Mar 02 2006 9 mins 4
During the mid-1930's, radio began to displace movies as the most popular entertainment medium. After all, it was free, it didn't require going out, and a much broader array of show formats was available, most of which did not require the time commitment of the audience that movies required. This boom in popularity saw a scramble to secure available talent for radio shows, and big-name Hollywood movie personalities were a prime target. As luck would have it, the Marx Brothers were on the downhill side of their cinematic careers and were looking to branch out into other areas. Groucho especially sought out radio, which gave him opportunity to exercise his natural wit. Chico pursued a career as a band leader, which landed him occasional air time, as the broadcasting of big band music was a popular use of the airwaves. For obvious reasons, Harpo was at a handicap in this medium, but still found an occasional guest spot. I have attempted here to document several radio appearances by each of the three brothers; however, as record keeping was not viewed as a necessity in this field back then, there is no attempt to present this as a complete list. Particularly difficult to trace to a specific date are Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) broadcasts* of Command Performance, G.I. Journal, and Mail Call broadcasts, which were often recorded on disc only for distribution to military bases, and whose broadcast dates and times varied at each locale."
