Halloween 2011

Look what happens when your family decides to coordinate costumes for Halloween: Oedipus Shmoedipus! Actually, these two are dressed as brothers. And please, tell me you know which brothers! (Believe it or not, I’ve recently come across several otherwise educated people who had not heard of the Marx Brothers. For them, this blog entry will undoubtedly provide a vital public service!)

Max really is Harpo Marx — making faces and all manner of bourgeoisie-perturbing mischief. Max premiered his Harpo at FestiFools 2010. Top row, 2nd from left: Harpo sleeping off a bad case of insomnia.

Max insisted on the Whoopee Cushion, one of his latest obsessions. While I couldn’t find any Harpo/Whoopee Cushion episodes on the interwebs, I was able to confirm that the Whoopee Cushion was, in fact, a Harpo-era invention.

And Rico totally channels Groucho. “When I dine with a woman, I expect her to look at my face … That’s the price she has to pay.” | Rico demonstrates Groucho’s patented low-to-the-ground, alpha-male shuffle.

Publicity photo for A Night at the Opera, by far our favorite Marx Brothers movie (check out this collection of snippets). | Thanks to Chico (originally pronounced Chick-o), I got roped into the act!

Quick, let’s grab some friends for a pre-trick-or-treat portrait. (When shooting a group, you can tell people to “move closer together” till you go blue in the face. But in the end, you gotta send in your goon.)

And our tale culminates in the standard Marx Brothers happy ending: Having antagonized some mean-spirited, elitist types (Granger St., I’m talking to you!), and even having had some close run-ins with the law, our good-hearted tramp can finally enjoy a justly deserved meal. (This year’s favorite: Snickers!)