Rating: 
Summary: Talk On, With Hope In Your Heart
Review: Harpo, Hoppo, Harold, Ahdie, Adolph or whatever he was called, well he made great book in "Harpo Speaks" the zenith of the 'as-told-to' genre of autobiography.
The book starts off as 100% top quality reportage about the experiences of a German-Jewish immigrant kid on the streets of Manhattan. Not quite so savvy or tough as his elder brother Leo/Chico (apparently pronounced Chicko), young Adolph presents quite a tragi-comic figure, cutting school and avoiding fights with other neighbourhood ethnic kids, dreaming of wealth and success but not quite knowing how the future will pan out.
After the streets of Manhattan phase we are presented with the vaudeville years, which will have you dribbling with helpless laughter. The vicissitudes of the Vaudeville life are spoken of here without a hint of complaint, but you get the feeling that there must have been times when the entire family (bar Minnie) must have had their doubts about the wisdom of the peripatetic and sometimes arbitrary nature of their day-to-day existence.
Next up we have the film star years, and the book gets a wee bit saggy here, since Harpo's life during these years is a non-stop party, and... well I reckon this bit of the book needed to be leavened with a bit of the Marx anarchy rather than another game of croquet.
The final part of the book is the taming of Harpo into devoted family man and this part of the narrative regains the twinkle of earlier sections. Here we see Harpo as truly at peace with the world, a peace which you suspect neither Julius/Groucho nor Leo/ Chico achieved, despite their respective talents as film actors abd fun-lovers.
Harpo, wherever you are, I love you man. Come back. And bring your brothers with you.
Rating:
Summary: Simply perfect
Review: This is quite simply one of the best books I've ever read. Harpo tells his story with such enthusiasm, it's hard to put down. Whether telling the story of how he (quite literally) got booted out of school in the second grade, how he fell in love with and was pursued by his wife Susan, how a reveiwer put an end to his talking onstage, or his addiction to black jelly beans (!), he never loses his sense of humor.The book focuses as much (if not more) on his personal life outside of the Marx Brothers circle. Some of the people he became friends with, the places he went, and the things he did are increadible to read about. This book is beautifully written and makes Harpo even more endearing than he already was in all of the Marx Brothers films. Even if you are not a Harpo fan, you will find something to appreciate in this funny and touching autobiography.
Rating: 
Summary: A glittering autobiography
Review: I was at Borders looking over the section of movie-related books and saw this one on the shelf. I remember hearing about it a long time ago and idly wondered what it was like. Recently I've watched several Marx Brothers videos, one a documentary, and found it pretty interesting even if they were a pretty nonsensical bunch. Harpo is definitely the favourite. Anyway, the sparkling, straightforward humour of Harpo's writing style hooked me right away and I got the book from the library a few days later. Harpo doesn't talk only about show business. In fact, he doesn't talk about it much at all, in comparison with all the other stuff he has to say. He spends a third of the book talking just about growing up in New York City before he moves on about his friends and what they did together, about his trips to Russia and France, so forth, so on, with bits about show business scattered throughout. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it even if you don't care a bit about the Marx Brothers - it's still fascinating!
Rating:
Summary: Truth in Advertising
Review: Yes, the title is true--Harpo does speak, and we're glad to listen. Who knew the silent Marx Brother led such an interesting life? Admittedly, Harpo does sentamentalize his brother Chico's gambling problems, and his brother Groucho's family problems, but who cares? A funny, warm-hearted story by one of the great comedians of the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, but what a good book!
Review: I've read Harpo Speaks a total of 14 times in three years. From this book, I began my obsession with the Algonquin Roundtable, Dorothy Parker's works, the plays of George S Kaufman and much more. The wisdom this man speaks is shocking considering he is best known for his role as a mute comic with a funny wig and horn on the end of cane.
His powers of storytelling are amazing. Whether it be his childhood growing up in a little German ghetto, or being thrown out of school or his games of Peezie-Weezie or romping around Europe with the intelligentsia of the 1920's, it's a wonderfully told story. One of my most favored books ever.
Rating:
Summary: Honk! Honk!
Review: Autobiographies are usually enjoyable for one of two reasons. The author can possess an engaging style that piques the reader's interest regardless of the material. On the other hand, the author may have lead such an interesting life that the subject matter is fascinating despite their ability to spin a good yarn. Fortunately, in the case of HARPO SPEAKS! both conditions are satisfied, creating a well-written, intriguing look at one of the more interesting characters of the first half of the Twentieth Century. Harpo Marx was famous for being the silent clown who never uttered a word during any of the dozen or so Marx Brothers movies. However, his story is quite a fascinating one. I'll admit to being slightly surprised at exactly how engaging the prose style of this book was. Having no idea what he sounded like, even in scripted movie conversation, I was curious as to how he'd come across in print. Fortunately, either he or his co-author, journalist Rowland Barber, was quite good at the art of storytelling. The reader really feels close to the action, as though one were really there. It's a simple and straightforward style, but it's one that is quite effective. As I mentioned, the events of Harpo's life were extraordinary in themselves. Quite literally a rags-to-riches story about a group of vaudeville brothers who made it very big, this book is excellent at reconstructing those early days when they rarely had enough to eat, but always had a laugh and a game of cards to pass the time. The autobiography goes into great detail about his early childhood, from being literally thrown out of school (from a first floor window) and never returning, to every lousy part-time job that he had. The book spends quite a lot of time detailing the various schemes that Harpo and Chico (at that age, they were often mistaken for twins) had to try to make the largest amount of money possible while doing the smallest amount of work. Each method is equally hilarious, as are the attempts by Harpo to spend, or hide the resulting cash before Chico had a chance to "re-invest" it. Much of the chronicle of his adolescence and early adult life centers on traveling on the road with his brothers and getting booked into a variety of theatres and clubs. Being on the road meant very little time to oneself, so we get a real sense of the relationship that existed between the members of the Marx family. Although this portion of the book is the most heavily involved in his stage performance, a great deal of time is still spent talking about different ways the Marx Brothers found themselves relaxing between shows. That means that there are a lot of anecdotes about card games, but don't worry -- the stories are wonderful. The sections dealing with his adult life revolve more around his friends than on the work he was doing with his brothers on the silver screen. Fortunately, Harpo was mixing with some fascinating people, and you hardly miss the lack of discussion about his movie career. His descriptions of the time he spent during the '20s make for fascinating reading. Who would have guessed that Harpo Marx, the clown who ran around in a slashed raincoat, was mixing with intellectual heavyweights such as George Bernard Shaw and Alexander Woolcott? Even after the market crash and the end of that decedent decade, there are numerous amusing anecdotes, my favourite being the occasion that Harpo ended up being a spy for the U.S. Government, smuggling secret documents out of the Soviet Union. The majority of the final few chapters deal with his wife and children. It's quite obvious that he cared deeply for his family, and one gets the impression that talking about them in this way is his equivalent of showing us his cherished family photographs. While this has the tendency to be slightly tedious in places, Harpo's enthusiasm is contagious. It's fascinating to see him learning lessons from his own childhood and from his children. HARPO SPEAKS! is quite a recommended read for anyone, whether they're a Marx Brothers fan or not. Harpo's adventures make for wildly entertaining reading. Even during his later years of declining health and diminishing energy, Harpo never stops seeming like a kid who never grew up, yet one who was never childish or petty.
Rating:
Summary: What a life!!
Review: This man, who has spent so much time in the spotlight without a voice, has more to say than you could ever imagine. The book is a real page turner. Although he plays an annoying, dumb, slapstick mute in show business, his real personality is completely the opposite. He was a warm, down to Earth, kind hearted person.
This book will not only explain the details of Harpo's life, but it will also take you back to a time when people were more innocent, genuine, and things like anti-depressents, Attention Deficit Disorder, and obessive compulsive behavior did not exist. This book actually makes me happy about being alive and is better than any therapy session I could ever attend. All the Marx brothers have been through so much, and yet came out ahead each time, with a level head and real love in his heart.
Rating:
Summary: You Will Read This More Than Once
Review: I am mad for great comedians. I read this book about twenty years ago. Then I read it again recently and loved it all over again too. Harpo tells us what we want to know about the Marx Brothers but tells even more about himself and his illustrious friends. His best friend, Alexander Woollcott, is especially well evoked. Anyone who has an interest in old Hollywood, New York City in the days of the Algonquin Round Table and earlier, or great comedians, should consider this book essential.
Rating:
Summary: Harpo Speak!
Review: I've had this book for a long time and have enjoyed reading it many times. It's a very good book. Much of the focus is on Harpo's personal life. And there is plently of pre-Hollywood stuff. However, there are two flaws which prevent it from being a great book. First, many of the early dates are wrong. At the time Harpo wrote this he was still not admitting his true age and his childhood dates vs. his age don't add up. Second, there is very little about The Marx Brothers movies.
Rating:
Summary: Harpo finally speaks!
Review: The world has waited to hear Harpo talk, and speculated on what he sounded like. Well, we may never know exactly what he sounded like; that is a closely gaurded secret, which only heightens our intense interest in this funny man. However, we can now know that he actually spoke, that he had more of an intellegent side, albeit it personal, than we could ever imagine. "Harpo Speaks" is the autobiography of Harpo (Adolph, later changed to Arthur) Marx; one of the origonal Marx Brothers. Harpo opens the dialogue with his childhood, his limited education, and every strange and twisted facet which ultimately led to the creation of "Harpo", including how he acquired his trademark "Gookie"; that strange, yet alluring face he makes by puffing his cheeks and sticking out his tongue. His entire life is revealed, including an episode during World War Two in which he delivered a top secret note that he was told not to read, upon penalty of death. The only thing we don't discover is - what did he really sound like! Well, we will just have to wait for him to do the audio cassette version of "Harpo Speaks"; then our curiousities will be settled.
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