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Three Standard AFTRA television contracts, two are signed twice by Groucho Marx, and one signed twice by Gummo Marx as his attorney in fact. The first two contracts appear as identical copies dated April 1, 1960, and pertain to an agreement between GRoucho Marx’s daughter, Melinda Marx, and Henry Jaffe Television, with Melinda agreeing to appear on the Bell Telephone Show on April 29, 1960, for a sum of $2500, with both Groucho and Melinda signing at the conclusion, and then again at the end of the attached rider that indicates that the production as a television broadcast of ‘The Mikado.’ The third contract, dated February 15, 1960, is addressed to Groucho and relates to the same Bell Telephone Hour appearance on April 29, 1960, but with a larger compensation of $38,500, with Gummo signing on behalf of his brother at the conclusion, and then again at the end of the attached rider related to the television broadcast of ‘The Mikado.’ In overall fine condition.
For Groucho Marx, portraying Ko-Ko in The Mikado fulfilled ‘a lifelong ambition.’ Among the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado stood as his clear favorite, and the 1960 Bell Telephone Hour production offered a rare opportunity to inhabit the role under the direction of Martyn Green, widely regarded by Groucho as the foremost interpreter of Ko-Ko. The distinguished supporting cast includes Helen Traubel, Stanley Holloway, Robert Rounseville, and Dennis King, alongside younger performers such as soprano Barbara Meister as Yum-Yum and Groucho’s 13-year-old daughter, Melinda Marx, as Peep-Bo.
