Tuesday, July 6, 2010

FREES FRAME THAT FACE!

From 1955 to 1960, the audience of the Trueniverse watched as a millionaire named John Beresford Tipton attempted to give away about 188 million dollars to total strangers, one million each, in the TV series 'The Millionaire'.

Tipton was never seen handing over the check personally to these people; that was the job of his assistant Michael Anthony. In fact, Tipton was never seen, save for his right arm, as he was always hidden away in his high-backed chair at the desk in his mansion's study on the Silverstone estate.

Based on his voice, however, I think we have a pretty good idea what John Beresford Tipton looked like......

Here's a picture of the "Man With A Thousand Voices", Paul Frees, as he looked in the movie "Space Master X-7". Since he was providing the voice for a character who was otherwise not seen, we might as well make the assumption that Tipton looked like Frees. It's a nice change of pace from the usual situation in which Frees' voice was heard coming from somebody else's mouth. (If I had to cast anybody to play his older brother, I'd have gone with Arthur O'Connell.)

In Toobworld, John Beresford Tipton died several years before 'The Millionaire' began broadcasting in 1955. He was probably buried somewhere on the 60,000 acres of the Silverstone estate.....

BCnU!


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