You Bet Your Life is an American comedy quiz series that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio on October 27, 1947, then moved to CBS Radio debuting October 5, 1949, before making the transition to NBC-TV and NBC Radio on October 4, 1950. The last episode in its radio format aired on June 10, 1960. On television, however, the series continued for another year, debuting in its final season on September 22, 1960, and with a new title, The Groucho Show.
Maria appeared on an episode of the last season of Groucho Marx’s game show You Bet Your Life. the secret word for winning an extra $100 in this episode was “Dress”. Groucho coaxes Maria into saying the word adding to her winnings.
Rosalind Russell (Bertha Jacoby), Alec Guinness (Koichi Asano), Ray Danton (Jerry Black), Madlyn Rhue (Alice Black), Mae Questel (Essie Rubin), Marc Marno (Eddie), Gary Vinson (Mr. McMillan), Sharon Hugueny (Bride), Frank Wilcox (Noah Putnam), Francis De Sales (American Embassy Representative), Yuki Shimoda (Mr. Asano’s Secretary), Harriet McGibbon (Lily Putnam), Alan Mowbray (Cpt. Norcross, his final film role), George Takei (Mr. Asano’s Majordomo), Maria McClay (Mr. Asano’s Maid)
A Majority Of One is an American comedy film adapted from the play of the same name by Leonard Spigelgass, which was a Broadway hit in the 1959-1960 season, starring Gertrude Berg and Cedric Hardwicke.
Bertha Jacoby (Rosalind Russell), a Jewish widow, is convinced by her daughter Alice Black (Madlyn Rhue) to move from Brooklyn, New York to Tokyo in order for Bertha to be closer to her along with her husband Jerry Black (Ray Danton), now stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Her feelings about the Japanese with regards to her son’s death in World War II start to change on board the ship to Tokyo, where she meets Koichi Asano, a Japanese Buddhist and businessman (Alec Guinness), who also lost a spouse and two children in the war. The two share a bond over lives, their families, and their faiths, which develops into a romance. When she announces to her family of Asano’s courtship, her daughter and son-in-law object to the idea of an interracial marriage.
Maria McClay as a maid at Mr. Asano’s place with another maid, Bertha Jacoby (Rosalind Russell), Mr. Asano’s daughter-in-law (Tsuruko Kobayashi) and Mr. Asano (Alec Guinness).
Maria plays a maid in Mr. Asano’s household and helps get everything set up for an unplanned dinner for two when Bertha Jacoby (Rosalind Russell) shows up unexpectedly at Mr. Asano’s (Alec Guinness) home. Mr. Asano instructs her to pile up some pillows for their guest who is not used to Japanese style seating arrangements. Aside from Alec Guinness’ being in Yellow Face, which is rather uncomfortable to watch for modern eyes, there is a lot of good acting here and one would imagine that Maria very much enjoyed meeting one of the all-time great actors of her time.
Scenes Featuring Maria
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Hong Kong was a 26-episode adventure and drama series that aired from 1960 to 1961 on ABC and helped to catapult Australian actor Rod Taylor into major movie stardom in the 60s. Most notable he went on to star in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”.
Rod Taylor as journalist Glenn Evans and Lloyd Bochner as Inspector Neil Campbell
The series follows the adventures of U.S. journalist Glenn Evans, played by Rod Taylor, who works in the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, and his friend Inspector Neil Campbell, played by Lloyd Bochner. His search for stories leads him deep into the underbelly of the city where he encounters smugglers, murderers, drug peddlers and mysterious women who, for some reason, tend to disappear behind beaded curtains.
Inspector Neil Campbell (Lloyd Bochner in official Hong Kong police shorts) who must track down a bad cop who kills guy and then frames an old friend of the police chief. Maria’s character helps out by pretending to blackmail the murderous cop in order to get him to confess or give himself away otherwise.
Valley Times, North Hollywood, California, USA, November 10th, 1961
(Unknown Author)
Maria has been named model of the year 1962 for Japan Airlines. After a photo shoot with photographer Hal Adams in San Diego she will fly to Tokyo to promote Warner Bros.’ A Majority Of One, in which she played alongside Alec Guinness.
Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, New York, USA, May 27th, 1961
(Unknown Author)
Maria appears in a brief blurb about her playing the role of a Japanese maid alongside Alec Guinness in A Majority Of One. For some reason her name is misspelled as “Maria Tsien McLay”. The blurb was printed, with the misspelling and all, in a number of newspapers throughout the month of May, 1961.
Maria appears in a brief blurb about her playing the role of a Japanese maid alongside Alec Guinness in A Majority Of One. For some reason her name is misspelled as “Maria Tsien McLay”. The blurb was printed, with the misspelling and all, in a number of newspapers throughout the month of May, 1961.
Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, New York, USA, May 27th, 1961
(Unknown Author)
Maria appears in a brief blurb about her playing the role of a Japanese maid alongside Alec Guinness in A Majority Of One. For some reason her name is misspelled as “Maria Tsien McLay”. The blurb was printed, with the misspelling and all, in a number of newspapers throughout the month of May, 1961.
Miami Herald, Miami, Florida, USA, February 2nd, 1961
(Unknown Author)
Maria appears in a blurb about that night’s episode of the Groucho Marx Show on which she is set to appear as a contestant. The same blurb appeared in a column in the St. Petersburg Times and the Fort Lauderdale News on the same day.
Groucho Marx (Host), George Fenneman (Announcer & Assistant) Aden Lowry (Self, Contestant, Interior Decorator from Kansas), Maria McClay (Self, Contestant, Actress and Model)
Maria McClay with fellow contestant Aden Lowry and host Groucho Marx.
Maria appeared on an episode of the last season of Groucho Marx’s game show You Bet Your Life. the secret word for winning an extra $100 in this episode was “Dress”. Groucho coaxes Maria into saying the word adding to her winnings.
It’s wonderful to be able to see Maria being herself given that almost all other video we have is of her acting on screen. There’s a bit of casual sexism from Groucho that’s probably par-for-the-course for the late 50s/early 60s but once he gets that out of his system and doesn’t do any more of it, it’s lovely to just watch Maria be herself.
Scenes Featuring Maria
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St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, February 2nd, 1961
(Unknown Author)
Maria appears in a blurb about that night’s episode of the Groucho Marx Show on which she is set to appear as a contestant. The same blurb appeared in a column in the Miami Herald and the Fort Lauderdale News on the same day.
