You Bet Your Life #54-18 Groucho & Melinda Marx sing Gilbert & Sullivan ('Smile', Jan 13, 1955)

COUPLE #1: Andre Ronay / Lorna Young, winner of the "America's Prettiest School Girl" beauty contest
COUPLE #2: Lane "Shotgun" Britton, Hollywood makeup artist from Texas / Moana Kamakua (sp?), Wil Wright girl
COUPLE #3: Melinda Marx, Groucho's daughter, who sings a Gilbert & Sullivan duet with him / Mickey Walker, former boxing champion
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Episode identification and basic description based on "Tell 'em Groucho Sent You", © 1997 by Mark Petty. Used by permission.

[@SelfReflective]

Groucho was born, wait for it, in 1890! So he was 65 here, and had an 8-year old daughter. What a man.

[@AceripXF]

OMG groucho singing w his daughter is ADOORRABLE!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@laylalayla-jl4ik]

Hes a Proud Poppa!! and it shows!! We really need this kind of television back!!

[@aliced7505]

Why not 1 million views by now, with 2 million likes!? I'd vote twice if I could. I wish Groucho had been this happy all his life. Groucho's show and movies still bring lots of laughs to new generations.

[@michellepost5232]

Can you imagine having Groucho for a dad? He'd be a hoot. I watched all of his movies as a kid in the early 1970s. They used to be on TV on weekends back then.

[@ronniebishop2496]

His daughter is a doll. He really loves her and the way he fixed her collar was typical of s fathers love.

[@charlesbrooks9577]

I loved that when he fixed her collar.A true loving father Groucho must have been.

[@carolynfranklin1447]

OMG! Too adorable! We need more of this kind of happiness.

[@mariangelasp1168]

Big YES! We really do

[@charlesbrooks9577]

Melinda Marx was the apple of Groucho's life.I bet he was a good father to her.

[@lorenanders702]

He adored his kids. A good father but bad husband?

[@acousticshadow4032]

"There are a number of boys around with good paper routes." LMAO!

[@SheriSoltes]

That’s a really challenging song Melinda learned. She was delightful.

[@dariawells7438]

After hearing about her from Groucho on the show a lot (and her voice in the telemarketing bit), it was a sheer delight to actually see Melinda. She was a doll!

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

Well, not really. There reading the lyrics from a cue card off camera right.

[@Engelhafen]

Adorable father/daughter interaction - very sweet 🤎

[@MrKmoconne]

Melinda and Groucho were so charming. I checked and she seems to be still with us. I loved all her fathers movies so I hope she is still celebrating har father's legacy with all of us today.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Melinda's public appearances have been very few since the 1960s. She did pop up to do a short audio interview for the DVD release of the 1959 TV version of "The Mikado", which she appeared in with Groucho. Otherwise, she hasn't spoken publicly about Groucho for many years.

[@jeanannkerr6386]

@@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476 Tell Melinda she was brilliant!! Adorable! Gifted!

[@AceripXF]

ah ok so melinda is grouchos daughter?

[@rickrick5041]

@@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476 Why not?

[@jackkircher1755]

Melinda was the youngest and most talented of his three daughters. She appears on her Daddy's show AT LEAST four times. I THINK the first time was at age 8 when she sang, "Witch Doctor." I THINK her last appearance was at 12 when she sang AND danced with another guest. Even though I would never believe Groucho would ever played favorites with his girls, I do believe Melinda held a special place in his heart.

[@lala-gj4oo]

groucho had 2 daughters, miriam and melinda, not three.

[@harleygrit5210]

wow! what a priceless moment for Groucho and his adorable daughter!...she has a brilliant mind just like her father...

[@picklesthewise]

She's adorable! Gilbert and Sullivan is not the easiest to learn for any performer of any age. Her dad was probably their most famous fan, so it makes sense he'd want to get her to learn them early. Great job!

[@earltrombley7646]

these shows were so great. No body could ad-lib like Groucho

[@ediekoller1144]

I am a huge fan of the Marx brothers..I have all their movies on DVD. And Melinda Marx i exactly 2 1/2 months older than me. She was born August 14, 1946. Mine is Oct 28, 1946 and I am still alive so far.

[@MrMenefrego1]

how can you tell?

[@marymarysmarket3508]

💥 ihope you are still alive now...July, 2024

[@ediekoller1144]

@@marymarysmarket3508 Hi marymary. I hope you are well too!. I am still a fan of the Marx Brothers though I never met any of them in person but I would have loved to meet Chico because I loved the way he played the piano. And I do live near Hollywood, California (Less than 10 miles) but I don't go there anymore even though I still drive a little. I am doing ok and try to keep active and I will be coming up on my 78th birthday in Oct. My brother came by to do some yardwork for me and he will be 79 also In Oct. Wish I was in Paris watching the Olympics but they will be here in Los Angeles in 2028. They were here in 1984 but I did not go and won't go in 2028. I love Paris but I never renewed my passport in the 1980's but Paris at night is so beautiful. I was there as a tourist in 1971 and 1973. Take care. Be Well.😀😀🙏🙏❤

[@JSB1882]

Melinda Marx was such a cutie. I loved her when she turned to Rock'n Roll. She did some nice stuff. Always gorgeous too.

[@joet840]

Mickey the boxer is such a humble guy.

[@edwardlacorte6357]

A Very Classy Guy!

[@emmetmcardle1516]

GROUCHO MARX,,,,,,,THE FUNNIEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED!

[@dwaynethomas7205]

I AGREE, 101 % !!

[@elicohen6348]

Melinda is a game lass, like my daughter Zehava.

[@JacquieGoebel]

Absolutely Adorable!!

[@dennishardy3869]

This is so adorable of Groucho dueting a cute little song with his daughter Melinda.

[@steelers6titles]

8-year-old Melinda does a great job with the complex G & S lyrics. Groucho appeared in "The Mikado"; he may have done other G & S as well.

[@WaterShowsProd]

He was a big fan of Gilbert and Sullivan, to the chagrin of some of his friends I've heard it said, but I think The Mikado was the only performance of their work he ever gave. That said, I didn't know about this duet until today.

[@russellcampbell9198]

Groucho's love of Gilbert and Sullivan was legend.

[@Tenraiden]

So cute how Melinda tries to contain her giggles at her father's jokes, like at 14:12 ^^

[@jessicathethreestoogesfan2635]

Marx Puns are funny

[@schumi9xwdc]

You know I’m not married

[@user-zf5sq8lt2f]

Melinda was so well mannered and sang.great and emoted quite well. Sweet Melinda.

[@captaindj9790]

Always pushed people to get married but struggle in his own right. Funny man and a hard working one he was

[@emilyzena7070]

How adorable that Groucho is mouthing the words when Melinda sings?! Think my heart just combusted 🥲

[@Tony-rl2fr]

Heartwarming to say the least. What an honor for any daddy to perform with his lovely daughter like this.

[@terrysigmon3119]

Groucho was way before his time. I love to watch these old shows.

[@shanke300]

Lorna is a Natural beauty. Her smile is infectious. That lad is likable fellow.

[@JJTownley_Classical-Composer]

I looked her up. She hails from Salt lake City and is a descendant of Brigham Young, the man who moved the Mormons west from New York to Salt Lake City. Scary to think she looks like Grandma Moses today if she is still alive. I'd love to know what she made of her life.

[@ohmeowzer1]

Aww Melinda is sooo sweet

[@ohmeowzer1]

Loved this Groucho and Melinda are are so cute ,,and I love first the couple..they are so cute and the second couple,is soo,funny...the older Texas man is is so funny 😂

[@claxton1959]

This is the greatest thing these eyes and ears have ever seen or heard...🙂✌

[@sixstringmarauder]

She's just precious 💖

[@lbcharlie05]

GROUCHO - Such a genius!

[@elspethcoogan1499]

The first female contestant Lorna was very attractive with a beautiful smile.

[@JJTownley_Classical-Composer]

Lorna would be 85 today. There are few pics of her at USC if you hunt around for them.

[@stevenwatson7668]

How precious.

[@rickdickerson1204]

I always love this show! 🙂

[@jackkircher1755]

I stand corrected. He had three CHILDREN. The oldest was a boy named Arthur. Sorry for the oversight. I looked itvup and didn't remember the names so I said he had all girls. This had to have been a tough song for wn 8 year old to sing with so many words crammed into a measure.

[@user-xd3ms9fp2l]

Beautiful to see a father and daughter to perform. His daughter is still alive in 2024. Unfortunately for Mickey Walker was found by police in 1974 lying on a street in Freehold, NJ and taken to a hospital, where he was admitted with doctors initially thinking he was just a drunk lying on the street. Tests revealed Walker was suffering from Parkinson's Syndrome, arteriosclerosis and anemia. He was admitted to Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital for treatment. He died on April 28, 1981, in Freehold.

[@martynelson2666]

she is very good............he is a legend!!......

[@kevinkettell1092]

hes been chewing the old loco weed groucho is sharp as a tack.

[@FF11Freshstep]

just a little piece of info... that "Wha' happan?" line you'll hear Groucho use in this episode and many others, comes from a very old radio episode of the show. George Fenneman did a commercial for something of which I've forgotten (soap or something). He imitated that line from Fenneman for years and years well after anyone still knew what he was talking about. =^.~= Also, all the Jack Webb and Dragnet references you'll hear from Groucho is because George Fenneman is also the guy who did the tagline for Dragnet on the radio.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

FF11Freshstep "The names have been changed to protect the innocent". Yes. :)

[@FF11Freshstep]

he really was a brilliant announcer

[@SuperWinterborn]

FF11Freshstep Yes!!! :)

[@Gravydog316]

lol i knew about Dragnet. Cool to FINALLY learn Wha' Happan!!

[@steelers6titles]

Groucho, no model of human warmth, was genuinely fond of his youngest child. Melinda had a brief singing career as a teenager, then left the spotlight.

[@henningandersen9027]

Great her "East Side" - wonder of what city is meant?

[@TowGunner]

Americana at it's best!

[@schumi9xwdc]

I loved he mentioned Greb, Dempsey, Armstrong, great great fighters from the past.

[@nicholasjanke3476]

I've always loved the Marx Brothers!

[@613aristocrat]

Thanks for this. Pure entertainment.

[@michaelleeannspringer3247]

Groucho was the best!

[@steelers6titles]

Ten years later, Melinda appeared on "The Hollywood Palace", with her father as guest host. That show also featured Margaret Dumont, who died shortly thereafter, in 1965.

[@LazlosPlane]

OMG!!! SHE'S SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!

[@louisep5178]

Loved the way Groucho's shoulder flinched when Melinda said to him 'you know I'm not married' and he mouthed her lyrics in the duet. Melinda is as bright as a button too adorable from Beberly Hills ♥️😂

[@stevej398]

I can’t believe people don’t like Groucho! What the hell is wrong with them? Unbelievable!!!

[@zacredman9137]

They have absolutely NO taste!!!🙄🤔👎🏻👎🏻

[@stevej398]

@@zacredman9137 You’re an idiot! And you have no sense of humor, dumb ass!!!

[@atiphwyne5609]

@@stevej398 What an amazing response to someone who was agreeing with your remark. Are you serious?

[@stevej398]

@@atiphwyne5609 Sorry I’m the dumb ass for miss reading your response! I truly apologize!

[@atiphwyne5609]

@@stevej398 No worries my friend but I just commented on the thread really it was zac redman who got the brunt of the misunderstanding.

[@lorenzomagazzeni5425]

Very wise comments from Mickey Walker.

[@mrpuniverse2]

There is another classic episode with Melinda appearing with Edgar Bergen and his 11 year old daughter Candice and they were contestants giving what they won to charity. I have that episode on DVD and as well as another brief appearance she had on the show sitting with a family with14 kids.

[@Gravydog316]

lol yes! me too they were great

[@henningandersen9027]

Would you be able to upload it on youtube?

[@4EyedAnimation]

Lorna Young is a doll.

[@E.Carrillo]

Cute daughter! Imagine having Groucho as your father?

[@phousefilms]

Lol, apparently he was quite a character. His son brought up that when he was signing papers at the airport, he put down his occupation as "smuggler"and they held them up for a while over that, lol.

[@steelers6titles]

Melinda Marx has never gone public about her father. She was his favorite person.

[@steelers6titles]

Melinda appeared with her father in "The Mikado", from which the song here is taken.

[@jefferyparris1999]

Their voices blend so perfectly. Reminds me of Elvis and Donna Butterworth in Paradise, Hawaiian Style.

[@annieh2900]

I adore Donna😍 ,still have her pic and autograph

[@JoshuaCraigStrain]

I think they've done this before . Classic . Groucho's the best .

[@keithhyttinen8275]

"For a dollar ninety eight, I can get a fifth." LMAO!

[@edsmith651]

Welcome to the Groucho Marx matchmaking show 😂

[@jaybrown1828]

Poor Mickey,he was clearly “punchy”.A super nice guy that stayed in the ring too long

[@rickrick5041]

He seemed fine

[@schumi9xwdc]

Mickey Walker is one of the all time greats! You don’t know what you are talking about for sure!

[@charlesbrooks9577]

Melinda was the woman or girl that i think Groucho loved her so much and gave her a good schooling and some morals.A lot of people can tell that Groucho was a trash talker and loved women.Tha t trash talking was for our entertainment.Loved the man.

[@steelers6titles]

Groucho loved his youngest child very much, which is obvious here.

[@nedludd7622]

A very good episodes. The boxer was very intelligent and I wonder how many people today know Gilbert and Sullivan except for the many parodies of their excellent songs.

[@alisoncole3211]

Groucho is the greatest

[@edwardfondeur4477]

Groucho was the funniest man of our time. He use no profanity at all , so that makes him to me the funniest man who of our time

[@FF11Freshstep]

Layne Britton was also in the original blues brothers movie and was the makeup artist en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layne_Britton

[@henningandersen9027]

Mickey Walker looks like he's saying 'Euklid, of COURSE!'

[@juangabin1693]

Maravilloso...

[@jvolstad]

Interesting bit of trivia, Groucho lost a lot of money in the stock market, during the great depression.

[@alirE2904]

Girls look so much older then the stated age

[@AceripXF]

having a lovley time will write lol

[@googleyeyes5122]

Moana! 🌊🌋🐓

[@steelers6titles]

Like old pug Mickey Walker is going to know those answers lol

[@Tenraiden]

Apparently this episode was after Groucho had divorced from Melinda's mom

[@lorenzomagazzeni5425]

Melinda was adorable.

[@calebproductions5970]

This was on DVD at Walmart

[@stealth48nurse]

Lorna young looks like she can pass for Donna Reed's sister

[@jeanannkerr6386]

Wonderful!!

[@steelers6titles]

I don't think Melinda took an active role in the bitter fight with Erin Fleming over Groucho's estate. I may be incorrect.

[@johnbrown9183]

Julius Henry Marx had three children Arthur, Miriam and Melinda was the youngest

[@mattmexor2882]

Why'd the CARE woman say "if I win $10,000"? When they did the big question it was worth $1,500. Later when they introduced the wheel to the show the big question could be worth $10,000. Also, it is rare that anyone plays the game the correct way, the way the CARE woman did: to start at the highest value question you plan to play and work down from there.

[@henningandersen9027]

She did some great singing later, too. East Side of town....

[@rockyjaydog6447]

28 pounds of food for one dollar, amazing.

[@henningandersen9027]

Wonder how some were lucky to be "selected by the studio audience"?

[@frankstone3809]

Let's remake this show, now who could play Groucho?

[@jazzmanchgo]

Cute, but kind of sad in a way, also. Melinda actually did not enjoy these TV spots at all; she felt very self-conscious and uncomfortable. She had little interest in actually pursuing any kind of show business career; she did these numbers to please her father, who loved her dearly in his own way but wasn't always the best at empathizing with others' feelings and emotions.

[@davido8056]

Munday Texas is not 19 miles North of Wichita falls, it is South East of Wichita Falls. 9:22 it is about 75 miles away. how could you get that wrong if your from there.

[@bMacTV]

MY FAVORITE EPISODE! THE SONG WITH HIS DAUGHTER WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.

[@WonderTracks]

15:05 What's he saying there that he can't do to his wife? Hmm. Different times indeed!

[@screenjunkie4638]

JMJ I hear it as “and I can’t lick my wife” But I don’t really know what he means by that! If you’re from USA, and old enough to have an idea about it, can you tell me please?! if you’re still alive that’s is!

[@screenjunkie4638]

NAUNDURGROUND thanks for answering my question, kind stranger!

[@patricebetts6531]

@@screenjunkie4638 he says I can't lick my wife by which he means he's boxed and won in professional fights but he can't win a "fight" with his wife.

[@MadTheDJ]

What's a yute? ;-)

[@jackmorrison7379]

Say the magic "Woid". Oh those regional/ethnic accents.

[@meetdogblack8277]

So did they get married?

[@MrMenefrego1]

yes they did

[@solohoh]

Looks like Groucho is missing 1 or 2 teeth on his upper left -- a lateral and maybe a cuspid. Dentistry was primitive in those days.

[@Gravydog316]

He had smaller teeth in the middle (I don't know what it's called) media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/72/8b/e0/728be0e0395ba682a536e26f1882c7c7.jpg

[@Lance2773]

Its still primitive

[@marymarysmarket3508]

@@Lance2773 hahaha

[@henningandersen9027]

15 07 ......What^s he saying there, two sentences I don't get.

[@dnally7864]

Lorna reminds me of Grace Kelly.

[@evepeabody4738]

I was thinking she looked like Dorothy Malone.