Editing Groucho Marx (section)

== Later years ==
===''You Bet Your Life''===
{{Main|You Bet Your Life}}
Marx's radio career was not as successful as his work on stage and in film, though historians such as [[Gerald Nachman (journalist)|Gerald Nachman]] and Michael Barson suggest that, in the case of the single-season ''[[Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel]]'' (1932), the failure may have been a combination of a poor time slot and the Marx Brothers' returning to Hollywood to make another film.

By the mid-1940s, Marx was experiencing a depressing lull in his career. His radio show ''[[Blue Ribbon Town]]'' had failed; [[Irving Brecher]] was unable to find a sponsor for his proposed radio sitcom ''The Flotsam Family'' created for Marx, only to see it become a huge hit revamped as ''[[The Life of Riley]]'' starring [[William Bendix]] in the title role. By that time, the Marx Brothers as film performers had officially retired.

Marx was scheduled to appear on a radio show with [[Bob Hope]]. Annoyed that he was made to wait in the [[green room]] for 40 minutes, he went on the air in a foul mood. Hope began by saying "Why, Groucho Marx! Groucho, what are you doing out here in the desert?" Marx retorted, "Huh, desert, I've been sitting in the dressing room for forty minutes! Some desert alright&nbsp;...". Marx continued to ignore the script, [[ad-lib]]bing at length, and took it well beyond its allotted time slot.

Listening in on the show was producer [[John Guedel]], who had a brainstorm. He approached Marx about doing a quiz show, to which Marx derisively retorted, "A quiz show? Only actors who are completely washed up resort to a quiz show!" Undeterred, Guedel proposed that the quiz would be only a backdrop for Marx's interviews of people, and the storm of ad-libbing that they would elicit. Marx replied, "Well, I've had no success in radio, and I can't hold on to a sponsor. At this point, I'll try anything!"{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
[[File:You bet your life postcard 1953.JPG|thumb|left|125px|Marx as main host of ''You Bet Your Life'', 1953]]
''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' debuted in October 1947 on ABC radio (which aired it from 1947 to 1949), sponsored by costume jewelry manufacturer [[Allen Gellman]];<ref>Charlotte Chandler. Hello, I must be going: Groucho and his friends. Doubleday, 1978, p 190</ref> and then on CBS (1949–50), and finally NBC. The show was on radio only from 1947 to 1950; on both radio and television from 1950 to 1960; and on television only, from 1960 to 1961. The show proved a huge hit, being one of the most popular on television by the mid-1950s, garnering a number one rating in 1953. With [[George Fenneman]] as his announcer and straight man, Marx entertained his audiences with rapier wit and improvised conversation with his guests. Since ''You Bet Your Life'' was mostly ad-libbed and unscripted — although writers did pre-interview the guests and feed Marx ready-made lines in advance — the producers insisted that the network prerecord it instead of it being broadcast live. There were three reasons for this: prerecording provided Marx with time to fish around for funny exchanges, any intervening dead spots could be edited out; and most importantly to protect the network from what was considered risqué, since Marx was a notorious [[loose cannon]] and known to say almost anything. The television show ran for 11 seasons until it was canceled in 1961. Ironically longtime major sponsor, automobile ''marque'' [[DeSoto (automobile)|DeSoto]] went out of business for declining sales that same year. For the DeSoto ads, Marx would sometimes say: "Tell 'em Groucho sent you", or "Try a DeSoto before you decide." In the mid-1970s, episodes of the show were syndicated and rebroadcast as ''The Best of Groucho''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kleiner |first=Dick |title=Groucho's straight man back|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/116069539/|newspaper=The Anniston Star |location= Anniston, Alabama |date=August 23, 1975|access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref>

The program's theme music was an instrumental version of "[[Hooray for Captain Spaulding]]", which became increasingly identified as Marx's personal theme song. A recording of the song with Marx and the Ken Lane singers with an orchestra directed by [[Victor Young]] was released in 1952. Another recording made by Marx during this period was "The Funniest Song in the World", released on the Young People's Records label in 1949. It was a series of five original children's songs with a connecting narrative about a monkey and his fellow zoo creatures.

One of Marx's most oft-quoted remarks may have occurred during a 1947 radio episode. Marx was interviewing Charlotte Story, who had borne 20 children. When Marx asked why she had chosen to raise such a large family, Mrs. Story is said to have replied, "I love my husband," to which Marx responded, "I love my cigar, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while." The remark was judged too risqué to be aired, according to the anecdote, and was edited out before broadcast.<ref>Dwan, R. As Long As They're Laughing : Groucho Marx and You Bet Your Life. Baltimore, Midnight Marquee, 2000, p. 129. {{ISBN|188766436X}}</ref> Charlotte Story and her husband Marion, indeed parents of 20 children, were real people who appeared on the program.<ref>Kanfer, S. Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx. New York, Vintage, May 2001, p. 136. {{ISBN|0375702075}}</ref> Audio recordings of the interview exist,<ref name="snopes">{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/grouchocigar.asp|title=The Secret Words|website=Snopes.com|date=February 15, 2001 |access-date=April 13, 2015}}</ref> and a reference to cigars is made ("With each new kid, do you go around passing out cigars?"), but there is no evidence of the claimed remark. "I get credit all the time for things I never said," Marx told [[Roger Ebert]] in 1972. "You know that line in ''You Bet Your Life''? The guy says he has seventeen kids and I say, 'I smoke a cigar, but I take it out of my mouth occasionally'? I never said that."<ref>Ebert, R. A Living Legend, Rated R. ''Esquire'', July 1972, p. 143. Retrieved October 4, 2013.</ref> Marx's 1976 memoir recounts the episode as fact,<ref>Marx, G. and Arce, H. ''The Secret Word is Groucho''. New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1976, pp.&nbsp;33–4. {{ISBN|0399116907}}.</ref> but co-writer Hector Arce relied mostly on sources other than Marx himself—who was by then in his mid eighties, in ill health and mentally compromised—and was probably unaware that Marx had specifically denied making the observation.<ref>Kaltenbach, C. Also 20 Years Dead: Groucho. ''Baltimore Sun'', August 19, 1997, p.&nbsp;E-1.</ref> Head writer Bernie Smith recalled in a 1996 interview that the remark was indeed made—but again, well after the fact.<ref>Stoliar, S. Raised Eyebrows: My Years Inside Groucho's House. New York, BearManor Media, October 2011, pp.&nbsp;124–5. {{ISBN|1593936524}}</ref>

In 1946, as part of the marketing campaign for the Marx Brothers film ''[[A Night in Casablanca]]'', Marx created a storyline that [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] threatened to sue him, contending that that title was too similar to their 1942 film ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]''.<ref>Clifton Fadiman (ed), Little Brown Book of Anecdotes, Boston 1985, p. 387</ref> Groucho wrote open letters "responding" to the [[Warner Bros.#History|four Warner brothers]], including one in which he questions their own use of various words, such as: wondering if "in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather,... stumbled on the shores of Africa and... named it Casablanca"; suggesting that "[[David Burbank|[David] Burbank]]'s survivors aren't too happy with the fact that" Warner Bros. [[Burbank, California]] studios are called their "Burbank studios"; and even suggesting a Marx Brothers legal action addressing "What about 'Warner Brothers'? ... Professionally, we were brothers long before you were."<ref>{{cite web |title=Groucho Marx letter to Warner Brothers |url=https://archive.org/details/Groucho_Marx_Letter_to_Warner_Brothers |access-date=2007-02-05 |via=[[Internet Archive#Text collection|Internet Archive text collection]]}}</ref><ref><!-- Mikkelson (2000) A Night in Casablancaː Did Warner Bros. threaten to sue the Marx Brothers over their 1946 film titled 'A Night in Casablanca'?-->{{cite Q|Q123469979}}</ref>

=== Other work ===
On August 5, 1948, Marx's comedy play ''April Fool'' premiered at the [[Lobero Theatre]] in Santa Barbara, California, to mediocre reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Los Angeles Times 07 Aug 1948, page 8 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/380889678/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> Penned by Groucho Marx and Norman Krasna, the play was rewritten and retitled ''Time for Elizabeth'', and opened at the Fulton Theatre in New York City on September 27, 1948,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily News 28 Sep 1948, page 280 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/446231814/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> where it closed after only eight performances.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Groucho Marx "APRIL FOOL" Otto Kruger / Norman Krasna 1948 FLOP Tryout Playbill {{!}} #1860471580 |url=https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/groucho-marx-april-fool-otto-kruger-1860471580 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Worthpoint |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily News 01 Oct 1948, page 1013 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/445883334/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

By the time ''You Bet Your Life'' debuted on TV on October 5, 1950, Marx had grown a real mustache (which he had already sported earlier in the films ''[[Copacabana (1947 film)|Copacabana]]'' and ''[[Love Happy]]'').

During a tour of Germany in 1958, accompanied by then-wife Eden, daughter Melinda, Robert Dwan and Dwan's daughter Judith, he climbed a pile of rubble that marked the site of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s [[Führerbunker|bunker]], the site of Hitler's death, and performed a two-minute [[Charleston (dance)|Charleston]].<ref>{{cite web |last = Hallett |first = Judith Dwan |title = What's So Funny & Why? |publisher = Sarah Lawrence College |url = http://www.slc.edu/magazine/whats-so-funny/Whats_So_Funny_and_Why.php |access-date = July 29, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071216103940/http://slc.edu/magazine/whats-so-funny/Whats_So_Funny_and_Why.php |archive-date = December 16, 2007}}</ref> He later remarked to Richard J. Anobile in ''The Marx Brothers Scrapbook,'' "Not much satisfaction after he killed six million Jews!"

[[File:Groucho Marx Koko the Mikado Bell Telephone Hour 1960.JPG|thumb|Marx as Ko-Ko, 1960]]
In 1960, Marx, a lifelong devotee of the comic operas of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]], appeared as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, in a televised production of ''[[The Mikado]]'' on [[NBC]]'s ''[[The Bell Telephone Hour]]''. A clip of this is in rotation on [[Classic Arts Showcase]].

Another TV show, ''Tell It to Groucho'', premiered January 11, 1962, on CBS, but only lasted five months. On October 1, 1962, Marx, after acting as occasional guest host of ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' during the six-month interval between [[Jack Paar]] and [[Johnny Carson]], introduced Carson as the new host.

In 1964, Marx starred in the "Time for Elizabeth" episode of ''[[Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre]]'', a truncated version of the play that he and [[Norman Krasna]] wrote in 1948.

In 1965, Marx starred in a weekly show for British TV titled ''Groucho'', broadcast on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]. The program was along similar lines to ''You Bet Your Life'', with [[Keith Fordyce]] taking on the Fenneman role. However, it was poorly received and lasted only 11 weeks.

Marx appeared as a gangster named God in the comedy movie ''[[Skidoo (film)|Skidoo]]'' (1968), directed by [[Otto Preminger]], and starring [[Jackie Gleason]] and [[Carol Channing]]. It was released by the studio where the Marx Brothers began their film career, [[Paramount Pictures]]. The film received almost universally negative reviews. Writer [[Paul Krassner]] published a story in the February 1981 issue of ''[[High Times]]'', relating how Marx prepared for the LSD-themed movie by taking a dose of the drug in Krassner's company, and had a moving, largely pleasant experience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hightimes.com/culture/groucho-marx/|title=High Times Greats: My Acid Trip With Groucho|first=Paul|last=Krassner|date=October 2, 2019|website=High Times|access-date=June 21, 2022|archive-date=July 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702054730/https://hightimes.com/culture/groucho-marx/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Marx developed friendships with rock star [[Alice Cooper]]—the two were photographed together for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine—and television host [[Dick Cavett]], becoming a frequent guest on Cavett's late-night talk show, even appearing in a one-man, 90-minute interview.<ref name="Cavett19690613">{{cite web|url=http://dickcavettshow.com/index.php/component/zoo/item/6-13-69|title=The Dick Cavett Show - 6/13/1969|website=Dickcavettshow.com|access-date=September 21, 2018|archive-date=September 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921035237/http://dickcavettshow.com/index.php/component/zoo/item/6-13-69|url-status=dead}}</ref> When [[Elton John]] was visiting California in 1972, he and Marx became friendly. Marx insisted on calling him "John Elton". According to writer [[Philip Norman (author)|Philip Norman]], when Elton John was playing the piano at Marx's home, Marx jokingly pointed his index fingers as if holding a pair of six-shooters; John put up his hands and said, "Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player," thereby giving him the title of [[Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player|the album he had just completed]]. A [[film poster]] for the Marx Bros. film ''[[Go West (1940 film)|Go West]]'' is visible on the album cover photograph as an homage to Marx. Elton John accompanied Marx to a performance of ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]''. As the lights went down, Marx called out, "Does it have a happy ending?" And during the Crucifixion scene, he declared, "This is sure to offend the Jews."{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}
[[File:Groucho Marx Brooke Hayward General Electric Theater 1961.jpg|left|thumb|Marx and [[Brooke Hayward]], 1961]]
Marx's previous work regained popularity; new books of transcribed conversations were published by Richard J. Anobile and [[Charlotte Chandler]]. In a [[BBC]] interview in 1975, Marx called his greatest achievement having a book selected for cultural preservation in the Library of Congress. In a Cavett interview in 1971,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dickcavettshow.com/index.php/component/zoo/item/5-25-71|title=The Dick Cavett Show - 5/25/1971|website=Dickcavettshow.com|access-date=September 21, 2018|archive-date=September 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921191431/http://dickcavettshow.com/index.php/component/zoo/item/5-25-71|url-status=dead}}</ref> Marx said being published in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' under his own name,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/groucho-marx|title=Groucho Marx - Contributors|work=newyorker.com|access-date=November 22, 2016}}</ref> Julius Henry Marx, meant more than all the plays he appeared in.<ref name="Cavett19690613"/> For a man who had little formal education, to have his writings declared culturally important was a point of great satisfaction.

As he passed his 81st birthday in October 1971, Marx became increasingly frail, physically and mentally, as a result of a succession of minor [[Cerebrovascular Accident|strokes]] and other health issues.<ref name="pov1">[http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL238.htm Point of View] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021181758/http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL238.htm |date=October 21, 2006 }}, Mark Evanier, 1999-06-04, retrieved, August 9, 2007.</ref><ref name="pov2">[http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL239.htm Point of View] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717220054/http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL239.htm |date=July 17, 2012 }}, Mark Evanier, 1999-06-11, retrieved, August 9, 2007.</ref> In 1972, largely at the behest of his companion [[Erin Fleming]], Marx appeared in a live one-man show at [[Carnegie Hall]] that was later released as a double album, ''[[An Evening with Groucho]]'', on [[A&M Records]]. He also made an appearance in 1973 on a short-lived variety show hosted by [[Bill Cosby]]. Fleming's influence on Marx was controversial. Some close to Marx believed that she did much to revive his popularity, and the relationship with a younger woman boosted his ego and vitality.<ref name=Opinionator/> Others described her as a [[Svengali]], exploiting an increasingly frail Marx in pursuit of her own acting career. Marx's children, particularly his son Arthur, felt strongly that Fleming was pushing their ailing father beyond his physical and mental limits.<ref name="pov2" /> Writer [[Mark Evanier]] concurred.<ref name="pov3">[http://www.newsfromme.com/2004/03/07/erin/ Erin Fleming, R.I.P.], Mark Evanier, March 7, 2004</ref>

On April 2, 1974, at the [[46th Academy Awards|46th annual Academy Awards]], [[Jack Lemmon]] presented Marx with an honorary [[Academy Award|Oscar]] to a standing ovation. The award honored Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo as well: "in recognition of his brilliant creativity and for the unequalled achievements of the Marx Brothers in the art of motion picture comedy". Noticeably frail, Marx took a bow for his deceased brothers, saying that "I wish that Harpo and Chico could be here to share with me this great honor." (Zeppo, still alive, was in the audience). He also praised the late [[Margaret Dumont]] as a great straight woman who never understood any of his jokes.<ref name="Cavett19690613"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1YsAxiiH98 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/a1YsAxiiH98| archive-date=October 30, 2021|title=Groucho Marx receiving an Honorary Oscar® |website=Oscars.org |date=November 24, 2009 |access-date=September 25, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Marx's final appearance was a brief sketch with [[George Burns]] in the [[Bob Hope]] television special ''Joys'' (a parody of the 1975 movie ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'') in March 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_T3H-DS1w&?t=18m19s| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210182051/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_T3H-DS1w&?t=18m19s| archive-date=February 10, 2017| title=Bob Hope Special: Bob Hope in ''Joys'' |publisher=Hope Enterprises |date=March 5, 1976 |access-date=November 10, 2016}}</ref> His health continued to decline the following year; when his younger brother [[Gummo Marx|Gummo]] died at age 83 on April 21, 1977, Marx was never told for fear of eliciting still further deterioration of his health.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gummo Marx, Managed Comedians |quote=[[Palm Springs, California]], April 21, 2007 ([[Reuters]]) Gummo Marks, an original member of the Marx brothers' comedy team, died here today. He was 84 years old. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Marx maintained his irrepressible sense of humor to the very end, however. George Fenneman, his radio and TV announcer, good-natured foil, and lifelong friend, often related a story of one of his final visits to Marx's home: When the time came to end the visit, Fenneman lifted Marx from his wheelchair, put his arms around his torso, and began to "walk" the frail comedian backwards across the room towards his bed. As he did, he heard a weak voice in his ear: "Fenneman," whispered Marx, "you always were a lousy dancer."<ref>{{cite web |agency=Associated Press |title=George Fenneman, Sidekick To Groucho Marx, Dies at 77 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/05/us/george-fenneman-sidekick-to-groucho-marx-dies-at-77.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=June 21, 2010 |date=June 5, 1997}}</ref> When a nurse approached him with a thermometer during his final hospitalization, explaining that she wanted to see if he had a temperature, he responded, "Don't be silly—everybody has a temperature."<ref name=Opinionator>"They Dressed like Groucho" [http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/they-dressed-like-groucho/ NY Times Opinionator (April 20, 20120] Retrieved January 5, 2012.</ref> Actor [[Elliott Gould]] recalled a similar incident: "I recall the last time I saw Groucho, he was in the hospital, and he had tubes in his nose and what have you," he said. "And when he saw me, he was weak, but he was there; and he put his fingers on the tubes and played them like it was a clarinet. Groucho played the tubes for me, which brings me to tears."<ref>Famed Actor Elliott Gould Recalls Groucho Marx's Final Days (July 10, 2013). [http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2013/07/10/famed-actor-elliott-gould-recalls-groucho-marxs-final-days/ ''Compassion & Choices'' Magazine archive] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106051519/http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2013/07/10/famed-actor-elliott-gould-recalls-groucho-marxs-final-days/ |date=January 6, 2014 }}. Retrieved January 5, 2014.</ref>