Groucho Marx, Master Detective

Rating:
Summary: Clever idea for a mystery series!
Review: A clever idea--a ham actor and consummate comedian as the detective! Ron Goulart's amusing (what would you expect with a Marx brother?) fictional accounting of a zany murder chase is not so farsical as it seems. Actually, the author, wisecracks aside, has a good case here--and this is the beginning of a series,too! A young actress (could Groucho be involved with any other!) is dead; the police are calling it a suicide; but Groucho is uneasy about all this. Somehow, the lines aren't straight and the cues are out of sync! Before the curtain falls, however, our Groucho has brought the house down in this SRO episode. Bravo, Groucho (and Goulart). A good read! ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Clever idea for a mystery series!
Review: A clever idea--a ham actor and consummate comedian as the detective! Ron Goulart's amusing (what would you expect with a Marx brother?) fictional accounting of a zany murder chase is not so farsical as it seems. Actually, the author, wisecracks aside, has a good case here--and this is the beginning of a series,too! A young actress (could Groucho be involved with any other!) is dead; the police are calling it a suicide; but Groucho is uneasy about all this. Somehow, the lines aren't straight and the cues are out of sync! Before the curtain falls, however, our Groucho has brought the house down in this SRO episode. Bravo, Groucho (and Goulart). A good read! ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: DON'T BET YOUR LIFE ON THIS ONE!
Review: Everyone knows Groucho was the master of the somewhat leering, slightly suggestive non sequitur. As a comic he was a master of stage and screen with his equally masterful brothers. And on his own he mastered radio and television with his You Bet Your Life quiz show. But could you ever imagine him as a master detective?

Well, that's the premise of this book. Set in the thirties, the story opens with Groucho getting ready to go solo and star in a new radio show to be called GROUCHO MARX, MASTER DETECTIVE. The show is being written by Frank Denby, a former police reporter turned wannabe scriptwriter. Suddenly, a budding movie starlet commits suicide. Groucho, who admits to sleeping with the woman, is convinced she would never kill herself and he asks Denby to help him investigate the matter.

Denby's investigation uncovers the possibility of murder, blackmail, police corruption, organized crime and a sinister Hollywood cover-up. And to top it off, he and Groucho seem to have been added to the hit list.

Although the author has a parade of thirties era celebrities (or their names) dropping in on the action, his writing does not really have a convincing feel for the era. And while Groucho's constant quips are often quite funny, he comes across more as a caricature than a real character. The book was alright, but in the end take a bit of Groucho's advice ... don't shoot elephants in your pajamas and if you want to read about celebrity sleuths stick to Kaminsky and Baxt. I was also bothered by the dust jacket illustration which seems to be closely based on the classic and highly superior Hirshfield drawing of Groucho.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant ride with Groucho on the case for the first time
Review: Having read the third book in the series (the cover called to me in the library, what could I do?) I am going back at starting at the very beginning. "Groucho Marx, Master Detective" is not a compelling mystery in which you try to figure out the clues one step ahead of the sleuth, but it is fun to have Groucho alive and kicking. Aided and abetted by the narrator, a former police reporter and current writer for Groucho's fledgling radio show named, surprise, "Groucho Marx, Master Detective," Groucho is investigating the "suicide" of a young starlet with whom he was once involved. Of course, it was really murder and Groucho feels compelled to find out whodunit.

Ron Goulart's novel is a pleasant diversion. If you are a hardcore mystery fan there is really not much here, so it may well be this book is going to tickle the fancy of devoted Marxists such as myself. With this Groucho Marx you get both the blazing and constant sarcastic abuse (one of the running gags is people thinking they recognize Groucho without his mustache) and the "real" Julius Marx (on those rare occasions when he forces himself to drop all of the pretenses). The parade of Hollywood stars in the background seems a bit forced at this point, but it becomes more refined down the road. The main thing is that we get another chance to hear Groucho speak. Ever since I heard about "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine," a play in which the second act is the Marx Brothers doing Chekov (sort of), I have been open to the idea of reviving Groucho and his siblings in new and creative ways. In that regard, Ron Goulart's books are a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant ride with Groucho on the case for the first time
Review: Having read the third book in the series (the cover called to me in the library, what could I do?) I am going back at starting at the very beginning. "Groucho Marx, Master Detective" is not a compelling mystery in which you try to figure out the clues one step ahead of the sleuth, but it is fun to have Groucho alive and kicking. Aided and abetted by the narrator, a former police reporter and current writer for Groucho's fledgling radio show named, surprise, "Groucho Marx, Master Detective," Groucho is investigating the "suicide" of a young starlet with whom he was once involved. Of course, it was really murder and Groucho feels compelled to find out whodunit.

Ron Goulart's novel is a pleasant diversion. If you are a hardcore mystery fan there is really not much here, so it may well be this book is going to tickle the fancy of devoted Marxists such as myself. With this Groucho Marx you get both the blazing and constant sarcastic abuse (one of the running gags is people thinking they recognize Groucho without his mustache) and the "real" Julius Marx (on those rare occasions when he forces himself to drop all of the pretenses). The parade of Hollywood stars in the background seems a bit forced at this point, but it becomes more refined down the road. The main thing is that we get another chance to hear Groucho speak. Ever since I heard about "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine," a play in which the second act is the Marx Brothers doing Chekov (sort of), I have been open to the idea of reviving Groucho and his siblings in new and creative ways. In that regard, Ron Goulart's books are a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: == Groucho is Back! ==
Review: I loved this book and hope to eventually see more Groucho Marx/Master Detective stories. From page one you find yourself swept up in the story and characters and wish the book lasted even longer. Especially fun for fans of Groucho Marx and the Golden Age of Hollywood. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Alas.
Review: I'm both a Groucho fan and a mystery reader, so this book just had to be good--right? Wrong. It is filled with a great many Groucho-like wisecracks, but the ambience of Hollywood and the story fell too far short to make this worthwhile reading. The plot and characters were just a wee bit hard to follow, and I ended up not caring much one way or another who dunnit. Readers who like the Marx Brothers and mysteries would be better served by Stuart Kaminsky's "You Bet Your Life."

Rating:
Summary: A Candidate for Mystery on PBS
Review: This is one of those books that you wish had been written back when Groucho could have played the lead himself or that some enterprising person working for Mystery (on PBS) would turn into one of their series as a change of pace from their more serious fare. By the way as of this date (2/17/01), I think you can get a remaindered copy from Daedalus Books. Look for them on the web. That's where I got my copy.

Rating:
Summary: The Late Show It Is Not
Review: What I enjoyed most about GROUCHO MARX, MASTER DETECTIVE is that the author, Ron Goulart, knew how to blend the public "Groucho" with what he was probably like in his private life; it all came together very well. I felt as though I was actually in 1930's Hollywood. I am very much looking forward to the next installment.