Cheap You Bet Your Life - The Best Episodes (DVD) (Bernie Smith (III), Robert Dwan) Price
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Appearances by some "special guests" add to this set's nostalgia value. Former Western star Hoot Gibson, Johnny "Tarzan" Weissmuller, and former boxing champion Joe Louis play the game, as do future stars Candice Bergen (age 11-1/2) and comedian Phyllis Diller in her first television appearance. Marx Brothers fans will cherish the now-poignant cameo by Harpo (hawking his autobiography, Harpo Speaks!) and the Creamy Prom commercials featuring Harpo and Chico. Screen and songwriter Harry Ruby, who looms large in Marxian folklore (he co-wrote Horse Feathers and Duck Soup), sings a delightful duet with Groucho, "The Window Cleaners." This set's special features aren't horse feathers either. There are rare pilots for some failed post-You Bet Your Life quiz shows, vintage commercials, and so-called "stag reels," featuring mildly risqué humor that censors cut from final broadcast. And now, to quote Fenneman, it's time to sit back, and relax, and enjoy the best of Groucho. --Donald Liebenson
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Bernie Smith (III), Robert Dwan |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 05 October, 1950 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Sony Music (Video) |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Box set, Color, Full Screen, NTSC |
| TYPE: | Comedy Video, Television |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 3 |
| UPC: | 826663491395 |
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Customer Reviews of You Bet Your Life - The Best Episodes
Quaint comedy with occasional highlights Judging from the appearance of the package's artwork and accompanying booklet, I gathered that the episodes burned into these 3 discs were to be nothing less than top-notch. After all, the working title of this production had been "The Best Episodes." <
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>There seems, however, to have been more thought and care put into the afore-mentioned package design than into the actual shows. Dirt and scratches abound! Why couldn't they have placed more of the production value into the PRODUCTION rather than the container? The films themselves look as though no attempt whatsoever was made to clean and digitally re-master them. <
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>As far as entertainment is concerned, there is some here. Most of the people who Groucho interviews are the average John Q. Public. In some cases they have so little to say that Groucho has to "pry" the words from them. Why were those folks included in "The Best Episodes?" Groucho, with his unique style of interviewing seems to fare more favorably when he has outspoken and/or off-beat types to contend with. <
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>Every once in the while, however, person or persons will demonstrate their natural gift for gab and charm us with their openess, honesty and antics: <
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>Eccentric fruit peddler and future health food guru Gypsy Boots tells of his living in trees and caves. When Groucho asks him to spell the word "gnome," his enthusiastic misspellings are priceless - much to the annoyance of his fellow contestant. <
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>A frustrated lady lyricist/trombone player demonstrates her affection for the show's announcer, George Fenneman, as he attempts to maintain his composure while Groucho watches in awe. <
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>In addition to the original broadcast versions are several "stag reels." These are out-takes from various shows that were considered a bit too bawdy for television of that era: <
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>"I had a frozen daiquiri once when I was up north - that's the last time I go out without long underwear." While Groucho could let loose with such dialog in front of the studio audience, there were always those particular one-liners destined for the cutting room floor prior to air time. <
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>All-in-all, the price of this three-disc set is rather steep, but if you're a dedicated Groucho Marx and/or old-time television game show fan you may find it a quaint treat. <
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Timeless Fun
I must confess up front that I was never a fan of the Marx Brothers' films. As a result, I wasn't much of a Groucho fan either. But many years ago, I saw some episodes of You Bet Your Life in syndication and found them surprisingly entertaining. I recently decided to take a chance on this DVD set and am glad that I did. Some episodes were clearly chosen due to the celebrity nature of the guests (e.g. a young Candice Bergen and her ventriloquist father, Edgar) but these are not necessarily the most entertaining.
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>Groucho and the show are both at their best when the guests are no-name people who happen to be interesting characters. When an organ grinder from Italy appears in one episode, Grouch has a field day teasing the guy and is then "zinged" in return when the man brings out a monkey who does a hilarious Groucho imitation. What made You Bet Your Life so unique is that it was a quiz show where the quiz was entirely incidental. It was all about the quick wit of Groucho and the quirky people who came on to spar with him for their 15 minutes of fame. It makes for great entertainment by any standard.
A Missed Late Night Delight
When I was a kid visiting my grandparents in Boston, we'd be able to catch "You Bet Your Life" reruns at night - although they didn't air until late night. We'd have to keep the volume down way low to make sure nobody knew the TV was on.
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>It's nice to finally hear Groucho at a normal volume. He's got such a great give and go with the contestants and George. What's amazing is that you don't care about the answers. And you can rewatch the shows because Groucho is the main focus of entertainment. You just don't have his type of personality on TV anymore. I do hope they put more episodes out.
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>The bonus features are great - espeically the ads for DeSoto with Groucho pushing the car.