You Bet Your Life

[RetroSmith]

Just saw Disk one of the "You Bet Your Life" Lost Episodes DVD.

Its a scream. Nearly 50 years later, Groucho is hysterical. His ad lib ability was AMAZING.

Its interesting......the DVD has the first ever TV Episode, made in 1950. There is no set, just a desk and two mics for the contestants.

Also, in that first episode, there is no "Duck" with the Secret Word!!!

George Fenneman "wears" a sign with the Secret word!! It was bizzare!!

For the 1951 Season, things were vastly improved. There is a nice set, and the money prizes are much higher.

Groucho really had me laughing. The audiences of the '50s must have been in convulsions.

[Lord Hawthorne]

I've seen some of the shows and heard all of the radio versions (it continued as a radio show up until the late 1950s). What a sharp mind that guy had. Some of the things he said were very slyly over the heads of the people at the network.

[RetroSmith]

Yes, thats true, I believe they recorded the TV shows Audio on tape and used that for the Radio broadcasts on the two nights Groucho was not on TV.

And yes, WHAT a sharp mind Groucho had!! his ability to come up with a funny line in a second was better than any comedian before or since.

[telliott]

I looked at the box today. Those DeSoto convention films sound interesting.

Tim

[Jamie Tate]

Here's another thread that may have additional info.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20940