It’s Fun, But Inaccurate

It’s Halloween, when children put on disguises as an excuse to beg for candy (and some brazen adults beg for drinks) from neighbors. One common, silly disguise that has been used for decades on occasions that go well beyond Halloween are Groucho glasses as illustrated in the middle picture above. But it’s an inaccurate image of the man they were named for because the real Groucho never had a real bushy black mustache or eyebrows.

Julius Marx, born in 1890, was known most of his life as Groucho Marx, (perhaps because he was “the moody one,” something he admitted late in life). On stage with his brothers in their vaudeville comedy act, he began applying a large squarish greasepaint mustache and eyebrows (as shown in the image at left above). Some accounts say that was his solution to the uncomfortable process of removing the fake mustache he had been wearing each night, which was like ripping off a band-aid on sensitive skin. He added greasepaint eyebrows to balance the look. He carried that signature look with him into his movies, and people were so accustomed to seeing him that way that they seldom recognized him on the street. However, when he became host of the popular TV game show “You Bet Your Life” in 1950, he grew a real mustache and used his own eyebrows (as pictured above right). That means the “Groucho glasses” in every novelty store do not actually represent the real Groucho at all.

Are there other celebrities you might not recognize outside of movies?

This post is an edited excerpt from yesterday’s e-newsletter, Wait Lifters – uplifting content for every kind of downtime.? If you enjoyed it, please share it.

Kathy Laurenhue, M.A, C.H.P., is the creator and CEO of Wiser Now, Inc., dedicated to fostering wellbeing in people of all ages. Known for her practical and lighthearted approach, she is the author of multiple books and newsletters, dozens of training courses and webinars, and hundreds of trivia quizzes, word, games, and discussion exercises. Check out the many offerings of her Wiser Now, Inc. website, her CreatingDelight.com ?website (focused on creating fun and goodwill) and her Caregiving website?(focused on both givers and receivers). She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].?