as he was likely to get, given the way he'd alienated so many around him, along with certain troubles within his family. You can make up your own mind about all that or do like me and find your own way to view the ambiguity. Above and beyond the Marxian lore in this book, there is much to think about regarding old age and how folks who get there can and should be taken care of.
How Stoliar got into Groucho's home is also a good story. Back in the seventies, one could often go see Marx Brothers movies in local theaters…which was a much better way to see them than at home, no matter how big your flat screen is. I took dates to see A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races and Duck Soup and Horse Feathers — all the good ones except for Animal Crackers, which was then unavailable due to a rights snag. But I eventually got to seeing Animal Crackers. A small storefront theater in Westwood ran a 16mm print one night, advertising "A Marx Brothers Movie" but not the title. I found out which one it would be and rounded up a posse of my friends…and we went, all the time fearing a police raid. We also thought this might be the only chance we would ever have in our lives to see that film.
Thanks to Steve Stoliar, it wasn't. He was attending UCLA around that time and he launched a campaign on campus. The rhetoric was not unlike urging some foreign government to free a political prisoner but in this case, it was urging Universal Pictures to free Animal Crackers…and sure enough, it did result in a release. It also resulted in Steve meeting Groucho and Erin and getting that low-pay, high-prestige job. But you'll read all about it when you read his book, which I highly recommend. I liked it in its original hardcover when it came out some time ago. I like it even more in its new, expanded paperback edition which sports a great Drew Friedman cover and moves the story forward a few more years since the first pressing. Here is an Amazon link to order a copy. Please do. I've never met Steve except via Facebooking but we've agreed to have lunch soon. If you folks buy enough copies because of this plug, maybe he'll feel grateful enough to pick up the check.
