THE MILLIONAIRE
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- (Top)
- The Benefactor
- The Executive Secretary
- Others
- The beneficiaries
- End of production
- Guest stars
- Episodes
- Parodies
- Similar productions
- References
- External links
The Millionaire (TV series)
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| The Millionaire | |
|---|---|
| Michael Anthony (Marvin Miller) hands check to Betty Perkins (Inger Stevens) in a 1956 episode | |
| Also known as | If You Had a Million |
| Genre | Anthology drama |
| Starring | Paul Frees Marvin Miller |
| Composers | Stanley Wilson Jeff Alexander (6.28) Wilbur Hatch (6.35) William Lava (6.16) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 207 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Fred Henry |
| Producer | Don Fedderson |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Silverstone Films Don Fedderson Productions MCA TV |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | January 19, 1955 – June 7, 1960 |
The Millionaire is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1955 to 1960. It was originally sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. The series, produced by Don Fedderson and Fred Henry, explored the ways that sudden and unexpected wealth changed life, for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars ($12 million in 2025 dollars) from a benefactor who insisted they must never know his identity, with one exception.
The series became a five-season hit during the Golden Age of Television, finishing in the Nielsen ratings at #9 for the 1955–1956 season, #13 in 1956–1957, #17 in 1957–1958 and #30 in 1958–1959.[1] In syndication, it was known by two titles: The Millionaire and If You Had a Million.[2]
The Benefactor
The benefactor was named John Beresford Tipton. Viewers heard his voice, making observations and giving instructions; they generally saw only his arm as he reached for a cashier’s check for one million dollars each week and handed it to Michael Anthony, his executive secretary. It was Anthony’s job to deliver that check to its intended recipient. The voice of the unseen John Beresford Tipton was played—uncredited—by veteran character actor and voice artist Paul Frees. (Frees was seen on camera playing other roles in two episodes.) In the closing credits of each episode, the actors and the roles they played would be listed, invariably ending with “and John Beresford Tipton”, implying that he was a real person playing himself. The character’s name was actually derived from the birthplaces of Millionaire producer Don Fedderson and his wife Tido: they were born in Beresford, South Dakota and Tipton, Missouri, respectively.[citation needed]
The Executive Secretary
The Millionaire began with a very brief opening theme fanfare behind the ascending title frame, followed by the camera’s training directly upon Michael Anthony, played by veteran character actor and radio and television announcer Marvin Miller.
The Millionaire told the stories of Tipton’s beneficiaries in flashback, as if from Anthony’s case files. Each episode began with Anthony, behind his desk and looking directly into the camera, speaking one or another variation on this theme:
My name is Michael Anthony, and until his death just a few years ago, I was the executive secretary to the late John Beresford Tipton. John Beresford Tipton, a fabulously wealthy and fascinating man, whose many hobbies included his habit of giving away one million dollars, tax free, each week—to persons he had never even met.
From there, the camera faded to a brief tour of the grounds on which Tipton’s home stood, as Anthony continued speaking:
This is Silverstone, John Beresford Tipton’s 60,000 acre estate. From here, he spent the later years of his life pursuing many hobbies, often tied to his fascination with human nature and behavior. Mr. Tipton was a man of so many wide interests, that when called into his presence, one never knew just what to expect.
The camera then showed Anthony entering Tipton’s presence, with Tipton frequently engaged in another one of his many wide-ranging hobbies. Anthony invariably greeted him with, “You sent for me, sir?” Tipton spoke for a moment to Anthony (always referring to him as “Mike”), chatting about his doings and explaining what prompted him to choose “our next millionaire”, before he actually handed Anthony the envelope containing the check, sometimes adding, “I’ll want a full report.”
Though “Tipton” was heard in every episode, Miller was the only cast member who was seen in every episode. He was usually only seen in the first few minutes of any given story, returning very briefly to directly address viewers at the episode’s end (often promoting the story in next week’s episode). These closings are often cut in syndicated airings.
Others
The only other recurring supporting actor was Roy Gordon as banker Andrew V. McMahon, on whose Gotham Trust Bank the anonymous Tipton’s cashier’s checks were drawn. In a few of the very earliest episodes, recipients had to pick up their check at the bank and it was McMahon (not Michael Anthony) who interacted with the recipients of Tipton’s money and outlined the conditions of acceptance. Fairly quickly, this was altered to having Anthony personally deliver the check (and outline the conditions of acceptance), rendering the McMahon character superfluous. Accordingly, McMahon was seen in about half the episodes from the first season, and in the first two episodes of the second season—then was dropped. Later episodes showed a close up of a cashier’s check drawn from the “First Molkefstorming Bank”.
Ed Herlihy was the announcer for The Millionaire throughout the run. Lastly, while not a cast member but seen in a cameo appearance in virtually every episode as a prominently featured extra, was Tido Fedderson.
The beneficiaries
Following the commercial break, Anthony, back in the present and behind his desk, would introduce the week’s millionaire.
Exactly how Tipton chose whom to make an instant millionaire was never necessarily disclosed, although Tipton made it plain in the show’s first episode exactly what his intentions were. Saying that he wanted to set up a new kind of chess game, “with human beings,” Tipton told Anthony:
I’m going to choose a number of people for my chessmen, and give them each a million dollars. No one is ever to know that I am the donor.
After showing the beneficiary in a typical situation for a few minutes at the beginning of the episode, Anthony would arrive, deliver the check, and have the beneficiary sign a legal statement binding him or her never to reveal the source of this million-dollar gift except to a spouse (if the recipient was single, Anthony would add, “… should you marry”), under penalty of forfeit. Once the document was signed and the thanks were given, Anthony disappeared from the beneficiary’s life, never to return. The remainder of the episode showed how the gift affected the beneficiary.
The beneficiaries were not always poor but could be from any social class or occupation, from secretaries, salespeople, and construction workers to professionals like doctors, lawyers, even writers. Nor were they always likely to find their lives changed for the better because of their sudden wealth. In one episode, “The Jerry Bell Story”, Charles Bronson played a once-lonely writer who first invests some of his unexpected fortune in the surgery to restore his blind fiancée’s (Georgeann Johnson) eyesight, only to disappear at the moment her bandages were removed, fearful she would reject him because of his plain looks.
The series ran for 207 episodes, and Tipton made 206 millionaires. (One recipient returned the money.) However, the amount Tipton invested in his hobby was much more than $206 million, since, as Anthony told the recipient each week, “The taxes have already been paid.”
The exceptions
Tipton did meet one beneficiary, a man condemned to be executed for a crime he never committed. He used a portion of his million-dollar gift to prove his innocence, with direct help from Michael Anthony, the only time Anthony stayed in even the periphery of a beneficiary’s life.
Tipton visited the man as he was about to leave prison, though he was shown in his customary position: from behind, only his hand or arm and a brief glimpse of the top of his head in view. The only other time Tipton was seen in any episode, beyond his presentation of Anthony with the next check to deliver, was one in which Anthony was arrested and needed Tipton to bail him out so that he could finish the mission.
In another episode, Anthony said that the beneficiary “got the money, all right … but not from me.” Anthony was on his way to deliver the check when he was run down in a street accident, and the check was jarred loose from his possession. It made its way around a few stunned townspeople before it finally reached its rightful owner, offering a short study of those people’s reactions to instant wealth as well as the intended recipient’s.
In the first episode, during which Tipton explained to Anthony his human chess match, the recipient—a young woman who worked as a sales clerk—actually returned the bulk of her unexpected fortune, saying it wasn’t worth allowing her husband-to-be to feel like a “kept man.”
End of production
The Millionaire ceased regular series production in 1960, its final regular episode, “The Patricia Collins Story”, airing June 7, 1960, and its final summer reruns in its regular production time slot appearing that September. The show became a familiar presence in syndicated reruns from the 1960s through the 1980s, both on its original network, CBS, and on numerous regional independent stations. In 1999, the TV Land cable channel aired a few selected episodes. The show was never officially released on home video. CBS also aired daytime reruns in the early 1960s, with Bern Bennett being the live announcer for these. The Millionaire also aired on ABC in Australia on January 2, 1959.
In 2015, the series began to air on CBS’s digital subchannel network Decades, and indeed, it unofficially launched the network on January 16, 2015, as part of the network’s “countdown” to its Memorial Day launch, where 186 out of the 207 episodes of the series (along with others on the Decades schedule) were screened back-to-back consecutively. Nineteen episodes were excluded from airing, and according to CBS Television Distribution, these episodes were also removed from syndication. The show had formerly aired on Weigel Broadcasting’s Heroes & Icons weekdays from 5:00am to 6:00am EST, but was later removed in the first quarter of 2015.
Up until 2019, the show was not transmitted regularly on any television network. It played on Decades every weekday from 6am to 7am until March 24, 2023; Decades rebranded as Catchy Comedy on March 27, 2023.
Creator and producer Don Fedderson later produced a TV movie version of The Millionaire with Martin Balsam as Arthur Haines and Robert Quarry as Michael Anthony. The movie was intended as a backdoor pilot for a revival series, which never occurred.
Guest stars
Since each episode featured a different beneficiary, many guest stars appeared during The Millionaire’s production, including Richard Anderson, Raymond Bailey, Joanna Barnes, Patricia Barry, Orson Bean, Jacques Bergerac, Charles Bronson, Edgar Buchanan, Carleton Carpenter, John Carradine, Marguerite Chapman, Chuck Connors, Mike Connors, Royal Dano, Richard Deacon, Angie Dickinson, Mason Alan Dinehart, Barbara Eden, Yvonne Lime Fedderson, Virginia Field, Dick Foran, Reginald Gardiner, Beverly Garland, Lisa Gaye, James Gleason, John Goddard, Don Gordon, Frank Gorshin, Peter Graves, George Grizzard, Harry Guardino, Alan Hale Jr., Barbara Hale, Murray Hamilton, Dennis Hopper, William Hopper, Frieda Inescort, David Janssen, DeForest Kelley, Jack Kelly, Robert Knapp, Tom Laughlin, Nan Leslie, Margaret Lindsay, Jack Lord, Celia Lovsky, Nora Marlowe, Frank McHugh, Joyce Meadows, Lee Meriwether, Martin Milner, Mary Tyler Moore, Joanna Moore, Agnes Moorehead, Rita Moreno, Vic Morrow, Lori Nelson, Kathy Nolan, Susan Oliver, Patrick O’Neal, Larry Pennell, Paul Picerni, Denver Pyle, Stephen Roberts, John Smith, Kent Smith, Aaron Spelling, Olive Sturgess, Marshall Thompson, Regis Toomey, Ernest Truex, Robert Vaughn, Betty White, Grant Williams, and Dick York.
At least two professional athletes appeared on the show: basketball and baseball player Chuck Connors (who also had a career as an actor) and Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Don Drysdale.
Episodes
Season 1 (1955)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | “The Amy Moore Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : George Van Marter Teleplay by : Mary C. McCall Jr. | January 19, 1955 |
| 2 | 2 | “The Carl Nelson Story” | Unknown | Charles Hoffman | January 26, 1955 |
| 3 | 3 | “The Joe Iris Story” | William A. Seiter | James R. Webb | February 2, 1955 |
| 4 | 4 | “The Dan Mulcahy Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | February 9, 1955 |
| 5 | 5 | “The Emily Short Story” | Alfred E. Green | Bert Granet | February 16, 1955 |
| 6 | 6 | “The Margaret Browning Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | February 23, 1955 |
| 7 | 7 | “The Harvey Blake Story” | Edward Bernds | Eldon Packard and Stanley Davis | March 2, 1955 |
| 8 | 8 | “The Nancy Marlborough Story” | Alfred E. Green | Milton M. Raison | March 9, 1955 |
| 9 | 9 | “The Betty Jane Ryan Story” | William A. Seiter | Eric Freiwald and Robert C. Schaefer | March 16, 1955 |
| 10 | 10 | “The Charles Lomar Story” | Alfred E. Green | Jack Jacobs and Malvin Wald | March 23, 1955 |
| 11 | 11 | “The Ken Fowler Story” | Alfred E. Green | David Chandler | March 30, 1955 |
| 12 | 12 | “The Pev Johnson Story” | Jules Bricken | Milton Raison | April 6, 1955 |
| 13 | 13 | “The Quentin Harwood Story” | William A. Seiter | Seeleg Lester | April 13, 1955 |
| 14 | 14 | “The Fred Malcolm Story” | Charles F. Haas | Muriel Roy Bolton | April 20, 1955 |
| 15 | 15 | “The Luke Fortune Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary McCall Jr. | April 27, 1955 |
| 16 | 16 | “The Jack Martin Story” | Charles F. Haas | Story by : Robert Clayton Teleplay by : Jack Leonard | May 4, 1955 |
| 17 | 17 | “The Walter Carter Story” | Unknown | Frank Gill Jr., Phil Cole, and Dick Pedicini | May 11, 1955 |
| 18 | 18 | “The Merle Roberts Story” | Unknown | Mary McCall Jr. | May 18, 1955 |
| 19 | 19 | “The Uncle Robby Story” | Charles F. Haas | Story by : Steven David Teleplay by : Seeleg Lester | May 25, 1955 |
| 20 | 20 | “The Sam Donovan Story” | Unknown | Jackson Gillis | June 1, 1955 |
| 21 | 21 | “The Vickie Lawson Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : David Chandler Teleplay by : David Chandler and Mary C. McCall Jr. | June 8, 1955 |
| 22 | 22 | “The Cobb Marley Story” | Harry Keller | Story by : Milton Raison Teleplay by : Robert Clayton and Milton Raison | June 15, 1955 |
| 23 | 23 | “The Mildred Milliken Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Polly James Teleplay by : Charles Hoffman | June 22, 1955 |
Season 2 (1955–56)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | “The Rita Keeley Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | September 28, 1955 |
| 25 | 2 | “The Robert Croft Story” | Harry Keller | Story by : Ray Wander Teleplay by : David Chandler | October 5, 1955 |
| 26 | 3 | “The Joe Seaton Story” | William A. Seiter | Jack Townley | October 12, 1955 |
| 27 | 4 | “The Iris Millar Story” | Leslie H. Martinson | David Chandler | October 19, 1955 |
| 28 | 5 | “The Ralph McKnight Story” | William A. Seiter | George Tibbles | October 26, 1955 |
| 29 | 6 | “The Tom Bryan Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Fred Schiller Teleplay by : Mary C. McCall Jr. | November 2, 1955 |
| 30 | 7 | “The Peggy Demos Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | November 9, 1955 |
| 31 | 8 | “The Jerome Wilson Story” | William A. Seiter | George Tibbles | November 16, 1955 |
| 32 | 9 | “The Nora Paul Story” | Alfred E. Green | Josef Montaigue | November 23, 1955 |
| 33 | 10 | “The Steve Carey Story” | Leslie H. Martinson | Hobart Donavan | November 30, 1955 |
| 34 | 11 | “The Don Lewis Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | December 7, 1955 |
| 35 | 12 | “The Jeff Ellis Story” | Leslie H. Martinson | Barry Trivers | December 14, 1955 |
| 36 | 13 | “The Wilbur T. Gerrold Story” | Unknown | David Chandler | December 21, 1955 |
| 37 | 14 | “The Philip Sargent Story” | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : Irma Kalish Teleplay by : Seeleg Lester | December 28, 1955 |
| 38 | 15 | “The Chris Hall Story” | Sobey Martin | Story by : Lawrence L. Goldman Teleplay by : Robert Creighton Williams | January 4, 1956 |
| 39 | 16 | “The Reverend John Hardin Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : George Carleton Brown and Frank Gill Jr. Teleplay by : Milton M. Raison | January 11, 1956 |
| 40 | 17 | “The Cindy Bowen Story” | Leslie H. Martinson | Lee Erwin | January 18, 1956 |
| 41 | 18 | “The Jean Griffith Story” | Alfred E. Green | Seeleg Lester | January 25, 1956 |
| 42 | 19 | “The Larry Evans Story” | Leslie H. Martinson | Robert Creighton Williams | February 1, 1956 |
| 43 | 20 | “The Brian Hendricks Story” | Sobey Martin | Muriel R. Bolton | February 8, 1956 |
| 44 | 21 | “The Arthur Darner Story” | Gerald Mayer | Jo Pagano | February 15, 1956 |
| 45 | 22 | “The Victor Volante Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Frank Cavett Teleplay by : Mary C. McCall Jr. | February 22, 1956 |
| 46 | 23 | “The Candy Caldwell Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Josef Montaigue Teleplay by : Mary C. McCall Jr. | February 29, 1956 |
| 47 | 24 | “The Rip Matson Story” | Charles F. Haas | Lee Erwin and Mary C. McCall Jr. | March 7, 1956 |
| 48 | 25 | “The Rita Hanley Story” | Gerald Mayer | Al C. Ward | March 14, 1956 |
| 49 | 26 | “The Eric Vincent Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : David Chandler Teleplay by : Muriel R. Bolton | March 21, 1956 |
| 50 | 27 | “The Bedelia Buckley Story” | Alfred E. Green | Barry Trivers | March 28, 1956 |
| 51 | 28 | “The Tom Mead Story” | Sobey Martin | Story by : Gene Wang Teleplay by : Al C. Ward | April 4, 1956 |
| 52 | 29 | “The Lucky Swanson Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Ruth Weddle Teleplay by : Doris Gilbert | April 11, 1956 |
| 53 | 30 | “The Jane Costello Story” | Alfred E. Green | Doris Gilbert | April 18, 1956 |
| 54 | 31 | “The Ed Murdock Story” | Harry Keller | Harold Jack Bloom | April 25, 1956 |
| 55 | 32 | “The Louise Williams Story” | Anton Leader | Muriel Roy Bolton | May 2, 1956 |
| 56 | 33 | “The Todd Burke Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | May 9, 1956 |
| 57 | 34 | “The Captain John Carroll Story” | Harry Keller | Lee Erwin | May 16, 1956 |
| 58 | 35 | “The Sally Delaney Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Leonard Neubauer Teleplay by : Doris Gilbert | May 23, 1956 |
| 59 | 36 | “The Olivia Grainger Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Paul de Sainte Colombe Teleplay by : Al C. Ward | May 30, 1956 |
| 60 | 37 | “The Jill Mayfield Story” | Harry Keller | Joe Morhaim | June 6, 1956 |
Season 3 (1956–57)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | “The Kathy Munson Story” | Alfred E. Green | Robert Bassing | September 12, 1956 |
| 62 | 2 | “The Jane Carr Story” | Gerald Mayer | Leonard Neubauer | September 19, 1956 |
| 63 | 3 | “The Anna Hartley Story” | Harry Keller | Story by : Josef Montiague Teleplay by : Doris Hursley, Frank Hursley, and Milton Raison | September 26, 1956 |
| 64 | 4 | “The Charles Hartford Story” | Gerald Mayer | Danny Arnold | October 3, 1956 |
| 65 | 5 | “The Fred Graham Story” | Alfred E. Green | Mary C. McCall Jr. | October 10, 1956 |
| 66 | 6 | “The Virginia Lennart Story” | James V. Kern | Muriel Roy Bolton | October 17, 1956 |
| 67 | 7 | “The Denny Havens Story” | Unknown | Story by : Phil Cole and Ed Nathan Teleplay by : Barry Trivers | October 24, 1956 |
| 68 | 8 | “The Joey Diamond Story” | John Brahm | Story by : Aileen Hamilton Teleplay by : Al C. Ward | October 31, 1956 |
| 69 | 9 | “The David Tremayne Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Charles R. Marion Teleplay by : Al C. Ward | November 7, 1956 |
| 70 | 10 | “The Waldo Francis Turner Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Wellyn Totman Teleplay by : Seeleg Lester | November 14, 1956 |
| 71 | 11 | “The Jay Powers Story” | John Brahm | Story by : Jack Townley Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | November 21, 1956 |
| 72 | 12 | “The Harvey Borden Story” | Gerald Mayer | Karl Brown | November 28, 1956 |
| 73 | 13 | “The Valerie Hunt Story” | Alfred E. Green | Jack Hanley | December 5, 1956 |
| 74 | 14 | “The Salvatore Michelangelo Buonarotti” | James V. Kern | Danny Arnold | December 12, 1956 |
| 75 | 15 | “The Mildred Kester Story” | Gerald Mayer | Ed Adamson | December 19, 1956 |
| 76 | 16 | “The Betty Perkins Story” | Alfred E. Green | Dick Stenger | December 26, 1956 |
| 77 | 17 | “The Nick Cannon Story” | Alfred E. Green | Leonard Neubauer | January 2, 1957 |
| 78 | 18 | “The Nancy Wellington Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Wellyn Totman Teleplay by : Carolyn Slade | January 9, 1957 |
| 79 | 19 | “The Russell Herbert Story” | Gerald Mayer | Jo Pagano | January 16, 1957 |
| 80 | 20 | “The Anton Bohrman Story” | Alfred E. Green | Barry Trivers | January 23, 1957 |
| 81 | 21 | “The Charles Wyatt Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Walter Goetz Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | January 30, 1957 |
| 82 | 22 | “The Jim Driskill Story” | Gerald Mayer | Jerry Adelman | February 6, 1957 |
| 83 | 23 | “The Professor Amberson Adams Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Howard Estabrook Teleplay by : Barry Trivers | February 13, 1957 |
| 84 | 24 | “The Judge William Westholme Story” | Sobey Martin | Barry Trivers | February 20, 1957 |
| 85 | 25 | “The Jerry Bell Story” | Alfred E. Green | Jerry Adelman | February 27, 1957 |
| 86 | 26 | “The Jerry Patterson Story” | Sobey Martin | Jerry Adelman | March 6, 1957 |
| 87 | 27 | “The Jimmy Reilly Story” | Gerald Mayer | Jo Pagano | March 13, 1957 |
| 88 | 28 | “The Rose Russell Story” | Unknown | Jerry Adelman | March 27, 1957 |
| 89 | 29 | “The Doctor Alan March Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Lou Morheim Teleplay by : Jo Pagano | April 3, 1957 |
| 90 | 30 | “The Crystal Sands Story” | Charles F. Haas | Story by : Frank and Doris Hursley Teleplay by : Jerry Adelman | April 10, 1957 |
| 91 | 31 | “The Maggie Sheeler Story” | Alfred E. Green | Ellis Marcus and Lester A. White | April 17, 1957 |
| 92 | 32 | “The Carol Wesley Story” | Gerald Mayer | Ed Adamson | April 24, 1957 |
| 93 | 33 | “The Hub Grimes Story” | John Brahm | Story by : Teleplay by : Frank and Doris Hursley | May 1, 1957 |
| 94 | 34 | “The Chris Daniels Story” | Alfred E. Green | Howard J. Green | May 8, 1957 |
| 95 | 35 | “The Josef Marton Story” | James V. Kern | Story by : Wesley Haynes Teleplay by : Barry Trivers | May 15, 1957 |
| 96 | 36 | “The Ted McAllister Story” | James V. Kern | Story by : Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton and Wesley Haynes | May 22, 1957 |
| 97 | 37 | “The Dan Larsen Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Jo Pagano and Fred Schiller Teleplay by : Jo Pagano and Fred Schiller | May 29, 1957 |
| 98 | 38 | “The Diane Loring Story” | Alfred E. Green | Endre Bohem and Louis Vittes | June 5, 1957 |
| 99 | 39 | “The Bob Fielding Story” | Alfred E. Green | Lowell S. Hawley | June 12, 1957 |
Season 4 (1957–58)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1 | “The Matt Kirby Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Joe Morheim Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | September 18, 1957 |
| 101 | 2 | “The Peter Marlowe Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Josef Montaigue Teleplay by : Robert Creighton Williams and Josef Montaigue | September 25, 1957 |
| 102 | 3 | “The Roy Delbridge Story” | Gerald Mayer | Robert Leslie Bellem and DeVallon Scott | October 2, 1957 |
| 103 | 4 | “The Carl Bronson Story” | Alfred E. Green | Marie Baumer | October 9, 1957 |
| 104 | 5 | “The Laura Hunter Story” | Gerald Mayer | Muriel Roy Bolton | October 16, 1957 |
| 105 | 6 | “The Larry Parker Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Ira V. Adkins Teleplay by : Jo Pagano | October 23, 1957 |
| 106 | 7 | “The Ruth Ferris Story” | John Peyser | Ed Adamson | October 30, 1957 |
| 107 | 8 | “The Hap Connolly Story” | Alfred E. Green | Jack Roche | November 13, 1957 |
| 108 | 9 | “The Frank Keegan Story” | Unknown | Ed Adamson | November 20, 1957 |
| 109 | 10 | “The Steve Logan Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Jack Roche Teleplay by : | November 27, 1957 |
| 110 | 11 | “The Anitra Dellano Story” | Alfred E. Green | Jo Pagano | December 4, 1957 |
| 111 | 12 | “The Hugh Waring Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : June Purcell Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | December 11, 1957 |
| 112 | 13 | “The Barbara Lydon Story” | R.G. Springsteen | Jack Laird and Wilton Schiller | December 18, 1957 |
| 113 | 14 | “The Regina Wainwright Story” | James Sheldon | Jerry Adelman | December 25, 1957 |
| 114 | 15 | “The Rod Matthews Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : John Fulton and John Stephens Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | January 1, 1958 |
| 115 | 16 | “The Marjorie Martinson Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Albert Aley Teleplay by : Jo Pagano | January 8, 1958 |
| 116 | 17 | “The Peter Bartley Story” | Robert Altman | Jack Laird and Paul Savage | January 15, 1958 |
| 117 | 18 | “The Jonathan Bookman Story” | James V. Kern | Story by : Seeleg Lester Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | January 22, 1958 |
| 118 | 19 | “The Doris Winslow Story” | Alfred E. Green | Story by : Howard Estabrook Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | January 29, 1958 |
| 119 | 20 | “The Michael Holm Story” | John Peyser | Story by : Fred Shevin Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | February 5, 1958 |
| 120 | 21 | “The Martha Crockett Story” | Gerald Mayer | Dory Previn and Barbara Merlin | February 12, 1958 |
| 121 | 22 | “The John Richards Story” | John Peyser | Marie Baumer | February 26, 1958 |
| 122 | 23 | “The Johanna Judson Story” | James Sheldon | DeVallon Scott | March 5, 1958 |
| 123 | 24 | “The Raymond Dupar Story” | John Peyser | Dory Previn and Barbara Merlin | March 12, 1958 |
| 124 | 25 | “The Neal Bowers Story” | Alfred E. Green | Jo Pagano | March 19, 1958 |
| 125 | 26 | “The John Smith Story” | Gerald Mayer | Muriel Roy Bolton | March 26, 1958 |
| 126 | 27 | “The Susan Birchard Story” | R.G. Springsteen | Gail Ingram and DeVallon Scott | April 2, 1958 |
| 127 | 28 | “The Tony Drummond Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Paul Franklin Teleplay by : Jack Roche | April 9, 1958 |
| 128 | 29 | “The Thorne Sisters Story” | John Peyser | Story by : Elizabeth Coulson Teleplay by : Jack Roche | April 16, 1958 |
| 129 | 30 | “The Rafe Peterson Story” | James Sheldon | Lee Loeb | April 23, 1958 |
| 130 | 31 | “The Andrew Sterling Story” | James Sheldon | Teddi Sherman | April 30, 1958 |
| 131 | 32 | “The Wally Bannister Story” | Gerald Mayer | Story by : Stuart Palmer Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | May 7, 1958 |
| 132 | 33 | “The Jack Garrison Story” | John Peyser | Jerry Adelman | May 14, 1958 |
| 133 | 34 | “The Paul Naylor Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Isabel Gilbert Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | May 21, 1958 |
| 134 | 35 | “The Russ White Story” | Alfred E. Green | Lawrence L. Goldman | May 28, 1958 |
Season 5 (1958–59)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 135 | 1 | “The Betty Hawley Story” | John Peyser | Jerry Adelman | September 3, 1958 |
| 136 | 2 | “The Norman Conover Story” | James Sheldon | Halsey Melone | September 10, 1958 |
| 137 | 3 | “The Fred Morgan Story” | James Sheldon | Lawrence L. Goldman | September 17, 1958 |
| 138 | 4 | “The Ken Leighton Story” | James Sheldon | Gail Ingram | September 24, 1958 |
| 139 | 5 | “The David Barrett Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Jerry Adelman Teleplay by : Jack Laird and Wilton Schiller | October 1, 1958 |
| 140 | 6 | “The Martin Scott Story” | John Peyser | Story by : David Chandler Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | October 8, 1958 |
| 141 | 7 | “The Ellen Curry Story” | James Sheldon | Lawrence L. Goldman | October 15, 1958 |
| 142 | 8 | “The William Vaughan Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Gena Canestrari Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | October 22, 1958 |
| 143 | 9 | “Ralph the Cat” | John Peyser | Jack Roche | October 29, 1958 |
| 144 | 10 | “The Dan Howell Story” | Robert Altman | Hal Fimberg and Frank Waldman | November 5, 1958 |
| 145 | 11 | “The Newman Johnson Story” | James Sheldon | Leonard Kantor | November 12, 1958 |
| 146 | 12 | “The Lee Randolph Story” | James Sheldon | Lawrence L. Goldman | November 19, 1958 |
| 147 | 13 | “The Frank Harrigan Story” | James Sheldon | Jack Roche | December 3, 1958 |
| 148 | 14 | “The Pete Hopper Story” | Robert Altman | Samuel Newman | December 10, 1958 |
| 149 | 15 | “The Eric Lodek Story” | James Sheldon | Jack Hanley | December 17, 1958 |
| 150 | 16 | “The William Courtney Story” | James Sheldon | Robert Leslie Bellem and Whitney Ellsworth | January 7, 1959 |
| 151 | 17 | “The Terrence Costigan Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Besse Zuckerman Teleplay by : Jack Laird | January 14, 1959 |
| 152 | 18 | “The Irene Marshall Story” | John Peyser | Muriel Roy Bolton and Lawrence L. Goldman | January 21, 1959 |
| 153 | 19 | “The Julia Conrad Story” | James Sheldon | Gavin Lambert, Peggy O’Shea, Lou Shaw, and Ellis St. Joseph | January 29, 1959 |
| 154 | 20 | “The Emily Baker Story” | John Peyser | Lorraine Edwards | February 4, 1959 |
| 155 | 21 | “The John Rackham Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Jo Pagano Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton and Jo Pagano | February 11, 1959 |
| 156 | 22 | “The Father Gilhooley Story” | James V. Kern | David Boehm | February 18, 1959 |
| 157 | 23 | “The Hank Butler Story” | Robert Altman | Gail Ingram | February 25, 1959 |
| 158 | 24 | “The Charlie Weber Story” | Robert Altman | Story by : Mel Durslag Teleplay by : Douglas Morrow | March 4, 1959 |
| 159 | 25 | “The Angela Temple Story” | Robert Altman | Jack Laird | March 11, 1959 |
| 160 | 26 | “The Alicia Osante Story” | James Sheldon | Robert Altman and John T. Kelley | March 18, 1959 |
| 161 | 27 | “The Marcia Forrest Story” | James Sheldon | Lawrence Menkin | March 25, 1959 |
| 162 | 28 | “The Henry Banning Story” | Robert Altman | Robert Altman and John T. Kelley | April 1, 1959 |
| 163 | 29 | “The Sally Simms Story” | James Sheldon | Muriel Roy Bolton and Jo Pagano | April 8, 1959 |
| 164 | 30 | “The Ann Griffin Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : David Boehm Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | April 15, 1959 |
| 165 | 31 | “The Karl Miller Story” | Robert Altman | Gail Ingram | April 22, 1959 |
| 166 | 32 | “The Gilbert Burton Story” | James Sheldon | Jack Roche | April 29, 1959 |
| 167 | 33 | “The Susan Ballard Story” | John Peyser | Gail Ingram | May 6, 1959 |
| 168 | 34 | “The Bill Franklin Story” | James Sheldon | Muriel Roy Bolton and Barney Slater | May 13, 1959 |
| 169 | 35 | “The Louise Benson Story” | James Sheldon | Jo Pagano | May 20, 1959 |
| 170 | 36 | “The Martha Halloran Story” | James Sheldon | James Bloodworth | May 27, 1959 |
| 171 | 37 | “The Charles Bradwell Story” | James Sheldon | Al C. Ward | June 10, 1959 |
Season 6 (1959–60)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | 1 | “The Mark Fleming Story” | James Sheldon | Muriel Roy Bolton | September 15, 1959 |
| 173 | 2 | “The Harry Brown Story” | James Sheldon | Lorraine Edwards | September 22, 1959 |
| 174 | 3 | “The Lorraine Daggett Story” | John Peyser | Story by : Robert Altman Teleplay by : John T. Kelley | September 29, 1959 |
| 175 | 4 | “The Phillip Burnell Story” | James Sheldon | Muriel Roy Bolton | October 6, 1959 |
| 176 | 5 | “The Doctor Joseph Frye Story” | Robert Altman | John T. Kelley | October 13, 1959 |
| 177 | 6 | “The Jim Hayes Story” | James Sheldon | Gail Ingram | October 27, 1959 |
| 178 | 7 | “The Maureen Reynolds Story” | Robert Altman | Muriel Roy Bolton | November 3, 1959 |
| 179 | 8 | “The Jeff Mercer Story” | James V. Kern | Stephen Kandel | November 10, 1959 |
| 180 | 9 | “The Tom Hampton Story” | James V. Kern | Lorraine Edwards | November 18, 1959 |
| 181 | 10 | “The Sergeant Matthew Brogan Story” | Robert Altman | Jack Roche | November 24, 1959 |
| 182 | 11 | “The Mitchell Gunther Story” | Robert Ellis Miller | Muriel Roy Bolton | December 1, 1959 |
| 183 | 12 | “The Andrew C. Cooley Story” | Robert Altman | Robert Altman | December 8, 1959 |
| 184 | 13 | “The Nancy Pearson Story” | Unknown | Stephen Kandel | December 15, 1959 |
| 185 | 14 | “The Jackson Greene Story” | Robert Altman | Jack Marlowe | December 22, 1959 |
| 186 | 15 | “The Timothy Mackail Story” | Robert Altman | Muriel Roy Bolton | December 29, 1959 |
| 187 | 16 | “The Elizabeth Tander Story” | James Sheldon | Jack Marlowe | January 5, 1960 |
| 188 | 17 | “The Sylvia Merrick Story” | Joe Parker | Muriel Roy Bolton | January 12, 1960 |
| 189 | 18 | “The Whitney Ames Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Robert Ellis Miller Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | January 19, 1960 |
| 190 | 19 | “The Janie Harris Story” | Joe Parker | Betty Andrews Blunt | January 26, 1960 |
| 191 | 20 | “The Margaret Stoneham Story” | James Sheldon | Jack Roche | February 2, 1960 |
| 192 | 21 | “The Jerry Mitchell Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Jack Laird Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | February 9, 1960 |
| 193 | 22 | “The Sandy Newell Story” | Joe Parker | James Bloodworth | February 16, 1960 |
| 194 | 23 | “The Larry Maxwell Story” | James Sheldon | Jack Marlowe | March 1, 1960 |
| 195 | 24 | “The Karen Summers Story” | James Sheldon | Aline Degrandchamp and Stephen Kandel | March 8, 1960 |
| 196 | 25 | “The Jessica March Story” | Lee Sholem | Story by : John Stephens Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | March 15, 1960 |
| 197 | 26 | “The Julie Sherman Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Sloan Nibley Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | March 22, 1960 |
| 198 | 27 | “The Tony Rogers Story” | James Sheldon | Stephen Kandel | March 29, 1960 |
| 199 | 28 | “The Susan Johnson Story” | Dick Darley | Jack Marlowe | April 5, 1960 |
| 200 | 29 | “The Nancy Cortez Story” | James Sheldon | Estelle Conde and Jan Winters | April 12, 1960 |
| 201 | 30 | “The Katherine Boland Story” | Dick Darley | Marvin C. Johnson | April 19, 1960 |
| 202 | 31 | “The Mara Robinson Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Betty Ulius Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton and Betty Ulius | April 26, 1960 |
| 203 | 32 | “The Dixon Cooper Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : Jack Marlowe Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | May 3, 1960 |
| 204 | 33 | “The Vance Ludlow Story” | James Sheldon | Story by : James Bloodworth Teleplay by : Muriel Roy Bolton | May 10, 1960 |
| 205 | 34 | “The Peter Longman Story” | John Peyser | Betty A. Blunt | May 24, 1960 |
| 206 | 35 | “The Maggie Dalton Story” | James Sheldon | Bertrand Casrelli and Richard Kayne | May 31, 1960 |
| 207 | 36 | “The Patricia Collins Story” | James Sheldon | Lorraine Edwards | June 7, 1960 |
Parodies
The Millionaire was parodied in a 1958 episode of The Jack Benny Program, in which Dennis Day became a Tipton beneficiary, with Marvin Miller as Michael Anthony delivering the unexpected gift.
During its fourth season, The Twilight Zone was expanded to an hour. Rod Serling, upset at this change, wrote an episode that season called “The Bard” about a hack television writer who was unable to come up with anything good until he inadvertently summoned the ghost of William Shakespeare. One of his bad ideas was an in-joke … “We take The Millionaire, expand it to an hour, and call it The Multimillionaire!”
In 1978, the Canadian sketch comedy program SCTV produced a parody of the show called The $Millionaire. In it, Tipton (played by Joe Flaherty) has given away so much money over the years that he is practically broke. He now can only afford to give away $50 at a time, much to the embarrassment of Anthony (played by John Candy).
Mad Magazine included The Millionaire in a parody article during the run of the show. Miller’s character approaches a subject and says, “My name is Michael Anthony, and I have been authorized to give you one million dollars!” The man tears up the check, saying, “My name is Mike Todd, and I don’t need it!“
In the sitcom Cheers, the episode “How to Marry a Mailman” opens with Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin explaining The Millionaire and its premise to multi-millionaire Robin Colcord in an effort to get Colcord to give them a million dollars.
Similar productions
The 1932 film If I Had a Million involves a dying businessman who leaves his money to eight strangers. The movie had seven directors and multiple screenwriters.
The 1983–1984 ABC-TV series Lottery! also explored sudden wealth and its impacts upon its beneficiaries, as did the NBC-TV shows Sweepstakes in 1979 and Windfall in 2006; all three had short runs. The 2013 television show Lucky 7 had an even shorter run.[citation needed]
References
- “TV Ratings”. Classictvhits.com. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 656. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Millionaire (TV series).
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