CHICO MARX and JOHN GARFIELD The two well-known actors signed this piece of paper on opposite sides Signatures: "Chico Marx" and, on verso, "John/Garfield", 5½x2¼. Magazine photograph, b/w, 1½x1½, affixed at right margin of verso. After their 1937 film A Day at the Races, the Marx Brothers considered retiring from movies, but the financial difficulties of elder brother Leonard "Chico" Marx (1887-1961) were a major factor in their decision to remain active. They later released A Night in Casablanca (1946) to help their brother pay off his gambling debts. During the war years, Chico headed his own orchestra and created a solo comedy act that he continued into the late 1940s. Chico was a skillful imitator of Italian dialect, and he played the piano well enough to entertain an audience. Chico was the oldest of the five Marx Brothers. John Garfield (1913-1952), born Jacob Julius Garfinkel, was one of the most respected dramatic actors of the 1930s and 1940s, earning two Academy Award nominations (Best Supporting Actor for Four Daughters, 1938, and Best Actor for Body and Soul, 1947). His other film credits include The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Force of Evil (1948). Garfield's career was cut short by the Red Scare amid accusations that he was affiliated with the Communist Party. He was quickly blacklisted in Hollywood. Light show through. Lightly soiled. Irregular right edge from removal from bound book. "Marx Brother" at upper margin of front and "John Garfield" at lower margin of verso written in ink (unknown hand). Otherwise, fine condition.