Marx Brother narrates Peter And The Wolf

He was, famously, the Marx Brother who never spoke.

But now a rare recording of Harpo talking to an audience in character has been unearthed, and will be released next week.

The comic – real name Adolph or Arthur – performed as a mute clown either  because he got nervous performing on stage or, as brother  Groucho maintained, was simply not very good at memorising dialogue.

Portraying the archetypal vaudeville role of the dunce who couldn't speak became his trademark and he even turned down $50,000 (about £635,000 in today’s money) to speak a single word (‘Murder!’) in the 1946 Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca.

But he did sometimes speak in public, including the newly rediscovered recording  made in 1964, when he was 75 and in the last year of his life. He was officially in retirement, having suffered several heart attacks. 

Doctors had told him to stop working altogether, but according to Ramseur Records, which is releasing performance, ‘to a lifelong performer, nothing compared to the feeling of being on stage. Benefit shows, he slyly argued, were not technically work, since he wasn't getting paid.’

Recorded on March 20, 1964, as a fundraiser for Southern California’s Riverside Symphony, the CD and vinyl titled Harpo Speaks! – the same as the comedian’s acclaimed autobiography – capture him leading the musicians in a narration of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter And The Wolf.

Ramseur adds: ‘In another unusual move for Marx, he allowed the recording of the show for posterity, though the tapes seemingly disappeared after his death.’

The company says the tape reveals his voice to be ‘deep, yet soft-spoken, refined, yet still retaining the slightest hint of his New York City origin’.

The recording was discovered by long-time Marx Brother archivist John Tefteller who recruited Marx biographer Robert Bader to restore the material. 

Bader says: ‘The fact that we have a recording is a miracle. It was not the most professionally recorded thing. It was very haphazard. The work that was done to rehabilitate it is stunning. It's as if you've found something covered with layers of mould and dirt, got it all cleaned off, and now are able to see something brand new underneath it.' 

The 43-minute recording also includes Toy Symphony; Moon Medley, a medley of Fly Me To The Moon and others; and a rare instrumental performance of Harpo’s own composition, Guardian Angels.

Harpo’s son, Bill says: 'To have this recording be released and let people hear it is an honour. Dad didn't really want people to know what he sounded like because it would have destroyed the character of Harpo that he created. 

‘But I think, now, he would accept this graciously and gratefully because it goes beyond just seeing a guy being funny. It goes to the heart of what life is about: Doing what you love and doing it the best you can.'

Ramseur’s release notes for the recoding –  billed as the only official recording of Harpo's voice and due out on June 5 – say: ‘[Harpo] entertained, getting laughs not just for his physical gags, but for the storytelling itself: the dramatic inflections in moments of suspense, the arch mischievousness, and tongue-in-cheek references to Goldwater, Rockefeller, and Nixon. 

‘To listen to Harpo Speaks! is to experience a Brush with magic, astonished and captivated by the talent before you, and filled with wonder and gratitude for the privilege of witnessing it, whether in 1964 or today.’

The recording is available from Amazon Music, among other outlets.

Published: 29 May 2026