Rating: 
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: If you have never read any biographical pieces on Groucho Marx in particular, and the Marx Brothers in general, you will learn a lot in this book about their lives. This does not read as an original work, however. Almost all of the anecdotal details are merely rehashed in this book for the umpteenth time. There is nothing in this book that qualifies as "new" information.One gripe about the book from an aesthetic standpoint: The pages are like sandpaper, and the binding on the hardcover breaks very easily, so be careful if you want to preserve its aesthetic value.
Rating:
Summary: Can you count on Kanfer?
Review: In the second sentence of the introduction Kanfer writes of Groucho and his 1972 performance at Carnegie Hall: "He has not performed in New York for some fifty years..." Groucho played in Animal Crackers on Broadway as late as 1929. To call it "for some fifty years" can hardly be right. It makes me wonder: Is the rest of the book as badly researched?
Rating: 
Summary: Comedians and Sadness
Review: It's a cliche, but like many cliches it has some truth to it. Comedians can be depressed, unhappy people--that's why they turn to comedy in the first place, because they see the incongruities of life and are trying to cheer themselves up. Kanfer nails Grocho Marx's life is this readable biography. It comes as no surprise that Groucho alienated his family and friends because of his abrasive temprament. What Kanfer analyzes really quite well is the cult of personality than began to surround Marx in the '60's. Hippies and protestors began to see him as a sort of funky godfather to their contempt for America. Kanfer lets us see what a master of comedy he was; but also lets us see the destructive results when a man can't put aside his mask and just be a human being. As the critic Terrence Rafferty said in reviewing this book: "I love 'Duck Soup' but I take it out of the VCR every once in a while."
Rating: 
Summary: Skimpy, derivative and remote
Review: Kanfer seems to have read everything ever published on the Marx Bros., but evidently didn't talk to anyone who knew them. He relates the facts of Groucho's life succinctly and, I assume mostly accurately -- but there's absolutely no sense of getting into his subject's head. The book observes Groucho from a distance, talking about his character traits without ever exploring them. It's interesting enough to make you want to seek out other books on the subject, and does cover the events AFTER Groucho's death in some detail. If this were the only book on the subject, it would be adequate -- but it isn't. There are much better books out there.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surprise
Review: Like many Marx Brother's fans I wasn't sure if Kanfer had anything new to say. With dozens of books on the Marx Brothers, did I want to re-read tales of their lower east side upbringing or Chico's gambling for the umpteenth time? It turned out that I did. Though the story is largely familiar to the afficiando, it also offers new bits of data. If you have never read about the brothers, you'll enjoy your first class in Marxism here. Kanfer gets at the personal Groucho, detailing his problems with wives and children, but he also spends plenty of time on the movies and other parts of Groucho's career.
Rating:
Summary: Expected more
Review: Looked forward to reading this "definitive" biography with great anticipation only to be disappointed. Quotes and characters are sometimes inaccurate and most of the "great" films were glossed over. Given the fact the most of the players in Groucho's life are dead, interviews would be impossible; but the author seem to write only what he had to and no more. However, the family history prior to their fame was interesting and for the most part fully realized.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy of eleven years in Twelveworth
Review: Mr. Kanfer makes a point late in this book that once he was pushed into show business at an early age, Julius Henry Marx ceased his existence, eternally replaced by the acerbic, wisecracking, iconoclastic character "Groucho". The man no long was; only the persona remained. The detailing of this problem -- which ruined Milos Forman's recent Andy Kaufman biopic, i.e. the examination of the man where the public persona is omnipotent -- is the real strength of this book. Kanfer does a great job showing how Groucho could never escape being Groucho; he was either the funny little man with the greasepaint moustache, cutting people down with his razor sharp wit, or he was nothing. It's a great psychological portrait. The vaudeville sections are bright and lively, really capturing the anarchic spirit that the brothers held. Kanfer does a good job showing the transition from vaudeville to movies, including the fears and trepidations of those involved, especially Groucho's. Even though we know that worldwide fame would eventually come, the road traveled to get there is filled with much tangible drama. Groucho's later years are done particularly well. They're especially effective when the reader gets an indication of how far Groucho has fallen: a man who once verbally terrorized all the women in his life gets his karmic retribution. It's quite a sad chapter; I as a reader couldn't wait to read of Groucho's death, just to put the old man out of his misery. Very powerful. Unfortunately, the book is weak in several other areas. The sections dealing with Julius' childhood needed a deeper biographical sketch of his mother Minnie Marx. We are told repeatedly of her great will and dominance over the boys, but we only see glimpses of that. Kanfer does yeomen's work researching the other areas of Groucho's life, so why skimp out on the beginnings? Later, when dealing with the heyday of the Marx Brothers movies, it is apt to re-quote a criticism Groucho himself makes on page 380: "[Critics] do a new kind of writing. They rent our movies, tape-record them and write down all the good jokes in their books. Quite a writing feat!" He's talking about the glut of criticism following the Brothers' renewed popularity in the 1960s, and Kanfer uses the quotation wisely to that extent. Unfortunately, he himself uses that very same hackneyed technique! There are transcriptions of scenes from 'Duck Soup' and 'Horse Feathers' that run for pages. Granted, they are almost as entertaining on paper as they are on screen, but they serve little purpose in a biography. Kanfer tries to tie the scenes into the narrative of Groucho's life, but he generally fails to do so effectively. When Groucho has his popular rebirth, with the television show 'You Bet Your Life', what should be an important time in contributing to the enduring appeal of the comedian is glossed over. A period of ten years feels like just two, before we are thrust into Groucho's twilight. I would have loved more anecdotes and analysis from this era. My suggestion to those interested is that this is a good start to get an understanding of Groucho. For those already versed in Marx lore, this book will probably infuriate rather than enlighten you.
Rating:
Summary: Perceptive and Informative
Review: One of my great childhood memories is being permitted to stay up late at night to watch a series of Marx brothers' films being rerun by the BBC in the seventies. I loevd them then and still love them now. I started this book with some trepidation thinking it may be on of those biographies that was measured by the number of salacious fact it uncovered but it wasn't like that at all. It is a perceptive and informative insight into the life of a great artist. This is the only book on the Marx brothers I have got (and am likely to get) so I can't say how much of the material is available elsewhere but even if it is, it doesn't matter. This book stands alone and covers its subject well.
Rating:
Summary: Groucho -- Warts and All
Review: Stefan Kanfer's "Groucho" is a detailed, honest account of the comic genius and the melancholy life he lived. Much of humor is derived from pain, so it comes as no surprise that Groucho Marx was not the happiest of men. Nevertheless, the comedian's brilliance is evident throughout the pages of Kanfer's biography. The book is not without flaws, but it's definitely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: The Definitive Groucho Biography
Review: Stefan Kanfer's excellent biography of Groucho Marx is long overdue. A fine researcher and perceptive critic, Kanfer examines the sad method behind Groucho's comic madness and provides a detailed portrait of his bittersweet relationship with Harpo and especially Chico. However, "Groucho" is more than a "warts-and-all" biography -- it also places the anarchic spirit of Marxian humor in its proper historic context. Kanfer chronicles the creative highs and lows of Groucho and his brothers with refreshing clarity. Overall, it is an indispensable work that should be on the bookshelf of any Marx aficionado.
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