Wenn man Millionär wär

I used to work for a Los Angeles-based savings and loan company. Their pitch to retirees was to host "Golden Days of Television" personal appearances by 50's TV actors, including their spokesman, Harry Von Zell of Burns and Allen fame. I walked into the Alhambra, CA branch and spotted Marvin Miller holding court! I rushed over and asked the then-ultimate trivia question- "Who played John Beresford Tipton?" "Paul Frees" was the answer. He then whipped out an already-printed "check" from "The First National Bank of Silverstone", in the amount of "$1,000,000.00 in Good Wishes", signed it "Michael Anthony" and handed it to me. I've kept it for 30 years, hoping to cash it some day. As an additional bit of trivia, the establishing shot of "Silverstone" is the mansion at the corner of Orange Grove and Green Streets in Pasadena, now the headquarters of Ambassador College and built, as a winter residence, by a late president of U.S. Steel.

In the days before lotteries, back when having a million dollars meant you were FABULOUSLY wealthy, this show had an interesting and effective premise. An unseen and mysterious multi-millionaire has his servant give a million dollars tax-free to a complete stranger, apparently picked at random. The only conditions were that he couldn't reveal to anyone how he got the money and how much money it was. The rest of the show would follow this person and show how his life was changed by the sudden wealth. The show worked so well because it's writers were able to create an interesting cross section of recipients and consequences. I actually haven't seen this show since it's syndication days in the sixties but it was interesting at the time and I remember it fondly.

I recently purchased a copy of one of 'The Millionaire' series.

This 1955 episode features Carolyn Jones later to star as Morticia in the Addams Family TV series. Carolyn plays the part of Emily Short who receives a cheque for one million and decides to take a trip to Paris, until this she has never been outside of the US.

It is good clean family entertainment.

It would be great if one of the channels could run them. Maybe someone can drop a hint to TCM or Hallmark.

Apparently inspired by the '30s film "If I Had A Million", this was one of the better TV offerings of the Fabulous Fifties. A mysterious (and obviously eccentric) billionaire, John Beresford Tipton would, each week, write out a check for one million dollars and instruct his manservant Michael Anthony (aka Marvin Miller)to deliver it to its recipient, a total stranger, along with instructions that the lucky individual must never reveal it's source or its exact amount on pain of forfeiture. The scripts were, for the most part, literate and engrossing. In fact, it was reported at the time that some viewers found the premise so convincing that they actually wrote their local TV stations pleading to know where the reclusive Mr. Tipton lived so they could, hopefully, get a similar check. Of course, there were also viewers who actually thought "Mr. Ed" could really talk, but we digress. . . This show was, as already mentioned, one of the better shows back then ( as evinced by it's 5 year run ) and will, hopefully, one of these days, reappear on DVD. We should be so lucky.

Unfortunately, the original creator of THE MILLIONAIRE, who also authored the pilot, has not been given any credit here. His name was Walter Goetz, son of Harry Goetz (Paramount Pictures) and this wonderful series was his baby from the get-go. Due to some kind of disagreement over rights or royalties (I forget the details now) he left it all behind in the very beginning and has now, apparently, been completely forgotten. Just thought I'd mention it, having personally known him. Subsequent to his short-lived career in California, he made a living playing the music of Cole Porter, George Gershwin etc. etc. in piano bars and restaurants in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lucky us. He was a wonderful man and it was truly an honor to know him.