Customer Reviews

Reel Values TV Classics, Vol. 8 (You Bet Your Life / The Red Skelton Show)

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This value-priced DVD is indeed a good buy....especially when you consider you're actually getting one more episode than advertised on the packaging!

There are supposed to be 6 individual episodes on these "Reel Values" DVD titles (3 of each show featured). But, on this volume, there's an extra (4th) installment of Groucho Marx' "You Bet Your Life" TV quiz show included. A nice surprise.

All 4 of the Groucho episodes are winners in my book. Very funny stuff, as Groucho chats with his contestants and gets in several zingers along the way. Many times, a Groucho "contestant" on the show turns out to be someone of some distinction (or a soon-to-be-famous face). Within these four Groucho outings on this disc, we're introduced to Mr. Michael Wayne (and his lovely new bride), as well as a Mr. Albert Hibbs. As it turns out, Mr. Wayne is revealed to be the son of Hollywood icon John Wayne; while Mr. Hibbs (in years to come after this late 1950s Groucho appearance) would become known to many as "The Voice Of JPL" [the Jet Propulsion Laboratory].

As fate would have it, both Wayne and Hibbs passed away within 37 days of one another, in early 2003.

For me, these 4 Groucho Marx "You Bet Your Life" episodes are, alone, worth the inexpensive price of this DVD. But there's also 3 humorous episodes of "The Red Skelton Show" to top off the disc. One particularly funny show co-stars guest Vincent Price.

All-in-all a worthy TV-on-DVD disc for the Digital Library.