Three Strange Angels...

To say this is one of my favorites of the update wouldn't be complete truth, but I really do love this pic.
This one's a little esoteric. Okay, very esoteric. But to me, it makes sense.

Let's see. I haven't seen A Day at the Races yet, but I've heard something about Harpo being mistaken for the angel Gabriel (presumably for harp-playing, I guess). There are only three angels mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael (and the last is only in the Catholic Bible--book of Tobit). My late-nighted brain made this leap: If Harpo is Gabriel...then Chico must be Raphael.
Raphael is the only person/principality in the whole Bible with a sense of humor. According to the notes in mine, the way he greets Tobit (who has been blinded and is preparing for his death. A rather gloomy fellow!) is some kind of elaborate pun. And which of the Marx Brothers is known for making a pun at the most inappropriate of times? That's right, Chico.
And so if Chico and Harpo and Raphael and Gabriel, then that leaves Groucho to be Michael, the warrior angel who would probably talk Satan to death. If it suited Groucho's temprament more, an battle of words between him and the tempter would have been something to witness.

The second premisis of this is the show Deputy Seraph. The Marx Brothers were coming together in the late 50's or so to make a television show in which Chico and Harpo are two lesser angels and their boss Groucho would assign them to help people (think It's a Wonderful Life but with punch). It might have been brilliant, or it might have been horrible (I'm all for the former. Harpo is an angel!), but we'll never know. Only fifteen or so minutes of the pilot were shot, then the show was cancelled because it was found out that Chico couldn't be insured. Crying shame.

The name comes from the last chapter of a Marx Brothers biography I was reading, which, in turn, swiped it from a poem D. H. Lawrence called "Song of a Man Who Has Come Through" (come through what, I can't imagine).

Apologies for Groucho's dialouge. I never said I could write witty, and I certainly can't write his fast-paced stuff.


I do like the way Chico came out. I am in no position to know where they are now. Most of my religion could tell me that they're not sporting wings and might be quite hot. But as far as I'm concerned, maybe God gives points for bringing so much laughter. And I like to think that God might be smiling down and nodding, saying "Atsa good-a joke, Chico."


The Marx Brothers are (c) themselves, God rest their souls.


***Edit***
Just a last minute touch. I just realized that I cast Harpo, of all people, in the role of The Messanger.
Good lord. Can you imagine that scene. Harpo trying to convey through pantomime and honking to Mary that she was gonna give birth to the Messiah? It belongs in The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) or something...