MELISSA FUCHS
Special to The Leader
This year’s Freedonia Marxonia is nearly here. The yearly celebration of the comedic troupe kicks off on Sept. 28, with the exhibit opening in Reed Library at 3 p.m.
This year’s theme “Broadway and the Marx Brothers” features planned events at both the library and the historic 1891 Fredonia Opera House.
So why exactly is Fredonia a point of interest for Marx Brothers? What about the village connects to the slapstick icons?
The connection starts with the 1933 film “Duck Soup” in the fictional setting of Freedonia. This led to Fredonia Mayor Harry B. Hickey sending letters to Groucho Marx and Paramount Pictures upset over the use of Fredonia.
In 1987, marketing student Douglas Canham wanted to celebrate the incident with a festival called The Marx Brothers in Fredonia. Canham proposed his festival to then-University President Donald MacPhee that was later approved and was largely celebrated from 1987 until 1990.
The festival returned in 2009 with Canham’s assistance and is supported today by the Hahn Family’s fund through the College Foundation.
“It isn’t just Marx Brothers in and of themselves, but how their work was impacted by a whole lot of other people — whose work is still done today and people still know of,” said Freedonia Marxonia organizer Cindy Yochym.
The impact of the Marx Brothers can be seen in numerous works including George S. Kaufman’s “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” Kaufman helped write two of the Marx Brothers’ Broadway shows, including “The Cocoanuts” and “Animal Crackers.”
At this year’s Marxonia, members of the Student Opera Theatre Association and Fredonia’s student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association will sing “Hail Freedonia.” The song is featured in the 1933 film “Duck Soup.”
There will also be cake in honor of Groucho’s birthday, Oct. 2, and the annual group photo with complimentary Groucho glasses.
The events continue at noon the next day in the Reed Library Garden with an interview with Marx Brothers expert Noah Diamond about his revival of the 1924 Marx Brothers Broadway musical “I’ll Say She Is.”
Later at 2 p.m. in the Reed Library classroom, there will be a screening of the 1933 film “Duck Soup,” set in Freedonia. Following the film in the Reed Library classroom at 3:15 p.m., there will be a discussion about the film’s creation from Diamond entitled “From Cracked Ice to Duck Soup.”
The festival includes the Freedonia Marxonia Art Contest that calls for art submissions of any medium from all ages and skill levels. Potential prizes include amounts such as $100, $75 and $50. These prizes are supported by the Hahn Family’s endowment through the College Foundation.
Art submissions will also be on display at the exhibit opening on Sept. 28.
The Fredonia Opera House will be having events for the third consecutive year partnering with the university. On Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m., there will be a multimedia conversation with Diamond.
Diamond portrayed Groucho Marx in “I’ll Say She Is.” The piece was the first of three Marx Brothers Broadway musicals, with “The Cocoanuts” and “Animal Crackers” later being made into films.
The Opera House will also help close out the celebration with a screening of “The Cocoanuts” on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The showing is 87 years in the making as the film was first shown at the Opera House in January 1930.
Opera House executive director Rick A. Davis hopes that people who attend Diamond’s talk leave not only entertained, but also having learned something. He said there is global recognition of Freedonia Marxonia and the 1933 film that started it all.
“We have something unique here in Fredonia that presents an opportunity for awareness of the history of film, theater, comedy and the political/ social climate of an era,” said Davis.