How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series)

Season one

The series follows the adventures and mishaps of three 20-something women who are attempting to marry a rich man. The three women are Greta Hanson (Nelson), a sophisticated, college educated co-hostess of the quiz show Go For Broke; Michelle "Mike" McCall (Anders), an intelligent (and often scheming), wise cracking Wall Street secretary; and Loco Jones (Eden), a ditzy but good natured "Miss Magoo"-esque fashion model. As in the film, the three women have concocted a scheme to land a rich husband by placing themselves in same social scene as rich bachelors. The three rent a pricey penthouse apartment together at the Tower House on Park Avenue and vow to help each other land a rich husband. While their address may be ritzy, Greta, Mike and Loco struggle to make the rent and are constantly faced with the threat of eviction and barely make ends meet.

In the series' initial episodes, Dabbs Greer portrayed Mr. Blandish, the Tower House's building manager who frequently threatens the women with eviction due to their failure to pay the rent on time. Midway through the first season, Joseph Kearns was cast as the building manager, Augustus P. Tobey. Mr. Tobey would also routinely threaten the women with eviction and regularly complained about their inability to pay their rent on time. Also appearing in a recurring role is Jimmy Cross, the building's elevator operator Jesse Flouge.

The original, unaired pilot episode was shot in Spring 1957. Lori Nelson appeared as Greta Lindquist (the character's last name was later changed to Hanson), Loco Jones was played by Charlotte Austin and Doe Avedon (ex-wife of photographer Richard Avedon) portrayed Mike McCall. Joseph Kearns, who was later cast in the series as the women's building manager, appeared in the pilot as Mike's co-worker Maurice. After all three major networks passed on the series, National Telefilm Associates and 20th Century-Fox Television (who owned part of the series) sold and distributed the series to 115 independent syndicated channels. Millionaire was included in a package deal with two other NTA productions, This Is Alice and Man Without a Gun, that subscribing syndicated channels aired in a programming block on the same night. After the series was sold, Charlotte Austin and Doe Avedon's roles were recast. Approximately seventy actresses auditioned for the roles of Loco and Mike before producers chose Barbara Eden and Merry Anders.

Season two

How to Marry a Millionaire was generally well received by critics and audiences and a second, abbreviated season was ordered. However, Lori Nelson's character was written out and a new character, Gwen Kirby, was added to the cast. Nelson later said she chose to quit the show stating, "I felt that I was the biggest of the three actresses in terms of star status...I felt that I needed to move on. I didn't need to be stuck in that little series that was in syndication." However, Nelson's co-star Merry Anders said that Nelson was fired. According to Anders, the series' entire first season, 39 episodes, was shot before the series debuted on television. While promoting the series shorty before its debut, Nelson gave an interview in which she admitted that was disappointed with her role. She stated she felt her role was not as well defined as her co-stars' who were more clearly based on their movie counterparts (Mike McCall was patterned after Lauren Bacall's role while Barbara Eden's character was a combination of the Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe role). Anders stated that when the series' production company, National Telefilm Associates, got wind of Nelson's remarks, they fired her.

After Nelson's departure, her character was written out by having her marry a gas station owner and relocate to California. The second season premiere episode, "Cherchez la Roommate", deals with Loco and Mike trying to find a suitable replacement for Greta or face eviction. Mr. Tobey is delighted that he finally has a legitimate reason to throw the women out and gives them one week to find a new roommate or get evicted. After a disastrous attempt to find a new roommate through a want ad in the newspaper, Loco and Mike are introduced to Gwen Kirby (Lisa Gaye), a new girl in town who needs a place to live. After Loco and Mike get Gwen to promise to help with their plan to get one of them married to a millionaire, Gwen becomes the third roommate.

The second season comprised 13 episodes. How to Marry a Millionaire was later canceled.

Main

During the series' first season, Eden was billed third. After Lori Nelson left the series, Eden was billed first.

Recurring

Notable guest stars

First season

The first season of How to Marry a Millionaire premiered on October 7, 1957 and ended in July 1958, after 39 episodes.

Second season

The abbreviated second season lasted 13 episodes. The second season aired from October 7, 1958 to August 20, 1959. The series was on hiatus from January to June 1959.