Hail! Hail!

Julius, Leonard, Arthur, and Herbert go to Texas

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Hail! Hail! by Harry Turtledove

This is an inventive and educational story that shows Harry Turtledove at the top of his form. This story is substantially longer than a short story but not quite as long as a novella. It is an easy, amusing and engaging read that manages to mix in so much history in what turns out to be both a time travel and an alt-hist story.

The protagonists are the brothers Julius, Leonard, Arthur, and Herbert, better known under their stage names Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Gummo Marx. The story starts in 1934 as the brothers are about to travel to New Orleans by train. Duck Soup has been recently released to disappointing box office. On the way to New Orleans they stop off at Nacogdoches, where they performed in 1912. It was during that performance that they discovered their gift of comedy. The brothers get out to visit the play house, but, improbably, they get involved in a lightning strike that throws them back to Nacogdoches in 1826, which is on the eve of the historic Fredonia Rebellion.

You say you have never heard of this event? Not to worry, Turtledove does, and it is fascinating to learn that this was a real event that presaged the Texas Revolution by a decade and involved Stephen Austin on the side of the Mexicans. From this point on the Marx Brothers are delivering japes and puns like they, well, the Marx Brothers in the real, authentic, smelly west, throwing their lot in with the Fredonia rebels.

I enjoyed the characterization of the Marx brothers, albeit most of the attention was given to Julius/Groucho than the others. Turtledove sprinkles his story with accurate details about the brothers, 1930s Hollywood, and Texas in the early 19th century.

All in all the story is delightful and worth the read, particularly if you are a fan of time-travel or Turtledove.