"You Bet Your Life" (1950) TV series 1950-1961

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | unknown

Release Date:

5 October 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Game-Show

Plot:

Groucho Marx hosts a quiz show which features a series of competitive questions and a great deal of humourous conversation.

Plot Keywords:

Groucho | Quiz Show | Sarcasm | Based On Radio Series | Wacky Guests

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Groucho Marx	...	Himself - Host / ... (72 episodes, 1950-1961)
George Fenneman	...	Announcer / ... (72 episodes, 1950-1961)

Also Known As:

"Betcha Life" (USA) (working title)
"The Groucho Show" (USA) (last season title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

NBC Studio D, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

FilmCraft Productions

Trivia:

One of the first TV variety shows to be pre-recorded. Eight 35mm cameras were used, duplicated in pairs, in four locations. While one set af cameras shot the program with 10-minute reels, the other set were re-loaded and put into action as the reels ran out.

Quotes:

Announcer: Our next contestants are Marika Aba...
Groucho: And a happy new year.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Hooray for Captain Spaulding

Fun show, even for a kid

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!