You Bet Your Life #60-19 Princess Margaret's temporary butler ('Dress', Feb 2, 1961)

Thomas Cronin, who was temporarily the butler to Princess Margaret, has a whole lot more to his story than we get to hear on this program. Turns out he may have actually been. . . a KGB spy??? not4attribution.blogspot.com/2...
And here's an interesting contemporary news article on Cronin leaving the employ of the Princess: news.google.com/newspapers?ni...
COUPLE #1: Marie McClay, former Paris fashion model / Aden Lowry, interior decorator and tambourine player
COUPLE #2: Thomas Cronin, butler to Princess Margaret for 25 days / Jo Ann Zebell, plumber's wife
NOTE: The opening couple of minutes are cut off.
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Episode identification and basic description based on "Tell 'em Groucho Sent You", © 1997 by Mark Petty. Used by permission.

[@mrscottfisk]

I have been watching episodes for a month now. Personalities were definitely more genuine back in the 50’s. Very interesting to watch

[@GeneRogers-lo1qy]

Actually, many adult guests from other countries are married to ex American G. I.s who they met overseas after WW2, most of the women are asked by Groucho if they are married. From there you can find out when they’re from foreign countries. They usually tell how they met their husbands

[@TheCosmicGenius]

Marie McClay, aka Marie Tsien, aka Maria Lim Bi Yao was a fashion model & actress who has rather a few film & television credits to her name. Sadly she died in 2020, at the age of 95.

[@jimsupinski9714]

keep em coming the man was hilarious . Remember watching as a child with my folks. Still love his movies.

[@CamhiRichard]

She told him she's from the Phillipines, and when she says goodbye, Groucho says, "... and I'm leaving for Shanghai in the morning." No wonder she had a puzzled face!

[@kinhason46]

Better Cebu, Manila, or Dumaguete City...definitely a reality ...she's wearing a Vietnamese "Aldai" dress

[@keithnaylor1981]

Groucho’s banter with the English butler was the best ever!

[@cubfann1908]

I am having withdrawals, I need to see another YBYL. I thank you for posting the shows. If I don't see anyone new spinning the wheel I am going to freak out lol.

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

cubfann1908 Just posted a new one.

[@sandrauhlein4317]

Don't freak than you can't watch YBYL

[@nefersguy]

@@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476 Thank you so very much. Your postings bring back wonderful memories of a different time.

[@ed3432]

Thank You for these precious episodes. Groucho was the most iconic comic along with Chaplin.

[@jessiejames7492]

i love the way the audience laughs...hilarious

[@ohmeowzer1]

The man with the tambourine was awesome

[@narutoj100]

That is my great grandfather!!!! Loved listening to him as a kid!!!!

[@marymarysmarket3508]

He’s very relaxed looking..

[@vernanderson4358]

Married for 52 years as of 2020 when I lost my angel to cancer.

[@billanthony7896]

For those of you being introduced to "You Bet You Life" for the first time, you might have noticed the actual game keeps changing. That's because the emphasis of this show isn't really the game, but the interaction between Groucho and his guests. Watching this show, and the hundreds of guests who appeared on it over the years, is a modern day sociologist's dream!

[@janepatterson6779]

What...?

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@Bill Anthony. Why do you call his show a socialist's dream? One of the reasons why I enjoy watching "You Bet Your Life" starring Groucho Marx is because he's politically incorrect. That would not be a socialist's dream. Instead, that would be a Conservative Patriot's dream because a real Christian Conservative Patriot is not politically correct, including me.

[@stevenwolff6866]

Groucho was a lifelong Democrat & would have been repulsed by Trump

[@marymarysmarket3508]

@@lynettepalecek3141you should learn to read better...geez

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@@stevenwolff6866 YOU'RE A BOLD FACE LIAR!!!!

[@Jeffrey1344]

Wonderful. Jack Meakin and the band members are terrific. Do you know any of the members. A few of the episodes show a trombone player, a clarinetist and a trumpet player with a mute...and of course Jack on piano. Very professional. Thank you again for all the joy you bring with these episodes being posted.

[@sandrauhlein4317]

Jeffrey1344 MOST DEFINITELY AGREE.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

That was a good joke that the butler told. He said in England, the man's occupation would be a tree surgeon and those are a good pair of limbs. Of course, he was referring to the female contestant's legs. Lol.

[@davidcarbone3385]

Warren, Springfield, Hamilton may be in Ohio like they said on the show but they're also in New Jersey!

[@TheoHockeyton]

Quite right Sir. The 3 also exist in Michigan, with Warren, Michigan actually being quite a big city (135'000 inhabitants).

[@davidcarbone3385]

@@TheoHockeyton Good to know! Thank-you!

[@lynettepalecek3141]

There are towns named Warren and Springfield in Wisconsin too. In fact, Warren, Wisconsin is the cranberries capital of the Country.

[@SaxonC]

Princess Margaret was supposed to be a real witch to work for or even to be around her! So to see this classy man answer Groucho’s questions about her respectfully and tastefully without saying anything disparaging about her, shows real class and professionalism.

[@papagen00]

ACTUALLY he quit not becasue of her but because her husband was abusive and a royal pain in the butt.

[@vincentrezende7690]

A better era.......

[@mariangelasp1168]

Yes. Yes!!!

[@kinhason46]

different, perspective...I'm nearly 76 and can easily agree, but chose to look at history...

[@pr4442]

Curious that an ex Royal Butler didn't know the question about scallops or the German royal family.

[@mattmexor2882]

Scallions. Maybe they don't call them that in England. I found this on a website: "In the U.K., “spring onion” is the most common term (except the Northern Irish prefer “scallion”), but other names such as “salad onion” and “green shallot” are also used as interchangeable terms for any vegetable that resembles a spring onion." As far as the German royal family, the German monarchy was abolished in 1918, and that guy was only Princess Margaret's butler for - what was it, 23 days?

[@borgward9569]

The question was about scallions (green onions) not scallops

[@pr4442]

@@borgward9569 Thank you.

[@pr4442]

@@mattmexor2882 Thanks. Interesting facts.

[@jessiejames7492]

groucho flirting yet again

[@evelynbanker2090]

jessie james i

[@nefersguy]

Do you blame him.

[@kinhason46]

@@nefersguy Never, part of the humor and entertaining as all get up! Let's Chill out if we have a ramrod running thru one's body...that's pitiful!

[@ronconrow]

JoAnne Zebell was the winner of the Mrs. Housing Development contest.

[@johnlemaitre9977]

Maria "McClay" Tsien was a glorified extra in movies during the mid-50's to the mid-60's.

[@mattmexor2882]

She just died in November, 2020. Aged 95.

[@Judahthanksgiving]

Groucho was such a gift to us all.

[@cubfann1908]

Any chance for adding another YBYL? Thank you :-)

[@sandrauhlein4317]

cubfann1908 wow, the greedy type. Just kidding. Lol

[@moorbilt]

Its your FINAL chance DONT get it wrong.

[@m42037]

Pants or slacks is American English or southern, Trouser's is English UK or Australian today

[@trh1493]

How groucho exploited women was absolutely disgusting...and the lady with the butler didnt know anything EXCEPT how to take her clothes off...

[@papagen00]

what's wrong with that

[@Engelhafen]

That butler was thick as bricks

[@mariangelasp1168]

And very polite, well mannered, not trashy

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@Engelhafen. He wasn't thick. The English and the idioms were and are a lot different in England than they were and are in America. You're the one that's thick.

[@papagen00]

the first filipino lady speaks excellent clear English. Most filipinos I know today do not.

[@jessiejames7492]

these days if you say youve been married to the same woman for 33 years , everyone will applaud uproariously. they deserve the applause

[@m42037]

Why

[@jessiejames7492]

@@m42037 you think its easy to be married for that long? The trials they go through yet stay together

[@m42037]

@@jessiejames7492 I was married almost 25 years (together 28) and in the end my wife commited suicide, family fell apart and she cashed in her cards. I won't go into details I'm sure nobody cares it's social media

[@jessiejames7492]

@@m42037 i am sorry fr the way things turned out. At least you had 25 yrs.these days its a record !

[@m42037]

@@jessiejames7492 #1 reason for divorce in America they say is because of money, women get fat and ugly, fool around, etc

[@beatmet2355]

The butler was a good foil for Groucho

[@paultheaudaciousbradford6772]

7:39 Hamilton en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton,_Massachusetts Springfield en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield,_Massachusetts and Warren en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren,_Massachusetts are also all towns in Massachusetts.

[@mattmexor2882]

That one was very hard. Probably each one of those names are used in at least 5 states. And it was a 100 dollar question, if I recall.

[@marymarysmarket3508]

I think in one show, Groucho mentions that the towns in this category all have a certain population. Pretty precise. And yes, it was a difficult question for the $100.

[@markgarin6355]

Strange, she didn't know what a shallot was but I think her last name is close to German for onion.

[@mariangelasp1168]

She just had a pretty face, was air headed

[@borgward9569]

The question was "what is a scallion" not shallot

[@m42037]

@@borgward9569 they both are of one Gute Nacht

[@zarabada6125]

You can see the butler considering whether to correct Groucho's assumption that Welsh rabbit is a "whole meal in itself." Welsh rabbit is just an unusual name for cheese on toast.

[@laurnaleto4622]

Welsh rarebit...

[@zarabada6125]

@@laurnaleto4622 Both spellings are valid. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@Zarabada. That's a common error about Welsh rabbit or Welsh rarebit. It's actually cooked cabbage. It was a common dish in the 1960s. There's was an episode on "Gomer Pyle, USMC" about Welsh rarebit. It's extremely common for descriptions of various items to change because certain people decide to do that.

[@lawfulbeneficiary1731]

@@lynettepalecek3141so Welsh rabbit is cheese on toast and Welsh rarebit is cooked cabbage?

[@cefcat5733]

He is so good that it....... seems........ like Groucho has actually rehearsed these exchanges of set ups for jokes and his finishing punchlines.The Butler is also an intelligent, humorful gem.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@Cef Cat. Groucho Marx's jokes are not rehearsed which is quite obvious.

[@theoakhills]

JoAnn.....you look like a blonde Jackie Kennedy......but come on......you're right you couldn't make a fried egg.....just 'kids'

[@googleyeyes5122]

First he says they have lunch at 12:15, then he says 1.

[@poetcomic1]

She is MY choice Mrs. Housing Development - marrried ten years with three kids nonetheless.

[@georgemanford8118]

JoAnne Zebell did in fact win the Mrs. Housing Development contest. I saw the episode as a kid and it was posted in the Phoenix newspaper.

[@marymarysmarket7151]

@@georgemanford8118I have often wondered who did win this weird contest. I am a YBYL aficionado and never could find the winner episode. Thanks 💃🏼

[@marions.120]

The Filipina is beautiful and I love her dress, but the spinning secret word girl is really something!

[@grouchomarx-youbetyourlife7476]

Yet another new episode posted? What's going on here, anyway? ----------------------------- Click here to subscribe to the YBYL channel, where you'll find well over a hundred complete episodes you can't find anywhere else, as well as some rare Burns and Allen material that doesn't really belong there: kzbin.info/door/UIbTdEI7D1AMyLATIdKq5w New Facebook group for You Bet Your Life and Groucho's other game shows! facebook.com/groups/1643223392577688/?ref=bookmarks

[@SheilaB]

You are spoiling us!

[@SuperWinterborn]

Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life Thanks a lot for the links about the butler Cronin! The spy story is very interesting and makes you think. Regarding the quotes from "Cassandra's column; I've never learned that many negative English adjectives in one brief blurb than I did in this one! ;) Wonder what the columnist had written if the spy story had been revealed already back in 1960. ;)

[@SuperWinterborn]

Sheila B Agreed, Sheila! :)

[@flower24587]

I like the Robert E Lee music, I'd never heard it before.

[@googleyeyes5122]

There was an episode where he randomly sings it.

[@parsonscarlson7984]

That was quite a catchy tune. I'm sure I've heard it before, but never knew the name of the song. The guy with the tambourine was a real character and really played it well along with the song. Gotta wonder if the BLMers have tried to get the song removed from the public domain. I wouldn't put it past them.

[@ohmeowzer1]

This is soo funny

[@justplainbrad7713]

Frederick William Victor Albert

[@ummglick]

Philipina is most elegant

[@theoakhills]

Ipitomy of sweetness.... to which the libtards ruined. I wish still today I go to Vietnam and find 'queen'.

[@suchidog]

P.S. - Marie is Chinese NOT Filipina.

[@mattmexor2882]

Pretty sure she was Fil-Chinese. Her accent didn't seem Chinese at all and it's easy for me to imagine it's Filipino.

[@indetif839]

Chinese Filipina.

[@theoakhills]

Anybody know her full name and history?

[@suchidog]

Something fishy about where Maria is from...I have been to Baggio in the Philippines and Baggio IS NOT a "beautiful valley" as she stated to Groucho....Baggio is a lush jungle mountainous city!!!...a valley? NOT!...Baggio is beautiful and I loved it there...I was a resident and NOT a visitor...so there!

[@519djw6]

I have no doubt that you are correct about Marie McClay. As you know, there are many ethnic Chinese all over South-East Asia. Therefore, I have to conclude that she was just trying to be "poetic" about the city of Baggio.

[@mattmexor2882]

Well she looks Chinese but her accent is definitely not Chinese. Of course the more someone actively tries to change their accent the harder it is to recognize, but there's nothing about her pronunciation that gives me the idea her native accent is a Chinese one. And it does sound to me like it could easily be a Filipino accent. No good reason to doubt that she's from the Philippines. She's probably Fil-Chinese. Her Wikipedia page gives Chinese characters for her name. And looking up images of Baguio there are some which you'd definitely describe as "beautiful valley".

[@maryjohnston-trainor9118]

7

[@therrienmichael08]

The butlers spy nickname was Rab which means slave in Russian.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

I don't believe you. Anyone can make such a ridiculous statement without proof. That butler never said that that was his name.

[@therrienmichael08]

@@lynettepalecek3141 He may have actually been a KGB Spy 🕵️‍♂️

[@catherinewells2339]

Welcome to The Groucho Show??? Say What???

[@fredkruse9444]

For the last season they changed the title.

[@amirhanif4928]

The instinctive october finally moor because order acromegaly trot plus a skinny border. bad, bizarre weeder

[@parsonscarlson7984]

Friend, here in America, we communicate by putting word together in intelligent order to convey thoughts and information. Just picking words out of a dictionary by opening it and putting your finger somewhere on a page and then typing it as your reply only shows your lack of education. Maybe you need to go back to school, like the 3rd grade or earlier, but do so, it can only do you good.

[@bubbalouie3973]

My goodness, was he ever funny!

[@marions.120]

I think I’d enjoy developing a house in Arizona!🥸 That may be the most ridiculous thing I ever hoid!