
Margaret Dumont
- Date of Birth: 1882-10-19
- Date of Death: 1965-03-06
- Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Biography
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 ... 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).

The Colgate Comedy Hour
Comedy • 1950 September

The Cocoanuts
Comedy, Music • 1929 May

After Office Hours
Crime, Drama, Comedy • 1935 February

Tales of Manhattan
Drama, Comedy, Romance • 1942 August

At the Circus
Comedy, Music • 1939 October

The Big Store
Comedy, Music • 1941 June

Dramatic School
Drama, Romance • 1938 December

The Donna Reed Show
Comedy, Family • 1958 September

Kentucky Kernels
Comedy • 1934 November

About Face
Comedy • 1942 April