Robert Dwan, who directed Groucho Marx during the 14 years the legendary comic was host of the quiz show "You Bet Your Life," died January 21. He was 89.
The cause of death was complications from pneumonia.

He joined "You Bet Your Life" when it debuted on radio in 1947 and moved with it to television in 1950. There, it quickly became one of the new medium's most popular shows, remaining on the air until 1961.

At sunrise, I shall plant a beautiful rose in his memory.

You might think that Robert Dwan is another "who the hell is he & who cares" in the biz, but he was one of the catalysts that made YBYL the show that it was:

1) He never filmed a cut & dry 30-minute show. It was Dwan's idea to 'overshoot' a show. What that means is that he filmed well more than 30 minutes of a show, and edited down the best material with each contestant. Keep in mind that this was the early days of TV when film was still being used in moderation, due to cost and the new TV medium. It was Dwans doings that has made YBYL as enjoyable today as it was back then.

2) Dwan also was also the one who 'found' George Fenneman, Groucho's sidekick, while working in San Francisco. George & Groucho paired up and became a perfect announcer/host team.

Bob Dwan also wrote one of the definitive books about "You Bet Your Life" (along with Groucho's own "The Secret Word is Groucho," of course) in "As Long as They're Laughing!"

Here's the Amazon.com page, including an excerpt from the book--and it's 15% off list!

...in which he also addresses the infamous "cigar" UL, albeit in a rather vague manner that does little to argue for the affirmative position.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")