You Bet Your Life #54-20 Groucho sings German folk music (Secret word 'Clock', Jan 27, 1955)

[@Chrisamos412]

My my how things have changed. I just love watching this program, it’s funny, intellectual and juvenile at the same time...Groucho was a comic genius! He was one of a kind, seems like his whole family were immensely talented.

[@McLKeith]

Groucho is an absolute genius. He can do anything.

[@1949LA-ARCH]

Groucho never talked down to people regardless of their occupation. Whether you were a door to door salesman or a doctor, Groucho treated everyone with respect 😊love this show from my childhood 😊

[@sheilahampton6146]

I love Groucho, i used to watch it as a little girl with my gramma, I was born in 1953 so I find alot of pleasure and comfort re-living a wonderful time, and he is sharp as a tac. I wonder if thats where I got my quick wit.

[@MrMenefrego1]

Me too, I really miss the America which I remember from my youth.

[@1949LA-ARCH]

@@MrMenefrego1we grew up in the best of times. 😊

[@keithnaylor1981]

So pleased that the US, unlike the UK, saved good classic shows such as: You Bet Your Life What’s My Line To Tell the Truth even now in 2023 these are my viewing favourites!

[@yannschonfeld5847]

As I have said elsewhere, I find that Groucho sounds so natural and at home speaking and singing in German but this is the first time I have heard him so.

[@Thepomafame]

Iain Schofield her mom was German so probably she would speak in German to him and brothers

[@JustVinnyMusic]

@@Thepomafame His father was born in Alsace, France, predominantly German, to German parents. Groucho's real name was Julius, Harpo's was Adolph. So they were a very musical family that were definitely of German origin and certainly exposed to this music.

[@kevinwachs5905]

The Marxes frequently spoke German at home. The Bros's maternal grandparents lived with them and never learned English. Their mother was born in Prussia, and their father in Alsace, with French culture and German language. Their uncle Al Shean preceded them as a successful vaudevillian as a German dialect comedian, a "Dutch comic." Groucho sang "Schnitzelbank" in vaudeville for many years. He began as a singer and German dialect comedian. He sang that song in the role of Hans Pumpernickel as one of The Four Nightingales and The Six Mascots, as Herr Teacher in The Three Marx Bros in Fun in High School, as Herman Green in The Four Marx Bros in Fun in Hi Skool and in Mr Green's Reception, and as Henry Schneider in Home Again until 1915 when he finally dropped the German accent.

[@marymarysmarket3508]

@@kevinwachs5905Yes...German was the entire family’s...living together in New York..first language. Groucho learned English when at school. Everyone and all business was German in their burrough.

[@kevinjudy7218]

'I don't think he was ever there..' .the greatest wit ever recorded!!!😅

[@PimpLenin]

That was a great story by Sgt. Blasina. The American Expedition to the Mexican border in 1916 to chase Pancho Villa is something most Americans don't know about. Besides Eisenhower, Patton participated in the action.

[@loissimmons6558]

It is one of the most touching stories I have heard on an episode. Sgt. Blasina was obviously honored to have known President Eisenhower when Ike was still a young lieutenant. And Ike's reaction when he realized that one of his former soldiers was present shows military esprit d'corps at its best. It was very heartwarming. But the best part was the pride a father had for his son graduating from West Point. It was worth every second of air time they devoted to it and I am glad I had the chance to hear it.

[@Chrisamos412]

How about that! It’s amazing, chasing Pancho Villa around Mexico and the fact that he was only sixty one yrs old when he was on this show!

[@Chrisamos412]

@@loissimmons6558 yes, I couldn’t have said it better Lois, it was a very touching story! I also was glad to have watched this episode!

[@SkyKingofMaricopa]

​@@loissimmons6558 Sadly, the man's son, who went into the Air Force, was killed in an airplane crash in Germany circa 1957.

[@franklinnorth7708]

I had no Idea Groucho was fluent in German.

[@banana11411]

two thousand five hundred dollars in 1955 is 30,000,00 dollars in 2023 that is insane.

[@TheoHockeyton]

"I have woodpeckers in my coco palm !" hahahaha Oh to live in the 50s and have those kind of problems !

[@Chrisamos412]

Yes, now it’s “I have derelict’s dealing coke and shooting at each other near my coco palms”.

[@SuperPatrick777]

Roscommon , the the birthplace of my parents .

[@jimwheeler4482]

Groucho mentions the violinist David Rubinoff. Rubinoff came to my school, Graham High, in the mid sixties to perform for us. As far as I could tell he was pretty good. He gave a little talk about how hard life was in Russia and how wonderful things were here in the USA.

[@CamhiRichard]

Actually, Groucho mentioned Benny Rubin, who was a fairly famous comedian as well as violinist. He was famous for his dialects, and made appearances on the Jack Benny program.

[@frizzlefrap]

tell those dumb Liborat Congresspeople that -------------- won't be around for long if you let all these kooky Libs run this Country into the ground!

[@acousticshadow4032]

@@CamhiRichard Bigfoot...let JW have his David Rubinoff story!

[@m42037]

Jay Leno is remaking "You Bet Your Life" in September, i hope he pays tribute to the great Groucho and doesn't disrepect him and make it out like it's his baby

[@LaurenceMily-ik9lk]

EXCELLENT ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Bushcraft242]

I was born in 1957 1965 judo karate 1970 boxing 🥊 1980 weight training bodybuilding 1990 personal trainer 2000 lost mother father brother started to gain weight 2005 265 pounds

[@bernieweber4663]

Just think, some of the contestants were born in the 1800's before cars and planes.

[@MrJamespeyton]

One of Groucho’s contestants was a 102 year old man born in 1856 , about 5 years before the civil war started. The man looked like he was in his 70’s and was very funny. I don’t know how long he lived after that 1958 episode but he blew me away.

[@kevinwachs5905]

Groucho was born in 1890.

[@SuperWinterborn]

I have to admit it. The only answers I knew in this quiz, was "Diogenes" and The "Alps".

[@FF11Freshstep]

Gordon Hahn was the deciding vote to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to LA en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Hahn

[@moonlanding-69]

2020 They vote 2-3 times and even the dead, Groucho!

[@FF11Freshstep]

Here is another interesting fact I came across. Councilman Gordon Hahn's brother Kenneth was not only the appointee preceding Gordon as councilman, he ALSO appeared on YBYL in episode 0225 - (51-03-19)-Name [#51-25].

[@loissimmons6558]

I knew of Kenneth Hahn's involvement with the Dodgers going to Los Angeles because he was the one sent by the Board of Supervisor's to go to the 1956 World Series to get any major league team to move to Los Angeles. He had planned to target the Washington Senators, a last place club. To his surprise, Walter O'Malley contacted him and showed genuine interest in Los Angeles. And it was Kenneth who took O'Malley on a helicopter tour to survey the area. It was right then and there that O'Malley chose the squalid Chavez Ravine area as the location of Dodger Stadium. Kenneth Hahn, representing the County of Los Angeles, and Councilwoman Roz Wyman, representing the city, were the two prime movers in wooing the Dodgers from Brooklyn to L.A. Watching this episode, this was the first I had heard of Gordon Hahn's existence and involvement in the Dodgers move west. When something passes by one vote, I have always wondered why one person gets tabbed as the deciding vote instead of anyone else. I guess if that person was the last one to publicly declare how they would vote, it would make sense. But I would think that Gordon would be supportive of his brother's initiative regarding the Dodgers. It was seen by many as a tremendous boon to both the prestige and economy of Los Angeles. Despite cries from Brooklyn fans that Los Angeles gave away the store to get the Dodgers, it turned out to be a tremendous deal for the LA area, far better than they expected. In retrospect (I was a very young Dodger fan in 1957, living in Queens, but way too young to understand all the political machinations at the time), I cannot blame O'Malley for moving.the Dodgers. Even so, it was a tremendous personal loss. Rooting for a team 3000 miles away was far less satisfying. And with Vin Scully retiring this week, thinking of all the years I missed out on hearing him as a local announcer for my favorite team instead of one I rarely heard, it haunts me one more time. PS - There is one oddity I found when looking at the careers of the Hahn brothers. If Gordon indeed did hold out his yes vote until the 11th hour, this could be the reason: one was a Republican and the other a Democrat. And I won't say which was which in hopes that it won't make this a political discussion.

[@franklinnorth7708]

Kenneth Hahn was County Supervisor when I grew up in LA in the '60s, now 2023, Janice Hahn is Chair of the LA county board of supervisors, some things never change.

[@frankrich5024]

In 1958, for 50 cents I got a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake from McDonald's, and got 3 cents change. And man, they were yummy.

[@terencedove5047]

The Grouch tried to make it a point of connecting in some way with each of his guests. Whether or not he was successful, he did try…

[@gilbertotongco1054]

Some of the questions are really tough. Even I don't know the answers. Some of the big money questions are so easy

[@antoniod]

I remember an episode with a German film actress who'd emigrated to the US, but I can't find it now.

[@SelfReflective]

Marlene Dietrich?

[@antoniod]

@@SelfReflective Nobody famous. Her first name was "Elfie".

[@SteveEldredge]

2,400 in 55 is 30,00 in 2024!

[@cefcat5733]

Used to sing Schnitzelbank but I don't really know what that is.

[@lancebaker1374]

Odd that Wagner gets credit for composing Mendelssohn's wedding march. It is rare that these quizz shows make such a glaring mistake.

[@jeffreyslott3883]

Sorry, but besides not knowing how to spell "quiz", you are also wrong about the composer of the piece played in this episode. While Mendelssohn did write a piece known as "The Wedding March", the tune played here, popularly known as "Here Comes The Bride", was by Richard Wagner.

[@CamhiRichard]

And as Gordon Hahn was trying to say, it did come from the opera "Lohengrin." Mendelssohn's wedding march is from his incidental music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

[@519djw6]

@randall2020 Actually, what Mark Twain said was, "Wagner's music is better than it sounds." :)

[@harvardkarbodie]

They both wrote a wedding march, and quite often one (Mendelssohn's) is played after the other (Wagner's) but they played Wagner's march for the question.

[@Matt2chee]

Superior repartee.

[@masajhn]

Was very rude from the Yugoslavian guy to grab that lady’s neck so brutal

[@1949LA-ARCH]

The guy barely touched her neck, quit crying 😂

[@MichaelThorpeNJ]

She certainly showed no discomfort 😊

[@masajhn]

@@MichaelThorpeNJ Was rude no way !, very rude...

[@steeliewheelies]

Tom speaks a little like Howard Hughes

[@aloisemason3044]

The microphones need turned up ..having a problem of hearing these people..

[@dotsywotsy18]

They would speak Yiddish

[@searchingforlostatoms7191]

Mit a little schmaltz added

[@kevinwachs5905]

Who would? Not the Marx family. They spoke Plattdüütsch, a form of Low German. Yiddish is descended from Medieval High German. It was mostly spoken in Eastern Europe, to which Jews fled from persecution from the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages. The Schoenberg family, including the mother of the Marx Bros, Minnie, immigrated from Prussia. The Brothers' father, Sam ("Frenchy") immigrated from Alsace. Gummo learned enough Yiddish to sing Yiddish songs in vaudeville.

[@dotsywotsy18]

@@kevinwachs5905 so interesting!

[@MrMenefrego1]

Chinese Pickles.

[@lancebaker1374]

It's a pity your video editor has no option to increase the volume. These vids are all extremely, pitifully poor audio.

[@stanleykijek6983]

Lance Baker: You sound critical. Be grateful that these videos still exist and that we can still enjoy them, albeit the quality. Most of the old TV shows are gone because they got destroyed. The 'big wigs' controlling those networks didn't think future generations would have any interest watching them so the films and videos got erased--destroyed. The few that are left still under their control are unable to be viewed or a lot of money is required to view those remaining remnants of the past.

[@greglauer]

That first lady looked pretty irritated with Groucho during the folk song bit.

[@MrMenefrego1]

I think it was more confusion than irritation.