Groucho Marx vs William F. Buckley Jr. by Billy Ingram
On Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: Is the World Funny?
Firing Line was a PBS public affairs program hosted by conservative, National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr. for over 33 years, from 1966 to 1999, making Firing Line the longest-running public affairs program with a single host in television history. It was a talk show where verbal fireworks was a regular feature, professional wrestling with words.
The most famous example of the kind of conflict this show encouraged was Buckley’s infamous feud with Gore Vidal. The arch-conservative and arch-liberal truly hated one another.
As a man with liberal leanings, Groucho was a guest on Firing Line in 1967 to debate Buckley as to whether the world is a funny place. Spoiler alert: Groucho didn’t think so.
Karl Whitney of The Guardian wrote, “The programme was an hour long, and began amiably, if stiffly, as Buckley introduced his guest. Then in his mid-70s, Groucho, whose casual attire of a blue jacket, polo neck and grey plaid trousers contrasted with Buckley’s businesslike suit and tie, was still recognisable from his heyday, when as a member of the Marx Brothers he had leered and delivered comic non sequiturs (“One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. How he got in my pyjamas I don’t know”) over the course of vaudeville shows, Broadway productions and a run of classic, and some not so classic, comedy movies.”
It’s rather unusual to see Groucho in such a serious mood, but his legendary quick wit is on display here. He’s clearly a debater of great skill (I was going to say ‘master debater’ but that’s the kind of comment Groucho would pounce on!).
Groucho adopts a very relaxed pose, in contrast to Buckley who, on the other hand, was always stiff and stuffy, impossibly erudite, excessively condescending. He clearly believes he’s the smartest man in the room, and that would be true of every room he enters. True, he was a clever man, always armed with research papers at hand to back up his assertions.
Groucho proves to be a crafty adversary, at one point points out that Buckley, "you know that he blushes and he seems so tough when you're watching the show? And he's constantly blushing" then compares him to a “young girl.” That’s a debate technique by the way, try to unnerve your opponent, Buckley was very adept at it.
Groucho opined, “Even a professional comedian can be funny perhaps 8 minutes out of 24 hours. A comedian, they’re the dreariest people in the world, you should talk to my wife some time. Which is more than I do.”
Groucho was out promoting his book published in 1967, The Groucho Letters: Letters From and To Groucho Marx, a compendium of conversations with such noted personalities and intellectuals as E. B. White, Fred Allen, Goodman Ace, Nunnally Johnson, James Thurber, Booth Tarkington, Alistair Cooke, Harry Truman, Irving Berlin, and S. J. Perelman.
“I read in the newspapers they are going to have 30 minutes of intellectual stuff on television every Monday from 7:30 to 8. to educate America. They couldn't educate America if they started at 6:30.”
― Groucho Marx, The Groucho Letters
Here's the entire program:
Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: Is the World Funny?
To Confidential Magazine Gentlemen: “If you continue to publish slanderous pieces about me, I shall feel compelled to cancel my subscription. Sincerely, Groucho Marx”
'TVparty
is hands down the best site on the Web for classic TV.'
- Discovery Channel
