The Modesty and Musicality of Harpo Marxhttps://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/11/23/the-modesty-and-musicality-of-harpo-marx-n4946307Movie stardom and modesty are not two things that usually come in one package, but it would be hard to find a man more brash and confident on screen and more humble in his personal life than Harpo Marx. ... Arthur Adolph Marx, who got his nickname Harpo from his impressive harp performances, was the silent brother in the act, always relying on wacky and over-the-top physical humor. His on-screen persona was worlds away from his real self.
... The only extant recording of Harpo’s voice is an interview clip where the comedian describes one of the many instances in his life of antisemitic persecution (in fact, he left school in second grade after anti-Jewish classmates pitched him out a window). Unlike his brothers — particularly Groucho — Harpo hated the limelight. While he chased women in movies, he was so shy in real life his wife had to pursue him and propose a few times before he married her. After that, he was devoted to her and the children they adopted. Harpo’s son Bill idolized his dad and spent his life preserving Harpo’s legacy... .
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"... Harpo had been asked to be a judge in the first Israel International Harp Competition," Milligan explained. "He came in to our (music) store in a great panic because they had asked him to be one of the judges. Harpo said, 'Anyone of those harpists can play circles around me. I have no business judging that competition.' So, Harpo spoke to the man who managed Lyon & Healy in New York at the time; he had some connections to the people in Israel. They worked it out so that Harpo was an honorary judge, which thrilled him a great deal."
In contrast to Harpo's estimation of his own skill is the testimony of Carrol McLaughlin, a concert harpist and professor of harp at the University of Arizona, who performed in the 1980s and early 1990s with Harpo's son Bill in a tribute for Harpo. McLaughlin would play the music Harpo had composed and played. "I have played Harpo's music, note for note, and it is as tough as anything I have ever played on stage," McLaughlin affirmed. "Some of his music is tougher than pieces by [famed harp composer] Tournier. His music is very advanced harmonically. ... Harpo loved the harp. He practiced three to four hours a day. When we see Harpo playing, he's playing from his soul."
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Son Bill remembered, “Dad once told a friend he wanted to have as many kids as he had front windows in our house on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills... so that he could see them waving at [him] when he got home from work.” Unfortunately, Harpo and his wife Sally couldn’t have biological children, but they adopted four kids and built a happy home. With all the broken homes, busted marriages, inflated egos, and overweening ambition in Hollywood over the decades, Harpo stands out for his familial devotion, humility, and integrity.
Sorry for chopping this up somewhat. I wanted to include a lot while doing "Fair Usage". Lyon & Healy was where Harpo bought strings and had his harp serviced. The article is very worth reading in full.
