Robert Ponce At the time, the last years of the age of innocence were waning into the past. The nation was busy creating its middle class with blood, sweat and tears. Russia and the USA had their differences (still do). And the TV was filled with offers "you got to have." But the problem was, where's the money? Our whole family loved The Millionaire. If someone got up during the commercial break, we would yell out "It's starting, It's starting!" After the show we'd each tell what a million dollars would be like, if we had it. At that time I remember wanting Western outfits like Kit Karson's, Daniel Boone,Davy Crocket. So my dream would be to spend some on that. Or get my mom a new car, etc. The show, I feel, gave the general audience a thrill, a moral lift and a little time to dream of eliminating poverty. And it goes without saying that we were happy for the person getting the million dollars in the first place.

MisterChandu Counting up the episodes, I figure Mr. Tipton gave away 208 million dollars over 6 years. Who was this guy, J Paul Getty? Howard Hughes? There were multi millionaires at the time with Hughes becoming the first billionaire in the 60's but no way would that have happened had he done what the make believe Tipton did. Even with that bottomless Hollywood wallet of his, I bet the imaginary Tipton thanked God that the show was finally canceled. Heck, maybe he went bankrupt! Better yet, maybe it wasn't even his money and he was stealing it form an imaginary bank!I have fond memories of this show. I really liked the classy man servant Mr. Anthony who would deliver the check to some person simply going thru another day in their life. He had a nice smile and was very dignified but once he was gone, a crazy story would begin.(I wonder what the show would have been like in Rod Serling was the one handing out the money because that was this show was kind of like, a "Twilight Zone" where instead of entering another dimension the Serling way, the characters enter it in a financial way. The results could be similar I believe.) I do remember some episodes but I have not seen this since it was re run in the 60's.Episode 1: Their was this couple who had been named in the will of a relative. He left them money for their honeymoon. He receives the check and, as he was going to his lawyers to change his will, has a heart attack in the taxi on the way there. The couple, because the will leaves the unused money to someone else, then takes off on a honeymoon that costs a million dollars.Episode 2: Their were these two old friends since childhood both of whom had ended up in the same old folks home. One of them receives a million. He goes and buys a big house where he sets up a Christmas tree (in July) and says to his friend (whom he intends to share his good fortune with) "everyday will be Christmas around here from now on!" His friend then dies on the spot. Now remember that this is in the fifties and that these guys grew up during the worst years of the 20th century and you see the pathos involved.I do not know the names of these episodes and since the show is out of print I may never see them again but I think you get the idea. This is still a good concept for a show and it might be nice to have a reprise of the show as many of the actors/actresses (Vera Miles, Mary Tyler Moore) are still alive and some of the original audience is still around. We could see what they did with their million over the years.In this day of lottery game winners who blow it all, some of the story might get lost in translation but with todays multi billionaires it still could make for a good TV movie or mini series.Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Ross Perot; Where are you?

f-sledge I remember "The Millionaire" well, as it was a family favorite throughout its run. I agree with the posted comment, with one significant exception. Even as a child, I couldn't help but notice that the "Money can't buy happiness" message of the show was very contrived. The Millionaire candidates in most of the episodes were losers, malcontents, people with real and serious social interaction problems, who suddenly turned into bubbling fountains of happiness and rectitude once they got the money. Maybe money couldn't buy happiness, but it's mere possession evidently conferred instant morality and wisdom. The final "Lessons learned" scenes between Anthony and Tipton were invariably of the "Well, now this benighted yahoo has seen the light and is back on his/her right path" variety. It was a VERY 1950's sort of "message." Yes, my family watched the show regularly - and laughed our cookies off every week! Two nits: Tipton was "seen", but only from the rear. Also, another "condition" was that the subject never reveal the exact amount of the gift. I never understood why revealing a nice round number like $1M would cause any problems. I guess I'm too benighted.

Ben Burgraff (cariart) "The Millionaire" is a show unfairly forgotten, today; as popular in it's time as "Queen for a Day", "Private Secretary", and "Our Miss Brooks", it offered a premise that would serve as an inspiration for series as varied as "Magnum P.I,", "Fantasy Island", "Stairway to Heaven", and the current 'Reality TV' craze; top-notch casts in half-hour morality tales; and 'common sense' resolutions that would keep it an audience favorite for five seasons.Produced for CBS by Don Fedderson Productions (who would also give America "My Three Sons" and "Family Affair"), an unseen millionaire (with obviously WAY too much free time), John Beresford Tipton (voiced by one of TV and film's best-known voice actors, Paul Frees), would dispatch his associate, the ever put-upon Michael Anthony (Marvin Miller, in his best-known role), carrying a tax-free cashier's check for a million dollars, made out to 'random' individuals, on condition that they never attempt to discover who sent it, or reveal where the money came from, except to their husband or wife. With the frequently bemused Anthony as an observer, the new millionaires would run the gamut of possible scenarios, discovering, ultimately, that money can't buy happiness, but CAN provide a half-hour of frequently engrossing drama. Each episode would generally end with Anthony summarizing the recipient's 'lesson learned' to a satisfied Tipton.With casts often featuring future 'stars', the series was wise without ever being overly 'preachy', with good direction and strong production values. Frequently lampooned by comedy shows of the period, "The Millionaire" ultimately would have the last laugh, outlasting most of them.While an attempt to 'reinvent' the show would fail, in 1978, the original certainly qualifies as a TV 'classic'...