Rating: 
Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: I found "Monkey Business" very enjoyable and interesting. I had trouble putting the book down. It reads very quickly and is not dull or academic in the least.The one drawback I found was that the book is not as focused as Louvish's bio of W. C. Fields, but then here he is following five people as opposed to one. Still, this was a very good book. I liked the way Louvish challenged some old stories about the Marx Brothers, and I liked the way he made a case for Chico being the chief "behind the scenes" brother in business matters. His assessment of the films seemed quite fair to me, and I found it interesting that the Marxes (or their writers) originally intended "Duck Soup" to be more political, and that they made it after plans to film "Of Thee I Sing" fell through. Still, this is perhaps not the best "first book to read" on the Marx Brothers. I would nominate Joe Adamson's "Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo" for that.
Rating: 
Summary: Furthering discussion about my book, Monkey Business.
Review: I have been watching with great interest and some puzzlement the controversial exchanges between readers on my humble tome, "Monkey Business." It seems surprising to me that a book on comedians can raise such diverse passions. I presume the point at stake is some kind of imagined "war" between Freedonia and Sylvania, i.e. between my book and Stefan Kanfer's "Groucho." I have not read my "rival"s book but see no reason why praise of one book should be accompanied by jeers at the other. "Monkey Business" is the second volume in a trilogy of books initially written for Faber & Faber's list of film books in London. The first, on W.C. Fields ("Man on the Flying Trapeze") was published in 1997, and the third, on Laurel and Hardy, is due in late 2001. The essential idea of the books is to look at the life and art of the great clowns of 1930's Hollywood afresh, researching from primary sources wherever possible, and approaching their personal lives from the perspective of their relationship to their art, rather than as gossip and scandal. I have to apologise to - and warn - those readers who are led by some of the comments on "Monkey Business" to expect some rollicking succession of side-splitting jokes, that there is nothing of the kind in the book. I do try and have a conversation of sorts with the reader, and am mindful of the fact that I am writing about comedians, not about Marcel Proust (though old Marcel was said to enjoy a joke himself now and then). I believe I have come across some new information about the Marx Brothers, notably about their early lives, the true identity of Margaret Dumont, Salvador Dali's supposedly vanished script for Harpo, and so forth. I am unashamedly interested in the early stage days of the great comedians, which were crucial influences on their style of comedy. It is true that, not being an American, I am less interested in such matters as the status of Groucho as an American icon, though I do point out the generous open-ness of intellectuals such as the Algonquin circle to popular art in the 1920's, something that contrasts with the defensive and often prickly elitism of current New York literary lions. It is, of course, fine and dandy to have passionate views argued in readers' as well as critics' remarks, but I have to question, from my perch in the more polite realms of Olde Englande, whether anonymous hate mail, such as that of "A Reader From New Jersey," is legitimate comment. This worthy appears to have been so infuriated by my book that he (I assume it's he, women are not usually as vituperative) rushed out and bought another of my books, on W.C. Fields, so that he could post similar invective on the Amazon site on that volume - three years after its publication! "Reader From New Jersey" should know this kind of comment merely drives readers to rush out and buy the book to see why it raises such a red hot flush to the brain. I enjoyed writing the book and hope the readers enjoy reading it - and keep an eye on that blood pressure, friends - the golden mean, in all,is best for health! All the best to all true Marx Bros. fans, Simon Louvish, London.
Rating: 
Summary: Low Marx for this Bad Book (OUCH!)
Review: I'm sorry, I wanted to like this book, I truly love the Marx Brothers. And there is reference material here that is useful. BUT -- and this is a major roadblock to my enjoyment of this book -- the writer insists upon injecting the very worst type of punning, constantly parenthesizing himself, letting us know how "amused" he is by his subject matter, that you imagine yourself reading a speech transcript of some purple-prosed Victorian-era wit, but without any real humor attached to it. The Marx Brothers at their best are timeless, wonderful, and hilariously funny. Reading this book was the first time I felt as though the Marxes belonged to some dead ancient art form.
Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets
Review: Louvish has, through impeccable research, brought previously unknown information about the Marx clan to light in this entertaining and joyously readable book. Much of this information is crucial to finally understanding who the brothers were as people, not two-dimensional myths. Once you're done with the book, you may wonder why Stefan Kanfer bothered to write the slipshod "Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx" at all. I feel as if I've become acquainted with the Marx Brothers again.. for the first time.
Rating: 
Summary: near-top of the marx
Review: Louvish's comprehensive biography is intelligent, solidly researched (with careful notes, unlike the new Kanfer bio of Groucho), and written with warmth and affection. Where others have accepted mythologies about the lives of the boys, Louvish has dug for facts and unearthed all sorts of tantalizing details and contradictions: he is particularly strong on the family's European roots and their vaudeville career, and he offers the most detailed and lovingly iconoclastic biographical sketch of the implacable and heretofore mysterious Margaret Dumont. One wishes that his analyses of Marxian comedy were sharper and deeper, and at times the British author seems to have only a slippery grasp of the American pop culture idiom; there are references he just doesn't get. Also, the chatty tone of his writing and his conversational interjections can be distracting. Overall, though, this is the best Marx book in years--it is trustworthy and enjoyable. Buy it, and tell them AGrouchoMarxist sent you!
Rating:
Summary: Top Quality Biography
Review: Louvish's detailed biography of the MB's is very good indeed. Starting in mid action, sympathetic, never genuflecting , the book goes on to describe what became of the Marx Brothers. Humorwise the author isn't trying to be the sixth Marx Brother any more than he's trying to be fourth Beastie Boy, the second Maureen Lipman, or the fifth Beatle. He's just trying to set the scene, which I feel will add to the book's value as time goes on, because that's what good history is.
Of all the secondary Marx(i.e. surname-not-Marx) material I have read, this is the one I have the most affection for, mainly because it is not trying to be definitive or exhaustive or curatorial, and yet strangely is better at all three than anything else Marx-related I've read in the past. Even if you've never seen a MB movie, you will probably find plenty here to amuse.
Rating: 
Summary: Too pleased with himself...but good info for the Marx fan
Review: Louvish's style is very off putting.Great fact finding is weakened by the Author's need to make himself part of the story. His obvious joy about digging up Margaret Dumont's biographical history takes away from the real accomplishment of the research needed to discover the info in the first place. The books abounds with examples of this cloying style. An example of the annoying writing follows: P.365 "All the fans of the Marx Brothers movies-even if each watched their idols' films 600 times over on the screen-would not equal the number of viewers who would watch You Bet Your Life on one night at its peak, in 1957. I confess I made up that last statistic, but the point stands." If you made up the stat how does it make a point! This is just one example of Louvish's annoying habit of adding cute commentary to a book that needs none. The facts about the Marx's (and to give Louvish credit Zeppo and Gummo do not get the short end of the stick for once) don't need embellishment, they are interesting enough without the "clever" quips. True Marx fans may find the wading through the syrup worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Worst-written book of the Marxes yet!
Review: Paul Wesolowski, ardent Marx chronicler, performed a disservice when he turned Mr. Louvish loose on his wealth of Marx Brothers memorabilia to produce this ineptly written, clunky, annoyingly cutsey biography. Paul should have written the book himself, he's got what it takes as a chronicler and as a writer. This is the worst written book on vintage comedians since Louvish's previous abortion on the life of W.C. Fields. Do yourselves a favor and get Hector Arce's GROUCHO (which happens to cover the story of all the brothers) if you want a good biography on this outstanding comedy team.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Yet on the Marx Brothers
Review: Simon Louvish follows up his excellent biography of W. C. Fields with this ground-breaking study of the Marx Brothers. As with the Fields biography, Louvish demythologizes the story of the Marxes and gives us Marx fans a lot more information to digest and enjoy. Fans have tended to accept the early stories of Marx family life as carved in stone; Louvish shows how the real story differs and does it with loving respect rather than the harshness of a debunker. In addition to the Marxes, Louvish also takes a few sidebar trips into the lives of the not so well known supporting players, such as Margaret Dumont, whose life was draped in legend. Well researched and well written. As to the criticism of those who think his writing reflects too much of the Marx style of comedy, I can only reply that no one seemed to mind when Joe Adamson did the same thing in his landmark study on the Marx Brothers films, Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo. I think this style of writing goes with the turf, so to speak, and in any case its annoyance factor is negligible compared to the rewards of his research. Highly recommded for any serious as well as casual Marx fan.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly researched and a welcome addition!
Review: Simon Louvish has done an outstanding job of presenting a fun, readable and informative account of the Marx Bros. New information to me included thoughts on the evidence that all of the brothers falsified their ages throughout their lives as well as secrets of Margaret Dumont revealed at last. There is also (as one would expect) a great deal of the story which has appeared in numerous other books and articles. However, Mr. Louvish presents it all in an entertaining way, making this book enjoyable on all fronts. Monkey Business deserves a place on the bookshelf of any devoted fan of the Marx Brothers as well as those only casually interested in their works and careers.
| 
