You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life was taken from Groucho's radio series of the same name. It was inspired after Groucho had done an improvisational scene with Bob Hope on radio. The idea was the same as it later was with Bill Cosby: to invite people on and have an unrehearsed conversation with them. Groucho could always be counted on to enliven the banter with his unique blend of comedy and wit. After talking with Groucho for several minutes, the contestants chose quiz questions from a category they had preselected and, if they answered them correctly, won money.
- 1950-1961
- 11 seasons
- NBC
- Comedy, Family, Game Show, Talk & Interview
You Bet Your Life was taken from Groucho's radio series of the same name. It was inspired after Groucho had done an improvisational scene with Bob Hope on radio. The idea was the same as it later was with Bill Cosby: to invite people on and have an unrehearsed conversation with them. Groucho could always be counted on to enliven the banter with his unique blend of comedy and wit. After talking with Groucho for several minutes, the contestants chose quiz questions from a category they had preselected and, if they answered them correctly, won money.
Season 9 Episode Guide
29 Episodes 1958 - 1959
Episode 1
Roof - Miss Finland of 1955
Thu, Sep 25, 1958 30 mins
Groucho takes fencing lessons dueling with swords then tries to sneak off with Miss Finland.
Episode 2
Episode #9.2
Thu, Oct 2, 1958
Episode 3
Episode #9.3
Thu, Aug 13, 2026 30 mins
Actor Johnny Weissmuller and poet Prof. Richard Armour are among the guests.
Episode 4
Crazy Legs Rowena
Thu, Oct 16, 1958 30 mins
A farmer and his daughter are among the guests.
Episode 5
Episode #9.5
Thu, Oct 23, 1958
Episode 6
Episode #9.6
Thu, Oct 30, 1958 30 mins
Bit actress Nan Peterson and an escape artist are among the guests.
Episode 7
Episode #9.7
Thu, Nov 6, 1958 30 mins
An organ grinder and his monkey, and Lois Bootzin, the wife of Gypsy Boots, are among the guests.
Episode 8
Episode #9.8
Thu, Nov 13, 1958 30 mins
Model/Actress Corinne Cole and a 102-year-old man are among the guests.
Episode 9
Roof
Thu, Nov 20, 1958
Episode 11
Episode #9.11
Thu, Dec 4, 1958 30 mins
Episode 15
Episode #9.15
Thu, Jan 1, 1959 30 mins
The eldest son of world-famous actor John Wayne and George W. Davis, the mayor of Beverley Hills, are among the guests.
Episode 18
Episode #9.18
Thu, Jan 22, 1959 30 mins
NASA physicist Albert Hibbs, who devised a system for beating roulette wheels, is among the guests.
Episode 19
Nose
Thu, Jan 29, 1959
Secret word is Nose. First guests are Cornelia Hendricks from Chimagi, Indonesia and Romaine Fielding Jr. son of silent film star Romaine Fielding. Second guests are Junko Gorden a bride from Japan and Jack Mosley strongman and windbag.
Episode 21
Episode #9.21
Thu, Feb 12, 1959 30 mins
A female attorney and private eye, who owns and operates a private detective agency, and a misogynistic man, who founded an organization advocating for the domination of women, are among the guests.
Episode 22
Hand - Suppression and Domination 2
Thu, Feb 19, 1959 30 mins
H.G. Morton, who believes in the suppression and domination of women, returns from last week and is teamed with a housewife, who offers a rebuttal on behalf of women. A man who sells anti-freeze in Alaska is also among the guests.
Episode 23
Episode #9.23
Thu, Feb 26, 1959 30 mins
Don Drysdale, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and 94-year-old Louis Rich, who was on the show seven years ago, are among the guests.
Episode 24
Episode #9.24
Thu, Mar 5, 1959
Episode 25
Episode #9.25
Thu, Mar 12, 1959 30 mins
Guy Hatfield, a descendant of the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feud (1863-1891), is among the guests.
Episode 26
Chair - Olympic Champ Parry O'Brien
Thu, Mar 19, 1959 30 mins
Teenagers LaVonne Thram and Charles Wheeler return from last week. U.S. Olympic champion shot putter, Parry O'Brien, is also among the guests.
Episode 28
Episode #9.28
Thu, Apr 2, 1959 30 mins
Olympic champion diver, Pat McCormick, and Dodgers clubhouse boy, Charlie 'The Brow' DiGiovanna, are among the guests.
Episode 30
Water - Jack LaLane
Thu, Apr 16, 1959 30 mins
Physical fitness expert, Jack LaLanne, and Kenny Washington, the first black football player to sign a contract with the NFL, are among the guests.
Episode 31
Episode #9.31
Thu, Apr 23, 1959 30 mins
British actress Patricia Cutts and Stanford head football coach "Cactus Jack" Curtice are among the guests.
Episode 32
Episode #9.32
Thu, Apr 30, 1959
Episode 33
Montie Montana & His Horse Rex
Thu, May 7, 1959 30 mins
Cowboy actor and rodeo star, Montie Montana, and his horse, Rex, are among the guests.
Episode 34
Street - Crazylegs Rowena returns
Thu, May 14, 1959 30 mins
Rowena Hiemstra returns to do her "crazy legs" dance at the show's opening. Actress Janine Grandel is also among the guests.
Episode 35
Crazylegs Rowena returns
Thu, May 21, 1959
Episode 36
Table - Ronnie Shell
Thu, May 28, 1959 30 mins
Skip Fickling and Gloria Fickling, co-authors of the "Honey West" detective novels, and comedian Ronnie Schell, are among the guests.
Episode 37
Paper
Thu, Jun 4, 1959 30 mins
An unusual married couple, Otho and Lynn Joy Pettijohn, are among the guests.
Episode 38
Chair - Crash. Corrigan
Thu, Jun 11, 1959 30 mins
Cowboy actor, "Crash" Corrigan, and actress/writer, Joanna Lee, are among the guests.