You Bet Your Life #58-04 "Crazy Legs" Rowena (Secret word 'Shoe', Oct 16, 1958)

[@ToweringInfernoOrch]

Wow. I knew Rowena in the 1970s. she became a great Charleston dancer. Her husband played drums in my band. Her husband Frank Sano was a drummer and later organized some jazz festivals in Southern California. Both were regularly seen dancing at all the trad jazz events in the area. As I recall they were members of the South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club.

[@b_uppy]

She was a great sport to do her dance. It was fun, imaginative and memorable. What evergy, too! Never heard of several of those rhymes.

[@westy40]

A 5 year update since Rowena had been found. Looks like she and her husband are still doing fantastically well!

[@mehboobkm2018]

Where did they go missing?

[@michaelrizzuto820]

I just got finished watching Roine's dance on YBYL for about the 20th time. I loved that episode of that show and many other shows, especially game shows, of that time. I am 69 years young and remember that era as the best time of my life! Hope you, Roine and your husband Frank are doing well and enjoying life. My wife of 43 years and I both wish you two well for many more years to come!

[@chrislawson7983]

I danced like that this morning, when I got shocked by the washer. Thanks for the post.

[@janepatterson6779]

Haha..sorry, must have hurt!

[@bbrown-ed6if]

That is funny !!!

[@mrfk9d]

Groucho's timing is impeccable. His manner is intruding but wisely knows when to show respect. His clever one liners are quick enough to allow the conversation to get back to the guests stories. Makes for funny & smart entertainment. Thanks.

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

I’m convinced the guests were always coached….1. Don’t take Groucho too seriously. It’s just a part of his persona. 2. Don’t brush his cigar smoke out of your face. LOL

[@RedcoatsReturn]

Man I loved the 50s! Groucho was a cool cat, beautiful smooth voice and such a quick wit! I could watch this show over and over, far superior to anything today. Well, crazy legs Roweena was real great! I hope she was happy 😊 👏👏👏👏👏

[@violetnewby]

Oh dear!! Rowena's dad wad hysterical! His wife won't go near those chickens!!!! Hahaha!!!!

[@madelschmadel]

Rowena totally reminds me of Nellie Oleson as played on Little House on the Prairie.

[@kacym.118]

Oh my goodness! I thought I was the only one to think that! The first thing I said was how much she looked like Nellie Oleson from LHOTP! lol

[@thinkforyourself2109]

I had the same thought! That actress is Alison Arngrim.

[@AirstripBum]

Yes, I thought the same thing. Just glad she didn't have the same attitude! ;)

[@tonycevallos7513]

What a sweet beautiful Dutch family.

[@turnofevent8094]

This was a favorite show back in the day. Groucho was so funny and made the show flow.

[@watzup62]

That is a family to be admired.

[@excolso]

Thanks SO much for uploading lots of YBYL's!! Even the tidbits and documentation are great. Groucho was a comedic genius and king of the one-liners. And his guests were such a diverse and interesting group, from the bizarre to the person-on-the-street.

[@frizzlefrap]

interesting info like Bangkok is the Capital of Siam (Thailand) ---------- the country's name was changed to Thailand on June 4, 1939 then in was changed back to Siam in 1946 to 1948 then was changed back to Thailand ( ????? )

[@michealridenoour5320]

@@frizzlefrap You typed BANGKOK!😄

[@frizzlefrap]

@@michealridenoour5320 What's funny bout that? ------ can you spell?

[@cefcat5733]

I never saw rock n roll like that om American Bandstand! Wish I had! Am overjoyed that this girl was put on film for all of us. All the best!

[@michaeltraffanstedt7674]

Rowena is my favorite contestant that ever appeared on this show,and its not the dance.She's got that something.Thank you for this post.

[@marions.120]

Rowena rocks!

[@michaelthomas7178]

Back when TV was enterainment.

[@keithmockridge3329]

That was one of the craziest dance routine I've ever seen. I loved it.

[@randomstranger7202]

I Met Everett Austen-Goodell in the 1970's. He was vary intelligent and talented wood carver.

[@ritchienegrea5779]

Simplicity modesty. Great show. When people had fun. Before internet. And bs. Of today

[@rufust.firefly2474]

Why is it that people like you keep grousing and bitching about times that never were and will probably never come?

[@tbiz8459]

I liked when Groucho asked what country is the capital Bangkok and Rowena answered "Siam", which was indeed the country before it was renamed Thailand. It was already Thailand in 1958, but Groucho said it was good enough for him.

[@imkluu]

9:18 the dance.As far as game shows for that time go, this had some pretty good money awards.

[@rufust.firefly2474]

If you multiply the prices by approximately 6.8 you'll get their value today 2020

[@s.marcus3669]

Somewhere in America is a man or woman in their 60s or so who are watching this with their jaws on the floor, wondering how their mother, Rowena, kept this secret from them all these decades!

[@operadog2000]

Such an innocent girl-just beautiful!!

[@stonyrerootkit8922]

Rowena the Dutch Babe is adorable!!🆗👅💝🆒❤💜👰👄 And she can Dance!! Outstanding!!😎💝🎈🔔🔥👧❤💜💜

[@rodneylee4026]

I'm becoming addicted to Groucho Marx.

[@christopherkloe6442]

i try to see them all. my fiancee always wonders of my enthusiasm for this show

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Huge red flag there. I suggest you find a new fiancee immediately. ;)

[@Umustbekidn]

My son in law asked me if he could marry my daughter before he proposed. You can't imagine how surprised and impressed I was by his gesture. Of course, I said yes. I don't know how many fathers get the same privilege these days, but I was certainly glad he asked me.

[@ParanormalExplorer]

I'm sorry, I couldn't help laughing when the first guy told where he's from.

[@MrMenefrego1]

Rowena was such a doll ! 👀

[@thinkforyourself2109]

For a moment I thought Rowena was the actress Alison Arngrim who played Nellie Oleson on Little House, then realized that was two decades later.

[@mwilliams1330]

at 9:25...Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld at high speed.

[@Groucho-tg1tx]

Oh rowena is so beautiful. Her father was like oh my God what have I done!

[@westy40]

If my research is correct. ..Looks like Rowena Sano now goes by the name of Roine. She's about 77 years old and still lives with her husband Frank in San Clemente Ca. This is an obit of one of her brothers: obituaries.desertsun.com/obituaries/thedesertsun/obituary.aspx?pid=175504826 Her sister, Violet Hiemstra Ledford, appears to be on Facebook. Amazingly, this appears to be Roine (Rowena) tap dancing at an event at the Disneyland Hotel in 2010 uploaded by her husband Frank kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5S4Zn2mja6dkNk The video isn't all that clear and at first I wasn't certain it was her because from afar the person tap dancing looks much younger than 70. But you can hear a little girl cheer for grandma. And there aren't many Rowena Sano's around so I'm certain that's her. Looks like she's leading a great life!

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

WOW! I am SO impressed you found this. I posted a link to the video in the YBYL Facebook group. Maybe someone there has more thoughts on this. It sure seems very possible this is the same woman. Amazing find-- thank you for posting this info!

[@westy40]

+Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life You're welcome! It's always fascinating to see what's become of some of the surviving contestants from You Bet Your Life

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

westy40 I sent a message to Violet as well, but it's not clear to me that she even uses her Facebook account at this point (based on what's visible to me), so she likely will never see the message. But if she answers, I'll let you know. Great work!

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

+westy40 Take a look at the 2010 video again-- her husband Frank added a comment confirming that this is, in fact Rowena/Roine! Thank you again, so sincerely, for finding this. Many have tried to get info on her current whereabouts, all prior have failed!

[@westy40]

+Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life You're welcome. I'm happy to find out they're alive and doing well and still together after 56+ years. They live very close to where I live. So surreal. Hope Roine has been able to check out her You Bet Your Life appearances and your You Bet Your Life Facebook site.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

Best song I’ve heard all month.

[@claxton1959]

Just curious...why anyone would thumbs down this?

[@FF11Freshstep]

i found in the log which episode originally had couple #2. 0338 (#52-38) air date 06-03-1953 radio and 06-04-1953 TV

[@santinojessieavilapreslie9851]

Some people talk about Time Machine,well the internet is a form of one.The Beauty of Technology is you get a chance to open your phone anytime and pretend IT'S a( Time Machine.)And watch old programs that had a real sense of humor .Grouco had a terrific Show.With a lot of real people he used to entertain us.He used a lot of Doulble meaning one liners,without being Vulgar.

[@talon1706]

This must where Elaine got her moves from.

[@BudSchnelker]

I wouldn't mind giving Rowena a Dutch rub.

[@madelschmadel]

Re: Everett Austin-Goodell, he was in one of the earlier episodes but without his wife. You can't forget a lake with a name like that.

[@scottlahti1252]

Lake Chaubunagungamaug. Wikipedia: "Since 1921, the lake has also been known by a much longer name having 45 letters comprising fourteen syllables: Lake Char­gogg­a­gogg­man­chaugg­a­gogg­chau­bun­a­gung­a­maugg. The name attracts many tourists. The lake has become famous beyond Central Massachusetts for having the longest name of any geographic feature in all of the United States."

[@carlosalbertoteixeira375]

@@scottlahti1252 - Thanks for it! Greetings from Rio.

[@gfghjfgfghfj]

At 15:04, the second couple said the secret word, when the wife talked about the husband climbing Mt. Everest in tennis shoes. I guess nobody caught it. At 12:31, Groucho confirmed that they were still eligible.

[@Stigggs]

Your absolutely right! Their heirs should try to collect. Think of the interest.

[@williamanthony9090]

Once the word is spoken, the contest is over.

[@fliegeroh]

If the secret word was revealed when the first couple said it, it wasn't secret anymore was it?

[@lorihansen8674]

The singing guy reminds me of Kat and Garth making up songs on SNL.

[@ross2812]

Rowena: "He tried to kiss me on the first date."

[@westy40]

Sadly, it appears Frank Sano, Roine's husband passed away on April 10, 2022. Looks like he and Roine had a wonderful life together.

[@Chase4everChase]

Westy, Thank you for posting this info. I'm slow in finding it but very grateful to you for this very sad update.

[@westy40]

@@Chase4everChase You're welcome! I am saddened by this. His Facebook page showed that he and his wife created a wonderful and loving family. I believe Rowena is still with us

[@Chase4everChase]

@@westy40 -- Thank you for this additional info, Westy.

[@firdausHITMAN]

Everett seems like a very intelligent man. It's a shame he was working as a elevator operator. Thanks for uploading!

[@floyddwarrel4726]

she comes back about a year later and Groucho has MGM there to sign her up.

[@5t00g]

She went to the Jerry Lewis school of ballet.

[@badumpy]

funny six

[@tugginalong]

Crazy Legs was cute doing her funny dance.

[@anonymoussources8803]

Damn, I thought Rowena was going to start losing parts. Kinda cute girl tho.

[@therrienmichael08]

Rowena came back for another show and Groucho had a Hollywood producer backstage. She was given a contract...

[@anonymoussources8803]

@@therrienmichael08 That's good to know. Thanks

[@martinbeneteau309]

@@therrienmichael08 Irwin Allen.

[@therrienmichael08]

@@martinbeneteau309 Oh ok, good pick up.

[@gleasonparker1684]

Mercy. Those were the days.

[@amberola1b]

My God, this was broadcast two days before I was born in that year

[@carlosalbertoteixeira375]

Wow!!

[@ErectedGasCan]

If Everett only would have known that he would be a KZbin sensation today.

[@themermaidstale5008]

$1000 was a lot of money then - it still is. Edit: A Chevrolet Corvette was $3631 in 1958.

[@richardbrown1234]

$9,000 by today’s standard give or take a few dollars

[@straycatttt]

Not gonna lie, I fast forwarded to the dance.

[@peterholmes7315]

I collected 16 mm films since 1959 and one of the first ones I got was a Groucho Marx you bet your life show in the contestants always seem to be crazy but I think it’s what Groucho brought out of them as well it was a fun show and it had its time As with his bill Cosby was he couldn’t shame the shoes of Groucho it just didn’t go over it was meant for the 50s I guess and Groucho

[@nefersguy]

Rowena got game!

[@FF11Freshstep]

in regards to the cancellation comments here... chico didn't die til a few months after YBYL was canceled. i have my own suspicions, though, that chico's death hit groucho really hard. his son reported it was the only time in his life he ever saw his father cry. i think this combined with a few other factors at this point in his life made groucho a little apathetic to the whole shebang. at least partially why he seems to have switched to just doing interviews and appearance on talk shows and such at this point. sadly, i just don't think he really cared as much after chico died. they were working on The Deputy Seraph and chico couldn't get insurance coverage. all these things combined, with the 2 lackluster shows after YBYL all seems to have contirbuted

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Well, I'm sure Chico's death hit Groucho hard, but I think you're misremembering Arthur's story about the time he saw Groucho crying. That was after Harpo's death. Groucho had a pretty contentious relationship with Chico. They were all very close, but Groucho resented Chico's cavalier attitude towards work, money and his family, and still had lingering jealousy over how favored Chico was by their mother. Those wounds run deep. As for Groucho's professional slow down, those follow up shows had things deeply wrong with them that had nothing to do with Groucho being apathetic. CBS wanted a series with him, but demanded changes to the format first. Decisions like replacing the irreplaceable George Fenneman with bimbette Joy Harmon had a LOT to do with the failure of "Tell It To Groucho". His series in the UK failed, it is said, because British audiences who had never seen YBYL were expecting the Groucho of the Marx Bros, not the YBYL Groucho. There's one episode of the UK series on a new Marx Bros DVD set from Shout Factory, and it's quite good. After these failures, Groucho had no choice but to take to the talk show circuit. He simply wasn't in demand as a performer anymore.

[@FF11Freshstep]

wasn't joy harmon also a contestant on YBYL?

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

FF11Freshstep Yes-- on one of the episodes on the Shout Factory sets, so it's not going to be posted here. I think it was from the last season.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476 . I believe that Groucho's daughter (I think her name is Melanie) stated at one time that the only time she saw her father cry was at Harpo's funeral.

[@tml184]

Wow, Wicked Witch of the West was a contestant!

[@warthurn]

Isn't the secret word the same throughout the show. She said he climbed Mt. Mickenly in tennis SHOES. Don't they win the prize same as the previous couple?

[@fatbowe]

Rowenas husband is a very lucky man...😁

[@davidhensley76]

Do we know if Rowena is still living?

[@FF11Freshstep]

the first couple says the secret word got the duck. 2nd couple said the secret word didnt get the duck. this really might have been a production staff error. 50% odds 0905 (#58-05) had a preface at the beginning of the show about sending them the $100.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Robert Dwan wrote in his book on the series that the segments were sometimes jumbled around and used in difference programs for timing purposes. They tried to edit around the secret word issue, but they must have missed it this time. I'd be very surprised if it was actually the case that a couple got cheated by not getting the $100 when they actually did say it-- there was a member of the production whose sole job during the recording sessions was to make sure no secret word was missed.

[@FF11Freshstep]

never know i do remember at least 2 examples of them saying on a later program where money to have been sent to people cause they screwed up

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

FF11Freshstep Again, the odds are that this was an editing mistake due to combining segments from different recording sessions, not a legit missed secret word. Yes, it's possible they missed it, but I consider this far, far, far more unlikely, given that there was someone on staff whose job during filming was *specifically* to listen for the secret word. Plus which, they *wanted* the secret word moments to happen, even going as far as to pick words at times that they knew in advance would inevitably come up in the conversations with Groucho. If it happened on one of the *earlier* shows, where the couples were competing with each other, I'd assume it was actually a missed secret word, because they weren't mucking around with which programs the segments appeared on back then.

[@FF11Freshstep]

Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life you are most likely correct =^^=

[@googleyeyes5122]

17:17 and 18:52 Could just have been the same show...

[@beingnr159]

New episodes are always appreciated. Do you happen to know the exact reason why they cancelled the show? Age, Chico's death? There isn't a lot of information on the net, even though this was one of the biggest shows of the 50s.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

No, the reason was the one you'd expect: dropping ratings. The show was top rated through most of the 50s, but had started to slip and was cancelled in 1961. 11 years is a wildly successful run for U.S. television, though, so bear that in mind. After the cancellation, they packed up the whole shebang and took it to England for a year, but it's been said by all concerned that the show was a dismal failure in the U.K. Groucho returned to the U.S. in a new quiz format called "Tell It To Groucho" which was pretty terrible, based on the 4 episodes I've seen. It only lasted a year, and Groucho's time as a television regular came to a close. You're right, there's very little info about YBYL to be found, though I should point out that one subscriber (Jimmy Dee) has been adding incredibly detailed info to the imdb for the series, based on the episodes he has access to here and on DVD sets.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

***** That could be, that the ratings were affected by the quiz show scandal, though of course, YBYL was never one of the shows that played dirty.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

excolso Yes, Groucho was often (but not always) very, very lenient in his handling of incorrect or only semi-correct answers. The better he liked the contestants, the more lenient he seemed to be!

[@LaurenceMily-ik9lk]

EXCELLENT ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@0-Seya-0]

9:21 .... lol

[@frizzlefrap]

so great to be a kid growing up in this era ----------- kids can't be kids nowadays ----------- noses stuck in smartphones 24/7

[@66605]

9:16 that's dancing!

[@kanlithunder]

The second contestant seems odd but he's really just ahead of his time...Um Tut Sut namaste!

[@alfredgreene6288]

Om Tat Sat!

[@carlosalbertoteixeira375]

@@alfredgreene6288 Right’o!

[@gilbertotongco1054]

I love watching Groucho Marx you bet your life quiz show because I found out I am smarter than most people

[@johngreen3543]

If you were a US stamp collector you would have known it was Lake Placid.

[@terencedove5047]

"Old Tut Sut",,,and Groucho actually had the right to laugh! Sanskrit, indeed!

[@carlosalbertoteixeira375]

The lyrics are OM TAT SAT. It’s a holy phrase in Sanskrit. 👍🏻❤️

[@terencedove5047]

@@carlosalbertoteixeira375 ...you may be right there. I went back and listened to Mr. Guedel pronounce the title, after which he sang. It could be that he pronounced 'Om' instead of 'Old'. Thank you for the correction...

[@justingantt9896]

Bellflower, CA in the house

[@lLoveCarolCleavland]

What a turn on Rowena was, like a wild beatnik. That's a farm girl I'd love to chase after in a corn field or in a haystack.

[@axiomist4488]

So nice to see well dressed decent people who are so sociable. And Groucho was really quick with the one liners and never made any sexual innuendos. This is what was known as "good, clean, fun". Love this show. Rowena had me laughing out loud .

[@martinjones5965]

9m42s they had to change the wheel bearings after this show. The band sounded like that needed to be rewound up.

[@guad0000]

The second couple said the word shoe in "tennis shoe" but they didn't had the $100!!!

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

I hadn't noticed that, but you may be right. They were usually pretty careful to avoid these errors, but when they happen, the couple in question has not actually been rooked out of their rightful $100. Very often the segments from different filmings were combined into a show, for time reasons or because it made for a better mix. Part of the reason Groucho always wore the same outfit was to make it possible to combine segments from different shows. In these cases, the secret word was different, though there's no indication to the home viewers. In fact, some times the producers would pick a secret word after the fact to facilitate editing, making sure to choose a word that no contestant uttered during any segment to avoid creating the situation you noted here. Good ear, though!

[@williamanthony9090]

Once the bird drops, the contest is over.

[@lorenzomagazzeni5425]

DE SOTO, super cool cars back then...

[@JSB1882]

Good Lord! I think I am in love with Rowena. She's 20 years older than me - but her husband is the luckiest man alive!!

[@leslieb6881]

What was the name of that lake they lived near?

[@scottlahti1252]

Lake Chaubunagungamaug ... Wikipedia: "Since 1921, the lake has also been known by a much longer name having 45 letters comprising fourteen syllables: Lake Char­gogg­a­gogg­man­chaugg­a­gogg­chau­bun­a­gung­a­maugg. The name attracts many tourists. The lake has become famous beyond Central Massachusetts for having the longest name of any geographic feature in all of the United States. "

[@roncote215]

I hope you post the episode when Rowena returns.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Ron, that's so funny you mention that, because I *lost* my copy of that show due to stupidity. I am doing my best to recover it-- I gave my original DVDs to a friend and need to get them back. Rest assured, though it may be out of order by the time I manage to find it, I will do everything I can to recover the follow up show and will post it when I do. Thanks again for your support and great comments! Much appreciated.

[@stevenwestern8199]

Rowena is one real gone chick. It's my understanding that she and her brother

[@helenlester-kuehl8668]

Rowena rinds me so much of Joanne Woodword

[@lindaeasley5606]

Jerry Lewis' female counterpart

[@ohmeowzer1]

Lol 😆

[@funguy4utube]

I wonder what happened to Rowena !? She seemed so lovely and sweet and wow that dancing !

[@maryperez1235]

funguy4utube she is 80 and still dancing. Husband posted a Facebook clip. See comments above ⬆️ for link. Nice to see her

[@robertortega667]

Pops is great.

[@martinjones5965]

9m25s I'm starting a rumor that that dance style was originated by electrician's apprentices before RCD () were invented. Looks like every part of her body is trying to get away from every other part of it.

[@richardbrown1234]

I think Rowena spent too much time around the chickens

[@brendanmahony9831]

The Dutch soon to be married was cute and a strange

[@SandraraSue11.11]

1/14/2022/🆒. ⌚ Groucho each day 🤠🇺🇲

[@JD-zd8tm]

After the fiancé saw that he called off the wedding

[@edwardowens1618]

That was funny

[@stevenwestern8199]

Cont- brother Dobbs run Sheila's

[@jamesstephenpeyton3305]

Elaine Benis borrowed these moves.

[@paulhoward6165]

The Dutch girl looks like Joanna Woodward

[@Oscar-z2j]

She can dance yaowza

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

Wow. Rowena may have crazy legs, but wow….she was a real hottie.

[@JMasalle]

Roine Hiemstra

[@papernoobblogspotde]

Thanks for the upload. I always imagined the fifties to be clinically puritan.But no. A lot of sexual references in one way or the other, especially if a women is on the show. Quite amazing.

[@sandrauhlein4317]

papernoob.blogspot.de never got out much ,huh kid

[@timothycarley2174]

Alot of the ladies who appeared on this series were Very Hot.