With further additions, this expanded into the Six Mascots by 1912. They became known as the Four Nightingales. In 1908, Minnie, whose parents had once operated a travelling theatrical troupe, organised Groucho, Harpo Marx, Gummo Marx and a kid named Lou Levy into a musical act on vaudeville. Chico Marx became a piano salesman at Shapiro and Bernstein. His first 'proper job' was on Coney Island, singing a song while sitting on a keg of beer. Groucho Marx was the first to enter show business as a boy soprano with the Gus Edwards show 'Boys and Girls'. The brothers were raised in the Jewish faith and grew up in a poor Manhattan neighbourhood of mostly Italian and German immigrants on East 93rd Street. Their mother came from Alsace-Lorraine and was a noted beauty named Minnie Schoenberg. He was a clothing cutter, who (according to Groucho) had lofty aspirations of becoming a tailor. Though the Marxes were born in New York, their father Simon (nicknamed 'Frenchie') originally hailed from Germany. There were also Zeppo (aka Herbert) - who featured in their early comedies as a straight man and later became a theatrical agent - and Gummo (aka Milton), who eschewed the entertainment industry for a career in business. The zaniest of all madcap comedy teams were the Marx Brothers, namely Groucho (aka Julius Henry), Chico (aka Leonard), and Harpo (aka Adolph).
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