Fredonia is a real place, too.
“Fredonia is a real place, too.”
We should give them maps! n/s
The Nacogdoches Opera House, complete with historical marker, is still on the corner of East Main and Church Street, although the building is now an art gallery. The little Texas town that changed his life seemed to stick with Groucho too. Now and then on his quiz show, “You Bet Your Life,” something would remind him of Nacogdoches - and roaches.
And then there’s “Duck Soup,” with Groucho as Rufus T. Firefly, leader of Freedonia (”Hail, hail Freedonia, land of the brave and free!”). Did Groucho know about the real Fredonia? In 1820, Texans in and around Nacogdoches rebelled against Mexico and for six weeks were citizens of their own free state. They called it the Republic of Fredonia.
I wouldn’t bet my life that Groucho got the name from Nacogdoches, but it’s a fact that Fredonia Street intersects Main Street. It’s just a few blocks from the opera house where he and his brothers found their real show-business calling.