What MGM Missed

I've been reading Marc Eliot's biography of Cary Grant and found out something I never knew. I was aware that Grant, raised in England as Archie Leach, was a fan of Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. But it turns out when he played Vaudeville in America as a teen (he was part of an acrobatic troupe) he was a huge fan of the Marx Brothers.

Here's the kicker: his favorite Brother was Zeppo. He liked how Zeppo played the foil to the others, as well as straight romantic lead.

No one's favorite Marx Brother is Zeppo. (Though, reportedly, offstage, he was the funniest. I guess he saved it.) But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Cary Grant was an expert light comedian, and romantic lead--probably the best in cinema history. And his specialty was being aloof and distracted--letting the others be wild, and chase after him, while he responded with wariness or confusion. Perhaps he took the inspiration of Zeppo, moved it to the center, and turned it into something great.