Mo-Fun on Mo-Po,
Well, hard to believe he’s been gone almost a decade now. On Saturday, January
18th, he worked in his studio for the last time penciling the Marx Brothers in
the opening scene of “Monkey Business” (Paramount, 1931.) It was going to be
all four Marx Brothers, which he had done once before, but they were on a
small-scale as they were climbing all over Lorne Michaels (of Saturday Night
Live fame.) There was a spot in the background for another figure, which was
to be me.
While he was drawing in earnest—like he had professionally for over eighty
years—I was visiting Kitty Carlisle-Hart for the first time (she lived close to
Al Hirschfeld’s Madison Ave Gallery then—it’s now something else) and
enthralled listening to her reminisce about being on the set with the Marx
Brothers and how Harpo Marx would stop everything, no matter what, at noon and
just lie down and say “lunchie!”
I went to Hirschfeld’s 122 East 95th Brownstone and was greeted at the door by
Al’s wife, Louise who said he felt very bad, was too ill to do my sitting that
day (to be in the drawing.) I said no problem and would fly back when he felt
better. I gave her the gifts I had for him (a framed “Harlem as seen by
Hirschfeld” cover for hanging and caramels for hunger ;) Louise took a few
reference photos of me for him and I departed disappointed, but planning my
return.
By the time I landed in Jacksonville, Florida the next day on January 20th
(Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), I read that a “99 year old caricaturist died”,
and still being young and optimistic thought: “Maybe it is another 99 year old
caricaturist.”
I have a reproduction of that final drawing and will figure out a way to get it
into the Art of the Marx Brothers book somehow (actually I already have a
plan). The gallery doesn’t seem to want anyone to know it was his last, or see
it, but it will be shown regardless. It’s important.
He may be gone and not drawing anymore, but more of his drawings are being
found, and I will keep looking for them—even though I’m sure I probably seem a
bit obsessed and eccentric to some of you—but hey, we are all a bit crazy I
hope :)
Three posters of his I’d love to see (in increasing order of difficulty and
rareness):
1. “Everybody Sing” Three-Sheet Style “A”—has caricatures of Fanny Brice,
Allan Jones, and Judy Garland (pre-dates her thought to be “first” time drawn
by Hirschfeld in “The Wizard of Oz” the next year.)
2. Any Robert Benchley short one-sheet by Hirschfeld: “How to Behave”, “How to
Sleep”, etc.
3. Any of the two three sheets from “Hallelujah”.
But, it’s HIS birthday not mine;
-Daniel…
colorfulcomedi...@me.com
P.S.—If anyone has a favorite actor/actress he drew you want to see, just email
me.
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