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Randy Hodgins and Steve McLellan’s lifelong love of comedy was kindled when they met more than 40 years ago in graduate school in Seattle. While managing family and professional work responsibilities, they hosted a one hour comedy radio program on Saturday mornings for 10 years on a small radio station in Olympia, WA and also co-authored two books on northwest popular culture – Seattle on Film (1995) and Wet and Wired (2000). Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic with hundreds of comedy albums, cassettes and CD’s gathering dust on their shelves, they launched Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy in May 2020, a weekly mini-program featuring a different comedy icon, with biographical bits and a nice slice of the comedy that made them famous. From standup stars, to stellar sketch teams, to novelty music maestros -- they are all part of our Legends.
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Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
On your Marx, get set, and go! This time out the Marx we are honoring is Leonard -- better known to us as Chico whose playful and crafty stage persona was a perfect blend with Groucho, Harpo, and Gummo. The eldest brother of the Marx family, Chico also took on managing the brothers' film career, winning them an unprecedented at the time deal to get a percentage of the gross. Unfortunately, Chico didn't have the same magic with his personal finances as gambling losses forced him to work far longer than his kin. It was our gain, as Chico had a fine late career guesting on tv variety shows and in commercials. And why the nickname "Chico"? Turns out it was a sly tribute to his penchant for womanizing bestowed on him by his brothers. As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!
Want more Chico?
Chico got his nickname (short for "chicken chaser") because of his penchant for womanizing. Here is Chico talking with Harpo -- who also had a thing for chasing women -- in the classic film Animal Crackers. https://youtu.be/Dbz02p90CV8?si=aIKFojpXW6XQiilU
Chico was a master of wisecracks and his back-and-forth banter with Groucho was always a highlight of a Marx Brothers film. Here's a nice compilation of some of Chico's best. https://youtu.be/F9L-iQP8O1s?si=h0j3gu08_5loUigT
Chico's gambling habit cost him a fortune and, as a result, he had to keep working after his brothers had retired. A fun show from this time was The College Bowl (not the game show) which featured Chico as a soda-shop proprietor in a small college town. https://youtu.be/iwjSaOwg57w?si=rebZjie33452pDMA
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