Richard J. Anobile 76

[Tommie Hicks]

I bought many of his books back in the day. It seems so strange now to buy a book of frame blow-ups. Also during my youth Anobile's books were the only way to somehow "see" these films. There was a debate among my film buff buddies if you read an Anobile book, can you claim seeing the movie on your checklist?

[Rob Farr]

His greatest contribution to film history remains THE MARX BROS. SCRAPBOOK.

[Richard M Roberts]

There's no question that Anobile's WHY A DUCK was an important book in the revival of interest in the Marx Brothers in the early 70's, when the availability of the films was nothing like it is now, and yes indeed, THE MARX BROTHERS SCRAPBOOK has some important unexpurgated interviews with Groucho and others (including probably the longest interview with Zeppo ever done). Unfortunately the popularity of his early book found him contracted to supply many others to his publisher, and the quality diminished. By the time he was doing books of things like Buster Keaton's THE GENERAL, they were getting pretty superfluous.

But here's to him, he enabled a lot of us to memorize whole swaths of Marx Brother dialogue before we had the movies at our widdle fingertips.

RICHARD M ROBERTS