You Bet Your Life, Vol. 1 (1950) On DVD

Groucho Marx matches wits with the American public in four episodes of this classic game show. Starting on the radio in 1947, "You Bet Your Life" made its television debut in 1950 and aired for 11 years with Groucho as host and emcee. Sponsored rather conspicuously by the Dodge DeSoto car manufacturers, the show featured two contestants working as a team to answer questions for cash prizes. Another mainstay of these question and answer segments was the paper mache duck that would descend from the ceiling with one hundred dollars in tow whenever a player uttered the "secret word." The quiz show aspect of "You Bet Your Life" was always secondary, to the clever back-and-forth between host and contestant, which found Groucho at his funniest. It's in these interview segments that "You Bet Your Life" truly makes its mark as one of early television's greatest programs.

"You Bet Your Life" was Groucho Marx's successful television quiz show, which ran during the 1950s and 1960s. Contestants answered questions, tried to guess the secret word, and were sitting targets for Groucho's incredibly quick wit. This is Volume One in a series of home releases of the show.