The Millionaire

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.

Here's a program that really caught my fancy when I was growing up. Everyone dreams of wealth. Whether one million dollars is a lot of money now or not, I wouldn't mind having such an amount.

It is a fabulous amount, still. And the concept of instant wealth is still intriguing to us. Witness: the proliferation of money shows currently.

The best part of the program was the human lessons we all learned about Instant Wealth: it's problems, responsibilities and the greed and envy of others.

The program should be brought back. Maybe Hallmark can do us all the kind favor?

John Beresford Tipton: his name evokes patrician wealth and breed. Using his executive secretary, Michael Anthony, Tipton chooses, apparently but not certainly, one person each week at random to receive, tax-free, the sum of one million dollars, in the form of a cashiers check. One million dollars was an enormous sum in the 1950s. And, if one remembers that the top tax bracket (which includes this amount) was 91% at that time, the gift becomes even more phenomenal.

Each recipient was required to sign an agreement never to reveal either the circumstances under which the money was received and the amount, other than to the spouse. (In one episode, a child received the money and a somewhat non-plussed Anthony told the child that he can reveal these details to his parents). The idea of each half-hour show was to see just how receiving the money would affect each recipient. At the end of the show, Tipton would briefly reviews what happened.

An excellent show, far and above the lunacy that pervades television today.

Nobody seems to remember that it wasn't actually random people to whom the million dollars was given. At the beginning of each show Tipton would send for his secretary, Michael Anthony. Tipton would say something pertaining to the person he'd decided to give the gift to, and say "Here's another Millionaire." He always knew some reason why the person needed the money or the lesson the money might teach. Anthony would fold the check into his portfolio and head out to deliver it. One episode I still remember had the money going to the young daughter of a contentious couple who needed the money. They found the million dollars notation in her bankbook and told her she shouldn't pretend and write things in the book. At the end of the show they hadn't yet discovered the money was real. It was a good show, fondly remembered.

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.