Arthur Marx

Arthur Julius Marx (July 21, 1921 – April 14, 2011) was an American writer, best known for his work in television, theater, and biography. He was the son of entertainer Groucho Marx and his first wife, Ruth Johnson. Growing up in the world of vaudeville and Hollywood, Marx developed a lifelong interest in storytelling that drew on both his family history and his personal experience.

From a young age, Arthur Marx demonstrated talent not only in writing but in athletics. Before turning 18, he was nationally ranked in tennis, and while attending the University of Southern California he won the National Freshman Intercollegiate Tennis title. During World War II, he served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard in the South Pacific, where he also organized and performed in entertainment shows for troops.

After the war, Marx launched a writing career that spanned multiple media. He wrote for radio, Hollywood films, Broadway, and television. Among his credits are sitcoms such as My Three Sons, All in the Family, Alice, The Paul Lynde Show, and Life with Lucy. In partnership with Robert Fisher, he served as head writer on Alice and together they penned scripts for other series. In addition, Marx co-created the TV show Mickey starring Mickey Rooney.

On Broadway, Arthur Marx is noted for co-writing the book for the musical Minnie’s Boys (with Robert Fisher), which dramatizes the early years of the Marx Brothers under the influence of their mother Minnie. He and Fisher also collaborated on The Impossible Years, which ran for three seasons, and Groucho: A Life in Revue. Beyond theater, Marx published numerous books—both fiction and nonfiction—including memoirs and biographies such as Son of Groucho, Not as a Crocodile, Goldwyn: A Biography, The Secret Life of Bob Hope, and The Nine Lives of Mickey Rooney. He also explored family dynamics in works about his father, such as Life with Groucho and later My Life With Groucho.

Arthur Marx passed away in Los Angeles in April 2011 at age 89. Over a long and varied career, he carved out a distinct identity as a writer who bridged the worlds of show business and personal narrative. His part in creating Minnie’s Boys helped enshrine a musical tribute to his own family’s legacy, blending biography, humor, and theatricality.