Gummo: The Long-Lost Marx Brother

When one thinks of the Marx Brothers the first thing that comes to mind are Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and sometimes Zeppo but what is often overlooked is that there was another brother who was part of the troupe. Milton Marx or better known as Gummo as it was his chosen stage name. He was born in New York City on October 23rd 1892 as the fourth sibling. The story behind his nickname can be debated as I have found several different stories online. One link says he given his name from a monologist by the name of Art Fisher who noted his preference to rubber shoes. Wikipedia says that being the sickliest of the brothers, Gummo often wore rubber overshoes (gumshoes) to protect himself from taking sick in inclement weather. A bit bizarre but IMDB says he got his nickname from a habit he had of sneaking up on people backstage, like a “gumshoe” detective. But we all know IDMB does not lie. He used to perform alongside his brothers (as the straight role) where they were on the vaudeville circuit but he stopped before they became huge Broadway stars. When he left acting, he was replaced by his younger brother Zeppo and soon forgotten. Although he was the first to go he was also the first of the brothers to take to the stage and started out performing with his Uncle Julius in a ventriloquist act.
In 1911, Gummo, Groucho, and Harpo, the original performers of the family, appeared as a singing act called “The Three Nightingales.” In 1917, Gummo left his brothers to join the US Army, and in stepped Zeppo; Gummo was the only brother who served in the military. His service to the military was short and when he came back, he went into business selling dresses and cloths for many years before he went back into show business. During his dressmaking business he patented a laundry box (as shown on the right). He said, "I invented a [laundry] box that has only four sides instead of eight. In the normal laundry box you'd put the laundry in one-half and cover it with the other. This one saved a lot of paper and the laundry would slide into it." He also tells of the product failing because of rising cardboard prices (source). I suppose he didn't have the flair for inventing like his brother Zeppo, who held three patents.
When his dress making business went bankrupt he became his brothers agent and even joined Zeppo in operating a management company, but it did not last. He also represented other actors and writers aside from his brothers, and became very well respected in his field.
Gummo also married a widowed Helen von Tilzer in 1929 and adopted her daughter Kay from her previous married. They had a son together in 1930 named Robert. On April 21, 1977 Milton Marx died, only four months before his older brother Julius (Groucho).


Other links:
http://www.marx-brothers.org/biography/gummo.htm
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=678