YOU BET YOUR LIFE

OLD TIME RADIO - 3 CD - 223 mp3 - Total Playtime: 113:07:45

You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The most well-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in 1949 before making the transition to the NBC Radio and NBC-TV networks in October 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show simultaneously on the radio and on television. In 1960, the show was renamed The Groucho Show and ran a further year. Most episodes are in the public domain.

The play of the game, however, was secondary to the interplay between Groucho, the contestants, and occasionally Fenneman. The program was rerun into the 1970s, and later in syndication as The Best of Groucho. As such, it was the first game show to have its reruns syndicated.
The mid-1940s was a depressing lull in Groucho's career. His radio show Blue Ribbon Town, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, which ran from March 1943 to August 1944, had failed to catch on and Groucho left the program in June 1944.

After a radio appearance with Bob Hope, in which Marx ad-libbed most of his performance after being forced to stand by in a waiting room for 40 minutes before going on the air, John Guedel, the program's producer, formed an idea for a quiz show and approached Marx about the subject. After initial reluctance by Marx, Guedel was able to convince him to host the program after Marx realized the quiz would be only a backdrop for his contestant interviews, and the storm of ad-libbing that they would elicit. Guedel also convinced Marx to invest in 50% of the show, in part by saying that he was "untouchable" at ad-libbing, but not at following a script.[1] Since Marx and the contestants were ad-libbing, Marx insisted that each show be recorded and edited before release. The show for the studio audience ran longer than the broadcast versions, so that risque or less interesting material could be removed.
Contestant teams usually consisted of one male and one female, most selected from the studio audience. Occasionally famous or otherwise interesting figures were invited to play (i.e., a Korean-American contestant who was a veteran and had been a prisoner of war during the Korean War).

After his signature introduction of "Here he is: the one, the ONLY..." by Fenneman and finished by a thunderous "GROUCHO!" from the audience, Marx would be introduced to the music of "Hooray for Captain Spaulding", his signature song.

Some show tension revolved around whether a contestant would say the "secret word", a common word revealed to the audience at the show's outset. If a contestant said the word, a toy duck resembling Groucho with a mustache and eyeglasses, and with a cigar in its bill, descended from the ceiling to bring a $100 bill. A cartoon of a duck with a cigar was also used in opening title sequence. In one episode, Groucho's brother, Harpo, came down instead of the duck, and in another, a model came down in a birdcage with the money. Marx sometimes slyly directed conversation to encourage the secret word to come up. The duck was also occasionally replaced with a wooden Indian figure.

After the contestants' introduction and interview, the actual game began. Contestants chose among available categories and then tried to answer a series of questions within the category. Each couple was staked with $20 and were asked four questions, wagering part or all of their bankroll for each question. The scoring format was later changed to a starting bankroll of $100 and couples selecting question values from $10 to $100. A correct answer added the value of the question to their bankroll and an incorrect answer cut their bankroll to that point in half. According to co-director Robert Dwan in his book, As Long As They're Laughing, Guedel changed the scoring format because too many couples were betting—and losing—all their money.

Later, this was changed to couples answering questions either until they either gave two consecutive incorrect responses or answered four consecutive questions correctly for a prize of $1,000. Toward the end of the series (1959–61), contestants picked four questions worth $100, $200, or $300 each, potentially winning up to $1,200. However, winning at least $500 qualified the team to answer a jackpot question.

If at any point the couple bet all of their money and lost or their bankroll was below $25, Marx asked an elementary consolation question for $25 (later $100). The questions were made easy in hopes that no team would answer incorrectly and included such examples as "Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?", "When did the War of 1812 start?", "How long do you cook a three-minute egg?", and "What color is an orange?"

In all of the scoring formats, the couple with the highest score at the end of the game was asked one final question for a growing jackpot. In the early years (1947–56), the prize for the jackpot question started at $1,000, with $500 added each week until someone correctly answered the question. After other game shows offered larger cash prizes, the format of the jackpot question changed. Contestants faced a wheel with numbers from one through ten and selected one number for $10,000 (and later, another number for $5,000). If the number selected was spun, a correct answer to the jackpot question augmented the team' total winnings to that amount; otherwise, the question was worth a total of $2,000. From 1956-59, teams risked half their $1,000 won earlier in the quiz for a shot at the jackpot question, and one of the two players on the team could keep their half of the money while the other risked their half. This was later changed from 1959-61 so that no winnings were risked.

EPISODES LIST

Disc 1

470915 00 Secret Word - Air - Audition
490127 46 For Broadcast 490209 Water - Unedited
490203 47 For Broadcast 490216 People - Unedited
490210 48 For Broadcast 490223 Foot - Unedited
490217 49 For Broadcast 490302 Table - Unedited
490224 50 For Broadcast 490309 Water - Unedited
490303 51 For Broadcast 490316 Floor - Unedited
490310 52 For Broadcast 490323 Paper - Unedited
490316 51 Secret Word - Floor
490317 53 For Broadcast 490330 Name - Unedited
490324 54 For Broadcast 490406 Wall - Unedited
490407 56 For Broadcast 490420 Head - Unedited
490420 56 Secret Word - Head
491005 62 Secret Word - Chair
491012 63 Secret Word - Smile
491019 64 Secret Word - Clock
491026 65 Secret Word - Radio
491102 66 Secret Word - Shoe
491109 67 Secret Word - Ink
491116 68 Secret Word - Grass
491123 69 Secret Word - Sky
491130 70 Secret Word - Window
491205 74 For Broadcast 491228 Name - Unedited
491207 71 Secret Word - Dust
491214 72 Secret Word - Hair
491221 73 Secret Word - Chair
491228 74 Secret Word - Name
500104 75 Secret Word - Tree
500105 77 For Broadcast 500118 Spoon - Unedited
500111 76 Secret Word - Milk
500118 77 Secret Word - Spoon
500125 78 Secret Word - Sky
500201 79 Secret Word - Air
500208 80 Secret Word - Bread
500215 81 Secret Word - Sugar
500222 82 Secret Word - Table
500301 83 Secret Word - Door
500308 84 Secret Word - Heart
500315 85 Secret Word - Water
500322 86 Secret Word - Money
500329 87 Secret Word - Name
500405 88 Secret Word - Smile
500412 89 Secret Word - Door
500419 90 Secret Word - Name
500426 91 Secret Word - Chair
500503 92 Secret Word - Bread
500510 93 Secret Word - Door
500517 94 Secret Word - Foot
500524 95 Secret Word - Tree
500531 96 Secret Word - Book

Disc 2
500607 97 Secret Word - Dress
500614 98 Secret Word - Tree
500621 99 Secret Word - Hand
500628 100 Secret Word - Air
501004 101 Secret Word - Wall
501011 102 Secret Word - Grass
501018 103 Secret Word - Floor
501025 104 Secret Word - Air
501101 105 Secret Word - Tree
501108 106 Secret Word - Door
501115 107 Secret Word - Key
501122 108 Secret Word - Table
501129 109 Secret Word - Book
501206 110 Secret Word - Hair
501213 111 Secret Word - Room
501220 112 Secret Word - Floor
501227 113 Secret Word - Smile
510103 114 Secret Word - Chair
510110 115 Secret Word - Heart
510117 116 Secret Word - Lamp
510124 117 Secret Word - Walk
510131 118 Secret Word - Clock
510207 119 Secret Word - Shoe
510214 120 Secret Word - Sky
510221 121 Secret Word - Door
510228 122 Secret Word - Nose
510307 123 Secret Word - Cup
510314 124 Secret Word - Tree
510321 125 Secret Word - Coat
510328 126 Secret Word - Street
510404 127 Secret Word - Hand
510411 128 Secret Word - Room
510418 129 Secret Word - Light
510425 130 Secret Word - Wall
510502 131 Secret Word - Foot
510509 132 Secret Word - Paper
510516 133 Secret Word - Sky
510523 134 Secret Word - Smile
510606 136 Secret Word - Heart
510613 137 Secret Word - Floor
510620 138 Secret Word - Door
510627 139 Secret Word - Table
511003 140 Secret Word - Table
511010 141 Secret Word - Street
511017 142 Secret Word - Arm
511024 143 Secret Word - Floor
511031 144 Secret Word - Sky
511107 145 Secret Word - Head
511114 146 Secret Word - Roof
511121 147 Secret Word - Tree
511128 148 Secret Word - Name
511205 149 Secret Word - Door
511212 150 Secret Word - People
511219 151 Secret Word - Smile
511226 152 Secret Word - Paper
520100 156 For Broadcast 520123 - Water - Unedited
520102 153 Secret Word - Hand
520109 154 Secret Word - Face
520116 155 Secret Word - Spoon
520123 156 Secret Word - Water
520130 157 Secret Word - Food
520206 158 Secret Word - Lamp
520213 159 Secret Word - Floor
520220 160 Secret Word - Heart
520227 161 Secret Word - Glass
520305 162 Secret Word - Knife
520312 163 Secret Word - Sky
520319 164 Secret Word - Name
520326 165 Secret Word - Table
520402 166 Secret Word - Chair
520409 167 Secret Word - Sign
520416 168 Secret Word - Foot
520423 169 Secret Word - Spoon
520430 170 Secret Word - Door
520507 171 Secret Word - House
520514 172 Secret Word - Age
520521 173 Secret Word - Money
520528 174 Secret Word - Wall
520604 175 Secret Word - Clothes
520611 176 Secret Word - Paper
520917 177 Secret Word - Chair
520924 178 Secret Word - Floor
521001 179 Secret Word - Tree
521015 181 Secret Word - Water
521022 182 Secret Word - Table
521029 183 Secret Word - Heart
521105 184 Secret Word - Light
521112 185 Secret Word - Clock
521119 186 Secret Word - Smile
521126 187 Secret Word - Door
521203 188 Secret Word - Paper
521210 189 Secret Word - Fire
521217 190 Secret Word - Chair
530916 216 Secret Word - People
530923 217 Secret Word - Foot

Disc 3
530930 218 Secret Word - Smile
531007 219 Secret Word - Table
531014 220 Secret Word - Wall
531021 221 Secret Word - Name
531028 222 Secret Word - Chair
531031 229 For Broadcast 531216 - Car - Unedited
531104 223 Secret Word - Tree
531114 231 For Broadcast 531230 - Light - Unedited
531125 226 Secret Word - Water
531202 227 Secret Word - Face
531202 233 For Broadcast 540113 - Smile - Unedited
531209 228 Secret Word - Window
531216 229 Secret Word - Car
531216 235 For Broadcast 540127 - Money - Unedited
531216 236 For Broadcast 540203 - Arm - Unedited
531230 237 For Broadcast 540210 - Wall - Unedited
540217 238 Secret Word - Clock
540224 239 Secret Word - Name
540303 240 Secret Word - Paper
540310 241 Secret Word - Street
540317 242 Secret Word - Hand
540324 243 Secret Word - Floor
540421 247 Secret Word - People
540428 248 Secret Word - Smile
540505 249 Secret Word - Water
540512 250 Secret Word - House
540519 251 Secret Word - Arm
540526 252 Secret Word - Chair
540602 253 Secret Word - Clock
540609 254 Secret Word - Name
550119 273 Secret Word - Paper
551026 300 Secret Word - House
551100 307 For Broadcast 551214 - Name - Unedited
551123 304 Secret Word - Face
551130 305 Secret Word - Sign
551207 306 Secret Word - Chair
551214 307 Secret Word - Name
551221 308 Secret Word - Street
551228 309 Secret Word - Table
560106 Secret Word Table
560307 Secret Word Table
560702 Secret Word Name - 10Th Year Celebration - Unedited
560926 Secret Word Chair
570217 Secret Word Book
570316 360 Secret Word - Chair
570921 374 Secret Word - Food
571104 380 Secret Word - Street
571206 Secret Word - people
571216 386 Secret Word - Hand
580113 390 Secret Word - Picture
580127 392 Secret Word - Hand
580203 393 Secret Word - Chair
580210 394 Secret Word - People
580217 395 Secret Word - Hand
580224 396 Secret Word - Face
580303 397 Secret Word - Room
580310 398 Secret Word - Name
580317 399 Secret Word - People
580331 401 Secret Word - Name
580421 404 Secret Word - Paper
580512 407 Secret Word - Table
590119 430 Secret Word - Voice
590126 431 Secret Word - Nose
590302 436 Secret Word - House
590316 438 Secret Word - Paper
590810 Secret Word Chair
590817 Secret Word Face
590824 Secret Word book
590831 Secret Word Book
590907 Secret Word Walk
590914 Secret Word Name
590921 Secret Word Food
590928 453 Secret Word - Street
591005 454 Secret Word - Street
591012 455 Secret Word - Book
591019 456 Secret Word - Room
591026 457 Secret Word - Book
591228 466 Secret Word - Shoe

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