When Groucho Marx was on Jack's show

[Radioman]

I remember an episode where Jack's old friend Groucho Marx stopped by, and he and Groucho are playing checkers and quipping with each other.

There are some things going on in this episode that I've always wondered about.

Jack comments, "Isn't California wonderful, here it is February, and we're sitting outdoors in our shirtsleeves playing checkers." And the audience laughs and laughs. What's so funny about this line? I've heard it can go into the 80s in California in February.

Groucho: "You're right, Jack, and it's a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky." And the audience laughs even harder. What's up with that?

Jack comments about radio comedians kid about the weather, and Groucho agrees.

It starts thundering and raining as they finish their game. Jack says it looks like Groucho's going to lose the game.

Then, bizarrely, Groucho says:

"I don't care, Jack. Just sitting here looking at you is sheer ecstasy." What's up with that? Why does Groucho say that?


Anyone know? This has always kind of bugged me.

[Brad from Georgia]

There are some things going on in this episode that I've always wondered about.

Jack comments, "Isn't California wonderful, here it is February, and we're sitting outdoors in our shirtsleeves playing checkers." And the audience laughs and laughs. What's so funny about this line? I've heard it can go into the 80s in California in February.

Groucho: "You're right, Jack, and it's a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky." And the audience laughs even harder. What's up with that?

I suspect it's because at the time California was having exceptionally rainy weather, with mudslides and local flooding.

Jack comments about radio comedians kid about the weather, and Groucho agrees.

It starts thundering and raining as they finish their game. Jack says it looks like Groucho's going to lose the game.

Then, bizarrely, Groucho says:

"I don't care, Jack. Just sitting here looking at you is sheer ecstasy." What's up with that? Why does Groucho say that?


Anyone know? This has always kind of bugged me.

That was probably an ad-lib by Groucho, just trying to break Jack up. According to at least one biography of Jack, though he could be paralyzed with laughter by most comedians, and though he thought the Marx Brothers as a group were hysterical, one-on-one it was harder for Groucho to break him up than for, say, George Burns to do it. Groucho chafed under the rules of radio that said he had to stick to the script, and when he could, he'd slip in an ad-lib. I'd be willing to bet that the nonsensical line was just an effort to get Jack to laugh.