Captain Spaulding

This entry is on the Groucho Marx character. For other meanings, go to Captain Spaulding (disambiguation).

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Captain Spaulding is the signature character created by actor Groucho Marx. The character of Captain Jeffery T. Spaulding (the "T" stood for "Edgar") first appeared in the Broadway play Animal Crackers and later in the 1930 film of the same name. Spaulding is a famous explorer on return from a trek across Africa to be the guest of honor at a high-society party. Although despite his hosts' frequent claims that he is one of the most courageous travelers in the world, his own accounts of his safari reveal his cowardice. He eventually gets caught up in the mystery of a stolen painting.

Related Topics:
Groucho Marx - Broadway - Animal Crackers - 1930 - Film - Explorer - Africa - Safari

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The character's theme song, "Hooray for Captain Spaulding", became forever associated with Groucho in the public mind and was later the theme for his quiz show, You Bet Your Life. The song's most famous line is "Hooray for Captain Spalding / The African explorer / 'Did someone call me schnorrer?' / Hooray Hooray Hooray!"

Related Topics:
Quiz show - You Bet Your Life - Schnorrer

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The dialogue prior to the song and the lyrics of the song itself can be found here: http://www.whyaduck.com/info/movies/scenes/spalding.htm

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