The Millionaire (TV Series) - The Beneficiaries

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 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 forever. 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 and construction workers to professionals like doctors and lawyers. Nor were they always likely to find their lives changed for the better because of their sudden wealth.

The series ran for 206 episodes, and Tipton made 206 millionaires. 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."