You Bet Your Life

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 remember watching You Bet Your Life aka The Best of Groucho in the mid 70s and I thought it was an early TV game show classic. Before it's long TV run, it began in the late 40s on radio. The show was also very funny, thanks to the quips and one-liners from host Groucho Marx. The quiz portion was incidental to the interviews from Groucho. Not only could contestants win money on the quiz they can also win if someone says the secret word, enable a stuffed duck to come down from the ceiling. The duck was used because Groucho didn't want sirens blaring in his ear when someone said the word. The secret word was later used on the hit kids show Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Also sharing in the fun was George Fenneman, announcer, straight man and scorekeeper. In an episode where Groucho, Edgar Bergen, and their daughters Melinda and Candice teamed up to win money for the Girl Scouts, Fenneman became the quiz master for that segment.

The most memorable contestant on the show was Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, a poor, illiterate Hispanic father who brought the house down since he was very funny. He later when on to roles in several movies. Phyllis Diller made her national TV debut on You Bet Your Life and in a later episode, Groucho's brother Harpo made a cameo appearance.

Fortunately, contestants never left the show broke. If they didn't do well in the quiz, Groucho would ask a question such as "Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?" or one I remember "In what city is the London Times published?"

Despite the several format changes to the quiz segment, You Bet Your life was a very funny show, thanks to the one, the only GROUCHO!

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

I was born in the middle 50's, and had the chance to be exposed to the You Bet Your Life Television show, what a wonderful show! Many of the stars just starting out or not discovered yet, were the subject of the impeccable host Groucho Marx one line ad-libs, not to mention other people from all walks in life.

George Fenneman,the announcer and straight man for Groucho's antics really was a great off load character for Groucho.

I wish they would bring this program back in re-runs. Originally it was on channel 11, KPLR TV in St.Louis at 10:00 p.m. MOn-Fri..

Really I am a 60's on up fan of television, and some of the crap they have on now, couldn't hold a candle to the early days of television.

Walter R.Deyherle St.Louis, Missouri

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.