Hey all! I just want some feedback. I want to know how many people liked You Bet YOur Life with Groucho Marx. That's all for now. C y'all:wave:

ive alaways liked it

It was a perfect showcase for Groucho's marvelous ad-libs. (Of course, those
lines had to be edited ... both for length and for content). Groucho was one
of the all-time great comedians. They never gave away much money, like
other quiz shows of the period. But the other shows didn't have Marx's wit
and humor. It was so popular that, for a time, it was aired on both TV and
radio. Later versions with Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby fell flat--because it
wasn't the same without Groucho.

It was a perfect showcase for Groucho's marvelous ad-libs. (Of course, those
lines had to be edited ... both for length and for content). Groucho was one
of the all-time great comedians. They never gave away much money, like
other quiz shows of the period. But the other shows didn't have Marx's wit
and humor. It was so popular that, for a time, it was aired on both TV and
radio. Later versions with Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby fell flat--because it
wasn't the same without Groucho.

You're so right...the later versions were terrible. It's incredible that anyone thought that YBYL could be revived with anyone other than Groucho at the helm.


I've heard that a lot of Groucho's 'ad libs' were not actually ad-libbed by Groucho himself...the show actually had a staff of writers and THEY would jot the jokes down real fast and Groucho would read them... I'm not sure if that's true or not...

Well, I'll check it out...seems to be partly true:

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/groucho.htm

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Although You Bet Your Life was structured to make it appear as though every show were ad-libbed by Groucho, who issued a steady stream of impromptu questions, off-the-cuff remarks, and cutting put-downs to contestants he had met only moments earlier, a great deal of preparation went into each episode.

Contestants were selected and interviewed well in advance, and scripts for each week's show were prepared by writers and reviewed by Groucho, who used a crude version of a teleprompter to read his lines during filming (although it was true that Groucho didn't actually meet the contestants until they walked on-stage).

However, Groucho certainly had plenty of latitude to depart from the prepared gags and questions (as did the contestants), with the result that much of the conversation was indeed improvised on the spot. About a hour's worth of material was recorded for each half hour program so that flubs, uninteresting segments, and any potentially offensive remarks by Groucho could be edited out".

<END OF EXCERPT>

Just an awesome show... I have a few episodes on tape, and I bought a couple of VHS tapes that have maybe 4 episodes apiece... I love that show... but only when it's hosted by the one...the only.... GROUCHO!!

:groucho

...but there WERE preparations between him and the show's staff (including Bernie Smith, Hy Freedman and Howard Harris) as far as "prepared material" was concerned- Groucho HAD to know something about the contestants he faced to create a few jokes, but he NEVER met them personally until they were brought out by George Fenneman to "play the game". They called his prepared material "scaffolding"...and usually, all Groucho had to do was occasionally look above him, and the material would be flashed at ceiling level {a la bowling tallies at your local alley} so he'd know which way to go with the interview. Usually, his keen mind would take over, and it would be "golden time" between him and the contestants from then on. Of course, there were more than a fair share of "dullards" and those people that didn't quite connect with him, and those interview segments would be somewhat shortened before the quiz portion began. Each week, an hour's worth of material would be taped for radio (and simultaneously filmed for TV after 1950), and edited into a "solid" half-hour for both mediums; the radio show stressed more verbal exchanges, while the TV version had more "visual" moments included.

But there was ONE thing Groucho could claim: he NEVER "rigged" the show. All of the quiz questions were honestly answered (or missed); Groucho would not stand for ANY tampering before or after he posed them to the contestants. If they won a lot of money, it was because THEY knew the answers, not Groucho, John Guedel, or the staff. If they lost...well, Groucho would ask that all-purpose "consolation" question along the lines of, "For $100, what color is the 'Old Grey Mare'?"- they'd answer, and he'd give them the money {"Grey is right!"}. "Nobody leaves here broke", he sometimes declared. That's why his show stayed on despite the quiz show scandals of the late '50s.

I've seen both versions of the show with Buddy Hackett and Bill Cosby. They did NOT have the preparation or quick wit that Groucho had, and that's why their shows untimately failed. Herb Shriner was more successful with HIS version {"TWO FOR THE MONEY"} on live TV in the '50s because HE had an empathy with his contestants, and his "Aw, shucks" Hoosier attitude [he NEVER let you forgot that he came from Indiana, or that he played one mean harmonica] endeared him to his audience. He did have more preparation than Groucho did....

:tv:

I used to watch this show a lot when it was on Nick at Nite (a LOOOOONNNNGGGG time ago, obviously!:rolleyes: ) and I loved it. Hilarious show!:groucho

Andrea

You Bet Your Life is hilarious. Scripted or not, Groucho sure was quick-witted and knew how to deliver a line. I recommend everyone to check out the two You Bet Your Life box sets released by NBC-U - Many good quality episodes with lots of bonus features!

Celebrities that appeared as contestants on the show:

Ray Bradbury
Phyllis Diller
Vera Miles
Ronnie Schell
Jay Silverheels

There's probably more but these come to mind for now.

Ones that I can think of are Harry Ruby, Harpo Marx, Ernie Kovacs, Liberace, Frankie Avalon, Joe Louis, and Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez.