The Millionaire
The Story of Merle Roberts
TV Flash files “The Story of Merle Roberts” as hour 18 of 206 in the TV Flash guide — The Millionaire (1955–1960) on CBS, season 1, episode 18, aired 1955-05-18, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E18: listed hour 18 of 206 in the The Millionaire guide, hour 18 of 23 in season 1. It aired 1955-05-18 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “The Story of Walter Carter” (S01E17). Next is “The Story of Uncle Robby” (S01E19).
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Story of Merle Roberts sit in the The Millionaire guide?
S01E18 is listed hour 18 of 206 — hour 18 of 23 in season 1, season 1 episode 18.
When did The Millionaire S01E18 air?
The Story of Merle Roberts aired 1955-05-18 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with Michael Anthony delivering the check. The unseen Tipton and the stranger's windfall are the entire machine from week one.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Millionaire is sudden wealth as a weekly moral lab: Michael Anthony delivers a tax-free million from unseen patron John Beresford Tipton, then money ruins or redeems a stranger. High-concept anthology. Watch it now as the ancestor of every what-would-you-do-with-a-windfall reality premise, played as drama.
So about the check. (I said spoiler-free. The premise is the spoiler, and it is the whole fandom.) Every week on CBS, 1955–1960, executive secretary Michael Anthony — Marvin Miller — delivers a $1 million check from unseen tycoon John Beresford Tipton to an ordinary person, and the episode tracks the consequences. The Millionaire is sudden wealth as a weekly moral laboratory, high concept before the term was common, Don Fedderson's 206-episode, six-season windfall machine. Tipton is heard but never shown. Peak…
Filed against
- Marvin Miller as Michael Anthony
Marvin Miller delivered the envelope as Michael Anthony on The Millionaire — sudden wealth as a weekly moral lab, a tax-free million from unseen patron John Beresford Tipton, then money ruins or redeems a stranger. High-concept anthology.…