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(More customer reviews)Back in the Golden Days of Television, two game shows stood out: What's My Line? and You Bet Your Life. Neither offered money as its hook, but rather good intelligent conversation. That neither show can be duplicated today is just another sign of the times in which we live. Both shows had a mystique about them that made them special and made people tune in.
Robert Dwan does a wonderful job of explaining the mystique behind You Bet Your Life, and though most of it is rightfully due to the talents of Groucho Marx, Dwan explains just how the show was put tigether each week and the behind the scenes and politics that shaped it during its run as America's most popular quiz show.
Dwan also offers a history of the show, from its beginnings on radio and how Groucho, who had already failed numerous times in radio, was convinced to take the job as emcee of a "lowly" quiz show. Dwan tells his story in the manner of a gentle reminiscence that pulls the reader along while providing a few laughs, and surprises, along the way. (One surprise is that for all Groucho's leering and suggestiveness, he abhorred "working dirty," and considered it the cheapest way to get a laugh. Many times on the show an innocent line became a memorable one in the imagination of the audience, who were expecting Groucho to come right out and say what they were thinking.)
With the recent surge in published books on the Marx Brothers, this gentle tome from a small press might well be forgotten in the shuffle. Instead, to those who read it, it will become one of the fondest and best remembered books on the subject.
One thing I would like to see is the reprint of The Secret Word is Groucho, by Groucho himself and Hector Arce. as a previous reviewer perceptibly noted, the two make an excellent boxed set. But as that book is out of print, you can't go wrong with the Dwan book.
Click Here to see more reviews about: As Long As They're Laughing: Groucho Marx and You Bet Your Life
Finally, a funny book about Groucho Marx!You Bet Your Life was unique in two respects. Is comedy was based not on actors performing sketch material, but on the personalities and experiences of real people, drawing on their normal lives and occupatons. The program's distinction and quality, however, resulted primarily from its giving Groucho Marx an opportunity to exercise his unique skills without the restraints that broadcasting at that time otherwise imposed. Groucho's principal resource was his talent as an improviers of verbal comedy. Dwan will keep the reader giggling with his stories about You Bet Your Life.
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