The Marx Brothers
TV programs

graphic
(using Google)

This list was compiled by Jay Hopkins and transferred to electronic form by Frank Bland. I only made some updates. Read what Jay and Frank wrote about these listings.


[1948]  [1949]  [1950]  [1951]  [1952]  [1953]  [1954]  [1955]  [1956]  [1957]  [1958]  [1959]  [1960]  [1960's]  [1961]  [1962]  [1963]  [1964]  [1965]  [1966]  [1967]  [1968]  [1969]  [1970]  [1971]  [1972]  [1973]  [1974]  [1975]  [1976]  [1977]  [1979]  [1980s-90s]  [1982]  [1985]  [1986]  [1987]  [1990]  [1993]  [1997]  [2012] 

1948

[Top of list]

5 Oct 1948 - Texaco Star Theater
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Milton Berle, Chico Marx, Joe Phillips, Lane Acrobatic Troupe


1949

[Top of list]

17 Jul 1949 - Popsicle Parade of Stars
CBS, 7:45 pm
Groucho Marx

5 Dec 1949 - You Bet Your Life
60 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
TV pilot


1950

[Top of list]

9 Jan 1950 - Silver Theatre
Papa Romani
CBS, 8:00 pm, 30 min
Chico Marx, William Frayley, Margaret Hamilton, Conrad Nagel (host)
Allen Eyles gives Jan 19, 1950 as the day of broadcast with a repeat on May 15, 1950; Chico as father of a family who gets a telephone for the first time

5 Oct 1950 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
The first television season. (39 shows, until 6/28/51)

9 Oct 1950 - College Bowl
ABC, 9:00 pm, 30 min
Chico Marx, Joan Holloway, Tommy Morton, Paula Huston, Lee Lindsay
In Chico's only TV series, he's the proprietor of an ice-cream parlor and college hang-out. (26 shows, until March 26). Other sources give 2 Oct as first air date.


1951

[Top of list]

4 Oct 1951 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
The second television season. (37 shows, until 6/12/52)

11 Nov 1951 - Comedy Hour
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Donald O'Connor, Harpo Marx, Yvonne DeCarlo, Roger Price


1952

[Top of list]

6 Jan 1952 - Comedy Hour
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Donald O'Connor, Harpo Marx

20 Jan 1952 - U.S. Royal Showcase
presented by United States Rubber Company
NBC, 30 min.

Harpo Marx, George Abbott ("Master of Ceremonies"), Guy Mitchell ("Hit Singer of the Week"), Guy Raymond ("A Great Young TV Comic"), Gordon Jenkins ("Directing the Orchestra"), Rosemary Clooney, Ben Grauer (announcer), Bert Lahr

20 Jan 1952 - Celebrity Time
CBS, 10:00 pm
Jane Wilson, Herman Hickman, Conrad Nagel (host), guests: Diana Lynn, Chico Marx

1 Feb 1952 - RCA-Victor Show
NBC, 8:00 pm
Ezio Pinza, Harpo Marx, Helen Gallagher, Robert Fortier

30 Mar 1952 - Colgate Comedy Hour
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Tony Martin, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx

18 Sep 1952 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Third television season. (39 shows, until 6/11/53)

27 Sep 1952 - All Star Review (?)
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Martha Raye, Rocky Graziano, Rise Stevens, Cesare Romero, Groucho Marx

4 Oct 1952 - All Star Revue
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Phil Harris, Jimmy Durante, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Dinah Shore, George Jessel, Harpo Marx, Rosalind Russell
Opening the Burbank Studio.

11 Oct 1952 - All Star Revue
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Tallulah Bankhead, Groucho Marx, Ethel Barrymore.


1953

[Top of list]

21 Mar 1953 - All Star Ice Revue
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Sonya Henie, Harpo Marx, Chorus of 32 dancing skaters

4 Jul 1953 - Saturday Night Revue (?)
NBC, 9:00 pm, 90 min
Hoagy Carmichael, Harpo Marx

17 Sep 1953 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Fourth television season. (39 shows, until 6/10/54)

16 Nov 1953 - Season's Greetings
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Eddie Albert, Robert Montgomery, Ezio Pinza, Harpo Marx, Betty and Jane Kean, Paul Winchell, Robert Shaw Ensemble
color.


1954

[Top of list]

9 Jan 1954 - Spike Jones Show
NBC, 8:00 pm, 30 min
Harpo Marx
Available recording: WB

31 Jan 1954 - Colgate Comedy Hour
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Eddie Cantor (host), Groucho Marx, Wally Cox, Billy Daniel, Connie Russel, Ricky Vera, Marilyn Cantor
Celebrating Cantor's 62nd birthday.

28 Mar 1954 - General Foods 25th Anniversary Show
A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
Carried on all three networks, 8:00 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx
Groucho engaged in a round of "You Bet Your Life" with the guests of honor
Available recording: WB

9 Apr 1954 - Person To Person
CBS, 10:30 pm, 30 min
Edward R. Murrow (host), Groucho Marx, James P. Mitchell
Groucho rides down the stairs on his inculator, insults his housekeeper, shows his incompetence at the pool table, and tours his backyard garden, accompanied by Mr. Murrow's unaccountable hysterics. Groucho and Melinda sing, "You're Just in Love."

16 Sep 1954 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Fifth television season. (41 shows, until 6/23/55)

24 Sep 1954 - Today Show
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Arthur Marx discusses his book "Life With Groucho"

24 Oct 1954 - Colgate Comedy Hour
Revenge With Music
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Harpo Marx, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Ray Middleton, Ilona Massey, Edward Everett Horton, Jerry Colonna

18 Nov 1954 - Shower Of Stars
Entertainment On Wheels
CBS, 8:30 pm, 60 min
William Lundigan (host), Betty Grable, Harry James, Eddie Mayehoff, Danny Thomas, James Dunn, Michael O'Shea, William Bishop, Gil Stratton Jr., Rochelle Hudson, Ed Wynn, Groucho Marx
color. Groucho: "I had one line which was 'Let's get something that we can all enjoy.' The idea was that Betty Grable and Harry James were sitting in the front seat of a DeSoto and I was hiding in the back, on the floor. Thus when Betty Grable pressed the radio dial again, tuning to my show...the producer asked me to eliminate the line...the big surprise was supposed to be me bouncing into the scene...it occurred to me that in Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers I had about 90 sides of dialog. Here I had only one line and they even clipped that. Well, I guess that's show business." -- The Groucho Letters, 1967. The scene he describes appears in "Shower of Stars" of Jan 18, 1955

7 Dec 1954 - Art Linkletter's House Party
CBS, 2:30 pm, 30 min
Jack Slattery (sub-host), Arthur Marx

18 Dec 1954 - The Christophers
Syndicated, 30 min
Father James Keller (host), Harpo Marx

18 Dec 1954 - Look TV Awards
NBC, 8:30 pm, 30 min
Steve Allen (host)
Look Magazine presents an award to Groucho Marx and others.


1955

[Top of list]

18 Jan 1955 - Shower Of Stars
CBS, 60 min
Betty Grable, Harry James, and Ed Wynn, and about a half-dozen guests who made cameos, including Groucho.
The show bordered on being an infomercial for Chrysler products. Groucho's appearance was VERY brief! In one scene, Grable and James are taking a new car out for a test drive, and they turn on the radio just in time to hear the opening of a YBYL broadcast. Just as George Fenneman says "The One.. The Only.. Groucho!" Groucho pops up from the back seat and says something like "Hey! That's Me!"
Available recording: WB

5 Apr 1955 - Jack Benny Program
CBS, 7:30 pm, 30 min
Groucho Marx
A group of dancers appear as Groucho. Groucho and Jack then reenact "You Bet Your Life"

1 May 1955 - Swift Show Wagon
NBC, 7:30 pm
Horace Heidt (host), Groucho Marx, Doodles Weaver, Johnny Standley, Ralph Sigwald

9 May 1955 - I Love Lucy
CBS, 9:00 pm, 30 min
Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, Harpo Marx.
Lucy tells her New York friend that she's been "hobnobbing" with Hollywood stars. When her friend shows up in California, Lucy is forced to carry on the charade by masquerading herself as various stars, including Harpo. Problems arise when the real Harpo Marx shows up. The show ends with Harpo and Lucy re-enacting "the mirror scene."

19 Jun 1955 - Sunday Spectacular
Remember 1938
NBC, 7:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx (host), Ethel Barrymore, Oscar Levant, Douglass "Wrong-way" Corrigan, Jonathan Winters, Sue Carlson, H.V. Kaltenborn

8 Aug 1955 - The Name's The Same
ABC, 30 min.
Chico Marx (guest)

29 Sep 1955 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Sixth television season. (39 shows, until 6/21/56)

9 Oct 1955 - Frontier
Show Biz: An Entertainment History
NBC, 7:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx (narrator), Rosemary Clooney, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Beatrice Kay, Buster Keaton, Eartha Kitt, Bert Lahr, Melinda Marx. Art Linkletter, host
color. Show business depicted from 1902 to the present. Groucho Marx is featured in a segment which depicts the Ziegfeld Influence. Groucho discusses events of the year and sings, "September Song."

14 Dec 1955 - This is your life
A testimonial to H. Lloyd
NBC
Groucho, who incidentally happens to sit at the restaurant table next to Harold, keeps interfering (and trying to advertise DeSotos) when host Ralph Edwards drags Harold into the show.


1956

[Top of list]

29 Jan 1956 - Sunday Spectacular
Inside Beverly Hills
NBC, 7:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Jimmy Durante, James Stewart, Sam Goldwyn, Tony Martin, Peter Lawford, Sheldon Leonard, Helen O'Connell, Eleanor Powell, Harold Lloyd, Leo Durocher, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Cornel Wilde, Bob Cummings, others. Art Linkletter (host)
color. In honor of Beverly Hills' 50th anniversary, stars' homes are shown along with their owners. Groucho is seen as "The Squire of Beverly Hills" in a sketch and is joined by daughter Melinda for "Anything You Can Do," Groucho also meets George Raft in a visit to the "Stars' Barber Shop."

21 Feb 1956 - Milton Berle Show
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Eddie Cantor, Jimmy Durante, Cyd Charisse, Dan Dailey, Peggy Lee, The Four Aces, Groucho Marx, Eden Marx
color. Groucho and wife Eden are seen on remote from the Sands Hotel in connection with promotion for the film, "Meet Me in Las Vegas."

4 Mar 1956 - NBC Comedy Hour
NBC
The show included a clip from "You Bet Your Life" with the Mexican contestant Ramiro Gonzales Gonzales

17 Apr 1956 - Martha Raye Show
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Jean Pierre Aumont, Harpo Marx, Rocky Graziano, Rise Stevens, Jim Hearn, Duke Snyder, Wes Westrum

14 Jun 1956 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Harry Ruby is a contestant.

27 Sep 1956 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Seventh television season. (39 shows, until 6/20/57)

9 Oct 1956 - See You At The Polls
NBC
Groucho Marx.
Film of Groucho in this pre-election special

15 Dec 1956 - Perry Como Show
NBC, 8:00 pm
Groucho Marx, Gina Lolobrigida, Johnny Ray, Jo Stafford, Melinda Marx, Eden Marx
color. Celebrating NBC 's 30th Anniversary

30 Dec 1956 - Steve Allen Show
NBC, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx
Filmed interview of Groucho at the opening of Around The World In 80 Days.


1957

[Top of list]

3 Jan 1957 - Playhouse 90
Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses
CBS, 9:30 pm, 90 min
Barry Sullivan, Marilyn Maxwell, Stu Erwin, Harpo Marx, Wallace Ford, John Carradine, Kenny Delmar. John Carr, host

18 Feb 1957 - Tonight: America After Dark
NBC, 11:15 pm, 105 min
Jack Lescouli (host), Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo Marx
The team's last appearance together on television.

1 Mar 1957 - Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (?)
NBC
Harpo Marx

4 Mar 1957 - Art Linkletter's House Party
CBS, 2:30 pm, 30 min
Chico Marx, Perc Westmore

8 Mar 1957 - Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (?)
NBC
Harpo Marx

26 Sep 1957 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Eighth television season. (39 shows, until 6/19/58)

3 Oct 1957 - Truth Or Consequences
Groucho Marx


1958

[Top of list]

3 Jan 1958 - Person To Person
CBS, 10:30 pm, 30 min
Edward R. Murrow, host. Harpo Marx and family, Henry Knox Sherrill
Harpo introduces his family in their Palm Springs, California home, El Rancho. Harpo gesticulates and wife Susan translates verbally when his motions are not enough. Harpo plays "My Blue Heaven." with his son Bill.
Available recording: Distributed by Video Images, Box C, Sandy Hook, CT 06482.

26 Jan 1958 - The Last Word
CBS, 3:30 pm
Dr. Bergan Evans, John Mason Brown, hosts; Harriet Van Horne, Groucho Marx, guests

13 Feb 1958 - Playhouse 90
No Time At All
CBS, 9:30 pm, 90 min
Bill Lundigan, Betsy Palmer, Keenan Wynn, Cliff Edwards, Chico Marx, Buster Keaton, Sylvia Sidney, Florence Hallop, Jane Greer, Richard Crane, "Parkyakarkus" Einstein
On the night flight from Miami to New York, an airliner develops electrical trouble. In cameo portrayals, we see the reactions of friends and families to the possible fate of the passengers.

19 Apr 1958 - Dupont Show Of The Month
The Red Mill
CBS, 8:00 pm, 90 min
Shirley Jones, Donald O'Connor, Evelyn Rudie, Harpo Marx
Musical comedy about a small Dutch town's legend of "The Red Mill," and its effect on the local inn-keepers and the American actors passing through the town. Color.

11 Jul 1958 - Today Show
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Chico Marx is interviewed and performs

21 Sep 1958 - The Steve Allen Show
60 min
Steve Allen (host), Groucho Marx, Peter Lawford, Lee Marvin, Bob Hope
Available recording: WB

25 Sep 1958 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Ninth television season. (39 shows, until 6/18/59)

12 Nov 1958 - Jack Paar Show (?)
NBC, 11:15 pm, 105 min
Oscar Levant, Billy DeWolfe, Groucho Marx

19 Nov 1958 - Jack Paar Show (?)
NBC, 11:15 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx


1959

[Top of list]

1959 - The Deputy Seraph
Chico, Harpo and Groucho Marx
This once again teamed Harpo and Chico; this time as two angels whose
Available recording: 2002-02-12

14 Jan 1959 - Kraft Music Hall
NBC, 9:00 pm, 30 min
Milton Berle, host; Mahalia Jackson, Harpo Marx, Virginia Gray
color. "Harpo is questioned about his late arrival by Uncle Miltie and describes a vertical in-and-out shape. Uncle Miltie asks if Harpo could get him one and didn't exactly have in mind the Coke bottle Harpo brought back. Along with this echo of past mime scenes, Harpo gives his leg to his host, plays around hungrily during a "Kraft" recipe commercial, and makes faces through his harp that had a studio audience roaring while Berle was on camera." -- The Marx Bros.: Their World of Comedy, 1966.

8 Mar 1959 - G.E. Theater
The Incredible Jewel Robbery
CBS, 9:00 pm, 30 min
Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Groucho Marx, Benny Rubin, Joy Rogers, Ronald Reagan (host)
The last appearance together of the three brothers on TV. Harpo and Chico plot to pull of a jewel heist. Groucho makes a cameo appearance at the end. CBS explained it: "If you watch the show you'll see a familiar face equipped with mustache and leer. Because of his contract terms, his name can't be mentioned, but he is not Jerry Colonna."

Apr 1959 -
British TV
"Chico appeared on a British variety show some time after THE INCREDIBLE JEWEL ROBBERY. I believe this was when he landed in England in 1959, only to experience severe stomach pains, forcing him to cancel a proposed tour just two days after he arrived. Chico looks terrible in the bit (using Harpo's Coke bottle gag for the announcer) but plays "Listen to the Mockingbird" (as in GO WEST) with the old flair. Can't set the date on this, but the opening frames of the show feature photos of Chico in the policeman's outfit that he wore in INCREDIBLE JEWEL ROBBERY. The above footage is excerpted in the Disney Channel bio on the Marxes aired several years ago." (Edward D. Watz)

12 Jun 1959 - Jack Paar Show
NBC, 11:15 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx, Johnnie Lee McFadden, Charlie Weaver, Palmer and Nelson

3 Sep 1959 - Today Show (?)
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Groucho Marx

15 Sep 1959 - Jack Paar Show
NBC, 11:15 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx

16 Sep 1959 - I've Got A Secret
CBS, 9:30 pm, 30 min
Garry Moore, moderator; panelists: Bill Cullen, Monique Van Vooren Henry Morgan, Betsy Palmer; Groucho Marx, guest

20 Sep 1959 - What's My Line?
CBS, 10:30 pm, 30 min
John Daly (host), Groucho Marx (guest panelist), Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Claudette Colbert (mystery guest)

28 Sep 1959 - You Bet Your Life
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
Tenth television season. (40 shows, until 6/30/60)

24 Oct 1959 - Dinah Shore Chevy Show
NBC, 9:00 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx, Gwen Verdon, Ingmar Johansson, Carl Reiner
color. Groucho and Dinah sing, "Peesie, Weesie."

4 Dec 1959 - Jack Paar Show
NBC, 11:15 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx, Hans Conreid, Elsa Lanchester


1960

[Top of list]

20 Mar 1960 - G.E. Theater
Do Not Disturb
CBS, 9:00 pm, 30 min
Arthur: David Wayne, Irene Martin: Peggy Knudsen, Steve: Gil Rogers
Written by Arthur Marx and Mannie Mannheim. Adapted from Marx's novel, Not As A Crocodile. "Arthur Martin makes his living at home, writing articles for a monthly magazine. But working at home has its disadvantages: the family hardly ever leaves him at peace."

17 Apr 1960 - Twentieth Century
Paris In The Twenties
CBS, 7:30 pm, 30 min
Walter Cronkite, narrator
Includes footage of Harpo on the French Riviera.

29 Apr 1960 - Bell Telephone Hour
The Mikado
NBC, 8:30 pm, 60 min
Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner: Groucho Marx, Katisha: Helen Traubel, Mikado: Dennis King, Pooh-Bah: Stanley Holloway, Nanki-poo: Robert Rounseville, Yum-Yum: Barbara Merster, Peep-Bo: Melinda Marx, Pitti-Sing: Sharon Randall. Adapted by Martyn Green
color. Groucho fulfilled a life-long desire and performed Gilbert and Sullivan.
Available recording: WB

22 Sep 1960 - The Groucho Show
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), George Fenneman (announcer)
You Bet Your Life's eleventh television season. (38 shows, until 6/29/61)

16 Oct 1960 - Championship Bridge
ABC, 3:00 pm, 30 min
Charles Goren, host. Chico Marx and Ivan Erdos are pitted against John Gerber and Edith Kemp
Predictably, Chico lost.

6 Dec 1960 - Open End
NBC, 10:00 pm, 60 min
David Susskind, host. Joey Bishop, George Burns, Jimmy Durante, Buddy Hackett, Groucho Marx
Humor and such. Pilot for "Happy Talk."

22 Dec 1960 - June Allyson Show
Silent Panic
CBS, 10:30 pm, 30 min
Harpo Marx, Ernest Truex, Bert Freed, John Banner, Bill Marx ("young stranger"), Henry Beckman, Lew Gallo, David Manley
"Dummy, a deaf-mute, performs as a mechanical man in a department store window during the Christmas Season. A murder takes place in the street and Dummy is the only witness." Harpo's son Bill makes his acting debut on this program.


1960's

[Top of list]

1960's - What do you want?
"What Do You Want?" was an effort to revive, yet again, the success of "You Bet Your Life."
Available recording: 2002-02-12


1961

[Top of list]

29 Jan 1961 - Chevy Show
Swinging At the Summit
NBC, 9:00 pm, 60 min
Louis Armstrong, Harpo Marx, Kay Starr, Tony Bennett, and George Shering with his jazz group
Portraying United States Ambassadors of Music, each demonstrates his own specialty.

23 Apr 1961 - Celebrity Golf
NBC, 5:00 pm, 30 min
Sam Sneed, host; Harpo Marx, guest; Harry Von Zell, announcer
Harpo Marx plays against Sam Sneed at the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas. Marx plays with a nine-stroke handicap.

23 Apr 1961 - Ed Sullivan Show
CBS, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Harpo Marx, the musical-comedy team of Dick Haymes and Fran Jeffries, Richardi the Magician, the dance team of Braschia and Tybee, comedian Timmie Rogers, and 13-year-old singer Marison

2 May 1961 - Play Your Hunch
NBC, 10:30 am, 30 min
Merv Griffin, moderator. Harpo Marx, guest
Harpo brings the panel a problem.

2 May 1961 - Dave Garroway Today Show
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Jack Lescoulie, Frank Blair; Harpo Marx, guest
Harpo promotes his book

3 May 1961 - I've Got A Secret
CBS, 9:30 pm, 30 min
Garry Moore, moderator; Panelists: Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson, Henry Morgan, Johnny Carson; Harpo Marx, guest
Harpo showed up to plug his book (as he did the next week on YBYL) and played a little Q&A charades with the panel

8 May 1961 - Here's Hollywood
NBC, 4:30 pm, 30 min
Harpo Marx, Dick Davalos, guests

11 May 1961 - The Groucho Show
NBC, 10:00 pm, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host), Harpo Marx
Harpo Marx makes his only appearance on his brother's quiz show.

14 May 1961 - Candid Camera
CBS, 10:00 pm, 30 min
Arthur Godfrey, Allan Funt, hosts. Harpo Marx, guest
Harpo Marx is stationed inside a Coke machine. As customers insert their change, Harpo comes across with the proper beverage, then offers some ice cubes too.

25 May 1961 - Art Linkletter's House Party
CBS, 2:30 pm, 30 min
Jack Linkletter, sub-host; Harpo Marx, guest

8 Jun 1961 - The Groucho Show
NBC, 30 min
Groucho Marx (host)
Harry Ruby is a contestant.

25 Oct 1961 - DuPont Show Of The Week
Merrily We Roll Along
NBC, 10:00 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx (narrator)
Groucho Marx is the on-and-off screen narrator for this view of Americans getting off their horses and into critterless carriages.
Available recording: WB

12 Nov 1961 - DuPont Show Of The Week
The Wonderful World Of Toys
NBC, 10:00 pm, 60 min
Harpo Marx, Carol Burnett, Merv Griffin, Edie Adams, Audrey Meadows, Mitch Miller, Eva Gabor, Elsa Maxwell, Milton Berle
Harpo Marx and Carol Burnett conduct a tour of Central Park, where they discover an array of toys. Musical highlights include, "Autumn Leaves," by Harpo Marx.


1962

[Top of list]

11 Jan 1962 - Art Linkletter's House Party
CBS, 2:30 pm, 30 min
Jackson Wheeler, Jr. and Patty Harmon, guests
Wheeler & Harmon assist Groucho on his new series, "Tell It To Groucho."

11 Jan 1962 - Tell It To Groucho
CBS, 9:00 pm, 30 min
An attempt to revive "You Bet Your Life" on another network. (20 shows, until 5/31/62)

14 Jan 1962 - G.E. Theater
The Hold-Out
CBS, 9:00 pm, 30 min
Groucho Marx, Dennis Hopper, Brooke Hayward, Fred Clark; Ronald Reagan, host
Groucho plays a straight dramatic role. Teenaged Margie Graham and Fred Judson want to get married and ask their parents for their permission and financial support. Margie's father answers with a firm "no."

20 Aug 1962 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx hosts E.G. Marshall, Joanie Sommers, Charlie Mann, Harry Ruby, Gale Del Corrall
color

21 Aug 1962 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx hosts Lillian Roth (from "Animal Crackers"), Barbra Streisand, Buddy Greco, Henry Gibson, Adele Kenyon
color

22 Aug 1962 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx hosts Martyn Green, Barry Sisters, Sonya Cordeau, Bobby Breen.
color

23 Aug 1962 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx hosts Salvatore Baccalone, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joe Twerp, Chester the Chimp
color

24 Aug 1962 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 105 min
Groucho Marx hosts Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Della Reese, Max Gordon, Barbara Hunt, Lillian Briggs, Al Stevens and his talking dog
color

25 Sep 1962 - Red Skelton Show
CBS, 8:30 pm, 60 min
Harpo Marx, Mahalia Jackson, Virginia Grey, Billy Gray, guests
Red initiates the "silent spot" with Harpo as his guests. Harpo plays "Guardian Angels," his own composition.

1 Oct 1962 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho flies in to introduce new host Johnny Carson, and also guest-hosts for 15 minutes
color.

20 Oct 1962 - Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
The Musicale
ABC, 8:30 pm, 30 min
Fess Parker, Sandra Warner, Red Foley, Stan Erwin, Emil Genest, Ben Wright; Harpo Marx plays himself
"The day after Senator Smith shares his table with a French-speaking stranger, the papers report that he was lunching with his good friend, pianist Pierre LeGrand. The White House asks Smith to book LeGrand for an official musicale."


1963

[Top of list]

13 Oct 1963 - What's My Line
30 Min.
John Daly (host)
Groucho is the mystery guest

21 Oct 1963 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Johnny Carson, host; Groucho Marx, Felicia Saunders, Pamela Mason, guests.

21 Oct 1963 - Today Show
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Hugh Downs, Jack Lescoulie, Pat Fontaine, Frank Blair; Groucho Marx, guest.
Groucho Marx talks about his new book, "Memoirs of a Mangy Lover."

28 Oct 1963 - I've Got A Secret
CBS, 8:00 pm, 30 min
Gary Moore, moderator; panelists: Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan, Bess Myerson; Groucho Marx, guest

31 Oct 1963 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Johnny Carson, host; Denise Darcel, Groucho Marx, Lisa Charrel, The Hi-Lo's.

8 Nov 1963 - Today Show
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Hugh Downs, Jack Lescoulie, Pat Fontaine, Frank Blair; Groucho Marx, guest.

10 Nov 1963 - Open End
PBS, 6:00 pm, 120 min
Groucho Marx substitutes for David Susskind in hosting Julie Newmar, Arlene Dahl, and Georgia Brown.

23 Dec 1963 - Art Linkletter's House Party
CBS, 2:30 pm, 30 min
Groucho Marx, guest
Groucho discusses his book, "Memoirs of a Mangy Lover."


1964

[Top of list]

17 Feb 1964 - Your First Impression
NBC, 12:00 pm, 30 min
Phyllis Diller, Dennis James, Groucho Marx
Groucho is the mystery celebrity, then joins panel.

14 Mar 1964 - The Hollywood Palace
ABC, 9:30 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx (guest-host), Jose Greco & his troupe, Morrie Amsterdam & Rose Marie, Andre Fahon Puppets, Bertha the Elephant, Jennie Smith, Lee Allen, Gilbert Becand, Dee Hartford
Groucho Marx stars in a musical sketch about a doctor with a bevy of assistants who look more like chorus girls than nurses. Dee Hartford plays Margaret Dumont's part in "Dr. Hackenbush" with her brother-in-law.
Available recording: WB

21 Mar 1964 - Ed Sullivan Show
CBS, 8:00 pm, 60 min
Guests: Tony Bennett and Connie Francis, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Woody Herman & his band, Pat Buttram, singer Melinda Marx, comedienne Jean Carol, unicyclist Claus Beckers, the Texas Boys' Choir

13 Apr 1964 - Steve Allen Show
CBS, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, guest

24 Apr 1964 - Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater
Time For Elizabeth
NBC, 8:30 pm, 60 min
Ed Davis: Groucho Marx, Kay Davis: Kathryn Ames, Anne: Carole Wells, Richard Coburn: John Considine, Walter Schaeffer: Roland Winters. Bob Hope, host
Groucho Marx stars in the TV adaptation of the 1948 Broadway play he co-authored with Norman Krasna. After enduring a pompous and tyrannical boss for 28 years, Ed Davis has a brief argument with him, gets fired, and decides to retire to Florida with his wife. Groucho and his wife Eden (who plays femme fatale Vivian Morgan) make their first dramatic TV appearance together.
Available recording: WB

27 Jul 1964 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, guest-host; Pearl Baily, guest

28 Jul 1964 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, guest-host; Bill Cosby, Melinda Marx, guests

29 Jul 1964 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, guest-host; Victor Borge, Phyllis Diller, Linda Bennett, guests

30 Jul 1964 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, guest-host; Sam Levenson, Roger Miller, guests

31 Oct 1964 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, guest-host; Phil Foster, Nancy Itwan
"Groucho goes down to the sea in quips as he winds up his week as substitute host."

15 Nov 1964 - What's My Line?
Groucho Marx, Anne Bancroft (mystery guest), Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Arlene Francis
Available recording: WB

19 Nov 1964 - Les Crane Show
midnight
Groucho Marx, guest.


1965

[Top of list]

16 Jan 1965 - The Hollywood Palace
ABC, 9:30 pm, 60 min
Bing Crosby, host; guests: Beverly Garland & Frank McHugh, King Sisters & their children, ballet dancers Jacques d'Ambroise & Catherine Mazzo, comic Corbett Monica, the acrobatic Three Rebertes, plate-spinner Leonardo
This is the first aniversary show and Bing is joined by former hosts George Burns, Liberace, Cyd Charisse, Tony Martin, Gene Barry, Ed Wynn, Debbie Reynolds, Groucho Marx, Buddy Ebsen, Phil Silvers, and Bette Davis in a birthday skit.

17 Apr 1965 - The Hollywood Palace
ABC, 9:30 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx (guest-host), Margaret Dumont, Gordon & Sheila MacRae, Melinda Marx, Shecky Greene, African Folk Singer Miriam Makeba, Flamenco dancer Lydia Torea & her troupe, The Four Kents, and Scottish comic Don Saunders.
Groucho and Margaret Dumont, who died shortly (Mar 8) after the show was taped (Feb 26), perform their classic "Captain Spaulding" number from "Animal Crackers."
Available recording: WB

17 Jun 1965 - Groucho
Weekly TV quiz show in Britain
Groucho Marx (host)
Until July 15.


1966

[Top of list]

8 Jul 1966 - Wayne and Shuster take an affectionate look at ....
The Marx Brothers
CBS, 52 min.
Canadian comedians Wayne and Shuster introduce scenes from the Paramount movies


1967

[Top of list]

9 Jan 1967 - I Dream of Jeannie
The Greatest Invention in the World
NBC, 8:30 pm, 30 min
Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, Hayden Rorke, Bill Daley, Barton MacLaine
Groucho Marx makes a cameo appearance at the close of the show as a favor to producer Sidney Sheldon.
Roger and Jeannie convince Tony to let Jeannie grant Roger a wish. The wish was that he would like to be the funniest person in the world. At that point he turns into ... Groucho, who hands Larry Hagman his cigar. "You hold this," he says to Larry, "and I'll hold this," at which point he reaches for Barbara Eden.

Available recording: WB

12 Apr 1967 - Today Show (?)
NBC, 7:00 am, 120 min
Groucho Marx, guest

13 Apr 1967 - The Tonight Show (?)
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Johnny Carson (host), Groucho Marx

16 Jun 1967 - The Dating Game
Groucho and Melinda Marx
A special show in honor of Father's Day. The first round had a sweet young thing asking questions of three fathers, who had to respond on behalf of their sons. The three fathers were bandleaders Les Brown and Charlie Barnet, and "Candid Camera" co-host Durwood Kirby. The second half featured the father of an eligible bachelorette who had to ask questions to three bachelors on her behalf. The young woman's name was Melinda Marx.
Available recording: WB

7 Jul 1967 - Firing Line
Is the World Funny?
PBS, 50 min.
Groucho is interviewed by the show's host William F. Buckley. A transcript can be downloaded here
(recorded on 07/07, transmission date unknown) DVD is available from amazon

14 Oct 1967 - Jackie Gleason Show
CBS, 7:30 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx, Joel Gray, Johnny Mathis, Louis Nye, Jane Morgan, June Taylor Dancers
Available recording: WB

13 Dec 1967 - Kraft Music Hall
NBC, 9:00 pm, 60 min
"A Taste of Funny." Groucho Marx hosts Dick Cavett, Soupy Sales, Burns & Schreiber, Clari & MacMahen


1968

[Top of list]

1968 - Here come the stars
Groucho Marx
George Jessel (host)
Television series directed by Dick Ross

21 Apr 1968 - The Tony Awards
NBC, 10:00 pm
Groucho Marx is one of the presenters

10 Jun 1968 - Here's Cavett
Segments from Dick Cavett's morning show
ABC
Dick Cavett, host; Groucho Marx, Bob Hope, Woody Allen, Pat McCormick, Jack Burns, Debbie Drake.

23 Oct 1968 - Kraft Music Hall
Johnny Carson Friars Roast
NBC, 9:00 pm, 60 min
Alan King (host), Groucho Marx, Dick Cavett, Ed McMahon, Ed Sullivan, Don Rickles, John Lindsay, Flip Wilson, Steve Allen

3 Dec 1968 - Julia
Farewell My Friend, Hello
NBC, 8:30 pm, 30 min
Diahann Carroll, Marc Copage, Lloyd Nolan, Eddie Quinlan, Lurene Tuttle
Groucho Marx appears as "Mr. Flywheel."


1969

[Top of list]

13 Jun 1969 - Dick Cavett Show
ABC, 10:00 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx, guest
Available recording: WB

20 Aug 1969 - The Tonight Show (?)
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Johnny Carson, host; Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Flip Wilson, The Friends of Distinction, guests

5 Sep 1969 - Dick Cavett Show
ABC, 10:00 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx, guest
Groucho Marx sings, "Hello, I Must Be Going," "Lydia," and "Her Petticoat Was Showing."

1 Nov 1969 - One Man Show
ABC, 10:30 pm
Groucho Marx, guest comedian


1970

[Top of list]

1970 - The Music Scene
PBS
David Steinberg, host; Groucho Marx, John Sebastian, guests.
Groucho sings "Show Me a Rose." Neil Sharrow notes: "The show 'Music Scene' (not 'The' Music Scene) was broadcast on ABC, not PBS."

20 Mar 1970 - Dick Cavett Show
ABC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, Shelly Winters and the cast of "Minnie's Boys," guests

20 Mar 1970 - The Tonight Show
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Johnny Carson, host; Charlie Manna, Jack Haley, Jr., Shelly Winters and the cast of "Minnie's Boys," guests

25 Mar 1970 - Dick Cavett Show
11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, Phyllis Newman, Joseph Goulden, guests.

30 Mar 1970 - Merv Griffin Show
Syndicated, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, Leonard Frey, Eloise Laws, Irwin Corey, guests.

7 Apr 1970 - Mad, Mad Comedians
ABC, 8:30 pm
Animated. Groucho Marx, Paul Frees, voices
Groucho Marx supplies his own voice for an animated version of the classic "Napoleon Scene," from "I'll Say She Is!"


1971

[Top of list]

1971 - David Frost Show
Syndicated, 60 min
Groucho Marx, guest.

8 Feb 1971 - The Hollywood Squares
NBC, 11:30 am, 30 min
Groucho Marx, Marty Allen, Wally Cox, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Karen Valentine, Eleanor Verdugo, Charlie Weaver, Vincent Price, guests; Peter Marshall, moderator
(Also 2/9, 2/10, 2/11, 2/12)

25 May 1971 - Dick Cavett Show
ABC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Groucho Marx, Truman Capote, Jim Fowler, guests
Groucho Marx sings, "Down Below," and "Show Me a Rose."

5 Jun 1971 - Celebrity Billiards (?)
PBS, 30 min
Groucho Marx vs. "Minnesota Fats."

20 Dec 1971 - Dick Cavett Show
ABC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Debbie Reynolds, Dan Rowan, Groucho Marx, Erin Fleming, guests


1972

[Top of list]

1972 - To Tell The Truth
Syndicated, 30 min
Garry Moore, moderator; panelists: Kitty Carlisle, Orson Bean, Peggy Cass, Bill Cullen; Arthur Marx, guest.
Three people claim to be "Son of Groucho." Groucho describes his son on a recording

8 Jul 1972 - Democratic National Telethon
ABC
Groucho Marx appears between 11:30 pm and 2:30 am.


1973

[Top of list]

19 Feb 1973 - The New Bill Cosby Show
CBS, 10:00 pm, 60 min
Groucho Marx, Sha Na Na, Erin Fleming, guests. Lola Falana, Susan Tolsky.
Groucho sings, "Hello, I Must Be Going," "Show Me a Rose," and "Lydia."


1974

[Top of list]

1974 - The Tonight Show (?)
NBC, 11:30 pm, 90 min
Bill Cosby, guest-host; guests included Groucho Marx, Foster Brooks.
This listing was provided by Neil Sharrow, who notes: "...I can't put an exact date on it...Groucho and Cosby make a couple of comments about Watergate, and it is clearly before Nixon's resignation, so it must be 1973 or 1974. Groucho also discusses his French medal of honor, and a book that he is working on that is 'the definitive story of the Marx Brothers.'"

15 Mar 1974 - Merv Griffin Show
90 min
Groucho Marx, Erin Fleming, Marvin Hamlisch, Kay Ballard, Orson Bean, guests. Syndicated,
Groucho and Erin Fleming sing "Dr. Hackenbush."

2 Apr 1974 - Academy Awards Show
NBC, 10:00 pm
Groucho Marx is presented an Oscar for his "brilliant creativity and for the unequalled achievements of the Marx Brothers in the art of motion picture comedy." Presentation is preceded by a sketch from "Minnie's Boys," and Marx Bros. film clips. Presented by Jack Lemmon on behalf of The Academy

2 May 1974 - Wide World Presents Dick Cavett
Tribute to Groucho Marx
11:30 pm, 90 min
Dick presents many highlights from Groucho's many appearances on his program.

12 Aug 1974 - Mike Douglas Show
Syndicated, 90m
Marvin Hamlisch, co-host; Groucho Marx, Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, DeFranco Family, Donna McKechnie, guests.
Groucho tells of the recent re-release of "Animal Crackers."

7 Oct 1974 - Tomorrow
NBC, midnight, 60 min
Tom Snyder, host; Arthur Marx, guest
Arthur Marx discusses his book on Martin & Lewis, and talks of life with Groucho.

20 Nov 1974 - Mike Douglas Show
Syndicated, 90 min
Richard Pryor, co-host; Joe Frazier, Sly Stone, Fanne Fox, George Fenneman, guests.
George Fenneman brings out-takes from "You Bet Your Life."


1975

[Top of list]

16 May 1975 - Playboy "Bunny of the Year" Contest
ABC, 1:30 am, 90 min
John Davidson, host; Groucho Marx, judge

19 May 1975 - The Emmy Awards
Groucho Marx & Lucille Ball present an award.


1976

[Top of list]

5 Mar 1976 - Bob Hope Special
Joys
NBC, 90 min
46 guest stars
Groucho Marx appears in sequences with George Burns and Billy Barty.

24 May 1976 - Merv Griffin Show
Syndicated, 90 min
"Salute to Ernie Kovacs." Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Groucho Marx, Dick Martin, Mickey Rooney, guests.
Groucho's last television appearance.


1977

[Top of list]

1977 - Kids' World
Film of Groucho Marx

2 Sep 1977 - Remembering Groucho
ABC, 9:30 pm, 30 min
Dick Cavett and Harry Reasoner
Cavett and Reasoner reflect on Groucho's comedy and show clips from Groucho's many appearances on "The Dick Cavett Show."


1979

[Top of list]

10 Aug 1979 - The Hollywood Greats
BBC One, 21:25
From BBC Archives: "Five profiles from the golden age of Hollywood written and presented-by Barry Norman: 'Groucho Marx'
with personal comments from Zeppo Marx, the youngest member of the Marx Brothers, Arthur Marx, Groucho's son, George Jessel, comedian, Charlotte Chandler, biographer, Norman Krasna, writer and friend, Morrie Ryskind, who co-wrote three films for the Marx Brothers, Dick Cavett, TV interviewer, Edward Buzzell, who directed At the Circus and Go West, Erin Fleming, personal assistant and companion. 'What made Groucho memorable on or off the screen was his refusal to take any situation for granted.' (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH). Film editor JULIAN MILLER. Research JILL TALBOT. Producer BARRY BROWN. Director SUE MALLINSON"


1980s-90s

[Top of list]

1980s-90s - Family Portraits: The Marx Brothers
American Movie Classics

1980s-90s - The One, The Only Groucho
HBO


1982

[Top of list]

1982 - Groucho in Toto
Channel Four, UK
Written by Alec Baron. Recorded live at the Shaw Theatre. Jon Rumney as Groucho Marx portrays some of the events of his life.
Check the BFI database for more information

1982 - Marx Brothers in a Nutshell
PBS


1985

[Top of list]

1985 - Today Show
Bill Marx showed some home movies of Harpo


1986

[Top of list]

1986 - Der real existierende Marxismus
Saarländischer Rundfunk, Germany, 45 min
A documentation concentrating on the first five films


1987

[Top of list]

1987 - The Ten-Year Lunch
The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table
56 mins.
Heywood Hale Broun - Narrator
Members of the Round Table including Harpo are shown in archive footage.


1990

[Top of list]

1990 - An Evening with Groucho
Ha! Channel
It is very difficult to watch because of the quality but obviously worth seeing. The concert footage was interspersed with interviews


1993

[Top of list]

1993 - The Unknown Marx Brothers
Disney Channel


1997

[Top of list]

1997 - Marx Brothers Themenabend
arte, 6 hrs
Whole evening devoted to the Marx Brothers: Short films (Papa Romani, Silent Panic, Time For Elizabeth), You Bet Your Life, A Night in Casablanca, Interviews, Radio excerpts ...


2012

[Top of list]

6 Jan 2012 - Celebrity Mastermind
BBC One, 19:00, 30 minutes
Nathaniel Parker answered questions about the Marx Brothers

This site uses material originally created by Frank Bland for his website Why A Duck?. Frank did kindly give me permission to use this material.

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