A Tour of Groucho’s Great Neck House!

Thanks, Noah Diamond (the man who Noahs all) for tipping me the wink that there’d be an estate sale at the former Groucho Marx house in Great Neck today. As it’s my town of residence, I’d made the pilgrimage once before but only rubbernecked from the outside. Nosey Parker that I am, I leapt at the chance to poke around the interior, along with other folks looking for deals on lamps and magazine racks and what have you.

Now, note well: Groucho lived here from 1926 to 1931, roughly, from the Broadway period to the move to Hollywood (Monkey Business) or thereabouts. Precious little in the house today by way of furniture or what have you looked like it may have belonged to Grouch a near-century ago. This was an estate sale to unload the belongings of its most recent owner. When I tried to strike up a conversation with a man who seemed to be connected with the sale, he clearly didn’t want to be bothered with Marx Brothers fol-de-rol. Indeed, since this was an estate sale, he was probably grieving the loss of the recent occupant. Still, there may be some things to be gleaned from what I spied with my little eye. Join me, won’t you? For a window into the world of Groucho of Great Neck:

I approve of this use of my membership dues! As it happens my Great Neck Historical Society colleague Carol Frank wrote a terrific article about the house’s history. It turns out the house turned 100 years old this very year. https://theislandnow.com/no-joke-groucho-marx-lived-here/

Living room where fellow stars and pundits were entertained

Dining room where witty banter accompanied the repast

I spotted a copy of Moss Hart’s Act One on a shelf. It can’t be Groucho’s copy but it was a nice indication to me that the house belonged to someone who cared. As were these:

Spacious back yard, room for kids to play

LOVE this camouflaged closet feature of the kitchen. Did the children — or

Being in the master bedroom gave me goose bumps and a lump in my throat. Is it the bed that inspired “Beds”? Probably not, but it’s definitely the room he came back to after performances of “The Cocoanuts” and “Animal Crackers”

Attic playroom

Having reached the top of the house, there was nothing left to do but climb out the skylight, shimmy down a drain pipe, and outrun the Doberman Pinschers. Oh, wait! That was Alan King’s House! Thank you all for coming, this has been a public service breaking and entering.

For more on the Marx Brothers, please readThe Marx Brothers Miscellany: A Subjective Appreciation of the World’s Greatest Comedy Team — and come see us atMarxfest, May 17-26, 2024!