# Famous People's Whose Wealth (or Lack of) Surprised You **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147 "2005-01-17T03:10:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/21 "2005-01-17T12:06:25Z")
Um, John Nance Garner invented what? Would you please clarify? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/22 "2005-01-17T12:12:26Z")
Oh, now I see. It was [Henry A. Wallace](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_A._Wallace), and he came up with a chicken _breed_ that became predominant at the time (post-VP). ---
**Author:** ![Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hook)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/23 "2005-01-17T13:03:23Z")
Another very shrewd person was Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five. I believe that he bought the rights to many of the videotaped performances of 60’s bands on British television, particularly “Ready, Steady, Go”. Due to nostalgia for these performances I’m led to believe he made more money from this than the band ever did. Can any English Dopers confirm this? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/24 "2005-01-17T13:49:45Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > Paul McCartney is usually estimated to be worth somewhere between $1 billion and $2 billion. I believe that McCartney’s fortune is worth something like ten times the amount of John Lennon’s estate, so this is another example where good investment has meant quite a difference in the latter worth of two people whose initial earnings from their music was the same. Total hijack here… (but not one that takes us out of ‘Cafe Society’ as it happens,) when I was reading this, I was reminded of the Krikkit ‘Informational Illusion’ sequence in “Life, the universe and everything” where Adams was trying to convey the idea that Krikkit folk music was like Uber-Beatles… everything that he thought was great about the Beatles, only several hundred thousand times moreso. 😉 And the way he conveyed that, partly, was that as Arthur listens to each verse and chorus, he imagines Paul McCartney gradually buying more and more english counties outright, (if he had actually written the songs in question.) 😃 First purchasing Essex, then Kent and Sussex, putting in an offer for Hampshire, getting Winchester and gazing with interest towards the Test Valley. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/25 "2005-01-17T14:19:29Z")
I find that very hard to believe about Elton John, now that he has the composer’s rights (“grand rights”) to both AIDA and especially The Lion King. The amount of money paid to composers of hit shows is staggering, and when you factor the overseas and touring companies, it’s downright obscene. He has to be making a pretty penny from all of that. Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA are making more off of Mammia Mia! than they did when they were in ABBA. All they did to earn it was say “Yes, you can use our songs” ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/26 "2005-01-17T14:29:05Z")
How many people are on the “poorer” list due to cocaine? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/27 "2005-01-17T14:47:46Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > \ > While not wealthy, Audrey Meadows was another star who made at least one great fiancial decision. Most stars have professional agents negotiate their contracts. Meadows asked her two brothers, who were lawyers but had no experience in show business, to negotiate for her when she was working on her contract for _The Honeymooners_. There apparently was some minor issue being discussed and the brothers agreed to give in to the studio on the issue if they agreed to give Meadows perpetual royalties from the show’s broadcasts. The studio lawyers were quietly amused by the suggestion as it showed the brothers’ inexperience. Back then televsion broadcasts were usually never reshown and the handful of exceptions were only show once. It would be like a modern basketball player asking for royalties every time one of his games was rebroadcast - it was a pointless request. So they gladly agreed. The result of course is that unlike her co-stars, including Jackie Gleason, Meadows received a check every month for all the times an episode of The Honeymooners appears on the air. > > \ As a slight hijack, that story reminded me about the shrewdest contract in the history of sports negotiated by the owners of [The Spirits of St. Louis](http://www.ernietheattorney.net/ernie_the_attorney/sports/) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/28 "2005-01-17T14:58:07Z")
Fred MacMurray was reputed to be one of the richest men in Hollywood even before “My Three Sons”, despite his never having broken out of the B-movie world, as a result of shrewd real-estate investments. Flo Ballard of the Supremes died on welfare in a crack house. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/29 "2005-01-17T15:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Paul McCartney is usually estimated to be worth somewhere between $1 billion and $2 billion. I believe that McCartney’s fortune is worth something like ten times the amount of John Lennon’s estate, so this is another example where good investment has meant quite a difference in the latter worth of two people whose initial earnings from their music was the same. While it’s true that McCartney has been a shrewd investor, he also had the royalties from ‘Wings’, which were huge. It was the most successful act of the 1970’s, selling millions and millions of albums. And unlike the Beatles, where McCartney split the royalties 50/50 with Lennon, almost 100% of the royalties for Wings went straight to him. And of course, McCartney has had 25 more years of touring and active investing of his money on his side. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/30 "2005-01-17T15:30:40Z")
While true, I seem to recall a People Magazine cover from about 1984 that already named McCartney as the first ‘billionaire musician’. So it’s not like the last 20 years had much to do with that part. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/31 "2005-01-17T15:42:19Z")
Flip Wilson was comfortable from the money he made from his variety series. He was able to live al eisurely life, pay for his divorces and kids, and just have a good time, despite not having much in the way of work in the intervening years. However, he also retained full ownership of his variety show. A year or two before he died, TVLand paid him several million bucks for the rights of airing his old variety series. One that coulda been: Rod (and Carol) Serling. Serling cashed out his one-half interest in “Twilight Zone” for a little over $600K. Not a bad nest egg for the mid '60s. However, CBS in the meantime has made untold millions from licencing and syndication. Rod would live only another 10 years, but Carol would be VERY wealthy now, instead of just well-off. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/32 "2005-01-17T15:45:06Z")
Yes, you are right, it was Hank Wallace who invented the chicken. (And corn, by the way.) For some reason I have Nance Gardner on my brain this week. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/33 "2005-01-17T16:16:11Z")
It just goes to show that Chris Rock was right about the difference between _wealthy_ and _rich_. Shaquille O’Neal is _rich_, but the white man who signs his checks is _wealthy_. You can’t get rid of _wealth_, but _rich_ is something you can lose after one bad summer and a coke habit. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/34 "2005-01-17T16:25:12Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > I probably should have refraind from making such puerile, predictable one-liners, but it’s 5:30 in the morning and I can’t help myself. Sorry to subject you all to these. :smack: 😃 Hey don’t apologize…because then I’ll have to. _Johnny Cash- his estate has been valued at between $200-$400 million_ Man in (the) black, indeed. \*Dolly Parton- quite possibly the wealthiest woman in music \* There really is gold in them thar hills. _Burl Ives- his widow lives in a beautiful California estate and he bequeathed more than $3 million to various charities in addition to what he left her_ No wonder he was so jaded about silver and gold (to me, it means so much more in my pockets). ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/35 "2005-01-17T16:35:11Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I find that very hard to believe about Elton John, now that he has the composer’s rights (“grand rights”) to both AIDA and especially The Lion King. The amount of money paid to composers of hit shows is staggering, and when you factor the overseas and touring companies, it’s downright obscene. He has to be making a pretty penny from all of that. I’ll have to dig up a cite but I remember reading a few years ago that he spends his money extremely frivolously - something like 50,000 a month in flower purchases alone (I can’t remember the figure, but it was some obscene amount of money. For flowers.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/36 "2005-01-17T16:37:43Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > **Gore Vidal** - while a bestselling novelist he’s never sold in numbers akin to Stephen King or Anne Rice, yet his villa in Italy (recently used for filming in _The Life Aquatic_ recently sold for $15 million. (He didn’t sell it due to financial need but because he’s now in a wheelchair at most times and the villa is built on numerous levels, plus the death of his domestic partner of 50 years and his own health problems prompted his return to his California home). > > \ > > Of course the Mike Nesmith/Liquid Paper thing is well known but I discount that since it’s from inheritance rather than financial genius on his part (though he did recently win a _huge_ settlement from PBS [which seems to have screwed him in some video dealing]). I put these together because when I read your paragraph on Gore Vidal, my mental question was how much of it was inherited. Vidal comes from a very wealthy background. His given name is Gore as in Al Gore, as in a very wealthy southern family. He is somehow related to Jacqueline Kennedy’s stepfather, a nephew I believe, and there was a lot of money in that family as well. So while I don’t doubt that he handled his money well, I suspect that his wealth gave him leisure to write, rather than his writing leading to wealth. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/37 "2005-01-17T16:38:20Z")
That was easier to find than I expected. > [@](#): > > [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1024745.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1024745.stm) > > The singer’s lavish lifestyle saw him spend more than £9.6m on property and £293,000 on flowers between January 1996 and September 1997. Ok, so that’s only (heh) $30,000 a month on flowers. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/38 "2005-01-17T16:39:15Z")
Didn’t Fess Parker put the money he earned from the Davey Crockett series into California real estate? Ka-ching! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/39 "2005-01-17T16:46:02Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > It just goes to show that Chris Rock was right about the difference between _wealthy_ and _rich_. Shaquille O’Neal is _rich_, but the white man who signs his checks is _wealthy_. You can’t get rid of _wealth_, but _rich_ is something you can lose after one bad summer and a coke habit. No, it’s different than that. A rich person is someone who’s got so much income that he can live comfortably without losing it or having to worry about making more. A welathy person is someone who manages that money (or hires someone to manage it for him) in such a way that he lives comfortably but does not lose the bulk of his money. Rich people can lose it all. Wealthy people can too, but only due to extremely bad economic times or malfeasance on the part of the person(s) managing their wealth for them. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147/40 "2005-01-17T16:54:41Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > This sounds fishy to me, and no such porn titles show up in his [filmography](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0492444/) in the Internet Movie Database, which is famous for sniffing out obscure credits. Hmm. I can’t find any of the titles, but this is from a biography of him written in the 90s. I do know for a fact that he did print ads in adult porn mags for a device called the _Accujack_ (it’s basically a masturbation aid- a fake vagina that folds to the size of a wallet). > [@Walloon](#): > > Worth more than $100 million dollars? Reports of his estate have been greatly exaggerated — its value was closer to $5 million. His [Brentwood](http://findadeath.com/Deceased/m/Macmurray/fredgarage.jpg)[home](http://findadeath.com/Deceased/m/Macmurray/fredhouse.jpg) alone would have been worth almost that much, plus he earned more than that for _My Three Sons_. (He had the most lucrative TV contract of the 60s- interest in the show and he only shot for about three months per year- notice on the reruns that there are terrible continuity errors because much of the show is Dad talking to the boys in one frame while they respond in another- these were filmed at different times so Fred could go to one of his fish camps.) He was a megamillionaire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-peoples-whose-wealth-or-lack-of-surprised-you/285147.md?page=3)