Posted on 08/12/2007 8:45:42 AM PDT by Robe
Just reported on FOX News TV
Talk show host Merv Griffin appears beside his television logo in this undated handout photo. A spokesperson for Merv Griffin reports Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007 the entertainer and entrepreneur has died at age 82. (AP Photo)
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AP File - 1979
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Merv Griffin poses at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this July 3, 1989 file photo. A spokesperson for Griffin reports Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007 the entertainer and entrepreneur has died at age 82. (AP Photo/Doug Pizac)
Resorts was the first casino in Atlantic City and it was operated by Resorts International. Merv had no interest in it until he bought it from Trump in about 1990 - 92. As far as I know, Merv or his entertainment company still owns it.
Goodbye, Merv. Thanks for the smiles.
RIP. Prayers up.
RIP good man!
I’d like to think that Arthur Treacher, Merv’s old partner and friend (who died in ‘75) turned to the crowd upstairs and said “And here’s the dear boy himself, Merv!”
Rest in Peace Merv, you were and remain a classy guy.
I know the Reagans loved him and that is good enough for me.
Not bad for a creature of Hollywood.
Bummer. RIP Merv.
Prayers for Merv.
Merv Griffin, the entertainer turned impresario who parlayed his "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire, has died. He was 82.
Griffin died of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his the family that was released by Marcia Newberger, spokeswoman for The Griffin Group/Merv Griffin Entertainment.
Griffin, who began his career as a $100-a-week radio singer in San Francisco, created the "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" game shows, soon moved on to become the featured vocalist in Freddy Martin's band.
That led to a brief film career, in which he appeared opposite Doris Day and Kathryn Grayson, and later to a successful TV career as host of "The Merv Griffin Show," which aired for more than 20 years.
His biggest financial break, however, came from inventing and producing "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune."
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A true classy guy .. and a great American. I watched his show every day when my kids were young. God bless you, Merv. Nancy Reagan must be devastated ... he so close to the Reagans, and was her confidante and frequent escort to social events recently.
He was an honorary pallbearer for Ronald Reagan's funeral.
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http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/12/ap4011325.html
He made Forbes' list of richest Americans several times and started putting money in treasury bonds, stocks and other investments. But he went into real estate and other ventures because "I was never so bored in my life."
"I said, `I'm not going to sit around and clip coupons for the rest of my life,' " he recalled in 1989. "That's when Barron Hilton said, `Merv, do you want to buy the Beverly Hilton?' I couldn't believe it."
Griffin bought the slightly passe hotel for $100.2 million and completely refurbished it for $25 million. Then he made a move for control of Resorts International, which operated hotels and casinos from Atlantic City to the Caribbean.
That touched off a feud with real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Griffin eventually acquired Resorts for $240 million, netting a reported paper profit of $100 million.
"I love the gamesmanship," he told Life magazine in 1988. "This may sound strange, but it parallels the game shows I've been involved in."
It was in 1948 that Martin hired Griffin to join his band at Los Angeles' Coconut Grove at $150 a week. With Griffin doing the singing, the band had a smash hit with "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts," a 1949 novelty song sung in a cockney accent.
The band was playing in Las Vegas when Doris Day and her producer husband, Marty Melcher, were in the audience. They recommended him to Warner Bros., which offered a contract. After a bit in "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," starring Day and Gordon MacRae, he had a bigger role with Kathryn Grayson in "So This Is Love." A few more trivial roles followed, then he asked out of his contract.
In 1954, Griffin went to New York where he appeared in a summer replacement musical show on CBS (nyse: CBS - news - people )-TV, a revival of "Finian's Rainbow," and a music show on CBS radio. He followed with a few game show hosting jobs on TV, notably "Play Your Hunch," which premiered in 1958 and ran through the early 1960s. His glibness led to stints as substitute for Jack Paar on "Tonight."
When Paar retired in 1962, Griffin was considered a prime candidate to replace him. Johnny Carson was chosen instead. NBC gave Griffin a daytime version of "Tonight," but he was canceled for being "too sophisticated" for the housewife audience.
In 1965, the Westinghouse Broadcasting introduced "The Merv Griffin Show" in syndicated TV. At last Griffin had found the forum for his talents. He never underestimated the intelligence of his audience, offering such figures as philosopher Bertrand Russell, Pablo Casals and Will and Ariel Durant as well as movie stars and entertainers.
With Carson ruling the late-night roost on NBC in the late 1960s, the two other networks challenged him with competing shows, Griffin on CBS, Joey Bishop (later Dick Cavett) on ABC. Nothing stopped Carson, and Griffin returned to Westinghouse.
Meanwhile, Griffin sought new enterprises for his production company. A lifelong crossword puzzle fan, he devised a game show "Word for Word," in 1963. It faded after one season, then his wife, Julann, suggested another show.
"Julann's idea was a twist on the usual question-answer format of the quiz shows of the Fifties," he wrote in his autobiography "Merv." "Her idea was to give the contestants the answer, and they had to come up with the appropriate question."
"Jeopardy," begun in 1964, became a huge moneymaker for Griffin, as did a more conventional game show, "Wheel of Fortune," starting in 1975.
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. was born in San Mateo, south of San Francisco on July 6, 1925, the son of a stockbroker. His aunt, Claudia Robinson, taught him to play piano at age 4, and soon the boy was staging shows on the back porch of the family home.
"Every Saturday I had a show, recruiting all the kids in the block as either stagehands, actors and audience, or sometimes all three," he wrote in his 1980 autobiography. "I was the producer, always the producer."
After studying at San Mateo Junior College and the University of San Francisco, Griffin quit school to apply for a job as pianist at radio station KFRC in San Francisco. The station needed a vocalist instead. He auditioned and was hired.
Griffin was billed as "the young romantic voice of radio." He attracted the interest of RKO studio boss William Dozier, who was visiting San Francisco with his wife, Joan Fontaine.
"As soon as I walked in their hotel room, I could see their faces fall," the singer recalled. He weighed 235 pounds. Shortly afterward, singer Joan Edwards told him: "Your voice is terrific, but the blubber has got to go." Griffin slimmed down, and he would spend the rest of his life adding and taking off weight.
Griffin and Julann Elizabeth Wright were married in 1958, and a son, Anthony, was born the following year. The couple divorced in 1973 because of "irreconcilable differences."
"It was a pivotal time in my career, one of uncertainty and constant doubt," he wrote in the autobiography. "So much attention was being focused on me that my marriage felt the strain." He never remarried.
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http://www.etonline.com/celebrities/news/49364/index.html
ET breaks news that MERV GRIFFIN passed away early Sunday morning at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The legendary entertainer slipped away at 3 a.m. His son TONY was by his side. He was 82 years old.
It was reported earlier this week that Merv -- who was being treated for a second bout of prostate cancer -- wasn't looking good, but his reps wouldn't confirm or deny.
It was revealed in late July that the beloved TV icon was suffering from a recurrence of prostate cancer.
At that time Merv asked for his well-wishers, in lieu of sending him flowers, to donate to the Young Musicians Foundation, which he chairs.
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I saw him one time, with his companion, Eva Gabor, when I worked at a private resort in the Keys. RIP ..and God love you. Ya did good.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Griffin
He spoke very highly of GW Bush, and then said that Jimmy Carter's was the "worst administration in the history of America."
RIP, Merv. You were a class act and will be missed.
I am so sorry to learn this. He was one of the good guys and he will be missed. I knew he was quite ill and that it was a matter of time. God bless his family.
God Bless you, Merv.
Happy Trails.
Maybe I’m thinking of someone else or otherwise misremembering but wasn’t Merv Griffin a major financier of the gay rights movement?
Yes, Mr. Griffin was a well known gay man.
Rest in Peace
Mr. Griffin
My prayers go up for all who now mourn the passing of Merv.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Rest in peace.
Rest in Peace Merv. Thanks for the many years of good entertainment you provided for us.
I’m 31, and I am a big fan of the Griff. I remember watching him (my mom was doing the watching actually) every day at 4 on Channel 6 in Philadelphia. He was the man. He did it all...I saw him on Jay Leno’s show a few months back for the release of some of his shows on DVD, and he looked great. But the cynic in me was wondering about the timing of his appearance. Anyway, Merv, let us know when the interview with Sinatra is going on, and try and send down a copy...
Loved his talk show. I loved watching him and Arthur Treacher interact. Arthur was great as his side-kick. RIP, Merv.
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