On-air giveaways of concert tickets, money, and dates with celebrities are
popular parts of today’s radio culture. But these types of promotions are
nothing new. Did you know that in 1939, NBC radio debuted the first-ever show to
give away money as a central theme?

Pot O’ Gold was the brainchild
of bandleader Horace Heidt. Its main premise was giving away $1,000 a week–only
instead of using today’s listener call-in format, Pot O’ Gold opted for
the “don’t call us, we’ll call you” approach. Heidt would pick a random name
from the phone book and award the cash to whomever answered the phone, provided
he or she was already tuned in to the broadcast.

The show aired for two
years on NBC. Then returned in 1946 for one year on ABC. It also spawned a film,
which starred Jimmy Stewart as Heidt’s nephew. The film version of Pot O’
Gold was the first and only film produced by James Roosevelt, eldest son of
President Franklin Roosevelt. (He would go on to military service after the
film’s debut.) The film was a commercial disappointment, as the radio concept
didn’t quite translate to film, since no real listeners/watchers were
benefitting from the storyline.

Even so, Pot O’ Gold will always
be remembered as the show that gave us the on-air giveaway… and for that,
millions of listeners are eternally grateful.