MERV GRIFFIN

'Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr.' (July 6 1925 – August 12 2007) was an American talk show host, game show host, entertainer, pianist, television personality and raconteur.^[1] He began his career as a singer and also appeared in movies and on Broadway; he later became host of his own TV show, ''The Merv Griffin Show'', and created the long-running award-winning game shows ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel of Fortune'', becoming an entertainment business magnate.

Contents

Biography

Career

Early career

Game shows

Talk shows

Late night TV

Major game shows

Business ventures

Private life

Sexual orientation

Death

Trivia

Hit songs

References

External links

Biography

Griffin was born into a middle class Irish American family on July 6, 1925 in San Mateo, California to Mervyn Griffin Sr., a stock broker and Rita Griffin (née Robinson), a homemaker. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Griffin started singing in his church choir as a boy, and by his teens was earning extra money as a church organist. He attended San Mateo High School, class of 1942. Merv Griffin

Career

Early career

Griffin started as a singer on radio at age 19, appearing on ''San Francisco Sketchbook'', a nationally syndicated program based at KFRC. Griffin was slightly overweight as a teenager, which disappointed his radio fans seeing him for the first time to the point of laughter. Embarrassed by this rude reaction, Griffin resolved to lose weight and change his image. True to his word, Griffin lost 80 pounds in a remarkable four months and matured into a handsome big band vocalist. Freddy Martin was a fan of the radio show and asked Griffin to tour with his orchestra, which he did for four years.^[2]
Within a year, Griffin earned enough to form his own record label, Panda Records, which produced ''Songs by Merv Griffin'', the first American album ever recorded on magnetic tape. He became increasingly popular with nightclub audiences, and his fame soared among the general public when he struck gold in 1950 with ''I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts'', which reached the number one spot on the Hit Parade and sold three million copies.^[3]
During one of his nightclub performances, Griffin was discovered by Doris Day. Day arranged for a screen test at Warner Bros. Studios for a role in ''By the Light of the Silvery Moon''. Griffin didn't get the part, but the screen test led to supporting roles in other musical films such as 1953s ''So This is Love''.^[4] The film caused a minor controversy when Griffin shared an open-mouthed kiss with Kathryn Grayson. The kiss was a first in Hollywood film history since the introduction of the Production Code in 1934.^[5]
Griffin would go on to film more pictures, namely, ''The Boy From Oklahoma'' and ''Phantom of the Rue Morgue'', but soon became disillusioned with movie making. Griffin bought his contract back from Warner Brothers and decided to focus on a new medium: television.

Game shows

From 1958 to 1962, Griffin hosted a game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman called ''Play Your Hunch''. The show appeared on all three networks, but primarily on NBC. He also hosted a prime time game show for ABC called ''Keep Talking''. In 1963, NBC offered him the opportunity to host a new game show, ''Word for Word'', which Griffin produced. This led Griffin to produce the far more successful ''Jeopardy!''. Griffin also produced ''Let's Play Post Office'' for NBC in 1965; ''Reach For the Stars'' for NBC in 1967; ''One In a Million'' for ABC in 1967, and in 1990, an ambitious but unsuccessful attempt at making a game show out of the venerable board-game, ''Monopoly''.
Arguably, Griffin's oddest game show was 1991s ''Ruckus'', hosted by comedian-magician The Amazing Johnathan. ''Ruckus'' was a wild, slapstick affair that took stunts and questions-and-answers to a bizarre level. The show emanated from Griffin's Resorts Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. However, WNBC in New York City was the only station that agreed to air the program. By the end of the show's 13 week run, plans were in the works to get the show syndicated nationally, but the project fell apart when the host walked away over a contractual dispute. ''Ruckus'' ended as a cult favorite, especially among children, teenagers and college students.

Talk shows

Griffin interviews then-First Lady Nancy Reagan in 1982

Griffin scored a coup when Jack Paar accidentally emerged onto the set of ''Play Your Hunch'' during a live broadcast, Griffin got him to stay for a spontaneous interview. Griffin parlayed that into a guest-hosting spot on ''The Tonight Show'', then hosted by Paar, and his own daytime talk show on NBC in 1962.
In 1965, Griffin launched a syndicated talk show for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting). ''The Merv Griffin Show'' aired in a variety of time slots throughout North America (many stations ran it in the daytime, some broadcast it opposite Johnny Carson's ''The Tonight Show,'' and it was carried for many years in prime time on WNEW in New York). Stations had the option of carrying either a 60-minute or a 90-minute version. Griffin's announcer-sidekick was the veteran British character actor Arthur Treacher, who had been his mentor. Treacher would introduce Griffin with the phrase: "And now, the dear boy himself," after reading off the list of guests for that evening's show. After Treacher left the show, Griffin would do the announcing himself, and walk on stage with the phrase: "And now..., here I come!" According to an obituary article on August 24, 2007 in ''Entertainment Weekly'', ''The Merv Griffin Show'' was on the air for 21 years and won eleven Emmy Awards during its run.
Griffin was not shy about tackling controversial subjects, especially the Vietnam War. The guests on the Westinghouse show were an eclectic mix of entertainers, authors, politicians, and "personality" performers like Zsa Zsa Gabor. Griffin also booked controversial guests like George Carlin, Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, Norman Mailer, and Bertrand Russell. Griffin received critical acclaim for booking such guests, but was also widely criticized for it. When anti-war activist Bertrand Russell used Griffin's show to condemn the war in Vietnam, Griffin was criticized for letting Russell have his say. Griffin would also frequently chat with audience members. One regular audience member, Lillian Miller (or "Miss Miller", as she was known), would become a fixture on Griffin's program throughout its run.

Late night TV

In 1969, CBS offered Griffin a late-night show opposite Johnny Carson, a move which proved disastrous. The network was uncomfortable with the guests Griffin wanted, who often spoke out against the Vietnam war and on other taboo topics. When political activist Abbie Hoffman was Griffin's guest in April 1970, CBS blurred Hoffman out so viewers at home couldn't see his trademark American flag pattern shirt. Griffin disliked the censorship imposed by CBS and complained.
Sensing that his time at CBS was ending, and tired of the restrictions imposed by the network, Griffin secretly signed a contract with rival company, Metromedia. The contract with Metromedia would give him a syndicated daytime talk show deal as soon as CBS canceled Griffin's show. Within a few months, Griffin was fired by CBS. Griffin's new show began on the following Monday, and ran until the mid 1980s. By 1986, Griffin was ready to retire and ended his talk show run. Due to profits from his highly successful game shows, Griffin had became one of the wealthiest entertainers on the planet.

Major game shows

A reverse on the classic quiz show format in which contestants are given answers and must supply the questions, ''Jeopardy!'' premiered on NBC on March 30, 1964, hosted by Art Fleming; the show succeeded and lasted for 11 years.
In 1975, NBC canceled ''Jeopardy!'' after moving it twice on their daytime schedule and despite having an additional year on its network contract left to fulfill. Griffin was allowed to produce the show's successor, ''Wheel of Fortune''. Premiering on January 3, 1975, ''Wheel'' became a modest hit on daytime television with Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford as host and hostess. But it became a phenomenon when on September 13, 1983 Wheel hit the syndication market with Pat Sajak and Vanna White in the same respective roles. Sajak began hosting in December 1981 and White became hostess in December 1982. Two different revivals of ''Jeopardy!'' would be produced: one on NBC that ran for five months in late 1978/early 1979 with Art Fleming returning as host, and the other airing in first-run syndication beginning on September 10, 1984 starring Alex Trebek. Both ''Wheel'' and ''Jeopardy!'' remain on the air.
Upon his retirement, he sold his production company, Merv Griffin Enterprises, to Columbia Pictures Television unit for US$250 million, the largest acquisition of an entertainment company owned by a single individual at that time. Following the sale, ''Forbes'' named him the richest Hollywood performer in history. He retained the title of creator of both shows.
The two powerhouses spun off numerous programs, and Griffin often would sign on as a creative consultant. The spinoffs included ''Wheel 2000'', and ''Jep!'', both for children; ''Rock & Roll Jeopardy!'' for purveyors of pop music trivia; a teen-oriented game called ''Click!'' and in association with Wink Martindale, ''Headline Chasers''.
In 2007, Griffin's production company, Merv Griffin Entertainment, began pre-production on a new syndicated game show ''Merv Griffin's Crosswords'' (originally titled ''Let's Play Crosswords''). The show taped in Los Angeles after initial reports that it would be produced at WMAQ-TV in Chicago. The show was produced in association with Program Partners and the William Morris Agency and aired beginning September 10, 2007. NBC-owned-and-operated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas will carry the show, with many stations airing two episodes per day.

Business ventures

Griffin ventured into real estate, purchasing the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. He also purchased Resorts Hotel and Casino, formerly Chalfonte-Haddon Hall Hotel in Atlantic City from Donald Trump in 1988. An active desert resident, he has been a supporter of the La Quinta Arts Festival and the owner of the Merv Griffin Givenchy Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, now The Parker. He owned a ranch near La Quinta, California where he raised thoroughbred racehorses, as well as St. Clerans Manor, a boutique hotel, set in an 18th century estate once owned by director John Huston, near Craughwell, County Galway Galway, Ireland. In the 1980s, Griffin purchased Paradise Island in the Bahamas for US$400 million from Donald Trump, but he later sold it for just US$125 million. Dear Mister Fantasy ^[6]
In March 2001, Griffin returned to singing with the release of the album ''It's Like a Dream''.

Private life

Sexual orientation

Two same-sex palimony and sexual harassment lawsuits in 1991 caused questions to arise about Griffin's sexuality. A 2006 article in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine by John Colapinto stated: "Merv does not refute the underlying implication in both cases: that he is gay. Nor does he admit to it. Instead, he mentions the high-profile relationship that he began with actress Eva Gabor at the time of his legal troubles. They were photographed everywhere: Atlantic City, La Quinta, Hollywood premieres. Griffin says that they discussed marriage, and he parries any direct questions about his sexual orientation. ''You're asking an eighty-year-old man about his sexuality right now!'', he cries. ''Get a life!".
Griffin was outed immediately after his death in the tabloid media, and in the mainstream media by the ''Hollywood Reporter.''^[7] While his homosexuality was an open secret in Hollywood, the article caused a minor scandal. Pressure from various sources resulted in its being pulled and republished in a less blunt tone, although its basic assertions remained unchanged.^[8]

Death

Griffin's casket is carried into Beverly Hills' Church of the Good Shepherd August 17, 2007. Griffin's son, Tony, is next in the front row with former First Lady Nancy Reagan next to him.

Griffin's prostate cancer, treated originally in 1996, returned and he was admitted to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where his condition deteriorated leading to his death on August 12, 2007 at age 82.^[9][10] Griffin is survived by his son,
Tony, from Griffin's only marriage to Julann Wright during 1958 from 1976, and two grandchildren.^[11]
Funeral services were held for Griffin in on 17 August 2007 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. The well attended service included former First Lady, longtime friend Nancy Reagan, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver, fellow actors/television stars Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Jack Klugman, Dick Van Patten, Dick Van Dyke, Alex Trebek and Griffin's son and daughter-in-law, Tony and Tricia Griffin. A post-burial reception was held at the Beverly Hilton, a property once owned by Griffin.^[12] He was buried in a mausoleum at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
GSN honored Griffin airing 10-episode marathons of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! during the weekend of August 18-19, 2007. ''The Wheel'' marathon included two episodes with cameos by Griffin–Pat Sajak's departure from the daytime version in 1989 and a 1992-93 episode that ended with Griffin, the MervTones, and Vanna White singing at a dinner club in Orlando, Florida. The Jeopardy! marathon consisted of a rerun of a college tournament of champions.

Trivia

★ Declared 4F after failing several military physical exams during which a slight heart murmur was detected.

★ Arnold Schwarzenegger made his talk show debut in the US on Griffin's talk show in 1974.

★ Best friend of Robert Loggia.

★ Wrote the 30-second piece of music heard during the "Final Jeopardy" category.

★ Griffin preferred to wear suits tailored by Botany 500.

★ He and former First Lady and longtime friend Nancy Reagan exchanged birthday greetings each July 6. Griffin was also an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan. [1]

★ In 1991, Griffin was hit with both a US$200 million palimony lawsuit by former "secretary/driver/horse-trainer/bodyguard" Brent Plott, and an US$11.3 million sexual harassment lawsuit from Dance Fever host "Denny" Deney Terrio; both suits were ultimately dismissed with prejudice (the Plott claim after Griffin filed a countersuit).

★ Grifin used to live in Califon, New Jersey, and once owned a farm there. When his game show Wheel of Fortune launched, he decided to name the production company that was expressly responsible for the show, after this town. To this day, ''Wheel of Fortune'' still legally does business as "Califon Productions, Inc."

Hit songs

★ "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"

★ "Wilhelmina"

★ "Never Been Kissed"

References

1. Spokeswoman: 'Jeopardy' inventor Merv Griffin dies at 82
2. Merv Griffin Filmography All Movie
Guide
3. TV Land Remembers Merv Griffin The Griffin Group; Wikipedia; IMDB
4. Hollywood legend Merv Griffin dies
5. 'Visionary' H'wood host, tycoon Merv Griffin dies
6. Gaming Hall of Fame Award
7. Richmond, Ray ''Merv Griffin died a closeted homosexual'', ''Hollywood Reporter'' 16 August 2007
8. Reuters Drops Article About 'Gay' Merv Griffin
9. Merv Griffin in grave condition
10. Merv Griffin dies at age 82
11. Remembering Merv Griffin, 1925-2007
12. Hundreds Pay Final Respects To Merv Griffin

External links

★ Merv Griffin official website

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★ Appreciation in ''The Washington Post'' by Tom Shales, 08/13/2007

★ Tom Shales defends Merv Griffin's right to sexual privacy

★ Merv Griffin - Obituary

★ Tribute: Merv Griffin Remembered @ TVWeek

★ He Had a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts at the ''Wall Street Journal''

★ VIDEO: Merv Griffin tribute