BrianRxm Coins on Television 49/88
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story (1955)
Billionaire discusses numismatics and examines ancient Greek coins
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This episode of the television program "The Millionaire" begins with a man at a desk with some trays of ancient Greek coins and examining one of them. He has a book on Greek coins laying on the desk.
 
"The Millionaire" was a half-hour television program which ran on the CBS television network from 1955 to 1960.
 
John Beresford Tipton, a multi-billionaire, lives on an estate and each week gives a check for $1,000,000 to a person whom he chooses. Tipton's executive secretary, Michael Anthony, visits the recipients and gives them their checks. Tipton usually tells Anthony something about the recipient.
 
This episode is titled "The Ralph McKnight Story" and was first broadcast on October 26, 1955.
 
Tipton mentions numismatics and tells Anthony that some men collect coins or stamps and others collect grudges. He then sends Anthony to visit a young man, Ralph McKnight.
 
Ralph spent time in the US Army and believes that he was treated badly by his sergeant and an officer. He intends to use the money to get revenge on the men.
 
Trays of ancient coins are shown at the beginning of the episode but do not figure into the story.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
1. Program title
Michael Anthony, John Beresford Tipton's executive secretary, appears:
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
2. Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony talks to the audience.
 
My name is Michael Anthony and until his death, I was John Beresford Tipton's executive secretary. Now, Mr. Tipton was a multi-billionaire, which alone made him considerably different from most of us.
 
But what made him entirely different from any man who ever lived, so far as I know, was his major hobby of giving a $1 million, taxes paid, to some unsuspecting person. It was here on a certain evening that he called me to his private study.
 
Michael Anthony is summoned to John Beresford Tipton's private office.
 
A desk with trays of ancient coins and a book "A Book of Greek Coins" appear. The book is a real numismatic book written by Charles Seltman and published by Penguin Books Ltd. in 1952.
 
Next a pair of hands appear holding a magnifying glass:
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
3. Numismatics
Micheal and Tipton have a conversation:
 
Michael: You sent for me, sir? Tipton: Numismatics, Mike. Michael: I beg your pardon, sir? Tipton: Rare coins, fascinating hobby. Michael: Yes, sir.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
4. Numismatics
The conversation continues:
 
Tipton: You know it must be one of man's primeval instincts to collect things, Mike. Coins, stamps, miniatures, why some people even collect grudges. Michael: Grudges, sir? Tipton: Grievances against their fellow man. Let's see if we can devaluate the value of this young man's grudge with $1 million.
 
Michael Anthony leaves and later visits Ralph McKnight at his home.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
5. Michael Anthony presents the check
Ralph McKnight tells Michael Anthony his story about his three years in the Army and the men who gave him a bad time.
 
First is Sergeant Harden:
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
6. Ralph and Sergeant Harden
Sergeant Harden tells Ralph that he just hates him but does not know why and is constantly finding fault with Ralph's performance as a soldier.
 
Next is Lt. Larrabee:
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
7. Lt. Larrabee and Ralph
A corporal who also doesn't like Ralph maneuvers Ralph into disobeying orders.
 
Lt. Larrabee gives Ralph a lecture and assigns him to "KP" or "Kitchen Police", assisting the unit cooks.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
8. Ralph at work
Back in civilian life with his check, Ralph visits a private investigation firm, the "Key Detective Agency." He is surprised to see investigator Danny Rawlins is a young woman
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
9. Ralph visits the detective
Danny explains that she does the missing persons work and her brother handles the more dangerous jobs.
 
A few days later she informs Ralph that she has found Lt. Larrabee. Ralph and Danny visit a military school for little boys and find (now) Captain Larrabee.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
10. Captain Larrabee addresses the troops
Captain Larrabee brags about being a great war hero and Ralph at first wants to tell the boys that he and the Captain never were in any battles but Ralph decides instead to leave.
 
Ralph and Danny next visit former Sergeant Harden who is married and running a flower store with his wife Martha.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
11. Sergeant Harden and Martha
The ex-sergeant is a "hen-pecked husband" whose wife is contantly criticizing his performance at work. Ralph buys the store and gives the deed to the wife.
 
Ralph and Danny then look for the corporal and Ralph's old girlfriend and find them married.
 
By now Ralph and Danny have formed an attachment and have discovered that both would like to own and run farms. Ralph proposes marriage to Danny and she accepts.
 
The Millionaire - The Ralph McKnight Story
12. Ralph and Danny
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Marvin Miller as Michael Anthony
Richard Crenna as Ralph McKnight
Jeanne Baird as Danny Rawlins
Claude Akins as Sgt. Mike Harden
Gene Reynolds as Lt. Larrabee
 
Director: William A. Seiter
Writers: George Tibbles
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