The guests on the Westinghouse show were an eclectic mix of entertainers, authors, politicians, and "personality" performers like Zsa Zsa Gabor. Subsequently, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased Columbia and he retains the title of executive producer of both "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" In yet another stunner, the book claims Griffin - who died in 2007 at age 82 - carried on a longtime affair with Hollywood heavyweight Marlon Brando. While under contract at Warner Bros., he appeared in a number of hit movies, including So This Is Love (1953) with Kathryn Grayson and The Boy from Oklahoma (1954) with Will Rogers Jr., and Lon Chaney Jr..Television then discovered him. Merv Griffin is a television host and media tycoon of America. He certainly didnt owe us an explanation, but maybe he owed it to himself to remove the suffocating veil hed been forced to hide behind throughout his adult life. Over the past 16 years of his life, however, Griffin deflected the sexuality questions with a quip, determining that his private life remained nobodys business. That's one of the nice things about being hot. She further elaborated, "I had to meet the right kind of man, and the world had to change a lot, and I had to change a lot." In 1975, NBC canceled Jeopardy! His first crush was Errol Flynn, whom he saw passed out naked on a couch. Robert (Bob) Murphy, Griffin's best friend since sixth grade, was the producer of The Merv Griffin Show, and eventually became president of Merv Griffin Enterprises. It was during this period that he conceived the idea for what was to become one of the most successful game shows in television history, Jeopardy! We knew nothing of his relationships because he guarded his privacy fiercely, and we didnt pry. Then again, Merv carved his niche in the entertainment world at a time when being gay wasnt OK, when disclosure was unthinkable and the allegation alone could deep-six ones career. His charges are ridiculous and untrue. In 1990, Griffin had an ambitious but unsuccessful attempt at adapting the venerable board game Monopoly into a game show of the same name. When he was fired a few months later, his new show began the following Monday, and ran until the mid-1980s. National audiences eventually got a look at it via reruns that aired on GSN. Phil Donahue is the Cronkite of the morning, an oasis in a wasteland, the trusted host who, according to TV Guide, "hit daytime television like a hormone injection directly into the carotid artery of the American housewife." "We had a woman whose baby was taken back by the adoption agency. He lost his virginity, to a female, that is, when Judy Garland seduced him. He was 82. Griffin was born July 6, 1925, in San Mateo, California, to Mervyn Edward Griffin Sr., a stockbroker, and Rita Elizabeth Griffin (ne Robinson),[3] a homemaker. Marlo was 40 when she married the talk show host, and it was her first marriage. Overlooking Long Island Sound, the home is on tony . On being wealthy, Griffin said, "when you walk down the street and everybody knows you're rich, they don't talk to you." "We're talking about a medium that evaluates people according to the force with which they can communicate ideas," Donahue explains. He also filled in for a week for the vacationing Bill Cullen on The Price Is Right, and for Bud Collyer on To Tell the Truth. His first encounter, a boyhood friend he grew up with, later tried writing a book about Merv. In 1991, Deney Terrio, host of the Griffin-created Dance Fever, sued Griffin, alleging sexual harassment, but the suit was dismissed. "It's no mystery to me why they are so conservative," Donahue says. Before they married, Marlo had no interest in the institution, but her husband managed to twist her arm. Not one to shy away from controversy, Griffin began to be harassed by CBS censors who objected to the antiwar statements of his guests and ordered him to feature pro-war guests for balance. LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Merv Griffin was gay. Aug 16, 2020 - Phil Donahue & Marlo Thomas on their wedding day . Among his private passions are his family, son Tony Griffin, daughter-in-law Tricia, and grandchildren Farah and Donovan Mervyn, his long-haired sharpei dog Charlie Chan, his La Quinta ranch near Carmel, where he raises thoroughbred racing horses, and his 135 foot, four-story high ocean going yacht, Griff. American Talk Show Host Merv Griffin was born Mervyn . And as any law student knows, you cant libel the dead. Issues that provoke censorship are almost always sexual. . She recalled one of the questions he asked her, saying: "And he said to me, 'How come you've never married?' Instead, she became a friend of the four boys', and when she got to know them and vice versa, they trusted her and accepted her in their lives. That was Fibber and Mollie McGee's address. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius. [18][19], That summer, Griffin became acquainted with music publisher Loring Buzzell. Adding to it, he also produced The Merv Griffin Show, which was a syndicated talk show in 1965. To prove his point, Donahue does a Kissinger imitation, complete with heavy accent. And Mervs brush with tabloid scandal no doubt only drove him further into the closet. [citation needed], Griffin started as a singer on radio at age 19, appearing on San Francisco Sketchbook, a nationally syndicated program based at KFRC. So powerful is his appeal that the "Today" show signed him as a regular contributor last May. (See review in today's Book World section.). It aired in a variety of time slots throughout North America; many stations ran it in the daytime, others aired it in primetime, and a few broadcast it opposite Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. The audience is small and compact, practically sitting in the guest's lap. Merv Griffin is a television host and media tycoon of America. By 1976 he'd been canceled three times in New York, the nation's top market, and sadly decided he'd "become a candidate for a trivia contest two decades hence.". I had interviewed many gay men whod known Griffin as gay, as well as men who told stories about how his closet had him doing horrendous things and how he was threatened by openly gay people. The star said they connected "fantastically," but their first date was awkward, with them staring at each other! In 1965, Griffin launched a syndicated talk show for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting) titled The Merv Griffin Show. During the World War II, he was found to have a slight heart murmur because of which he failed several military examinations. The former home of Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas in Westport, Conn., is going on the market for $28 million. [citation needed], He attended San Mateo High School, graduating in 1942, and continued to aid in financing the school. An avid fan of puzzles since childhood, Griffin first produced a successful game show in 1964, Jeopardy! Pallbearers included Griffin Group vice-chairman Ron Ward, President Robert Pritchard, and Vice President Michael Eyre, as well as Tony Griffin. He started the game show Jeopardy! in 1964. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Merv Griffin was a singer and band leader, movie actor, television personality and media mogul who in his time hosting The Merv Griffin Show (1962) was second in fame and influence as a talk show host only to Johnny Carson. First off, Griffins closet kept him shockingly silent while he had access to the president of the United States as his own people were dying. In 1963, NBC offered him the opportunity to host a new game show, Word for Word, which Griffin produced. Merv was looking at notes for a new game show, and Julann asked if it was one of the knowledge-based games she liked. Both programs shared Studio 6B at NBC's Rockefeller Center complex at the time, with Play Your Hunch airing live in the morning while Tonight taped later in the day. If they're slow, he takes telephone calls. Even though they divorced, they continued being good friends. . According to an obituary on August 24, 2007 in Entertainment Weekly, The Merv Griffin Show ran for 21 years and won eleven Emmy Awards. [7], During World War II, Griffin was declared 4F after failing several military physical examinations due to a slight heart murmur. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. [4] When he was a child, Griffin used to play Hangman games with his sister during family road trips. However, in 1997 she thought she still had a chance, but she and Phil never had any of their own. The syndicated versions of both Jeopardy! Aug. 12, 2007 -- Merv Griffin, who parlayed a talent for talk and entertainment into a one-man business conglomerate, died of cancer early this morning. Merv Griffin had an encounter with Betty Kelly. [45] The article was later altered due to protests from his friends and business associates. Donahue feels his success has given other talk shows "more courage" and that the public will soon see fewer entertainers talking about "how long it took to make their last movie." "Obviously it's complicated," Donahue says. But Donahue is top dog becuase he has attracted and maintained an extraordinarily large audience. A biography of television legend Merv Griffin claims tgat when he died in 2007, he left behind a legacy that included Wheel Of Fortune, Jeopardy, hotels, side business ventures, and more than a billion dollars.Also: speculation. His real problems, he says, were economic. Fingers point. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and numerous Emmy Awards, out of which it won eleven. Brent Plott, who had been his employee, also accused him of harassment. What he made then was a far cry from the billionaire he was at the end., But what about the sex? Both ultimately were dismissed. After talking without interruption for over two hours, he doesn't loosen his tie or roll up his sleeves. He died on August 12, 2007. ", He feels he's let America see it all -- a homosexual in 1968, Jane Fonda in 1969, even a Nazi who said blacks and Jews should be deported. It eventually went on to win eleven Emmy Awards. The Hollywood mogul Merv Griffin died at the age of 82 over the weekend after a battle with cancer, and I was amazed to see The New York Timesactually discusshis sexual orientation, the palimony lawsuit and the male-on-male sexual harassment lawsuit. At one of his nightclub performances, Griffin was discovered by Doris Day. In 2005, he told . The Famous Psychologist's Wife Has Never Missed a Taping, Julia Roberts Is Living Her Dream with Kids & Spouse of 20 Years at Rustic Ranch after Becoming Mom at 39, Dr Phil & His Wife of 46 Years Are Still in Love in $29.5M Home after They Sold Their 'Weird' Mansion, Geena Davis Became Mom of 3 at 48 Her 20-Year Marriage Ended & Much Younger Spouse Asked For Spousal Support, Jenna Bush Hager 'Smooched' Husband on 1st Meeting & Proposed to Him Later They've Made It to 14 Years. I loved the idea, went straight to NBC with the idea, and they bought it without even looking at a pilot show. [20] Buzzell died of a heart attack in 1959, but Griffin stayed close to Simms for the rest of her life and had her as a guest on his talk show many times.[22][23][24]. He married Julann Griffin, whom he divorced after some time. Rumors about Griffin's sexuality followed him for much of his life. (2002) remains the second highest rated game show in television syndication while Wheel of Fortune (1983) continues to be the longest running game show to hold the number one spot in television syndication history. He often received criticism for booking such guests. Ten months later he moved to a CBS radio-television affiliate in Dayton, Ohio. Discussion rapidly evolves into a group event, with Donahue roaming along the aisles, cajoling, flirting, taunting and enticing. Merv Griffin accomplished a lot and is, in his death, being held up as a example of a stellar Hollywood businessman. He'd defeated them at their own game. Helen was married to Lionel G. Turner for 67 years. I said, I just don't believe it's for me.". The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series 1962-1986) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Aren't you?" Griffin ventured into real estate, purchasing the Beverly Hilton Hotel in 1987. Around the office, Mervs being gay was understood but rarely discussed (and certainly never with him). Dont let your closet compromise you to the point where you are actively harming your own people, even though you have the power to do so much good.. Picking up a desk stapler to act as a surrogate microphone, he stands, flexes his shoulders and acts out his "dialogues" with them. And yet, it is very important for reasons far beyond visibility or mere gossip. She returned to her native New Mexico, remarried and disappeared from public view -- until now, with publication of a "family" picture in Donahue's book. Griffin's prostate cancer, treated originally in 1996, returned and he was admitted to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where his condition deteriorated, leading to his death on August 12, 2007 at the age of 82. Griffin also booked controversial guests like George Carlin, Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, Norman Mailer and Bertrand Russell. The pair "hung in there" despite the date setting them back to the starting stages of their relationship. He also created the game shows Jeopardy! A biography of television legend Merv Griffin claims tgat when he died in 2007, he left behind a legacy that includedWheel Of Fortune,Jeopardy, hotels, side business ventures, and more than a billion dollars. The star complained at the time that no one asked men if they wanted to be fathers of doctors, and she felt women's choices shouldn't be that linear either because she wanted it all. [17] He landed a job as the host of a new television show, CBS-TV's Summer Holiday, a summer replacement for Jane Froman's U.S.A. Canteen and Jo Stafford's The Jo Stafford Show, which he co-hosted with Betty Ann Grove. 24K views, 950 likes, 99 loves, 117 comments, 155 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Marlo Thomas: #TBT to this scene from That Girl. To Donahue, danger comes not from sponsors or subscribing stations, but from his own instincts for self-preservation. Two revivals of Jeopardy! ", Donahue loves it. We can tell that you loved your daughter." In an Associated Press profile released before it premiered, he discussed the show's origins:[1]. . Merv Griffin died at age 82 of prostate cancer in Los Angeles, California on August 12, 2007. Being born on 6 July 1925, Merv Griffin was 82 years . He usually has only one guest and discusses only one topic. Stations rarely cancel his show and few refuse to air individual programs. Perhaps he figured it was preferable to remain the object of gossip rather than live openly as one of them.. Of course, Porter has one thing working for him: almost no threat of litigation. Why should that be so uncomfortable to read? That's when Griffin's wife pitched the . Sometime during the first two weeks -- Donahue can't remember when or why -- he walked into the audience and offered the microphone to a woman in the sixth row, who stood up and asked a question. After 17 years, his wife left him. Merv Griffin was in relationships with Eva Gabor (1985 - 1995), Natalie Trundy (1959) and May Wynn (1953). [35][36] After ten months of ownership, Griffin reported a loss of $46.6 million. A relationship that should be renewed and examined can't grow as long as we're not telling our women how we feel. The actress continued explaining her reasoning: "It seems like it's only a place for one-and-a-half persons, you know, the person that has the dream and the other person who supports the dream." His funeral was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. In 2022, Marlo Thomas turned 85, and the other milestone she reached was celebrating 42 years of marriage after her husband, Phil Donahue changed her mind about marriage. His 7-year-old grandson Donovan Mervyn was an honorary pallbearer, as was Nancy Reagan. Merv Griffin was a singer and band leader, movie actor, television personality and media mogul who in his time hosting The Merv Griffin Show (1962) was second in fame and influence as a talk show host only to Johnny Carson. Peter Graves, Marlo Thomas, Barbara Eden, Della Reese, Roger Ray: With Merv Griffin, Barbara Eden, Peter Graves, Mort Lindsey. The new show featured live music with two singers while simulating a trip to various places in the world. They had one child, Tony Griffin, born in 1959. Griffin scored a coup when Tonight Show host 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 started his professional life by joining the radio as well as by singing in collaboration with a big band. It was good television. Marlo was 40 when she married the talk show host, and it was her first marriage. His 12-year-old granddaughter Farah gave a reading. Griffin wrote the 30-second piece of music heard during the show's Final Jeopardy! Griffin was married to Julann Wright, and together they had a son named Anthony. Mervs secret gay life was widely known throughout showbiz culture, if not the wider America. ", In perhaps the most unusual move, the "Today" show recently refused a Donahue report on new methods of treatment for impotent men. Griffin was not shy about tackling controversial subjects, especially the Vietnam War. The result is staccato silence between phrases -- quite unlike his fast-moving, loquacious television image. COPYRIGHT 2020 By TheLifeandTimesofHollywood.com, Stories From The Life and Times of Hollywood. Griffin was introduced to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1974. Arnold Schwarzenegger, later 38th governor of California, made his U.S. talk show debut on Griffin's show in 1974 after emigrating from Austria. Donahue has plenty of other markets. But he should also be held up as man who, like Malcolm Forbes before him, was hugely influential and powerful and yet still allowed the closet and homophobia to manipulate his life, and to cause him to do harm to his own people. On May 14, 2003, Griffin was honored with the Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) President's Award at its annual Film and Television Awards ceremony, for creating some of America's best-known game show melodies.[28]. While Carson's style was indebted to his long apprenticeship in Los Angeles in the 1950s, Griffin was based in New York, where he socialized with New York's theater and caf crowds. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. In a way, his show has been therapeutic for Donahue, who believes his personal life mirrors the problems discussed on TV: "The light's started to go on in me. The star said one example was her parents, as the actress's mother gave up her singing career to settle herself to marry the star of the "Danny Thomas Show." He works live (most markets broadcast an unedited tape). That should not be forgotten. And not everybody who's a good television persona necessarily knows what they're talking about.". The star became more caring and interested in the boys the more she lived with them, and eventually, "more mothering.". Marlo agreed, revealing she had planned never to get married, and like her character in "That Girl," she was focused on her career and not a husband. Marlo said as little girls, some women dreamt of becoming brides, mothers, actresses, wives, and ice skaters but never stepmothers. Whatever the goal of any particular program, Donahue is an emotional fellow traveler -- involved, sympathetic, respectful. Griffin frequently chatted with audience members. There is a story in Queer in America about a man identified as The Mogul who did just that. Griffin was married to the former Julann Wright from 1958 to 1976; they remained friends after their divorce. NBC-owned and -operated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas carried it, with many stations airing two episodes per day.
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