The Jackpot question allowed winners to keep half their winnings and risk the other half. Contestants selected a topic from a list of twenty and attempted to answer questions related to that topic. Each show had two or three pairs of contestants, based on Groucho's interactions with each group. There was usually a male and female contestant. Groucho's comedic interplay with contestants overshadowed the gameplay aspect of the shows. Its final season, beginning on September 22, 1960, was entitled The Groucho Show.
However, the television show continued for another year on television. The last You Bet Your Life radio broadcast aired on June 10, 1960. Groucho's facial expression and visual gimmicks elicited laughs from the audience that could not be duplicated on the radio.īecause of Groucho's antics, the shows were taped and edited before being released. Although broadcast on television and radio, the two versions were produced independently of each other. You Bet Your Life transitioned to NBC-TV and NBC radio, airing for the first time on October 4, 1950. You Bet Your Life moved to CBS radio beginning October 5, 1949. George Fenneman was the announcer and assistant. Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers hosted You Bet Your Life on ABC radio starting October 27, 1947.
