Talk:You Bet Your Life

As I recall, The Groucho Show was not exactly a continuation of You Bet Your Life -- it sometimes contained other elements, such as a picture being flashed up for something like one-thirtieth of a second and then the contestants being called upon to name as many of the items shown in it as the could recall. This is really taxing my memory as it goes back to my earliest childhood. Can anyone help me on this?

Also, I have encountered this on "The Straight Dope" site:

The show in question was the one for November 17, 1947. This is the supposed transcript of the exchange upon learning that the contestant, a Mrs. Story, had twenty (not nineteen) children:

Groucho: Why do you have so many children?

Mrs. Story: Well, because I love children, and I think that's our purpose here on Earth, and I love my husband.

Groucho: I love my cigar, too, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while.

Supposedly the only reason that this survives it that it was included on a album of outtakes that the DeSoto Automobile Company, then Groucho's sponsor, sent out to its dealers in 1950 as a Christmas present, and that none of the rest of the show survives, which seems to be the case of many of the shows, especially the eariler ones. Whether the reaction to this was the source of big laughs used later on to "sweeten" laughter in subsequent shows is not stated, but is one of those legendary "facts" that seems plausible. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rlquall (talk • contribs)

"The Groucho Show" was indeed the last season of "You Bet Your Life." There are shows in the DVD set and the syndication package in which Groucho says "Welcome, Welcome to the Groucho Show" instead of "Welcome, Welcome to You Bet Your Life." You are thinking of Groucho's next show, a year or so later, called "Tell It To Groucho." This was on CBS. It featured people coming and sitting on a livingroom couch and talking with Groucho. At the end of the segment, the guest would get the chance to win a prize by identifying a picture flashed on the screen. One would think it would have worked as well as YBYL, but it didn't.

There are parts of a show featuring a Mr. and Mrs. Story, who had 20 children, and Groucho jokes about how they remember which is which, etc. It is included in the DVD set that is currently in circulation. But the "I Love My Cigar" line isn't there. So far as anyone knows, it didn't survive. Also, the Mr. and Mrs. Story appearance was not in 1947, since the excerpt which does survive includes mention of DeSoto as the sponsor, and DeSoto was not the sponsor in 1947. --GrouchoRoss (talk) 03:48, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

I could swear that I've seen video of the 'cigar' incident. It's poor quality, of course, but the audience just about had seizures. It was definitely risque for the time. - Richard Cavell (talk) 10:25, 22 November 2008 (UTC)

Contestant Relations

I removed the section suggesting that the contestants were never couples. The first two episodes of season two of the radio show featured a pair of newlyweds and some dating youngsters.

Jerry Fielding

Jerry Fielding was one of the early musical directors of the show. He contributed to the book "The Secret Word is Groucho" :1976 (Groucho Marx/Hector Arce) a book about Groucho's quiz show. He tells how he was forced off the quiz show as bandleader due to the 50's Red Scare of the time (he was mentioned in the book "Red Channels"). Groucho sucummed to sponser's pressure to his regret. He apolgised to Fielding in the aforementioned book but was too overcome by shame to tell Fielding in person. Fielding later became a prolific film and TV composer ("Hogan's Heros","The Wild Bunch"). See Hector Arce biography "Groucho". M Bateman-Graham 203.171.196.113 14:39, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

How to combine shows that were on both radio and tv

The article ignores the radio show information while the TV show is covered. Can someone either add radio show information (at least the number of episodes, start date, stop date, network) to the article and infobox? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.155.35.130 (talk) 20:56, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Elgin

"The radio program was sponsored by Elgin American watches and compacts. "

True but incomplete - Elgin dropped out during the run of the radio show, and no, I don't remember if the show continued without a sponsor or another company came in.

The show went off line during its first year, because the Elgin company sold out of the product the show was promoting (!), and the Elgin company didn't see a reason to continue advertising. However, they had already picked it up for the following year. Elgin dropped sponsorship when it became such "expensive property" they couldn't afford it. DeSoto-Plymouth Dealers picked it up immediately. ("Life with Groucho")

'Cigar' incident is a myth.

See snopes.com for full rebuttal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.59.115 (talk) 00:35, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

In this case snopes.com gives no explanation. Since the show was prerecorded, it's possible it was not shown as part of regular scheduling. Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 13:53, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Hector Arce

As I recall, Hector Arce was a fully credited co-author on "The Secret Word Is Groucho," and not a ghost writer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by LCassamas (talk • contribs) 15:41, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

Material added from "Life with Groucho"

I'm adding material and reworking article slightly to include the considerable detail in "Life with Groucho". It was written by Groucho's son (and apparently reviewed and approved by Groucho, since he comments in several places). The book was on the best seller list, and well-reviewed, e.g., by the "New York Times", so it would seem to be reliable. Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (talk) 13:53, 19 January 2010 (UTC)