''Strike It Rich'' is a

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

that was broadcast on American radio from June 29, 1947 to December 27, 1957, on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

and

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

. It was broadcast on television as well, starting in 1951. People in need of money (such as for medical treatment or a destitute family) appeared and told their tale of woe, then tried to win money by answering four questions. If the contestant did not win any money, the emcee opened the "Heart Line", which was a phone line to viewers who wished to donate to the contestant's family. The radio series aired on CBS from 1947 to 1950. On May 1, 1950, the show moved to NBC, and was broadcast by NBC until December 27, 1957. Todd Russell was the host from 1947 to 1948, followed by

Warren Hull John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor, singer and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in t ...

. The television version of the game show premiered May 7, 1951, on CBS's daytime lineup. It ran until January 3, 1958, including a

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

version which aired from July 4, 1951 to January 12, 1955.

Premise

''Strike It Rich'' was a

that aired on American radio and television 1947 to 1957 on

and

. People in need of money (such as for medical treatment or a destitute family) appeared and told their tale of woe, then tried to win money by answering four relatively easy questions. Each player would be given $30 and bet any of their bankroll on answering each question after being given the category. If the contestant didn't win any money, the emcee opened the "Heart Line", a telephone hotline for viewers who wished to donate to the contestant and their family.

Original broadcast run

Episode status

Recordings of the series were

destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...

, partly owing to network standards of the era and partly owing to its controversial nature. Four episodes are held at the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

, and a few are held by the

Paley Center for Media The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...

. The J. Fred & Leslie W. MacDonald Collection of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

has one kinescoped program from November 28, 1956.

Reception

Controversy

While it had a simple format, the show was controversial during the 11 years it aired. Some applauded ''Strike It Rich'' for helping out some less fortunate people, as well as showcasing the sincere

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

and goodwill of viewers who donated through the Heart Line. Others found it a sickening spectacle that exploited the less fortunate contestants for the vicarious thrills of the viewers and the selfish gain of the sponsors. Part of the criticism was that it promised more than it could deliver. Though the show received between 3,000 and 5,000 letters per week from needy people wishing to win what would be (to them) life-changing sums of money, only a small fraction of those could be selected. Although this was partly due to the limits of television production (the series, although ambitious in its goals, could not reasonably assist every person needing help at the same time), critics stated that the show picked mostly those thought to have the most interesting tales of woe.

Complaints

Despite warnings by the show's

producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, a number of people hoping to be contestants exhausted their money to travel to New York, only to be rejected and end up relying on charities such as the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

to help them return home. This led to a large number of complaints from charities and local government agencies: * The New York City commissioner of welfare called ''Strike It Rich'' "a disgusting spectacle and a national disgrace." The welfare commissioner brought the show to court on charges of unlicensed fund-raising and actually won a conviction. * The supervisor of the Travelers Aid Society said, "Putting human misery on display can hardly be called right." * The general director of the Family Service Association of America said flatly, "Victims of poverty, illness, and everyday misfortune should not be made a public spectacle or seemingly to be put in the position of begging for charity." * The New York legislature looked into the controversy, but later dropped it, claiming it "lacked jurisdiction." * ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' called it "a despicable travesty on the very nature of charity."

Networks' response

CBS and NBC remained unconcerned over the charity controversy, stating: "We don't want to do anything that would antagonize the sponsor." Statements such as this allowed companies such as Geritol and Revlon to continue to control all aspects of the shows they sponsored. ''Strike It Rich'' last aired on CBS daytime in its 11:30 am time slot on Friday, January 3, 1958. It was replaced on Monday, January 6 by game show newcomer ''

Dotto ''Dotto'' was a 1958 American television game show that was a combination of a general knowledge quiz and the children's game connect the dots. Jack Narz served as the program's host, with Colgate-Palmolive as its presenting sponsor. ''Dotto'' ...

''. ''Dotto'' would go on to become the highest rated daytime show of the 1950s until its cancellation seven months later, the first casualty of the

1950s quiz show scandals The 1950s quiz show scandals were a series of scandals involving the producers and contestants of several popular American television quiz shows. These shows' producers secretly gave assistance to certain contestants in order to prearrange the s ...

Revivals

Two attempts to revive the series were made in 1973 and 1978, although neither was successful. Another quiz show broadcast in 1986–87 used the same name but was otherwise unrelated.

Merchandise

A board game of ''Strike it Rich'' featuring host Warren Hull on the cover was released by Lowell Toy Mfg. in 1956.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0043235, title=Strike It Rich
Streaming episodes of ''Strike It Rich'' radio program from Old Time Radio Researchers Library
1947 radio programme debuts 1958 radio programme endings 1951 American television series debuts 1958 American television series endings 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs 1940s American game shows 1950s American game shows American radio game shows American game shows Radio programs adapted into television shows Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming English-language television shows Lost American television shows NBC original programming NBC radio programs