Episode 293 The Great Stork Derby - Charles Vance Millar's Most Outrageous Practical Joke

Episode 293 The Great Stork Derby - Charles Vance Millar's Most Outrageous Practical Joke

From Family Plot by Family Plot Podcast

March 26, 2026 · 50 min · Episode 293

About this episode

This episode discusses the outrageous practical joke of Charles Vance Millar and a fertility contest in Toronto during the 20's and 30's.

This episode is so full of weird tasty historical goodness you'll want a second course. Arthur talks an afternoon with Dean and a vist from his girlfriend and we discuss Toronto and Canada in the 20's and 30's and the introduction of a millionaire with no heirs and a wicked sense of humor who died on October 31st 1936 and for the next ten years set off a fertility contest that became talked about all over the world. All while Toronto desperately tried to hold onto it's Toronto the Good identity in this too much money, a will can be binding and a joke, more fun in Canada than you thought you could have episode of the Family Plot Podcast. (Slight correction, Dean at one point claims the original Forever Knight was set in New York and filmed in Toronto. What was the blueprint for Forever Knight, starring Rick Springfield was actually called Nick Knight and was set in LA but was still filmed in Toronto.) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support .

People in this episode

Host: Dean

Topics covered

  • history
  • true crime
  • practical jokes
  • fertility contest

Keywords

  • Toronto
  • Canada
  • Charles Vance Millar
  • 1930s
  • humor

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Great Stork Derby, Forever Knight

Places: Toronto, Canada, New York, LA

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