Episode 54: There’s an Honored Guest Tonight (featuring Brett Leveridge)
The highly enjoyable PBS documentary Groucho & Cavett is a recent reminder that in the post-You Bet Your Life period, much of Groucho's most noteworthy work was as a guest on other people's shows. So this episode is devoted to a handful of these appearances, which feature yet another variation on the great man’s immortal character: Groucho the Guest.
For this conversation, we are joined by Brett Leveridge — author, humorist, raconteur, and author of the delightful Men My Mother Dated (And Other Mostly True Tales), as well as a first-class Marxmaniac who served on the Marxfest Committee and as House Manager for the 2016 production of I’ll Say She Is.
After listening to this episode, our Patreon subscribers will want to hasten to our Patreon page for the Bonus Segment, in which Brett regales us with tales of his encounters with Kitty Carlisle, Glora Stuart, Woody Allen, Dick Cavett, Bill Marx, and other Marx Brothers-adjacent legends. And speaking of Patreon, Episode 54 also includes an update on membership, postcards, and the Beaugard. And if you haven’t yet joined The Marx Brothers Council Podcast on Patreon, it’s never too late!
Recording Episode 54: Diamond, Leveridge, and Coniam practice their feeble wheezes
Official description: “Piggybacking on Robert Bader’s superb Groucho & Cavett documentary, we are joined by Brett Leveridge, Marxfest co-host and house manager for Noah’s I’ll Say She Is revival, for an in-depth look at more of Groucho’s late-career talk and game show appearances.
“Groucho’s wonderfully disruptive guest shots on What’s My Line?, The Tonight Show, and The Dating Game are dissected, as well as his surprisingly serious and thoughtful debate with William F. Buckley on Firing Line. We also examine Groucho’s fascinating Dick Cavett Show encounter with Dan Rowan.
“Brett also tells his backstory of becoming a Marx fan in Oklahoma, and we pay tribute to the late Richard J. Anobile.”
Watch the clips: All eight television clips discussed in this episode are embedded below.
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Footnotes
The Groucho & Cavett documentary is available to watch on the PBS app or website. You can learn more, and order the DVD, at grouchoandcavett.com.
One of Brett Leveridge’s ongoing projects is Cladrite Radio, well-known to fans of the music of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s; and to social media users who enjoy Brett’s Cladrite videos about classic showbiz personalities. Stop by the Cladrite site and enjoy, and consider supporting that project as well!
The eight Groucho guest appearances discussed in this episode:
What’s My Line?, September 20, 1959
What’s My Line?, November 15, 1964
The Tonight Show, October 4, 1965
Firing Line, July 7, 1967
What’s My Line?, October 13, 1963
What’s My Line?, April 23, 1967
The Dating Game, June 1967
The Dick Cavett Show, December 16, 1971 (excerpt)
