You Bet Your Life

I've seen only the first episode, but it's clear that every single show is priceless. Groucho is absolutely brilliant, self-confident, mischievous and avuncular. There is no one like him. The contestants are also fascinating. This show is fresh, spontaneous, relaxed. It's a shame that it isn't being rerun. It has both entertainment and documentary value.

Groucho sat behind a high desk or lectern, talking to his announcer, the contestants, and the audience, raising his eyebrows or grinning slyly to make or emphasize a joke. He often fiddled with his ever-present cigar. I can't remember if he actually smoked the cigar on the show, but it would not surprise me if he did, as smoking was pervasive in those days.

"You Bet Your Life" was probably shot on a theater stage, as I remember curtains behind the performers. The announcer/straight man George Fenneman, stood nearby (left side of TV screen), his dark hair lying tight against his scalp, perhaps slicked down with Brylcreem or something similar. (To see Fenneman in a dramatic role, watch the original version of the movie "The Thing.") When this show aired on TV in the 1950s, I was in grade school so the verbal humor, aimed at adults, usually went over my head. From a kid's perspective the best part of the show was the institution of the "secret word," announced to the audience (but not the contestants) before contestants appeared on the stage. If a contestant uttered the secret word during the show, he or she would win extra money. Groucho mentioned this concept when introducing the guests at the start of their appearance ("Say the secret word and win $100.") If a contestant said the secret word, it was acknowledged with the appearance of a puppet-type duck that was lowered from above on a string or wire. The duck's mouth held an envelope containing the money and its face was modeled after Groucho's: mustache, thick eyebrows, and (I think) a cigar in its mouth. Great fun!

This is one of the funniest game shows ever. I remember when this was shown late nights on KTLA 5 on weeknights and whenever I had a chance I would watch it. Groucho Marx was not only one of the funniest hosts on television, he also was one of the brightest. I especially loved the banter he would engaged in with the contestants before he would start the game. This not only provided the show with its sense of humor, but it also put the contestants at ease before the game began. One of these days I hope Game Show Network would bring this back on television. This show is a timeless classic.

I watched this when I was a teenager in the 50s. I caught a few episodes on cable around ten years ago. It wears well. Groucho was a master at the double entendre. Mae West had nothing on him. One example: there was a married couple who had 19 children. Groucho asked the man why they had so many kids. The man said it was because he liked his wife. Groucho replied, "I like my cigar too, but I take it out once in a while." This was more than 40 years ago, it is still timely. Watch it, if you can. You won't regret it.

You know, when Groucho was in the movies with his brothers, he was funny. He had some great one-liners which will be remembered from that period. But his consistent ability to come up with brilliant repartee on the set of "You Bet Your Life" before a live studio audience has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.

I only recently became aware that episodes on "You Bet Your Life" are available on the internet through places like eBay, so I have taken full advantage of that and have purchased quite a number of discs and boxed sets of the programs which my wife and I have since been watching with very great enjoyment. So, for those of you who would like to see episodes of this classic, they are no further away than where are are right now (on the internet).

Even the De Soto/Plymouth commercials from the time are enjoyable; promoting cars that may by modern standards be difficult to drive in a straight line - sorry to any De Soto fans out there. Nonetheless, they are a great accompaniment to this great series of programs.

By the way, about the programs, the game show was never intended to be the major part of the entertainment. It was Groucho who was the star not the contestants or the cars that the show so heavily promoted.

My summary, these programs are absolute classics and I feel very fortunate to have been able to buy some of them because some group of people had the foresight to see that it would be better to get them out on DVD than to lose them all together in a film vault somewhere.

10 out of 10 from me.

JMV