Follow a Star · 1943–1959
Groucho Marx
The insult as a house style
Groucho was a stage and screen comic long before radio found the right shape for him, and the shape turned out to be a quiz show he refused to take seriously. The journey starts with the wartime forces broadcasts where he worked without a script to protect, moves through the club-date monologues, and lands on You Bet Your Life — where the questions were an excuse and the contestants were the act.
246 recordings across 4 chapters
Chapter 1 · 1947–1959
showing 40 of 180
You Bet Your Life
The quiz that was never about the quiz. Groucho, George Fenneman, the secret word and a duck — and ordinary people who came for the money and stayed to be teased. The longest surviving Groucho run in the archive.
- Series
ife (Aud) Secret Word - Air
You Bet Your Life · 1947 · 16 min
- Series
ife (56) Secret Word - Head
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 57 min
- Series
ife (62) Secret Word - Chair
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
ife (63) Secret Word - Smile
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 28 min
- Series
ife (64) Secret Word - Clock
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 23 min
- Series
ife (65) Secret Word - Radio
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 17 min
- Series
ife (66) Secret Word - Shoe
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 24 min
- Series
ife (67) Secret Word - Ink
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 24 min
- Series
ife (68) Secret Word - Grass
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 28 min
- Series
ife (69) Secret Word - Sky
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
ife (70) Secret Word - Window
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
ife (71) Secret Word - Dust
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 28 min
- Series
ife (72) Secret Word - Hair
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
ife (73) Secret Word - Chair
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
ife (74) Secret Word - Name
You Bet Your Life · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
ife (75) Secret Word - Tree
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 28 min
- Series
ife (76) Secret Word - Milk
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (77) Secret Word - Spoon
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (78) Secret Word - Sky
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 28 min
- Series
ife (79) Secret Word Air
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (80) Secret Word - Bread
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (81) Secret Word - Sugar
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (82) Secret Word - Table
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (83) Secret Word - Door
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (84) Secret Word - Heart
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (85) Secret Word - Water
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 28 min
- Series
ife (86) Secret Word - Money
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (87) Secret Word - Name
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (88) Secret Word - Smile
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (89) Secret Word - Door
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 27 min
- Series
ife (90) Secret Word - Name
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (91) Secret Word - Chair
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 30 min
- Series
ife (92) Secret Word - Bread
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 30 min
- Series
ife (93) Secret Word - Door
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (94) Secret Word - Foot
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (95) Secret Word - Tree
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (96) Secret Word - Book
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 29 min
- Series
ife (97) Secret Word - Dress
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 28 min
- Series
ife (101) Secret Word - Wall
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 28 min
- Series
ife (102) Secret Word - Grass
You Bet Your Life · 1950 · 28 min
Chapter 2 · 1940s–1950s
An evening with Groucho
Monologue and song material away from the sponsor: the routines he could stretch when nobody was counting the minutes.
- Series
Overture - Medley from Marx Brothers Films
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 3 min
- Series
Introduction - Dick Cavett
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 4 min
- Series
Hello, I Must Be Going
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
How I Got Started In Show Business
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
My Family, How We Got Our Names
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Strange Relatives - Uncle Julius
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Chico At Klauber Horn Co
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Uncle Herman, Chiropodist
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Timbuctoo
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Annie Berger
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Oh, How That Woman Could Cook
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Toronto Song
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
London Stories: Polish Officer Story
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
London Stories: Churchill & 2nd World War
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Tough Chicago Critic Story
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Palace Theatre: Sarah Bernhardt
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Palace Theatre: Fanny Brice/Swayne's Rats and Cats
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Poem From The Play
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
T S Eliot Memorial: Laurence
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 4 min
- Series
2nd World War Bond Tour
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Houdini Story
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Music in — AnEveningWithGroucho 24 -Cocoanuts
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
W C Fields: Bee Bee Gun/ Prohibition
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
W C Fields: Baby Leroy
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Everybody Works But Father
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Father's Day
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Margaret Dumont, The Dowager In Our Films
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 1 min
- Series
Priests' Stories: Plaza Hotel/ Montreal
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Show Me A Rose
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 2 min
- Series
Lydia, The Tattooed Lady
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 4 min
- Series
Music in (2 of 2)
An Evening with Groucho · undated · 3 min
Chapter 3 · 1942–1945
For the forces
Command Performance, Mail Call and G.I. Journal were made for servicemen overseas with no sponsor to offend, which is exactly the licence Groucho needed. These are the transfers whose own titles name him.
- Series
Groucho Marx, Betty Grable, Judy Garland
Mail Call · 1943 · 29 min
- Series
Groucho Marx, Irene Manning, Paulette Goddard
Mail Call · 1943 · 30 min
- Series
Guest - Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball
Afrs Gi Journal · 1944 · 30 min
- Series
Groucho Marx, Ida Lupino, Gloria DeHaven
Mail Call · 1945 · 31 min
- Series
l 450309 Groucho Marx Lucill
Gi Journal · 1945 · 33 min
- Series
GI Journal 450309 Groucho Marx Lucill
Gi Journal · 1945 · 29 min
- Series
Groucho Marx, Kenny Baker, Kathryn Grayson
Mail Call · 1946 · 31 min
- Series
Gloria DeHaven, Groucho Marx, Bing Crosby (assembled program)
Mail Call · 1947 · 29 min
- Series
Groucho Marx, Martha Tilton
Command Performance · 1947 · 29 min
- Series
30 (289) Groucho Marx, Martha Tilton
Command Performance · 1948 · 29 min
Chapter 4 · 1943–1955
showing 24 of 25
Guesting everywhere else
Information Please as a panelist, Kraft Music Hall and Bing Crosby's hour, Jolson, The Big Show, Treasury quarter-hours — the appearances whose titles name Groucho or the Marx Brothers.
- Series
Groucho Marx
Information Please · 1941 · 29 min
- Series
Groucho Marx, Deems Taylor
Information Please · 1941 · 29 min
- Series
EC 1943-06-09 Burns & Allen, Jack Benny, Groucho
Guest Star · 1943 · 29 min
- Series
Guest Groucho Marx
The Jack Benny Program · 1944 · 29 min
- Series
Philco Radio Time (46-49) (18) Guest - Groucho Marx
Bing Crosby · 1947 · 29 min
- Series
Philco Radio Time (46-49) (29) Guests - Groucho Marx and Dorothy Shay
Bing Crosby · 1947 · 31 min
- Series
Philco Radio Time (46-49) (31) Guests - Groucho Marx and Hank Greenberg
Bing Crosby · 1947 · 29 min
- Series
First Song - I'm Sitting On Top Of The World, Guest - Groucho Marx
Kraft Music Hall · 1947 · 28 min
- Series
KraftMusicHall 471023 Groucho Marx
Al Jolson · 1947 · 28 min
- Series
First Song - Yacka Hula, Hickey Dula, Guest - Groucho Marx
Kraft Music Hall · 1948 · 28 min
- Series
KraftMusicHall 480506 Groucho Tries Selling Anything To Al
Al Jolson · 1948 · 28 min
- Series
First Song - Bright Eyes, Guest - Groucho Marx
Kraft Music Hall · 1948 · 30 min
- Series
KraftMusicHall 481118 A Quiz For Jolson-Groucho Marx
Al Jolson · 1948 · 30 min
- Series
KraftMusicHall 490113 A Mink For Jolson-Groucho Marx
Al Jolson · 1949 · 30 min
- Series
KraftMusicHall 490113 Groucho Marx
Al Jolson · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
Philco Radio Time (46-49) (92) Guests - Groucho Marx and Connie Haines
Bing Crosby · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
First Song - When The Red-Red-Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along, Guest - Groucho Marx
Kraft Music Hall · 1949 · 30 min
- Series
km490407 Groucho Marx
Al Jolson · 1949 · 30 min
- Series
First Song - Waiting For The Robert E Lee, Guest - Groucho Marx
Kraft Music Hall · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
km490526 Groucho Marx
Al Jolson · 1949 · 29 min
- Series
Chesterfield Show (49-52) (17) Guest - Groucho Marx
Bing Crosby · 1950 · 30 min
- Series
ep02 Groucho Marx, Fanny Brice
The Big Show · 1950 · 1h 29m
- Series
ep15 Groucho Marx, Judy Garland
The Big Show · 1951 · 1h 28m
- Series
ep22 Groucho Marx, Bob Hope
The Big Show · 1951 · 1h 29m
What the record cannot tell us
Chico, Harpo and Zeppo appear only where a surviving title names them; radio metadata for the brothers as an act is thin, and nothing here has been attributed from a cast list the archive does not hold.
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