Alice Cooper and Groucho Marx [View all]

Groucho Marx suffered from severe insomnia in his later years. When he couldn't sleep, he would call his neighbor Alice Cooper at 1 AM and ask him to come over. Alice would bring a six-pack of beer and the two would drink and watch old movies on TV until Groucho nodded off.⁠
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The unlikely friendship between the 84-year-old comedy legend and the shock rock pioneer began when they met at Frank Sinatra's birthday party, where they performed a duet of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady." When they discovered they were neighbors in Beverly Hills, their bond deepened into regular late-night hangouts.⁠
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Alice Cooper, whom Groucho affectionately called "Coop" (the same nickname he'd given Gary Cooper), would receive those familiar midnight calls: "Hey Coop, can't sleep, come on over." Alice would walk over with a six-pack of Budweiser, and they'd settle in to watch classic films—often Robert Mitchum or other old Hollywood favorites.⁠
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"He had a chair next to his bed with a six pack of Budweiser, and we would sit and watch old movies," Alice recalled. "And then pretty soon, after about two movies were over, I'd look over and he'd be in his beret and his cigar and he'd finally go to sleep. I'd put out his cigar, turn out the lights and go home."⁠

It was Groucho who first called Alice's theatrical rock shows "vaudeville"—a description that perfectly captured what Cooper was doing on stage. "Before that everybody said 'shock rock,' and 'theatrical rock' and 'glam rock.' When Groucho said, 'vaudeville,' I said, 'Wow, that's exactly what it is,'" Alice remembered.⁠
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After Groucho died in 1977, Alice Cooper honored his friend by purchasing the "O" from the famous Hollywood sign when the letters went up for auction, donating $27,000 to help renovate the landmark in Groucho's memory.