Groucho Marx undistinguished vaudeville singing group billed as "The Four Nightingales". The brothers Julius, Milton (Gummo Marx) and Arthur (originally Adolph, but Harpo Mark from 1911) and another boy singer, Lou Levy, traveled the U.S. vaudeville circuits to little fanfare. After exhausting their prospects in the East, the family moved to La Grange, Illinois, to play the Midwest. After a particularly dispiriting performance in Nacogdoches, Texas, Julius, Milton, and Arthur began cracking jokes onstage for their own amusement. Much to their surprise, the audience liked them better as comedians than as singers. They modified the then-popular Gus Edwards comedy skit "School Days"
The Time of Their Lives onscreen partnership was reportedly due to personal problems and tensions that briefly broke up their act in 1945.) The film is also noted for having a somewhat darker and more serious tone than most films featuring the duo. Abbott learned to drive a car for this film. According to his son, Bud Abbott, Jr., this was the only time in his life he ever drove an automobile. A few weeks into filming, Costello wanted to switch roles with Abbott. He refused to work, but director Charles Barton waited him out. Costello eventually returned to work and said nothing more about