美国国家公共电台 NPR Salvador Dalí Meets The Marx Brothers In 'Giraffes On Horseback Salad'

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

This is a story about something that didn't happen - a movie that was never made. It was supposed to be a collaboration¹ between the surrealist artist Salvador Dali and the Marx Brothers, which is amazing. And now it's getting, thankfully, a second look. NPR's Peter Breslow picks up the story.

PETER BRESLOW, BYLINE²: Salvador Dali was the toast of the town in 1970 when he appeared on "The Dick Cavett TV Show."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE DICK CAVETT SHOW")

DICK CAVETT: Will you welcome, please, Salvador Dali?

(APPLAUSE)

BRESLOW: Elegantly dressed in a burgundy velvet³ sport coat and sparkly vest, this titan of the surrealist movement strode on stage with a gold-handled cane⁴ in his right hand and, on his left, a live anteater on a leash⁵. Then he took a question from another guest that night, actress Lillian Gish.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE DICK CAVETT SHOW")

LILLIAN GISH: Have you, from the beginning of your work, a message to give to the people that we, perhaps, don't understand?

SALVADOR DALI: No message.

GISH: No message.

DALI: No message.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVETT: Could you invent one?

(LAUGHTER)

BRESLOW: Back in 1937, Dali was much less famous when he showed up at MGM Studios with a movie treatment to pitch with his buddy⁶ Harpo Marx. The Marx Brothers, on the other hand, were at the height of their popularity in the '30s, thanks to their high jinks in films like "Duck Soup," "A Night At The Opera" and "Animal Crackers⁸."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ANIMAL CRACKERS")

GROUCHO MARX: (As Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding, singing) Hello, I must be going. I cannot stay. I came to say I must be going. I'm glad I came. But just the same, I must be going. La, la.

BRESLOW: But studio head Louis B. Mayer didn't particularly like the Marx Brothers or know what to make of Salvador Dali, and so he killed the project the artist had titled "Giraffes On Horseback Salad." Now writer Josh Frank has turned that somewhat incomprehensible screenplay into a graphic⁹ novel.

JOSH FRANK: It was crazy surreal and totally not digestible. And Groucho said, quote-unquote, "it wouldn't play."

BRESLOW: And so that screenplay slipped into the realm of legendary¹⁰ lost treasures. That is, until Frank got wind of it, tracked it down at a museum in France and recruited a team to help him put it together, including Spanish illustrator Maneula Pertega and comedian¹¹ Tim Heidecker. He helped come up with the gags because Dali's production notes just said, insert Marx Brothers routine here. Josh Frank says the collaboration worked.

FRANK: Next thing you know, I'm creating a new piece of Marx Brothers art for the world. And it's just a - it's a dream come true.

BRESLOW: But we've put the cart before the giraffe here. Let's back up. First, what's with that name? Frank hasn't a clue.

FRANK: Asking me what "Giraffes On Horseback Salad" means is asking me lobster¹² phone (laughter) you know, it's like - however, what I've always thought ever since I first heard that name is that, to me, it's the perfect name for a Marx Brothers movie written by Salvador Dali because it has that, "A Night At The Opera," "A Day At The Races," "Giraffes On Horseback Salad." You know, like, it works somehow.

BRESLOW: Next, the plot, such as it is - a businessman named Jimmy finds his well-ordered, upper-crust life turned inside out when he meets the surrealist woman. She's a stunning¹³ shapeshifter who discombobulates the world around her. Eventually, she's arrested for her surrealist crimes and winds up in court where the mayhem of the Marx Brothers ultimately liberates¹⁴ her. These moments are depicted¹⁵ in the book as the trippiest of swirling¹⁶ LSD experiences. And finally, just how did Salvador Dali end up teaming up with the Marx Brothers in the first place?

FRANK: When he first saw a Marx Brothers movie, it put him in a trance because he felt like he was watching sort of the human embodiment of surrealism in its purest form - all of the Marx Brothers but specifically Harpo because Harpo was just unbridled, almost animalistic. So he loved Harpo.

BRESLOW: Harpo, who never spoke¹⁷ on screen, was probably the zaniest member of the family, known for playing the harp⁷, pulling items from under his trenchcoat, like 300 knives or a hot cup of coffee or a blowtorch, and, of course...

(SOUNDBITE OF HORN)

BRESLOW: ...Honking¹⁸ his horn.

(SOUNDBITE OF HORN)

BRESLOW: He was in Paris in 1936 on a publicity¹⁹ tour for "A Night At The Opera" when he met Salvador Dali. Even though they didn't have a language in common, the pair clicked. And Dali decided²⁰ to incorporate the Marx Brothers into the movie treatment he was working on.

BILL MARX: Good day, everybody. My name is Bill Marx. And I'm the son of Harpo Marx. When I was about 7 or 8, I came across a Xerox²¹ copy of a treatment that was entitled "Giraffes On Horseback Salad." And I started reading it. And I really couldn't make heads or tails of it.

BRESLOW: Musician and composer Bill Marx was too young to remember when Salvador Dali came to the states to paint his dad and pitch his film. But there were telltale signs of the friendship, like the Dali pen-and-ink sketches²² hanging in Marx's bedroom growing up. There were also stories about the full-sized surrealist harp Dali had sent to Harpo. It came wrapped in cellophane with the harp dripping forks and spoons and barbed wire replacing the strings²³. But Bill Marx says they didn't have that instrument very long.

B MARX: Because my mother, who is very practical - she said, I'm sorry. I can't look at this anymore. And she threw it in the garbage.

BRESLOW: Just imagine if there were some lucky dumpster diver that day. Harpo was also an accomplished²⁴ painter, producing some 300 works, and Dali sat for him during his California trip. Bill Marx says his dad's time with the artist may have been brief, but its effect on both men was long-lasting. Author Josh Frank agrees.

FRANK: So this whole meeting of these two strange and wonderful minds - I really felt like even though it was a short amount of time that they were together, they profoundly affected²⁵ each other because Harpo went on to continue painting and take it even more seriously.

BRESLOW: And, says Frank, Dali was also left inspired but ultimately unfulfilled, too.

FRANK: The short time he had with Harpo was, I feel like, a really great, lost moment that created a work of art, that, you know, until now, has not really been able to be seen.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE SURREALIST WOMAN")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) She's just returned from a long engagement in France and a short marriage in Spain. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Surrealist Woman.

BRESLOW: Salvador Dali envisioned a huge Hollywood production for "Giraffes On Horseback Salad," complete with music by Cole Porter. While the project never did get the green light, there is now a soundtrack to go along with the graphic novel, including music complete with a faux Groucho. And so just maybe, up in some dreamy, surrealist heaven, the real Groucho, along with Harpo, Chico and Salvador Dali, are smiling down.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE SURREALIST WOMAN")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Oh, I love a good song. If I hear one, I'll let you know.

BRESLOW: Peter Breslow, NPR News.

1 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

4 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

5 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

6 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

7 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

8 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

10 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

11 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

12 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

13 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

14 liberates   

解放，释放( liberate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• On the contrary, my caring liberates both of us. 与此相反，我的关心会使我们两个都不受到束缚。
• May cause severe burns. Contact with acids liberates toxic gas. 可导致严重灼伤。与酸接触会释放有毒气体。

15 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

16 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 honking   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

20 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

21 xerox   

n./v.施乐复印机，静电复印

参考例句：

• Xerox and Lucent are two more high-tech companies run by women.施乐和朗讯是另外两家由女性经营的大科技公司。
• You cannot take it home,but you can xerox it.你不能把它带回家，但可以复印。

22 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

24 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

25 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。