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Merv Griffin

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Merv Griffin
File:Merv Griffin 2005.jpg
Born
Mervyn Edward Griffin, Jr.

(1925-07-06)July 6, 1925
San Mateo, California, United States
DiedAugust 12, 2007(2007-08-12) (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Cause of deathProstate Cancer
Resting placeWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Actor, Talk Show Host, Entertainer, Pianist, Raconteur
SpouseJulann Wright (1958-1976)
ChildrenTony 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.

Early life

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, and continued to aid in financing the school.[2]

During World War II, Merv was declared 4F after failing several military physical exams due to increased weight and having a slight heart murmur. Drafted for service during the Korean War, he was slimmed down and passed the physical, but was deemed too old (he'd just turned 27 and the cut-off age for the draft was 26).

Career

Singing at 19

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.[3]

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 with his 1950 hit I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. The song reached the number one spot on the Hit Parade and sold three million copies.[4]

During one of his nightclub performances, Griffin was discovered by Doris Day. Day arranged for a screen test at Warner Brothers 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 So This is Love in 1953.[5] 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.[6]

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.[2]

Game show host

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. He 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 1991's 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 show host

File:Merv Griffin Nancy Reagan 1982.jpg
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, and Griffin got him to stay for a spontaneous interview. He 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. The 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. 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. Arnold Schwarzenegger made his talk show debut in the United States on Griffin's talk show in 1974 after moving from Austria and becoming a bodybuilder. Griffin would also frequently chat with audience members.[2] One regular audience member, Lillian Miller (or "Miss Miller", as she was known), would become a fixture on Griffin's program throughout its run.

Mer'v best friend, Robert (Bob) Murphy (since the sixth grade) was the producer of The Merv Griffin Show and eventually became President of Merv Griffin Enterprises.

Late-night host

CBS gave Griffin a late-night show opposite Johnny Carson in 1969, 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.[2]

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. His new show began 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.[2]

Game show creator

File:Jeopardy logo.png
The logo for Jeopardy!, the successful game show Griffin created

Griffin created and produced the succesful television game show Jeopardy! in 1964, reverse on the classic quiz show format in which contestants are given answers and must supply the questions. The show premiered on NBC on March 30, 1964, hosted by Art Fleming and lasted for 11 years. Merv wrote the 30-second piece of music heard during the "Final Jeopardy" portion of the show.

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 produced 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. 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 today.

Upon his retirement, Griffin 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 and Let's Do 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 will air 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.[7][8]

In March 2001, Griffin returned to singing with the release of the album It's Like a Dream.

Private life

Griffin kept many details of his personal and business life private. On being wealthy he said that "if people know you're rich they don't talk with you when you walk down the street." He kept his wealth as an open secret amassing media outlets, hotels and casinos with a net worth widely estimated at more than a billion dollars. Griffin stated he didn't really know his worth because it “would keep me from sleeping at night.”

He and former First Lady Nancy Reagan exchanged birthday greetings each July 6, for they shared the same birthday. Griffin was also an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan in 2004. He was friends with the both the Reagans for many years.[9]

Sexual orientation

I tell everybody that I’m a quartre-sexual. I will do anything with anybody for a quarter.[10]

— Merv Griffin

Two same-sex palimony and sexual harassment lawsuits in 1991 brought questions about Griffin's sexuality to a national level. 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).[10]

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!".[7]

Griffin was outed immediately after his death in the tabloid media, and in the mainstream media by the Hollywood Reporter.[11] 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.[12]

Illness and death

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.[13][14] Griffin is survived by his son, Tony, from Griffin's only marriage to Julann Wright during 1958 from 1976, and two grandchildren.[15]

Funeral services

File:Merv Griffin funeral ceremony August 17, 2007.jpg
Griffin's casket in Beverly Hills' Church of the Good Shepherd; former first lady Nancy Reagan is at the far right, and son Tony Griffin is to her left

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.[16] 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.

References

  1. ^ "Spokeswoman: 'Jeopardy' inventor Merv Griffin dies at 82". Associated Press. 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Merv Griffin". The Notable Names Database. Soylent Communications. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  3. ^ All Movie Guide. "Merv Griffin Filmography". Fandango. Retrieved 2007-08-12. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |author= at position 11 (help)
  4. ^ The Griffin Group; Wikipedia; IMDB. "TV Land Remembers Merv Griffin". TV Land. Retrieved 2007-09-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Richard Natale (12 August 2007). "Hollywood legend Merv Griffin dies". Variety. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  6. ^ Erik Pedersen (13 Aug 2007). "'Visionary' H'wood host, tycoon Merv Griffin dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  7. ^ a b John Colapinto. "Dear Mister Fantasy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  8. ^ "Gaming Hall of Fame Award". Fine Awards. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ a b "Questioning Merv's Sexuality". Edge Boston. August 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  11. ^ Richmond, Ray Merv Griffin died a closeted homosexual, Hollywood Reporter 16 August 2007
  12. ^ E&P Staff (18 August 2007). "Reuters Drops Article About 'Gay' Merv Griffin". Editor and Publisher. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  13. ^ "Merv Griffin in grave condition". azcentral. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  14. ^ David Zurawik (12 August 2007). "Merv Griffin dies at age 82". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2007-08-12.
  15. ^ Kakie Urch; Bruce Fessier; Erica Solvig (12 August 2007). "Remembering Merv Griffin, 1925-2007". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2007-09-09.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "Hundreds Pay Final Respects To Merv Griffin". KNBC Los Angeles. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-09.

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