I looked up information on Mama Weiss and my guess was confirmed that she came from Hungary. (My mom is Hungarian.) Francesca Weiss stepped to the plate when her husband, a furniture maker to the stars in the early days of Hollywood, saw his business die during the Depression. After becoming a cook for a screenwriter, when the screenwriter moved back to New York, "Mama" opened a restaurant in the front rooms of their bungalow on Rodeo Drive when Beverly Hills was still a relatively sleepy town. It became the first in Beverly Hills of what is colloquially known as a pop-up restaurant, followed by such famous restaurants with humble beginnings like The Brown Derby and Romanoff's. But Mama Weiss's csarda (pronounced CHAR-da) patterned after similar roadside restaurants in the Hungary of her youth retained it's folksy charm and never went Hollywood until the restaurant was closed in 1954 as was mentioned on this episode. Mama's homey hospitality and simple but tasty food of the itinerant workers in Hungary (plus wonderful desserts and some traditional Jewish fare like matzo ball soup) was what brought the Hollywood celebrities into her restaurant, not glitz and glamour. (It is an unwritten rule that all Hungarian entrees must include at least one of the following: onions, paprika, sour cream or garlic.) Apparently Mama cooked the way my mom did, often not needing to measure because of experience, but also experimenting, tasting frequently and adding a little of this and a little of that, stirring and tasting again until it met her approval. One thing Mama did well that my mom could not was sing. Mama would often sing to her customers. While my mom didn't inherit her mother's voice, her brother did. My uncle sang on Hungarian radio in LA around the time of Mama Weiss's restaurant and cooking show. I know he met stars of Hungarian ancestry like the Gabor sisters and Ernie Kovacs. I wouldn't be surprised if he met Mama Weiss, too. But alas, he and all of my relatives of that generation have been gone many years. And because I grew up on the opposite coast, I only had a short time to talk with that uncle at age 4 and age 11. There's so much about my family history I wish I knew that is probably lost forever.
Thank you so much Lois for providing such great background and context. Mama and women of her generation were hard working and homely ladies. A different but magical time in many ways. God bless you Lois.
Having been raised in the 1950's and 1960's, I can tell you that some of it, especially for women who had professional careers, was poise. Charm schools and finishing schools for women were quite common in those days and business courses for women often included instruction on deportment. Some of it was that we were raised to accept that there were differences between men and women that included gender roles, and women were raised by the mothers to appreciate compliments on their appearance and to use feminine wiles and prerogative to offset advantages that men had. But some of it was also that women who chafed at those things were mostly keeping it under wraps and attempts to buck the system were getting little further traction after the gains that were made when more women were needed in the workforce during WWII. Most people don't know how much has changed. For example, a married woman had a difficult time getting credit under just her own name. And a common joke among male college students was that women went to college to get an MRS degree.
Mama Weiss is a Gem, one of a truly 'Under-appreciated' and seldom adequately documented National Treasures of America's Blended Cultural Heritages. If only a bit more time was allocated to her appearance. As well as Mr. Ketcham--whose demeanor belies the great depth of knowledge of the State Department's 'behind-the-door-workings', with in his Time Period. I LOVED Mama Weiss' appearance, for she 'SO Reminds' me of the Women, in my family; though they were 2, or 3 generations before my birth, was still able to meet, see, hear and learn from their personal Histories.. That, to me was a blessing, still Cherished 60 years down-the-road; and a Time, that is gone, sadly missed.
"You feel like a spring chicken?", "how much would you charge to hatch a dozen eggs right now"? Omgosh!lolol Where are these comedians at nowadays? I was born in 1979, and I can really only name a few comedians are actually genuinely funny. Most are dead. And I have to be honest i really didn't know who Groucho was (besides the pickle guy) until I came across these episodes while looking for some old gameshows like ,To Tell The Truth ..so thanks for uploading! I can't stop watching them now!
Wouldn't Francesca "Mama" Weiss be amazed her 1953 cookbook of Hungarian recipes sells for $70 on the internet? When Papa lost their fortune in 1929, she opened spare rooms for their first restaurant. She became the first TV celebrity chef.
Aly Wassil had a talk-show on KABC radio in the 1970s. When I was in high school, I called up this show and asked him a lot of questions about Pakistan, as that was a country that--at the time--almost nobody in the United States knew anything about. He was very kind and gracious, and I would like to know if anyone has information on what has become of him.
As far as information available on the Internet, Mr. Wassil is still alive at age 86. He had quite a prolific career. In addition to his radio work that you mention, he appeared in a handful plus one television shows and movies in ethnic roles. He also authored two books that I have seen information on. One was an open letter (159 pages) to President Nixon in 1972. The other was written in 1965, a book on Jesus Christ from the point of view of a devout and scholarly Muslim called "The Wisdom of Christ". In addition, he recorded an album with the title "The Living Words of Christ".
Thank you for this information! KABC's format for "talk-radio" in the 1970's was relatively sophisticated in comparison with what I know about the genre today. Another host on KABC at the same time was Michael Jackson--no, not *that* Michael Jackson, but an Englishman who was, and is, married to the daughter of actor Alan Ladd.
In the 1950s Mama became one of the first celebrity chefs, with her very own live TV show on Los Angeles station KHG. Established Rodeo Drive's First Pop-Up Restaurant in 1929, serving Hungarian dishes. Her Beverly Hills restaurant, with its homey atmosphere, became a favorite hangout for many Hollywood celebrities, such as Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lancaster, Peter Lorre, Billy Wilder, Jon Barrymore, Miriam Hopkins, Myrna Loy, and even Marilyn Monroe.
I cannot find anywhere on the Internet where the complete YBYL collection is available. 10 years times roughly 35 episodes per season would be roughly 350 episodes and CZcams has only about what...70-80. The vast majority are missing. Where can I find the complete collection?
There are 126 available in a playlist on the "Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life" CZcams channel. I have another 36 episodes total on 2 DVD sets. They are called "You Bet Your Life: The Best Episodes" and "You Bet Your Life: The Lost Episodes." Not sure how many others are available?
@@JJTownley_Classical-Composer I just discovered 2 other channels that have uploaded some of the episodes included on the DVDs that I have. They are "FilmRise Television" and "daniiiwwu."
@@justinmay3451 thanks much for the tip. I notice most are already uploaded elsewhere but there are some new ones mixed in with the old. I'll get to work. 👍
Okay, I have mention it. Everyone on YBYL pronounces "Los Angeles" as "Los Angle-eese." When did the shift to the current pronunciation occur? It literally means "The Angels," so I assume the modern pronunciation is the correct Spanish (and yes, I know the original name was much longer).
On the contrary, Dean Martin was very supportive of Monroe during their collaboration on the film ‘Something’s Got to Give’. When Fox fired Monroe for breaking her contract (missed days and tardiness on the set) Dean said he would not continue working on the film with a replacement for Monroe and campaigned for her reinstatement. This does not suggest that Dean hated working with Monroe but rather that he respected her both personally and professionally.
Maybe construed as derogatory now, but Groucho did once say Marilyn had "the finest ass in show business." He's making light of her here trying to be a dramatic actress...call it misogyny if you will, but I wouldn't say he wasn't fond of her.
It is wonderful to see the decent looking people in the audience, dressed nicely, well groomed.
I looked up information on Mama Weiss and my guess was confirmed that she came from Hungary. (My mom is Hungarian.) Francesca Weiss stepped to the plate when her husband, a furniture maker to the stars in the early days of Hollywood, saw his business die during the Depression. After becoming a cook for a screenwriter, when the screenwriter moved back to New York, "Mama" opened a restaurant in the front rooms of their bungalow on Rodeo Drive when Beverly Hills was still a relatively sleepy town. It became the first in Beverly Hills of what is colloquially known as a pop-up restaurant, followed by such famous restaurants with humble beginnings like The Brown Derby and Romanoff's. But Mama Weiss's csarda (pronounced CHAR-da) patterned after similar roadside restaurants in the Hungary of her youth retained it's folksy charm and never went Hollywood until the restaurant was closed in 1954 as was mentioned on this episode. Mama's homey hospitality and simple but tasty food of the itinerant workers in Hungary (plus wonderful desserts and some traditional Jewish fare like matzo ball soup) was what brought the Hollywood celebrities into her restaurant, not glitz and glamour. (It is an unwritten rule that all Hungarian entrees must include at least one of the following: onions, paprika, sour cream or garlic.)
Apparently Mama cooked the way my mom did, often not needing to measure because of experience, but also experimenting, tasting frequently and adding a little of this and a little of that, stirring and tasting again until it met her approval.
One thing Mama did well that my mom could not was sing. Mama would often sing to her customers. While my mom didn't inherit her mother's voice, her brother did. My uncle sang on Hungarian radio in LA around the time of Mama Weiss's restaurant and cooking show. I know he met stars of Hungarian ancestry like the Gabor sisters and Ernie Kovacs. I wouldn't be surprised if he met Mama Weiss, too. But alas, he and all of my relatives of that generation have been gone many years. And because I grew up on the opposite coast, I only had a short time to talk with that uncle at age 4 and age 11. There's so much about my family history I wish I knew that is probably lost forever.
Awesome story Lois . I love Hungarian food sad not many Hungarian restraunts around !
Thank you so much Lois for providing such great background and context. Mama and women of her generation were hard working and homely ladies. A different but magical time in many ways. God bless you Lois.
In 2016 I went to Hungary. It reminded me of southeast Kansas where I grew up. Same farm land and farm houses.
Nothing better and more satisfying than Hungarian food. (Wish Mamma Weiss could have talked more on the show!)
I love how the sexism is handled so graciously. The women of that age had much more confidence than I see now.
Having been raised in the 1950's and 1960's, I can tell you that some of it, especially for women who had professional careers, was poise. Charm schools and finishing schools for women were quite common in those days and business courses for women often included instruction on deportment. Some of it was that we were raised to accept that there were differences between men and women that included gender roles, and women were raised by the mothers to appreciate compliments on their appearance and to use feminine wiles and prerogative to offset advantages that men had. But some of it was also that women who chafed at those things were mostly keeping it under wraps and attempts to buck the system were getting little further traction after the gains that were made when more women were needed in the workforce during WWII. Most people don't know how much has changed. For example, a married woman had a difficult time getting credit under just her own name. And a common joke among male college students was that women went to college to get an MRS degree.
Furthermore, many states do not recognize separate credit offerings to a married couple; all credit and assets are joint.
Lois Simmons certain things were wrong in that era but I’m afraid that the “momentum” for fixing them went a bit too far.
its because it was the norm then.
Need more MRS degrees today.
Mama Weiss is a Gem, one of a truly 'Under-appreciated' and seldom adequately documented National Treasures of America's Blended Cultural Heritages. If only a bit more time was allocated to her appearance. As well as Mr. Ketcham--whose demeanor belies the great depth of knowledge of the State Department's 'behind-the-door-workings', with in his Time Period. I LOVED Mama Weiss' appearance, for she 'SO Reminds' me of the Women, in my family; though they were 2, or 3 generations before my birth, was still able to meet, see, hear and learn from their personal Histories.. That, to me was a blessing, still Cherished 60 years down-the-road; and a Time, that is gone, sadly missed.
stan ochocki n
You gotta love Mama Weiss. She's a delight. 😻
"You feel like a spring chicken?", "how much would you charge to hatch a dozen eggs right now"? Omgosh!lolol Where are these comedians at nowadays? I was born in 1979, and I can really only name a few comedians are actually genuinely funny. Most are dead. And I have to be honest i really didn't know who Groucho was (besides the pickle guy) until I came across these episodes while looking for some old gameshows like ,To Tell The Truth ..so thanks for uploading! I can't stop watching them now!
I was glad the old gal had a smart come back. He was funny and I love him. But he got a bit smug at times and needed to be out in his place.
@@nealchampagne7297 Yes, her comeback was great.
groucho was the best.
Another fascinating episode. Groucho takes shots at Marilyn Monroe and I liked the LA Times lady with the canning skills.
I love Aly and Mama Weiss! He is a lovely man with a great sense of humour and Mama Weiss has a fantastic personality.
"...i'll take the blonde and you take the one in the toibin..."
- Mel Brooks homage to Groucho
Wouldn't Francesca "Mama" Weiss be amazed her 1953 cookbook of Hungarian recipes sells for $70 on the internet? When Papa lost their fortune in 1929, she opened spare rooms for their first restaurant. She became the first TV celebrity chef.
Love these old shows. Groucho treated everyone pretty much the same.
Mama’s hilarious!
Another awesome episode.
Aly Wassil had a talk-show on KABC radio in the 1970s. When I was in high school, I called up this show and asked him a lot of questions about Pakistan, as that was a country that--at the time--almost nobody in the United States knew anything about. He was very kind and gracious, and I would like to know if anyone has information on what has become of him.
I don't know about him. But interesting that he said the US gave Pakistan enough money to last a long time.
As far as information available on the Internet, Mr. Wassil is still alive at age 86. He had quite a prolific career. In addition to his radio work that you mention, he appeared in a handful plus one television shows and movies in ethnic roles. He also authored two books that I have seen information on. One was an open letter (159 pages) to President Nixon in 1972. The other was written in 1965, a book on Jesus Christ from the point of view of a devout and scholarly Muslim called "The Wisdom of Christ". In addition, he recorded an album with the title "The Living Words of Christ".
Thank you for this information! KABC's format for "talk-radio" in the 1970's was relatively sophisticated in comparison with what I know about the genre today. Another host on KABC at the same time was Michael Jackson--no, not *that* Michael Jackson, but an Englishman who was, and is, married to the daughter of actor Alan Ladd.
Have you tried Facebook?
@@sclogse1 No, I haven't, but as per your suggestion, I will!
In the 1950s Mama became one of the first celebrity chefs, with her very own live TV show on Los Angeles station KHG.
Established Rodeo Drive's First Pop-Up Restaurant in 1929, serving Hungarian dishes.
Her Beverly Hills restaurant, with its homey atmosphere, became a favorite hangout for many Hollywood celebrities, such as Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lancaster, Peter Lorre, Billy Wilder, Jon Barrymore, Miriam Hopkins, Myrna Loy, and even Marilyn Monroe.
Are you referring here to Jo Ella York?
@@519djw6 Mama Weiss.
This LA Times woman was a good sport. Too funny. Groucho was one of a kind. Brilliant. Funny. Sarcastic. Caustic. Charming. rip
Odd that the head of the motion pictures electrician's union picked movies for the category and missed half. I knew them all!
Lance Baker i
There you go, Mama Weiss! ;)
I cannot find anywhere on the Internet where the complete YBYL collection is available. 10 years times roughly 35 episodes per season would be roughly 350 episodes and CZcams has only about what...70-80. The vast majority are missing. Where can I find the complete collection?
There are 126 available in a playlist on the "Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life" CZcams channel. I have another 36 episodes total on 2 DVD sets. They are called "You Bet Your Life: The Best Episodes" and "You Bet Your Life: The Lost Episodes." Not sure how many others are available?
@@justinmay3451 Will you upload them to CZcams?🤠
@@JJTownley_Classical-Composer I just discovered 2 other channels that have uploaded some of the episodes included on the DVDs that I have. They are "FilmRise Television" and "daniiiwwu."
@@justinmay3451 thanks much for the tip. I notice most are already uploaded elsewhere but there are some new ones mixed in with the old. I'll get to work. 👍
czcams.com/play/PLHaioNpr_GDbvsTj_taM-jO6C1658N1PC.html
Delightful..seen more than most, but not this 1!
20:40 never let an English language learner spell American! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Ali breaking out the brit spelling.
Groucho was a good man.
Aly Wassil was probably the first Pakistani Groucho had ever met in his life !
SERIOUSLY doubt that. Stars in his day were world travelers, and meet many, many people all over the world.
You had good programs bavk in your time. And the people weren't politically correct like today.
Richtig Thema & Methode benützen....Ob Sie die Leute Apps. Entwickeln richtig bringen können....? Vielen Dank
Cool episode
the first gal is where my grandmother got my name from, but mine is spelt JoEllia
Okay, I have mention it. Everyone on YBYL pronounces "Los Angeles" as "Los Angle-eese." When did the shift to the current pronunciation occur? It literally means "The Angels," so I assume the modern pronunciation is the correct Spanish (and yes, I know the original name was much longer).
My wife being from South America pronounces it with a little more emphasis on the g. Los an-g-aleese
Ob ich es zum Anpassung fähig kann....
Haha ..round trip ticket! I don't think she heard the e at the beginning..
interesting back then..some of the people pronounced Los Angeles
as Los Angle es
Mama really got Groucho.
Love Groucho. The last honest crazed leftist. Jo was a sweet woman. Hard to believe she was a spinster.
Jay Leno will be hosting a new version of the show in 2021...minus all the non-PC jokes.
No un-politically correct jokes?
What a joke!
And it will completely flop 👇
Hollywood has been trying to duplicate its early days for several decades now.
And it's HORRIBLE. Hollywood does a terrible job of updating an original
Then what’s the point of it?
Aly wassil was an actor and a Christian it would seem
Vielleicht der Samsung wird absturt muss.....? Was denken Sie Wissenschaftler/in & Politiker/in.....?
Groucho wasn't too fond of Marilyn. Dean Martin hated working with her....she'd show up or not.
On the contrary, Dean Martin was very supportive of Monroe during their collaboration on the film ‘Something’s Got to Give’. When Fox fired Monroe for breaking her contract (missed days and tardiness on the set) Dean said he would not continue working on the film with a replacement for Monroe and campaigned for her reinstatement. This does not suggest that Dean hated working with Monroe but rather that he respected her both personally and professionally.
@@elspethcoogan1499 - that’s just wonderful, typical of Dean Martin.
@@elspethcoogan1499 Read Dean's book: The Dirty Business of Show Business. You'll read otherwise.
Maybe construed as derogatory now, but Groucho did once say Marilyn had "the finest ass in show business." He's making light of her here trying to be a dramatic actress...call it misogyny if you will, but I wouldn't say he wasn't fond of her.
Aly wassil became an actor and did a Christian recording. The turban seemed to be a gimmick to play up his ethnicity
As far as I know, Muslims do not wear such a turban. Sikhs do wear such a turban!
The muslims got here way back and we STILL handing them our tax money to save the poppy fields.
Mightymole - The guy was wearing a turban like a Sikh, not a Muslim.
@@ItIsJustJudy that's' better?
He became an actor and did a Christian recording
@@ItIsJustJudy Yeah, he looked like a Sikh, Muslims do not wear turbans like that!! He was playing some games!
@theoakhills, who are you? The Indians??
I thought Groucho was very funny but sexest toward women....
He was perfect and ladies loved him. Get over your PCess.
Go to hell you phycho.