Gummo Marx a number of writers, and was well respected as a businessman. He rarely required contracts, believing that if the people he represented liked his work, they would stay with him; and if not, would seek representation elsewhere. Around the time he left his brothers' Vaudeville act, Marx applied for a patent for a clothes packing rack. On October 28, 1919, Marx was granted patent US1320335A. Gummo may have received his nickname because he had a tendency to be sneaky backstage, creeping up on others like a "gumshoe" (detective). Another explanation cited by biographers and family members is that Milton, the
Marx Brothers sell more ad time, putting his job on the line. In "Everyone Says I Love You" (1996), Woody Allen and Goldie Hawn dress as Groucho for a Marx Brothers celebration in France, and the song "Hooray for Captain Spaulding", from "Animal Crackers", is performed, with various actors dressed as the brothers, striking poses famous to Marx fans. (The film itself is named after a song from "Horse Feathers", a version of which plays over the opening credits.) Harpo Marx appeared as himself in a sketch on "I Love Lucy" in which he and Lucille Ball reprised the mirror routine from