Travels

Not surprisingly the Marxes, being performers, traveled a great deal. Here are some travels before they hit the stage.

Here’s Minnie arriving in New York on 9 Aug 1879 on the Rhein.  She’s with her parents Levi and Sophia (Fanny) and her brothers, the eventual Al Shean and Harry Shean.

This was her father’s second arrival. He first came on 4 Aug 1877, also on the Rhein with Minnie’s big sister Hannah (“Aunt Hannah”).

A month after Minnie arrived, Sam arrived. He came 24 Sep 1879 on the Amerique.

In 1896 a relative gave Minnie the opportunity to visit Dornum, the Schoenberg family home. There was money for two boys to go with her. Leo was oldest and her favorite, so he got to go. Julius bribed Adolf with either a sweet roll or a toy wagon, so he got to go.

Here’s the return trip. Leaving Hamburg 9 Aug 1896 on the Persia.

And arriving back in New York, 21 Aug 1896.

I next found them heading to London to play the London Coliseum in June 1922.

But before that you need passports, which they applied for in May of that year when they were playing the Palace in Milwaukee.

Chico

Harpo

Groucho

Zeppo

With passports in hand they were ready to debark in Southampton on 12 Jun 1922 on the Mauretania. Here are the four brothers, Ruth, And Minnie.

An here they all are leaving England for New York on the Cedric  29 Jul 1922.

They went back in December of 1930 to play the Palace in London in January 1931. Here are the four brothers, Betty, Marion, Ruth, Arthur, and Miriam arriving on the Paris, 30 Dec 1930. The “Mollet Dumont” on line 10 is actually Margaret Dumont who was the widow Mrs. John Moller Jr. (He died in 1918.)

Here’s Margaret Dumont returning from the trip above, on the Mauretania into New York City on 10 Feb 1931. Interestingly, as per the note at the bottom, Margaret Moller (line 11) never got off, although Margaret Dumont (line 16) did. Also note that they got her birthday wrong. It should be 20 Oct 1882. But here it’s October 2nd, matching her up with Groucho.