Groucho Marx is one of many stars to make a radio broadcast their debut, only to move to TV once the radio show reached popularity. But Marx didn't go the usual route with a sitcom or talk show; rather, he made a name for ... more »himself hosting a game show called, You Bet Your Life. The show, broadcast on radio, originally aired in 1947, becoming a televised radio show in 1950.« less
Actor:Groucho Marx Genres:Comedy, Television Sub-Genres:Comedy Studio:Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Format:DVD - Color DVD Release Date: 02/12/2003 Original Release Date: 02/12/2003 Theatrical Release Date: 02/12/2003 Release Year: 2003 Run Time: 5hr 0min Screens: Color Number of Discs: 1 SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Languages:English
Tad Ulrich | Los Angeles, CA United States | 06/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There's some classic Groucho on this DVD. If you've never seen or heard Groucho before, this is a great place to start.
This DVD is released by Echo Bridge entertainment and published by Platinum DVD. The cover incorrectly states there are 12 classic shows over 4 hours. Actually there are 14 shows and 6 hours of entertainment. The picture quality is quite good for the most part and includes all those DeSoto commercials. They are an interesting novelty at first but it wasn't long before I found myself fast forwarding through them.
This DVD contains one of You Bet Your Life's most side splittingly hilarious episodes, the one featuring Albert Hall, the printer's devil from Kansas. It's included in Scene section 5. Groucho's ability to maintain control of often awkward situations was truly remarkable.
There are not a lot of extras included in this package, but what is here is classic Groucho and is more than enough to warrant the price of admission. So sit back with some popcorn and enjoy one of the all time great comedians, the one, the only...GROUCHO!!
"
Here's Groucho!
Ron Wise | Cleveland, MS USA | 06/30/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I think this is the set I recently bought. It contains 12 episodes with good picture quality and sound. And it also contains vintage commercials that are worth the price of admission. See rare Desoto commercials with Groucho and even some commercials with Harpo and Chico. This is a great way to get 12 episodes of You Bet Your Life at a low price."
Excellent Value
trumpetisking | MA | 06/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Excellent shows, fair transfer. Overall an excellent value with only one duplicate from the 2 much more expensive Groucho collections. Get it."
The Secret Word Is "Classic"
Joseph | Boston, MA | 01/06/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
""You Bet Your Life" was one of the first television game shows to have been filmed in advance, allowing it to become the first game show to have it's reruns syndicated to local stations after it's network run ended in 1961.
Perhaps the best part of this DVD is that only two of the thirteen episodes included were from the syndication package (which was known as "The Best Of Groucho"), and that most of the other episodes were not only in their original NBC broadcast format, but also included vintage commercials for the show's longtime sponsor DeSoto, a long-gone automobile make that was manufactured by Chrysler Corporation.
For the most part, the shows in this collection are presented the way millions of viewers saw them in the 1950's.
Fans of Groucho, the Marx Brothers, classic television and/or TV game shows in general will want to pick-up this DVD. It is an inexpensively-priced introduction to one of the most hilarious programs from the "Golden Age Of Television". If you like this DVD, you can then come back to Amazon and order "'You Bet Your Life': The Best Episodes" and "'You Bet Your Life': The Lost Episodes"."
The "Classic" of Classic TV
Retro_Saiyan | Australia | 02/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm so glad that "You Bet Your Life" is on DVD. From what I've heard, NBC was gonna destroy the masters in the early 1970's but Groucho convinced them to preserve them. I'm so glad he did. This is a wonderful show, and a charming reminder of the days when TV didn't need fancy sets to be entertaining. Groucho Marx may of been in his 60's when doing these shows but he still has a quick wit, coming up with funny jokes in seconds. It's easy to see why this was a top 10 hit in the ratings. In my opinion, the DeSoto commercials add historical context to these episodes, allowing modern day viewers to see the show as people in the 1950's watched it.
Whether you enjoyed this show back then or are interested in what people watched in the 1950's, this show is a Joy."