WILL KARR
Staff Writer
Movies allow people to escape from current realities into fictionalized worlds. This upcoming week, students will be transported from the city of Fredonia to the mythical country of Freedonia.
Each year at SUNY Fredonia, the campus hosts a celebration titled “Freedonia Marxonia,” based on the Marx Brothers’ 1933 film “Duck Soup.” The Marx Brothers were a comedic, musical ensemble of siblings, who gained popularity during the early to mid 19th century.
In 1905, the group got their start on Vaudeville, a platform which gave entertainers the opportunity to travel around the country.
Each sibling had their own unique comedic persona. One brother, Julius Marx, earned the nickname “Groucho.” He became known for his sarcastic personality and big nosed glasses.
In “Duck Soup,” Groucho becomes president of the fictionalized country of Freedonia. After the film was released, Harry Hickey, the mayor of Fredonia at the time, was upset that the film used an almost identical name to the village. Hickey wrote a letter to Paramount Pictures, the production company, and Groucho, claiming that the movie was tarnishing and ruining Fredonia’s good name.
“It was all a publicity stunt. (The village) wasn’t really mad,” said Cindy Yochym, reference librarian at Reed Library. “The controversy was covered in The Fredonia Censor, which was an old weekly newspaper at the time. It was also written about nationally in TIME magazine.”
In 1987, Doug Canham, a Fredonia student, decided to create a celebration centered around the film. After finding out about the history between the village and the movie, Yochym said that Canham asked himself why no one had previously done something to commemorate the connection.
A few years after the first event, the celebration went away, until it was later revived in 2010 through the support of the Fredonia College Foundation. In 2016, event planning was handed over from the foundation to Reed library.
“I didn’t come into this (role) being much of a Marx Brothers fan,” Yochym said. “I was more interested in stories and show business. ‘Duck Soup’ is an older black and white film. I thought maybe I could do something.”
After hosting in-person celebrations from 2015 to 2019, the library was faced with a new challenge in 2020 after COVID-19 temporarily shut down in-person gatherings.
“At the time, we couldn’t do anything,” Yochym said. “We couldn’t have a group or anyone in the library.”
Yochym enlisted the help of writer Noah Diamond. Diamond is the author of “Gimme a Thrill: The Story of I’ll Say She Is, The Lost Marx Brothers Musical, and How It Was Found.” In the book, he discusses the process of recovering and recreating the Marx Brothers’ musical, “I’ll Say She Is.”
“The Marx Brothers were movie stars, but they were also Broadway stars too,” Yochym said. “Before they went to the movies, they starred in three broadway musicals: ‘I’ll Say She Is,’ ‘Coconuts’ and ‘Animal Crackers.’ [The latter two] were made into movies.”
To cope with pandemic protocols, Diamond created a documentary titled “Home Again: The Marx Brothers and New York City,” which he live streamed. In 2021, he released a sequel,“There’s Nothing Like Liberty: The Marx Brothers and America.” This week, he will unveil the third and final installment of the series titled, “If You Get Near a Song Play It: The Marx Brothers and Music.” The film can be streamed online or at the Fredonia Opera House on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
“The Brothers started out as more of a musical act with a little bit of comedy, but evolved into a comedy act with music,” Yochym said. “Through everything, they always had music. Diamond is now looking at home more abstractly, as not just as a physical space, but music.”
The week of festivities will kick off with a reception on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. in Reed Library, where a display focusing on the Marx Brothers’ music will open. Students from the Student Opera Theatre Association and the American Choral Directors Association will perform “Hail Freedonia” from ‘Duck Soup.’
There will also be an art contest, giving the campus community the chance to showcase original works inspired by the Brothers. The deadline to submit artwork is Monday, Sept. 26.
“The Marx Brothers were four brothers, so what?” Yochym said. “But I think that if you can tie it all in with the history or the feel of the times, I think that’s something people can really learn from.”
Please see the schedule below for more details regarding Marxonia festivities.
Thursday, Sept. 29:
- Opening reception in the Reed Library at 3 p.m. featuring refreshments, group photo-ops and performances
- Screening of the Marx Brothers’ 1930 film “Animal Crackers” at the Fredonia Opera House at 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30:
- Noah Diamond’s film, “If You Get Near a Song, Play It: The Marx Brothers and Music” will live stream at the Fredonia Opera House and online at 7 p.m.