Image of Margaret Dumont

Margaret Dumont

Margaret Dumont would probably consider it a tragedy that she is best-known for her performances as the ultimate straight woman in seven of the Marx Brothers' films (including most of their best). By all accounts she never understood their jokes (offscreen and on), which is of course a major reason why she's so funny. Apart from a small role in a 1917 Dickens adaptation, she spent her early career on the stage, ending up with the Marxes in the late 1920s in the stage versions of The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), and was given a Paramount contract at the same time they were. She played similar roles alongside other great comedians, including W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy and Jack Benny and also played straight dramatic parts (her chief love), but few of them made much impact - it is as Groucho Marx's foil that she ranks among the immortals, and she died shortly after being reunited with him on "The Hollywood Palace" (1964).


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Born:
Oct 19, 1882 In Brooklyn, New York, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
58
First Appeared:
In the movie A Tale of Two Cities 1917-03-10
Latest Project:
Movie The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell 1982-01-02
Known For
Filmography
Movie The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (archive footage) 1982-01-02
Movie The Hollywood Clowns (archive footage) 1979-03-23
Movie That's Entertainment, Part II (archive footage) 1976-05-16
Movie Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Self (archive footage) 1975-08-06
Movie Hollywood: The Dream Factory Self (archive footage) 1972-01-10
Movie What a Way to Go! Mrs. Foster 1964-10-12
Movie Zotz! Persephone Updike 1962-10-03
Series The Donna Reed Show Unknown 1958-09-24
Movie Auntie Mame Noblewoman in Play (uncredited) 1958-12-04
Series The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Self 1956-10-05
Movie Shake, Rattle and Rock! Georgianna Fitzdingle 1956-11-01
Movie Three for Bedroom C Mrs. Agnes Hawthorne 1952-06-26
Movie Stop, You're Killing Me Mrs. Whitelaw 1952-12-10
Series Racket Squad Unknown 1951-06-07
Series The Colgate Comedy Hour Self 1950-09-10
Series The Ed Sullivan Show Mrs. Claypool in 'A Night at the Opera' (archive footage) 1948-06-20
Movie Little Giant Mrs. Hendrickson 1946-02-22
Movie The Horn Blows at Midnight Mme. Traviata / Miss Rodholder 1945-04-28
Movie Diamond Horseshoe Mrs. Standish 1945-05-02
Movie Sunset in El Dorado Aunt Dolly / Aunt Arabella 1945-09-29
Movie Seven Days Ashore Mrs. Croxton-Lynch 1944-04-25
Movie Up in Arms Mrs. Willoughby 1944-02-17
Movie Bathing Beauty Mrs. Allenwood 1944-06-27
Movie The Dancing Masters Louise Harlan 1943-11-19
Movie Sing Your Worries Away Flo Faulkner - Landlady 1942-03-06
Movie About Face Mrs. Culpepper 1942-04-16
Movie Born to Sing Mrs. E. V. Lawson 1942-02-18
Movie Tales of Manhattan Mme. Langehanke (uncredited) 1942-08-05
Movie Rhythm Parade Ophelia MacDougal 1942-12-11
Movie The Big Store Martha Phelps 1941-06-20
Movie For Beauty's Sake Mrs. Franklin Evans 1941-06-06
Movie Never Give a Sucker an Even Break Mrs. Hemogloben 1941-10-10
Movie At the Circus Mrs. Suzanna Dukesbury 1939-10-20
Movie Dramatic School Pantomime Teacher 1938-12-09
Movie A Day at the Races Emily Upjohn 1937-06-11
Movie The Life of the Party Mrs. Penner 1937-09-03
Movie Wise Girl Mrs. Bell-Rivington 1937-12-31
Movie Youth on Parole Mrs. Abernathy 1937-10-04
Movie High Flyers Martha Arlington 1937-11-07
Movie Anything Goes Mrs. Wentworth 1936-01-24
Movie Song and Dance Man Mrs. Whitney 1936-03-11
Movie Gypsy Sweetheart Mrs. Van Updyke 1935-03-30
Movie After Office Hours Mrs. Murchison (uncredited) 1935-02-22
Movie Rendezvous Mrs. Hendricks (uncredited) 1935-10-25
Movie Reckless Woman in Audience Yelling 'Get Off the Stage' (uncredited) 1935-04-19
Movie A Night at the Opera Mrs. Claypool 1935-11-15
Movie We're Rich Again Wedding Guest (uncredited) 1934-07-13
Movie Fifteen Wives Sybilla Crum 1934-07-15
Movie Gridiron Flash Mrs. Fields 1934-10-06
Movie Kentucky Kernels Mrs. Baxter 1934-11-02
Movie Wonderland of California Self 1933-01-01
Movie Duck Soup Gloria Teasdale 1933-11-12
Movie Storm at Daybreak Duchess Sophie (uncredited) 1933-06-14
Movie Here, Prince The Queen of Deleria (uncredited) 1932-10-01
Movie The Girl Habit Blanche Ledyard 1931-06-27
Movie Animal Crackers Mrs. Rittenhouse 1930-08-08
Movie The Cocoanuts Mrs. Potter 1929-05-23
Movie A Tale of Two Cities Aristocrat (uncredited) 1917-03-10