The Secret Word Is Groucho

by Groucho Marx and Hector Arce

Book Overview

A book written by Groucho Marx about his show "You Bet Your Life." This book is autographed by Groucho Marx This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399116907
• ISBN13: 9780399116902
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 217 Pages
• Weight: 0.04 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Groucho had little if anything to do with this

This book was published when Groucho was 85, somewhat senile, and in the clutches of a manager trying to milk all she could from his wealth and his name and who was later ordered to repay $472,000 to his estate. It is "as told to" an author whose meager output was mostly cut-and-paste hatchet jobs on dead movie stars. The subject of the book is Groucho's quiz show "You Bet Your Life" and much of it consists of reminiscences from the production crew of the show, whether provided for the book or borrowed from other sources impossible to guess at this date. Some of this is interesting if repetitious. Parts are so unflattering to Groucho that it's almost impossible he would have included them in a book he actually wrote, or read. The passages supposedly written by Groucho are either taken from his earlier writings or written in a flat style bearing no resemblance to his. You might find some of the other people's segments of interest if you want to learn how the quiz show was produced but that's about it.