Marx Bros. film festival, symposium back in SUNY Fredonia spotlight
Event returns after 20-year hiatus
 Saturday, April 25,
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That perhaps is one of the more intriguing attractions that SUNY Fredonia will present Saturday, April 25, at “Freedonia Marxonia: Marx Brothers Film Festival and Symposium,” a tribute to the zany comedy team that helped raise the spirits of a nation mired in the Great Depression of the 1930s.
But that is just a sample of what Marx Brothers enthusiasts can savor at the celebration, which opens at 11 a.m. in room S104 of the Williams Center on the Fredonia campus. Freedonia Marxonia will combine scholarly presentations on film and social commentary of that era with assorted madcap activities and contests, plus screenings of five classic Marx Brothers’ films, including “Duck Soup.” Free Groucho glasses will be given to the first 250 people in attendance for the group photograph.
It’s no accident that “Duck Soup,” regarded today as one of their best pictures but a minor disappointment when released, is on the bill. The 1933 classic takes place in Freedonia, a fictional country run by a dictator played by Groucho. According to village lore, the Marx Brothers actually performed at the local opera house, known today as the 1891 Fredonia Opera House, in between engagements in Buffalo and Cleveland, although documentation of that appearance has never been found.
There’s no lack of evidence, however, of the fracas between Fredonia’s mayor at the time, Harold Hickey, and the Marx Brothers over the use of the similarly pronounced names. Mayor Hickey complained bitterly in Time magazine that “Duck Soup” -- with its reference to a mythical dictatorship -- was besmirching the reputation of his fine village. In their own cynical style, the Marx Brothers countered by suggesting that the mayor could resolve the problem by changing the name of his town. After all, they reasoned, their film’s box-office appeal was being hurt by its association with this small Western New York community.
Of course, that’s how the story goes. Many years later, dated photographs surfaced showing the mayor with Paramount Pictures executives before the “Duck Soup” episode began to unravel, thus hinting that the entire matter may have been concocted by the film’s promoters as a publicity stunt.
This won’t be the first time SUNY Fredonia has paid homage to the Marx Brothers and their purported Fredonia connection. Three Freedonia Marxonia festivals were staged in the late 1980s and generated international attention. The Opera House hosted its own Marx Brothers festival two years ago.
“What was amazing was all the attention that we received during the festival,” said Karen West, director of development for University Advancement and a member of the Freedonia Marxonia organizing committee in those first three years. Calls were received from reporters with the Associated Press, USA Today and the Canadian Broadcasting Company, among other media outlets.
The resulting coverage, she noted, trigged a stream of letters and newspaper clippings from SUNY Fredonia alumni who read about the event in their hometown newspapers. “We really didn’t anticipate this side benefit from the event,” Ms. West said.
Douglas Canham, a 1987 SUNY Fredonia graduate with a degree in Business Administration and a founder of the first Fredonia Marxonia, returns to campus to open the festival. He will be joined by Paul Wesolowski, of New Hope, Pa., who will have select memorabilia from his vast Marx Brothers collection, recognized as the world’s largest, on display.
Students are invited to enter a look-alike contest, dressing as their favorite Marx brother. The winner will received $40.
Entries will also be accepted for the Freedonia Marxonia Film/Art Contest. Films must be no longer than five minutes and art pieces should be no larger than 6-by-6 feet. One winner in each medium will be given $75. Entries must be submitted to the office of Music Business Professor Jerry Brindisi, W305 Thompson Hall, by Wednesday, April 22, at 5 p.m.
Other Marx Brothers’ films to be presented include “Coconuts,” “Animal Crackers,” “Monkey Business” and “Horse Feathers.”
“It’s great to see the festival beginning again,” said Sara Santiago, a senior business administration and intercultural communications major, who is serving as a coordinating intern for the event. “I hope that it can continue for years to come.”
