You Bet Your Life #59-20 Doodles Weaver ('Shoe', Feb 4, 1960)

[@ecorbilla]

This video gives me life. Brenda is my grandmother and this television episode was filmed when she was my age. To be able to see my grandmother at my age is nothing short of incredible. She's still the sweetest, most charming and optimistic woman I've ever known and to hear her talk about her relationship with Don (my dad's father) is truly something else. Absolutely amazing. What a special find.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

We got some lovely comments from your grandmother on this video, too! Always wonderful to hear from folks who were on the show, or from their relatives. I'm glad you got to see it-- too much of this series isn't available today! Thanks for the comment.

[@tuiteleleapaga]

I completely agree, Alli. Napoleon is my great grandfather. It's an amazing feeling to see a video of him. It's an honor to see him on this program. To think, an immigrant who came to America to make a better life for all of us. Thanks for the upload, Groucho! PS Groucho, His name is spelled Napoleon Tuiteleleapaga and he hails from American Samoa. If you'd like more info on him, follow the link. Again, thank you so much for this! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Andrew_Tuiteleleapaga

[@tmoore2476]

alli broce /better than facebook.

[@anonymoussources8803]

That was a pretty cool comment. Grandma was a pretty woman

[@poetcomic1]

@@tuiteleleapaga He was clearly a real gentleman.

[@keithnaylor1981]

The lady with Doodles was incredibly exceptional - her looks, her poise, the way she walked, the way she spoke. Incredibly unique.

[@FF11Freshstep]

i was sitting here kind of half daydreaming after the episode ended. i realized that the restoration of this show means a lot more than just a good laugh and killing 25 minutes. this piece of history was watched by millions when it was on TV both during its run and in syndication for years after. it was a reflection of the times it was made. the real people you see are each a little glimpse into the era it was made. and these shows seen by millions influenced them in small ways. which those people, in turn, go on to influence others around them. the tapestry we weave as a society permeates us all and we are all affected by everything we see and do, and the actions of those around us. we are all one in a way which is not normally apparent. now, over 60 years after it's original radio inception, this show begins to find its way to yet a new audience, which reflects it's OWN times and attitudes, in finding this show here online. we continue to be affected by the generations come before us in ways we do not even fully understand yet. we all learn and grow together in the journey we call life.

[@loissimmons6558]

+FF11Freshstep You are exactly right. Especially when people who aren't celebrities (although many of them aspire to be) are the contestants, we get a slice of what America was like in the 1950's into the early 1960's. We see fashions change (especially for women) as the country was transitioning from a country recovering from the Great Depression and WWII and becoming a country looking to the future with all the hopes for progress through science and technology as well as becoming accustomed to being the number one world power (both the national pride and the problems of responsibility). I almost exclusively watch old shows: for the entertainment value to be sure, but also because it reminds me of the United States as it was when I was growing up (I was born in 1952). We see how women were treated in those days, with many giving indication that they preferred or enjoyed the division of gender roles and the expectation that men would be the breadwinners and women take care of home and children. Of course, the unanswered question is how many really did prefer it, how many were saying they preferred it because they didn't know any other way or because they felt powerless to bring about another way. (And remember this was not long after women's roles had changed somewhat during WWII because they had to do jobs normally reserved for men because so many men had gone into the military.) Even though Groucho treated black people with an unusually great deal of respect for these times, we still see very few blacks appearing on the program as guests, to my recollection a black adult never appears with a white adult contestant at the same time, and there are few black faces in the audience, if any. And either everyone was assumed to be heterosexual, or those who weren't were either screened out or told to literally play it straight. Furthermore, we can compare what was fair game for comedy back then with what is acceptable today. Between what I remember, what I could sense as a child or what I was told by adults of the day as they look back on the Eisenhower years of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver, it was a nicer, more polite and more innocent time ... but only if you were not part of one of the "wrong" groups.

[@evelynbanker2090]

FF11Freshstep I

[@ecmcomichael1]

Hello Lois, I remember the 1950's and 1960's as just what you mentioned, nicer, more polite, and innocent, but I think it was that way much more for everyone than it is today even though all the government programs we have today didn't exist back then. Despite the segregation of that era, I believe, based on my observations, that differing groups integrated much better with each other than they do today. We were not nearly as politically fractured post WW II and everyone in the USA aspired to better themselves by sharing a strong work ethic. This was a day when people did NOT have the same sense of entitlement that we seem to have today and no one expected government to take care of them in any way not specified in The Constitution. Also, we must be very careful about judging past generations using only today's standards as a measuring stick. Our societal mores today are perhaps not the apex of wisdom -- indeed, just as we have declined in overall knowledge as a whole, so have we become with wisdom. I believe yesterday we were actually wiser in most areas. Oh certainly not scientifically or technically in our modern age, but as far as interpersonal relationships are concerned, we were all far more homogenized, having the core belief that we ALL had to pitch in and make sacrifices and compromises in order to be the best we could be individually and as a nation. Today, it's just the opposite. The average person wants only what is in their own personal self-interest, they want it now, they demand it their way, and they're here not to serve, but to be served. It's a complete dichotomy of what I remember about the 1950's and early 1960's. In my view, perhaps allowing the pendulum to have swung too far in the opposite direction with our emphasis on politically correct "diversity" has not produced what the proponents of that ideology expected -- great balkanization with little homogeneity. Social engineers in governmental politics and media perhaps ought to quit meddling and allow our once free society to work out differences on their own like it was back in the 1950's. Everybody who put forth the personal effort back then, black or white, red or yellow, succeeded as best they could without playing some kind of victim card. None of us were victims then and none of us are victims now, for this great country, even with all its flaws, has since its inception, been the place where the entire world would come if it could, for no place has provided greater prosperity for so many for so long, pretty much in our world's history, and that in spite of anyone's age, race, color, creed, religion, or sexual orientation. If you fail here, it's your own fault and you would never succeed anywhere else, either. In my view, we were a better country before all the "movements" (hippies, feminists, civil rights and affirmative action, sexual liberation) and before the "war on poverty." My two cents worth. But Lois, where we agree is that we both enjoy watching these old shows, transporting us back in time without a time machine. Just like listening to a radio station from your hometown, it's not quite like being there, but almost.

[@sadiatmani376]

I am Algerian I loved your perspective,it was so deep... Thank you

[@helenellis]

Lois Simmons

[@tphvictims5101]

I’m 64 years old, the year is 2018 and times have changed considerably.

[@m42037]

Unfortunate yes (except these phone's) and the cars turned into ugly Tupperware

[@waynebow-gu7wr]

I'm 64, the year is 2021 and times have changed horribly.

[@stevenjohnson7442]

Groucho Marks,is the funniest man of all time! He can make humour out of anything in a split second

[@MrMenefrego1]

20:27, Groucho To Fenneman: "Isn't she beautiful?", "Would you like to be in the balcony of some empty movie theater with her?" - Fenneman: "Congratulations on you're marriage." He could give as good as he got!

[@therrienmichael08]

Thanks. I hadn't caught what Groucho said when Fenneman said congratulations on your marriage.

[@JamieSmith-fz2mz]

That's the best line ever. So quick. Didn't miss a beat.

[@margovallen]

I used to watch "A Day With Doodles" while having breakfast when I was in the 1st grade.. in 1965-66.

[@fonso1030]

George W. bears a striking resemblance to Doodles Weaver 😯

[@i.m.askance7996]

I found this video looking for Doodles Weaver, but your comment was the real find. What a great story!

[@harleystine1840]

Real life is and always has been your best entertainment value.

[@bcwest56]

Doodles did his racing routine with Spike Jones & the City Slickers, and is the uncle of Sigourney Weaver.

[@poetcomic1]

Sigourney's uncle? Learn something every day.

[@bethbabson7421]

Her name was Susan. She changed it after a name in a movie.

[@westy40]

Always look forward to your posts! I believe Doodles fibbed about his age here. He was actually 48. My father met Doodles in 1977. He gave him an autographed comedy record of his. Doodles had a very difficult life unfortunately.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Yes, indeed. I really had never heard of him until I saw this show, and when I read up on his life on Wikipedia, I was pretty surprised. Thanks for your comment! Glad you're enjoying the posts.

[@maryperez1235]

westy40 He was Sigourney Weaver’s uncle.

[@mariangelasp1168]

Yes, he did had a difficult life, he was also married four times.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life Having stumbled upon a random episode of YBYL some time ago, I didn't watch all of the episodes in order. It appears that this is the last full (or nearly full) episode of the show on your channel that I hadn't watched previously. Now that I've reached the end of the line so to speak, I am going to subscribe on the odd chance that you come across some other episodes that are hidden away somewhere (underneath Funk & Wagnalls porch perhaps). Most of all, thank you for posting the episodes. It must have been painstaking work, not to mention all the additional work of responding to comments and to some extent, when necessary, doing some moderating of the discussions. It is obviously a labor of love as well as providing a priceless look at a slice of Americana from 1950-1961.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Thank you for the wonderful comment, Lois-- and all the other great comments you've been leaving! I don't have nearly as much time to spend adding comments on KZbin as I once did, but I still read nearly all of the comments others leave, and yours are always a delight. :) I'm ALWAYS looking for more YBYL material, and in fact, I have a few more not posted, but these are episodes which pose some risk of copyright claims. I can't guarantee I'll be able to post them since the claims they might generate (which would be false) can endanger the existence of the entire channel (I already had one of my channels deleted by KZbin due to outrageous copyright claims). But I do have at least one episode to post which won't pose any complications, and I know people who have more recordings, if I can only get them to transfer them from VHS! There are around 20 more episodes that were part of the rerun package which I don't yet have copies of, but which should be findable. The problem with collecting YBYL reruns isn't that the recordings don't exist, but that very few people are able to identify what shows they have. And who knows how many films still survive that were preserved in their original broadcast form? It seems no one. But the 36 episodes that were released on DVD by Shout Factory came, for the most part, from original films deposited at the Library of Congress for copyright registration purposes, and I have to presume that these were not the ONLY 30-odd films in the LOC's possession! Thanks again for all the wonderful comments. In fact, I just saw a recent comment from you on a very early episode of What's My Line, so I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing a lot of comments from you on the WML channel now. You just have 759 or so videos to go. :)

[@loissimmons6558]

Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life Yes, I started to watch that show from the beginning (a coin toss between that and To Tell the Truth), although I goofed and clicked on the second posted episode first. I am also in the second season of another show of short duration (LOL) Bonanza, The Cubs will probably win the World Series before I finish these two shows ... wait, they did win the World Series. Now to wait for my Dodgers to get there and win it again. Let's see, I watch about one episode of each show per day, but miss a day here or there. I wonder what else will be happening in my life somewhere around New Year's 2019?

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Lois Simmons While I like TTTT a lot (enough to start a channel for it), I haven't even had time to watch the overwhelming majority of the episodes of TTTT I've already posted! WML is a hugely addicting show, though-- I'd already watched almost every episode in reruns long before I started the KZbin channel, back when GSN was running them in a block with TTTT and I've Got a Secret. I enjoyed all three, watched them nearly every day, but WML was the one that I really paid attention to. The others were often only on in the background while I was doing something else. I hope you enjoy it-- I can't imagine you won't!

[@loissimmons6558]

I already am enjoying them! I recommend Gary's What's My Line channel to one and all - especially once you finish watching the YBYL episodes and wonder what to do with all that newly found time on your hands!

[@fredkruse9444]

Believe it or not, Sigourney Weaver is Doodles' niece.

[@ohmeowzer1]

Brenda is lovely what a sweetie...

[@bobthetvfan]

I believe that Doodles Weaver was the brother of Pat Weaver, the innovative NBC programmer who created the "Today" and "Tonight" shows, and "Your Show of Shows," among others. Pat would have been at NBC when Groucho's show first came to the network in 1950.

[@cdgross]

He was Pat’s brother.

[@carlosmedrano7005]

@14:40 I'm cracking up and Grouchy barely cracked a smile!

[@loissimmons6558]

Groucho was spot on to ask Edna DeSpain if her husband had any Spanish blood. It is likely that at some point in the distant past of the husband's family (in particular at the time that last names started to be added or acquired in France), there was Spanish blood. Since Edna had only married into the family, she might not know this, but it could have been far enough in the past that even the husband's family would no longer have knowledge of it. There's a good possibility that the name was anglicized at some point. A likely French spelling would be Despaigne (as in the current major league pitcher for the Miami Marlins, Odrisramer Despaigne). We see similar names in Spanish: Franco would be a family whose distant relatives came from France; Greco from Greece. There are English people with the last name "French". Hall of Fame football player, Joe Namath, is Hungarian. But his name in Hungarian means "German" (usually spelled "Nemeth", but according to one source, the last name of Admiral Chester Nimitz is another variation).

[@parsonscarlson7984]

Interesting commentary. I did learn a little growing up in Miami, Florida and the influence of the Cuban immigration in the 60s and 70s, as well as being married to a Puerto Rican for almost 12 years. In Spanish, De / de means "of", so DeSpain literally translates "of Spain".

[@FF11Freshstep]

also worth noting the man in contestant set 1's last name is spelled Tuiteleleapga... and i only know that cause i listened to Fenneman spell it 7 times total to type it off the beginning of the episode lol

[@dennisdivine7448]

Doodles Weaver was a talented guy who'd spent the '40s working with Spike Jones; he had an Ivy League education, and his brother was the NBC programming head, Pat Weaver. The man was obviously quite intelligent. Later solo efforts weren't as successful; complicated further with a messy marital life and alcoholism. In later years, Weaver was a frequent extra in '60s sitcoms such as "Dennis the Menace" and "The Monkees". There is a pathetic quality to Groucho making reference to Weaver being down on his luck career-wise.

[@roybernardo9946]

All the humor is good clean fun

[@richardalongi4720]

Doodles played on the episodes of Batman entitled Shoot a Crooked Arrow/Walk the Straight and Narrow" as Crier Tuck. He also played a comical role on Dragnet. Very funny guy.....too bad his life ended so tragically.

[@jasonbeard4713]

Edna's YBYL sequence, cut from the show, can be seen in the outtake reels. She asked Groucho if he'd ever been made love to by a Frenchman.

[@epsteinisms1483]

20:20. Did I hear that right? Was Groucho's throwaway line a reference to "Sybil Vane"? She was a character in the famous Oscar Wilde novel "The Picture Of Dorian Gray". How would Groucho have known that, and how could he come up with such a reference so quickly? Just how well-read was he? Many years ago, I had a conversation with one of Groucho's nieces, who told me that when she was a little girl she discovered her uncle reading "Tom Jones" by Henry Fielding. Even for those who have been somewhat educated it is a difficult read. For Groucho who had virtually no education it boggles the mind that he could have read and appreciated such a work. I think he must've been some sort of genius.

[@lauriewhite9574]

😂just because he didn't go to school much doesn't mean he wasn't educated.

[@TheIgnatzz]

Groucho was a total bookworm.

[@JSB1882]

Doodles Weaver was one of those guys that you always heard of but never placed him anywhere though he had a varied career. Sadly he shot himself twice in the chest in 1983 at 71.

[@ohmeowzer1]

Dave La Violette oh how sad..i never knew that

[@mariangelasp1168]

Yes, it is true. His son mentioned that Mr. Weaver was in bad health before he committed suicide. So sad, he looked full of life, and a nice guy. Life is not fair a lot of times

[@margovallen]

@@mariangelasp1168 He was an alcoholic.

[@m42037]

@@mariangelasp1168 Nope, it's also very short. My wife's life got all messed up (i won't get into details of family and grown kids) and she killed herself in 2016, age 49

[@MrMenefrego1]

At 20:27 Groucho to Fenneman: "Isn't she beautiful?", "Would you like to be in the balcony of some empty movie theater with her?" - Fenneman: "Congratulations on you're marriage." George could give as good as he got!

[@dotsywotsy18]

This is the first time I’ve seen the actual show that the outtakes were taken from

[@613aristocrat]

I need to remember George Fenneman's response to Groucho asking him if he would mind sharing an empty balcony with a married woman. 20:26

[@bethbabson7421]

What is the last word or two which Doodles said in his Indy 500/Dance of the Hours routine? He was hilarious and I've been catching up on Spike Jones videos available. Such good entertainment back then. Doodles also appeared on The Monkees as butler who saves the day at Millionnaires Club in Monkees Manhattan Style episode as Baker's backer. Often, The Monkees highlighted references to things and would have older actors on the show where you'd maybe not recognize them if a child watching. I'd recognize many but really enjoy seeing their performances now available on video.

[@epsteinisms1483]

@Beth Babson It's the name of the winning horse : "Feitlebaum" The joke was that it was the SAME horse that also won the race in the similar Spike Jones/Doodles Weaver collaboration "The William Tell Overture". Lots of KZbin videos of that famous record. There are various spellings of the horse's name. Once known as "Beetlebaum", but I believe someone with the same name actually sued Spike Jones, so the name got changed. I happened to watch both of these bits just yesterday, and also read the Wikipedia article on Weaver. So this video popped up for me courtesy of KZbin algorithm.

[@maynardsmoreland]

8:10 Take Groucho's question and multiply by three.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Like many stars, Doodles fudged his age. according to Wikipedia he was born on May 11, 1911, which would have made him 48, not 43 at the time of this show.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Yeah, he didn't look 43 or 48.

[@pdxguy52]

Actually, Doodles was born 11 May 1912 (California birth records are public), making him 47 on 4 Feb 1960.

[@masonldn8647]

Only one president had impeachment charges😂😂 oniy it they knew now

[@kamikazeyamamoto4545]

I love that girl. I'm from Texas. Texas women are the best.

[@519djw6]

About the second pair of contestants: Doodles Weaver appeared for some special occasion at my elementary school in the early '60s. I have nothing against him, but never thought he was funny at all. However, as to BRENDA BROCE: Boy, what a beauty she was! If she was only 18 when this aired, there's a good chance that she's still around. If anyone seeing this knows her, could they please ask her to post something about this "You Tube" video?

[@519djw6]

Brenda Hayward Hello Brenda Hayward! It was really great to hear from you. Is this the first time you've seen this episode of "You Bet Your Life" since it was initially aired? I'd really like to know if you have any anecdotes about being on this show that you could share. I've looked up "The Tamarack Tootsies," and am glad to know that you really seem to be enjoying life. Best Wishes, Daniel

[@brendahayward1535]

519DJW Thanks, Daniel. I hit the wrong button so here goes again...On my initial and subsequent interviews, I was interviewed by what was probably the show's writer. I had no idea who he was or what his job entailed but I remember thinking he was so hilarious and telling him, "You're even funnier than Groucho!" (duh...) Yes, the program was scripted and it was very hard for me to remember the lead-in lines for Groucho's responses, especially about whether the man needed to wear the pants in the "family" or "house." Hope I got it right, but as of now, I'm too embarrassed to watch the whole thing through! God bless you with your kindness and thoughts ~ Brenda.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Brenda Hayward THANK YOU, Brenda! You are the first person who was on the show to offer any reminiscences! Much appreciated. Did you have any interaction with Groucho after the show? I know that he preferred not to meet the contestants before air time to keep things spontaneous.

[@brendahayward1535]

Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life I never saw or heard from him again, having only met him on the show.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Brenda Hayward It was fascinating to read your account of being prepped for the show. The director, Robert Dwan, wrote an excellent book about YBYL which describes the process as being a lot more loose than what you were subjected to, arguing that they couldn't expect everyday people to remember specific feed lines and cues for Groucho. But I'm thinking that perhaps they expected more of you than the average contestant because of show biz experience? The line you referred to is actually in the show. :) I hope you get the nerve up to watch it at some point. You were great! Nothing to be embarrassed about at all!

[@wardka]

On first glance moderately attractive, but at 5:23 - wow! Classic Pre-Raphaelite artist's model profile with perfectly sculpted hair. I would love to try to draw her.

[@waynebow-gu7wr]

I think I've seen Doodles on Green Acres !

[@bigdlovesoldies]

The guy from Samoa and the woman from Wisconsin were given such easy questions. I can't believe they didn't know what only president up to that time was brought up on impeachment charges.

[@parsonscarlson7984]

And that was before the Democrats tried to impeach Trump. Maybe they'll succeed as a result of the Jan.6th senate hearings.

[@anonymoussources8803]

Doodles should have stayed on his meds😂

[@nighthawk292]

You don't know the half of it. He committed suicide.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

So was this an actual charity show for Doodles? Was it true that he hadn't been employed in three years? Or was that a gag? Whatever. He was slide-splitting hysterical plus really intelligent. I can't understand how he didn't make more of a mark in show business.

[@maryperez1235]

M. M. Mental health issues

[@mariangelasp1168]

He was ahead of his time. Back in those days there was a lot of talent floating around. Many like him that never got discovered. Very sad what happened to him, he would have been a success in 2021. Unfortunately his talent was not appreciated.

[@marymarysmarket3508]

He had mental health issues. He was Sigourney Weaver’s uncle. Sad life story. Look him up. He was in a couple of Bonanza episodes and several small movie parts

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

Doodles has a rather common but odd look, his look reminds me of the guy that was host of to tell the truth

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

yeah i can see that: Bud Collyer.

[@wayneliebl1098]

Boy that Doodles sure was a cut up, wasn't he?

[@martinjones5965]

12m55s how do 'Miss' and 'Firecracker' fit in the same title ? Did she blow up the most letter boxes?

[@SalemHill]

Does anyone know what Edna said in response to Groucho at 3:53 ( for the life of me I can’t figure it out)

[@jcam9117]

"Yeah, I was when I left home."

[@robertklose2140]

Doodles Weaver looks like George W. Bush

[@alexvaliansky7707]

Doodles. weaver ended his life in 1983 via two self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the chest. He had been despondent over his failing health.

[@pdxguy52]

Alex, may I ask where you learned of the "two" shots? I wasn't aware this (accurate) information was in the public realm.

[@alexvaliansky7707]

@@pdxguy52 I believe that’s what it said in the article on him in Wikipedia.

[@alexvaliansky7707]

@@pdxguy52 I believe that I found this information in an article on Doodles Weaver in Wikipedia.

[@pdxguy52]

@@alexvaliansky7707 ok, thank you. Doodles was my uncle, and I just didn't know how much information was public.

[@ronaldkrikorian4712]

Sad ! So many actors committed suicide because of failing health!

[@johncastle8254]

So this is how George bush used to make a living ,as a comic called doodles.

[@jimbosteen2935]

So I saw the conversion of 800 $, and didn't seem excited, 🤔, were they emotionless back then ? At 18 yrs old she should've been going a lil crazy, winning 7,000$ ish dollars.

[@marymarysmarket3508]

The exchange rate from the mid-50's would be almost 9X greater in 2023.

[@vincentrezende7690]

Cracker Jacks!

[@freddyfurrah3789]

Doodles committed suicide in 1983. He was married 4 times and had 3 children.

[@marions.120]

Sad…