THE MARX BROTHERS

From that time I slept over at my friend Joey Lawler's house and stayed up and watched "The Coconuts" on the Late Show, I've been in love with the MARX BROTHERS. And for me, "love" always means becoming the artists I adore. I started as HARPO because my friend Paul Rubin (below, who also played Stannie to my Ollie) had the GROUCHO thing down pat (we recruited neighborhood hood Gary Krantz to play CHICO.)

Soon after, I dropped some poundage, discovered sarcasm, and became GROUCHO. My dear hippie pals and I formed THE COCONUTS TRIBE and recreated Marx Madness in the Shacker Family's attic - - I mean -- make-shift theatre. Puppets being my true calling it was only a matter of time before giving birth to THE MARX BROTHERS as puppets.
I built these for THE MARKO PUPPET THEATRE. We recreated THE COCONUTS in miniature and performed it at colleges on the West Coast. It was really fun!!!

That's Holly Smith (above) portraying Mdm. Pheffenusiance in a Marx Brothers Christmas skit.

Now, our dear friend and famous writing personage SANDY KRINSKI (ALICE, DONNY & MARIE and - - yes! - - THE NEW ZOO REVIEW) wrote to tell us that his very good friend BILL MARX (Harpo's very son) has put a website jam packed with ALL THINGS HARPO!!!

http://www.harposplace.com/

When you get the time, take a look. You'll need the time because there is so much to see! Thanks for doing this Bill!!!

FIRST BROCHURE

Right after the Psychedelic Madness of the MARKO PUPPET THEATRE jaunt, my (then) partner Holly Smith and I moved from Northern California to New England.We now dedicated ourselves to Children audiences, and began a heavy but wonderful touring schedule of schools and theatres, while also breaking into commercials and making guest appearances on local television shows.
We called ourselves THE PUPPETEERS and by the time we did puppets on the WGBH series "ALL ABOUT YOU". . .

. . . we had accumulated quite a large puppet family. This is our first brochure.
For more on THE PUPPETEERS, clicketh here:

http://flexitoon.blogspot.com/2009/08/puppeteers-on-parade.html

MARKO PUPPET THEATRE

Memories of when my Bryant High School pal DUG COHEN and I started the first psychedelic puppet show THE MARKO PUPPET THEATRE.

This is Dug circa 1968. He knew a whole lotta stuff I didn't about music (he introduced me to the GRATEFUL DEAD and JOHN COLTRANE.) He also "dug" lighting, and that played a big role in all the MARKO shows. We were light heavy.

This is KEN MIELE. I met him because he was dating my first girl friend, BETTE. We hit it off right from the start. Kenny could also play a mean organ and guitar, and together we forged a rock and roll relationship that of course sequed into original music for the puppet theatre.

This is HOLLY SMITH. She was a councellor at Camp Limelight in South Fallsburg NY when the MARKO boys stormed into town on our first summer tour. She and I were instantly, immediately and mutually smitten, and by January we were living together. I taught her puppetry and she took to it like breathing. She also played piano and flute and could sew. So well in fact that when MARKO decided to tour the nation next summer and settle in San Rafael CA (and meet the Grateful Dead) Holly was the perfect puppeteer/team mate. Dug and Kenny in one van, Holly and I in the other.
Lotsa shows. Lotsa new friends. Lotsa love to go around.
We played the PUPPETEERS OF AMERICA FESTIVAL in Oakland in 1972. Dug took this shot of me and Holly and Kenny left foreground. My son said it looks like a scene from Forrest Gump(!)

Me.

Point Reyes, CA.

A new horizon was beginning to beckon. . .

THE PUPPETEERS ON PARADE

Back in 1975, my company was called THE PUPPETEERS.
My then partner Holly Smith and I were the featured cover story on PARADE MAGAZINE.
It wasn't long after that we went our several ways. However, in re-reading the article after all this time, I'm amazed at how things change, yet also stay the same. . .

(click on pages to enlarge)