National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Award for distinguished service awarded to Groucho Marx on February 11, 1961. The award is a black wooden plaque with green felt backing and a metal-linked chain for hanging. Two metal pieces are mounted on the front, one of which is a bronze medalion.
Julius H. "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977) was an influential, popular, and versatile entertainer best known for his film appearances alongside brothers Arthur ("Harpo") and Leonard ("Chico") in the 1930s and 40s. The Marx Brothers, including lesser-known siblings Herbert ("Zeppo") and Milton ("Gummo") began their careers singing and cracking jokes on vaudeville stages across the country in the 1900s. By the 1920s, the Marx Brothers had become the most popular comedians on the Broadway stage, each with a characteristic costume and persona they combined to create antic and zany performances in a series of successful musical comedies. Groucho was known for his signature eyeglasses, greasepaint mustache and eyebrows, and irreverent wisecracks The brothers' films <i>The Coconauts</i>, <i>Animal Crackers</i>, <i>Monkey Business</i>, <i>Horse Feathers</i>, <i>Duck Soup</i>, and <i>A Night at the Opera</i> among others, were critical and popular successes. In his later years Groucho was a popular solo radio, television, and film performer, helming the quiz series <i>You Bet Your Life</i> from 1947-1961.
