Strike It Rich

Not to take sides of whether or not Strike It Rich was in the same category as Jerry Springer, the show originated on radio in 1947. If the contestant was not able to answer any of the questions designed to get him the prize money, phone calls to the heartline were accepted where listeners donated money so that no contestant walked away without a prize. The program came under fire in 1954 from the New York Welfare Department which was being flooded by out-of-towners who had come to crash the show. The group charged that the "heartline" aspect made the show a charity raising funds without a license. The producer changed the format and the show continued. This information came from John Dunning's Encyclopedia of Radio. Warren Hull became identified with the show as its longtime emcee. Interesting to note that while the IMDb notes that he was married several times, it makes no mention of Roberta Paul who wrote in to complain that her husband had been unjustly criticized for his participation on the show.

Exploitive? Yes. Entertaining? Obviously. It should be given sainthood compared to Springer-Povich crap that people watch today. Its lengthy run shows that people enjoyed it and, even though the number of people it helped was minute, at least it did those few some good. A natural comparison is "Queen For A Day" with Jack Bailey and his mustache.

Anyway, Warren Hull holds a special place in my heart. In the mid-1940s I was in the Army, with the Signal Corps, and at night with the Armed Forces Radio Service, stationed in Nome, Alaska, and the only USO entertainers that ever came up were part of a show emceed by Hull. We were, obviously, too far and too few. There were only about a dozen in our unit and, in those days, there was a very small air force base nearby.

I don't remember much about the show except for the young lady that came with him. Vanessa Brown began her showbiz career as one of the Quiz Kids, later becoming an ingenue with a host of cutie-pie roles in light movies.

I remember that she, Hull, and the others took time to spend time with us.

We felt we struck it rich and, by the way, in those days gold miners were still trying to do that.

"Strike It Rich" was well known in Gasport, NY, (pop. 600) where I grew up. Warren Hull was born in the house I grew up in. In 1954, 'Radio-TV Mirror', a fanzine, sponsored "Warren Hull Day" in Gasport. Warren came back to visit, & they had a parade for him. They took a picture of our house & put a sign in the yard "Warren Hull's birthplace". My folks were apparently not fans of "Strike It Rich" & took the sign down & put it in the cellar. Years later I found it, and a copy of the magazine, and that's how I found out about all this...

This type of TV was acceptable in the early days of TV. The show was popular as a sign of HOPE for people who needed help. It wasn't sleaze and unfit for family viewing. So, someone's big need was a new washer or money for a dentist. It can't be compared for "shock Jerry TV". Come on now. The show was on the air for about 13 years. That says something for it. The "Heart Line" was the highlight of the show as it meant help was on the way. My husband took pride in his work on "Strike It Rich", just as he did on many other shows he announced. Your comments and comparisons are disgusting. I just wonder what show you were watching. Roberta Paul

Strike It Rich was regular TV fare in our home when I was a kid. My mom was often glued to the TV set. It didn't hold much appeal to me, but - in all fairness - I think the comparison to Jerry Springer is rather far fetched. A half a century of cultural change makes any kind of comparison difficult, to say the least. It's rather amusing to think of Hull milking the pity quotient of those pathetic guests and their stories, while just a dozen years earlier he had starred in serials as The Green Hornet and Mandrake the Magician. In fact, I believe he played the Spider as well. With all those super powers floating around, why didn't he just remedy those guests' problems rather than wait for the Heartline to ring?