"Strike It Rich" (1951) TV series 1951-1955

User Rating:

(awaiting 5 votes)

Directors:

Lloyd Gross
Matt Harlib

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

7 May 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Game-Show

Plot:

A game show where people relate their unfortunate situations (fatal disease, injury, their house burned down, etc.) in hopes that someone will take pity on them, call the show and give them money or merchandise.

Plot Keywords:

Tragedy | Prize | Non Fiction

Cast

Cleo Moore

...

Herself (1 episode, 1954)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

Warren Hull's hidden powers

Strike It Rich was regular TV fare in our home when I was a kid. My mom was often glued to the TV set. It didn't hold much appeal to me, but - in all fairness - I think the comparison to Jerry Springer is rather far fetched. A half a century of cultural change makes any kind of comparison difficult, to say the least. It's rather amusing to think of Hull milking the pity quotient of those pathetic guests and their stories, while just a dozen years earlier he had starred in serials as The Green Hornet and Mandrake the Magician. In fact, I believe he played the Spider as well. With all those super powers floating around, why didn't he just remedy those guests' problems rather than wait for the Heartline to ring?