Editing Marx Brothers (section)

====World War I, Gummo Leaves, and Zeppo Joins====
[[File:Sailing away on the Henry Clay.jpg|thumb|upright|Sheet music published in 1917 for the song "Sailing Away on the Henry Clay"; from left: Harpo, Gummo, Chico, Groucho]]

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 and the sinking of the [[RMS Lusitania]] in 1915 triggered strong anti-German sentiment across America, forcing the Marx Brothers to distance themselves from their German heritage.{{sfn|Louvish|2000|p=99}} Groucho abandoned his German stage persona entirely, dropping his exaggerated accent and changing his character's name from "Schneider" to the more American "Jones."<ref name="mentalfloss-2007" />

As the United States entered the war, Minnie Marx attempted to secure draft exemptions for her sons by purchasing a {{convert|27|acre|ha|adj=on}} poultry farm near [[Countryside, Illinois]].{{sfn|Kanfer|2000|p=52}}<ref name="mentalfloss-2007">{{cite web |date=December 20, 2007 |title=mental_floss Blog » Groucho's Threat Against Nixon & 9 More Marx Brothers Stories |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/17625/grouchos-threat-against-nixon-9-more-marx-brothers-stories |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220144216/http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/10552#more-10552 |archive-date=December 20, 2007 |access-date=September 21, 2018}}</ref> Despite these efforts, by summer 1918, Gummo was drafted into military service. Unlike his brothers, he had grown increasingly dissatisfied with performing and welcomed the change, later quipping that he "went to war to get a little peace."{{sfn|Bader|2022|p=207}}

Gummo's departure created an immediate vacancy in the act. The youngest Marx brother, Zeppo, was working as a mechanic at [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] when Minnie instructed him to leave his job and join his brothers on stage. He later recalled being so unprepared that he had to improvise his lines and abstain from dance numbers during his early performances.{{sfn|Bader|2022|p=206}}

The origin of Zeppo's stage name, which he received around this time, remains contested. Several theories have emerged. Harpo claimed in his memoir that the nickname referenced a trained chimpanzee named Zippo from another vaudeville act,{{sfn|Marx|Barber|1961|p=130}}. Other family members suggested connections to the popular "Zeke and Zeb" rural humor of the era{{sfn|Louvish|2000|p=102}}. Chico's daughter Maxine maintained that the name evolved from a joke between her father and Herbert, beginning with "Zeb" and eventually becoming "Zeppo." Groucho offered yet another explanation, saying the name derived from [[Zeppelin#Renaissance|the first transatlantic flights by zeppelins]], although this did not happen until 1924.{{sfn|Louvish|2000|p=102}}{{efn|Groucho made these claims in a tape-recorded interview excerpted on ''The Unknown Marx Brothers'', as well as in his Carnegie Hall concert in 1972. The first zeppelin flew in July 1900, and Herbert was [[Zeppo Marx|born seven months later]] in February 1901.}}