The Marx Brothers and Feb. 3rd: International Fake Moustache Day

The Marx Brothers

unused postcard

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The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers’ thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute as among the top 100 comedy films, with two of them (Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera) in the top twelve.

The core of the act was the three elder brothers, Chico, Harpo, and Groucho; each developed a highly distinctive stage persona. The two younger brothers, Gummo and Zeppo, did not develop their stage characters to the same extent, and eventually left the act to pursue other careers. Gummo was not in any of the movies; Zeppo appeared in the first five films in relatively straight (non-comedic) roles.

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Fake Moustache Day...

A fake moustache or false moustache is an item of prosthetic make-up used in dressing-up, acting, espionage and crime. National fake moustache day in the United States is on 24 February, while the international celebration is on 3 February.

Here are a few Notable false moustaches:

The most notable fake moustache of all-time was probably worn by Charlie Chaplin for his role as The Tramp. He initially wore it as a means of disguising his youth for the role.

Groucho Marx (see above) also used a fake moustache during his years in vaudeville and in the early Marx Brothers movies. However, his was drawn onto his lip with grease paint, containing no hairs or bristles. In later life he grew his own, real moustache. It, along with his cigar and waggling eyebrows, were his famous trademark.

Some Organizations of Note:

In Dayton, Ohio, there is a group who gathers to celebrate the joys of the fake moustache. The Gem City Fake Mustache Society meets monthly for various events, some events include 5K races, Dayton Bombers games or local parades.

Kansas City has been said to have the premiere fake moustache club in North America. The Kansas City Fake Mustache Club has over 500 members throughout the world, including KCFMC Chapters in Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Pittsburg, Kansas.