You Bet Your Life - The Memorable TV DVD Review

The quiz show that maintained Groucho Marx’s rapier wit reputation through the whole of the fifties – You Bet Your Life’s quiz format saw Groucho meeting contestants who had to bet various amounts of their purse on their ability to answer questions on different subjects. Of course it all plays second fiddle to Groucho’s constant wisecracking.

SO IS IT ANY GOOD?

This new 3 disc set from Shout Factory features 18 of the very best episodes of You Bet Your Life, beginning on radio in 1947 the TV Version ran concurrently for a time with the contestants appearing on both versions! An integral part of the show was the secret word “it’s a common word – something you see everyday” – if the contestants happened to say the secret word during the course of the show they won an extra $100. Groucho is all over these episodes, turning what would have been just another quiz into something approaching classic status and a guaranteed laugh fest. Watch out for guest appearances from the likes of Johnny Weissmuller, Harpo and Chico Marx, Joe Louis and Phyllis Diller in her first TV appearance. With its great extras package this is definitely worth adding to your classic TV collection.

ANY SPECIAL FEATURES?

The best extras on this comprehensive set are the three pilots made by Groucho in his quest for another hit format. These are What Do You Want? Tell It To Groucho (which went on to become a series) and best of all The Plot Thickens – a whodunit quiz which features some outrageous Groucho material. Very very funny. Other key extras include a very rare Marx brothers commercial featuring Harpo and Chico; Stag Reels features some of Groucho’s racier comments which never went to air but were then compiled into tapes for sponsors conventions, there’s also a commentary by Phyllis Diller on the episode which she featured in as a contestant, a selection of outtakes, some original commercials and the debut flight of the secret word duck.