If there's every been anyone quicker-witted or funnier than Groucho Marx, I'd certainly like for you to point him or her out to me because I want to see and hear them.
Groucho was not just funny, he was also rude. Sometimes he was embarrassingly rude. But even when he was, he was funny. It was impossible not to laugh.
If you had never seen or heard Groucho, either in his hilarious Marx Brothers films or on TV's You Bet Your Life, there would be no way to describe him to someone.
Not too long ago, I put in a DVD of the TV show, You Bet Your Life, in the player for a 22 year old friend of mine. He laughed the whole way through and sat there and watched the full fours hours with me. When he left my house, I gave him the DVD as a gift and he now loves Groucho.
Groucho has that effect on people. I'd say the current generation would love Groucho as much as they 'love' the current comedians if they only gave the man a chance.
Of course we know that will never happen...
Us old folks and OTR lovers though, have a bunch of Groucho to listen to from his radio game show, You Bet Your Life. On the show, Groucho is Groucho. Larger than life, loud, obnoxious and very, very funny.
Yes, it's a game show - but that just kind of seems secondary to Groucho. I can imagine the sales pitch for this show in the 1940's... I can imagine prospective advertisers running away in fear. You never knew what Groucho would do or say. Because he was the one, the only, Groucho.
You are right, the show was secondary to him. The show was there out of convience and he used the show to have fun with the guests.
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