Books: Groucho Marx, Private Detective By Ron Goulart (1999)

"Groucho and Frank aren't enjoying their latest costar, singing child prodigy Polly Pilgrim, a spoiled ingenue. When a prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon is found dead in his palatial home, and Polly's mother, the faded actress Frances London, is accused of his murder, Polly's request for Groucho and Frank to help prove her mother's innocence surprises them. She is convinced that Frances has been framed, and despite the mounting evidence against the washed-up performer, the pair takes on the case."

Part of the charm and conceit of this series is Ron Goulart’s ability to mimic Groucho Marx’s broad humor and his innate ability to turn any question or any statement into a string of non sequiturs. It’s that talent that makes this book fun and light read. Groucho Marx, Private Detective is the second book in the six Goulart wrote and is just as funny and odd –well odd, considering Groucho is playing armature detective in a fictional town called Bayside (which seems set somewhere between Malibu and Santa Monica and seems to share a lot of similarities to Veronica Mars' Neptune)- as the first one. It is set in 1937, some six months or so after Groucho Marx, Master Detective,  and has the comedian still working on radio show while awaiting production to begin on the brothers next film, Room Service.

As with Groucho Marx, Master Detective, Goulart shows Hollywood’s dark side and its legendary ability to make or break stars, and cover up the messes they get in, as well. The murder-mystery part is a bit weak, but Groucho's jokes, some fine period details (like learning about a southern portion of Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills that was once known as Little Santa Street –only a few years ago it was rechristened Burton Way) and guests appearances by everyone from Conrad Nagel to Nathanael West help make this a whole lot of fun.