You Bet Your Life

On August 15th 1947 Groucho Marx sat down to do an audition for a new radio show. The premise was simple, as host Groucho would ask two contestants to answer questions for prizes. If one of them mentioned the secret word, picked ahead of time, a duck would fly down with a considerable, for the day, cash prize. It wasn't a real duck mind you, instead it was a fake duck crafted to look like Groucho. Simple enough, but with Groucho involved nothing could ever be simple.

The audition made its rounds but was not turned into a full production show until September 5th 1949. Groucho, along with his announcer and unintentional straight man George Fenneman hit the CBS radio network with Desoto Plymouth as their sponsor.

From then until April 28th 1954 some 163 shows went across the airwaves. Censors went nuts with Groucho's often overt but more often than not subtle innuendo and double entendre. Contestants were either honored at being barbed by the best or openly horrified at the public insults Groucho would toss at them. The audience ate up every second of the show.

There was a TV version of the show and a brief radio reprise in the late 1950's. Many of the shows circulating in the old time radio on mp3 groups are from uncensored sources, so the real flavor of Groucho is heard. Even censored Groucho made this perhaps one of the coolest quiz shows on radio ever.

Broadcast Day---Secret Word

9/15/47 Audition

10/5/49 CHAIR

10/12/49 SMILE

10/19/49 CLOCK

10/26/49 RADIO

11/2/49 SHOE

11/9/49 INK

11/16/49 GRASS

11/23/49 SKY

11/30/49 WINDOW

12/7/49 DUST

12/14/49 HAIR

12/21/49 CHAIR

12/28/49 NAME

1/4/50 TREE

1/11/50 MILK

1/18/50 SPOON

1/25/50 SKY

2/1/50 AIR

2/8/50 BREAD

2/15/50 SUGAR

2/22/50 TABLE

3/1/50 DOOR

3/8/50 HEART

3/15/50 WATER

3/22/50 MONEY

3/29/50 STOVE

4/5/50 SMILE

4/12/50 FLOOR

4/19/50 NAME

4/26/50 CHAIR

5/3/50 BREAD

5/10/50 DOOR

5/17/50 FOOT

5/24/50 TREE

5/31/50 BOOK

6/7/50 DRESS

6/14/50 WATER

6/21/50 HAND

6/28/50 FLOOR

10/4/50 WALL

10/11/50 GRASS

10/18/50 FLOOR

10/25/50 AIR

11/1/50 TREE

11/8/50 DOOR

11/15/50 KEY

11/22/50 TABLE

11/29/50 BOOK

12/6/50 HAIR

12/13/50 ROOM

12/20/50 FLOOR

12/27/50 SMILE

1/3/51 CHAIR

1/10/51 HEART

1/17/51 LAMP

1/24/51 WALK

1/31/51 CLOCK

2/7/51 SHOE

2/14/51 SKY

2/21/51 DOOR

2/28/51 NOSE

3/7/51 CUP

3/14/51 TREE

3/21/51 COAT

3/28/51 STREET

4/4/51 HAND

4/11/51 ROOM

4/18/51 LIGHT

4/25/51 WALL

5/2/51 FOOT

5/9/51 PAPER

5/16/51 SKY

5/23/51 SMILE

5/30/51 PEOPLE

6/6/51 HEART

6/13/51 FLOOR

6/20/51 DOOR

6/27/51 TABLE

10/3/51 TABLE

10/10/51 STREET

10/17/51 ARM

10/24/51 FLOOR

10/31/51 SKY

11/7/51 HEAD

11/14/51 ROOF

11/21/51 TREE

11/28/51 NAME

12/5/51 DOOR

12/12/51 PEOPLE

12/19/51 SMILE

12/26/51 PAPER

1/2/52 HAND

1/9/52 FACE

1/16/52 SPOON

1/23/52 WATER

1/30/52 FOOD

2/6/52 LAMP

2/13/52 FLOOR

2/20/52 HEART

2/27/52 GLASS

3/5/52 KNIFE

3/12/52 SKY

3/19/52 NAME

3/26/52 TABLE

4/2/52 CHAIR

4/9/52 SIGN

4/16/52 FOOT

4/23/52 SPOON

4/30/52 DOOR

5/7/52 HOUSE

5/14/52 AGE

5/21/52 MONEY

5/28/52 WALL

6/4/52 CLOTHES

6/11/52 PAPER

9/17/52 CHAIR

9/24/52 FLOOR

10/1/52 TREE

10/8/52 FACE

10/15/52 WATER

10/22/52

10/29/52 HEART

11/5/52 LIGHT

11/12/52 CLOCK

11/19/52 SMILE

11/26/52

12/3/52 PAPER

12/10/52 FIRE

12/17/52 CHAIR

9/16/53 PEOPLE

9/23/53 FOOT

9/30/53 SMILE

10/7/53 TABLE

10/14/53 WALL

10/21/53 NAME

10/28/53 CHAIR

11/4/53 TREE

11/11/53 HAND

11/18/53

11/25/53

12/2/53

12/9/53

12/16/53

12/23/53

12/30/53

1/6/54

1/13/54 SMILE

1/20/54 DOOR

1/27/54

2/3/54

2/10/54 WALL

2/17/54 CLOCK

2/24/54 NAME

3/3/54 PAPER

3/10/54 STREET

3/17/54 HAND

3/24/54 FLOOR

3/31/54 TREE

4/7/54 FACE

4/14/54 ROOM

4/21/54 PEOPLE

4/28/54 SMILE