On November 21, 2022, Marlo Thomas celebrated her birthday by turning 85! Plus Judy Garlands Meet Me in St. Louis boy next door, Tom Drake, who, by the way, ended up a used car salesman. In 1991, he was sued by TV host Deney Terrio alleging sexual harassment. [11] In 1947, he had a 15-minute Monday-to-Friday singing program on KFRC in San Francisco. His first encounter, a boyhood friend he grew up with, later tried writing a book about Merv. He rarely expects answers to questions: He wants only punchy responses. [37][38] Cashflow was about $70 million short of what was needed to service the Resorts' debt in 1989,[34] and Griffin sought bankruptcy court protection for Resorts on December 23, 1989.[39]. In a December 1977 article, the actress recalled how Phil was a modern man and a single parent when they met. He was stuck in southwestern Ohio, where his Dayton journalistic high points included the moment in 1960 when he asked Pat Nixon if she were proud of her husband and spat in her eye on the "p.". Profits from his highly successful game shows made him one of the world's wealthiest entertainers. Playing to the camera unmercifully, he leans close, interrupts, turns his back and challenges. In 1975 Donahue set up housekeeping in suburban Chicago, and the women's magazines dubbed him "Bachelor-Father." If the station manager objects to a particular program, Donahue argues, but he will supply a back-up. So she had to figure out how to be nice and good and realized early on that she shouldn't try to fill a mother-like role because they might resent that. Adding to it, he also produced The Merv Griffin Show, which was a syndicated talk show in 1965. Griffin's first daytime talk show began on the same day Carson first hosted The Tonight Show (1962). Merv Griffin is a television host and media tycoon of America. He owned a ranch near La Quinta, California where he raised thoroughbred racehorses, and St. Clerans Manor, a boutique hotel in an eighteenth-century estate once owned by director John Huston, near Craughwell, in County Galway, Ireland. Maybe you know about Merv Griffin very well But do you know how old was he at the time of his death and what is his net worth in 2023? Merv Griffin was in relationships with Eva Gabor (1985 - 1995), Natalie Trundy (1959) and May Wynn (1953). Im thinking perhaps the Times editors really took it to heart when many of us criticized them after Susan Sontags death and the obituary cover-up of her sexual orientation and her relationship with Annie Liebovitz. Not even lukewarm -- hot!" ", Donahue has been quoted as telling his staff, "I want all the topics hot . Griffin characterized both lawsuits as extortion. "I have come to the point where I am at peace with my own imperfection in terms of understanding it, and I am enjoying the business of wondering.". He then did orchestra for four years after getting selected by Freddy Martin. While it would seem everything has changed today, little actually has. Griffin was affiliated with the international fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. Donahue says that as an adolescent he considered "dates always an occasion for sin." Another successful and significant work in his career was the game show Wheel of Fortune. He next hosted the game show Keep Talking and also temporarily The Price is Right and To Tell the Truth. Donahue denies using that word, but says, "It had better be an issue about which people care or we're all going to be parking cars.". His last game show was a wild show called Ruckus, which emanated from the Resorts International Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, which he owned at the time. In the 1980s, Griffin purchased the Paradise Island Resort and Casino in the Bahamas for $400million from Trump, but later sold it for just $125million. Both ultimately were dismissed. Marlo Thomas Was Scared of Being Stepmom to Phil Donahue's 5 Kids They Are Proud of Gaggle of Grandkids Now, Why Is Robin Always on Dr. Phil's Show? Although Marlo did not have kids of her own, she helped raise Phil's five children from a previous marriage. At the time of Merv's death, his net worth was estimated at more than $1 billion. "Let's put a ribbon on this," he tells the long-winded. He did it for Marlon Brandon. In 1965, Griffin launched a syndicated talk show for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting) titled The Merv Griffin Show. His first work on the big screen was an unaccredited role in the 1953 horror sci-fi movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. It gained traction in 1991 when he was targeted in a pair of lawsuits: by Dance Fever host Denny Terrio, alleging sexual harassment; and by assistant Brent Plott seeking $200 million in palimony. Shortly after the show begins he may be warning that time is almost gone. By 1986, Griffin was ready to retire. Merv Griffin. Being born on 6 July 1925, Merv Griffin was 82 years old at the time of his death. [41] In an interview with The New York Times published on May 26, 2005, Griffin recalled a quip he frequently used when asked about his private life: "I tell everybody that I'm a quarter-sexual. Griffin never acknowledged he was gay, though it became widely known in Hollywood, even as Eva Gabor played his beard. (VH1, 1998) for pop-music trivia fans; Click!, a teen-oriented game that introduced Ryan Seacrest as its host; and, in association with Wink Martindale, Headline Chasers (1985). The audience is small and compact, practically sitting in the guest's lap. And not everybody who's a good television persona necessarily knows what they're talking about.". There was Peter Lawford, Robert Walker, Gordon Scott the then-Tarzan. I began to realize that not much in the way we were raised encouraged that.". The theme returned to the show in 2021 at the start of season 39. The divorce settlement gave her custody of the daughter and him the four boys. Marlo said as little girls, some women dreamt of becoming brides, mothers, actresses, wives, and ice skaters but never stepmothers. Around that time, Griffin composed the show's best-known theme song, "Changing Keys", which was used in several variants of the show until 2000. They likely knew, but it was unspoken, and that allowed all involved to just rationalize things to say to themselves that, well, Merv, is not like those other people, and to always believe that maybe it wasnt true anyway, and that he was truly dating Eva Gabor. Age, Height, and Weight. And he seems without shame: "I would be afraid I'm going to die if someone told me I had leukemia. Born in Kansas City, MO, Menorah Hospital to Helen Hollenbeck Ford and Fred C. Ford. Day arranged for a screen test at the Warner Bros. Studios for a role in By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). The show was a huge success and earned immense popularity. [16] He decided to spend the summer of 1954 in New York City. 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. In 1975, NBC canceled Jeopardy! Public response wasn't always entirely pleasant, but continued commercial success gave Donahue confidence. [20] When they had their first child, Cynthia Leigh Buzzell, on September 11, 1955, Griffin was named her godfather. At 72, onetime crooner Merv Grifn has parlayed the $250 million sale of his game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in 1986 into a billion-dollar empire that encompasses two production . And television, he says, provides the public with what Lenny Bruce called "plastic puke." Men, he says, "have done an awful lot of oppression. ", "Controversy is not a dirty word," he says. [30][31][32][33][a] In early 1988, Trump wanted to take Resorts private; but Griffin, through Griffin Gaming & Entertainment, offered the minority shareholders significantly more than Trump in April 1988. His funeral was held at the Church of Good Shepherd in Beverley Hills which was attended by several celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Klugman and Catherine Oxenberg. He carried on assisting the school financially. When he eventually decided to retire, he sold his production company Merv Griffin Enterprises to Columbia Pictures Television, after which he was named by Forbes as one of the richest Hollywood performers in history. Danny said the female audience was lucky to spend an hour with "two of the world's most attractive men." However, Griffin stated that both the lawsuits were extortions. Tony Griffin appeared in the movies Evil Laugh in 1986, Spaceballs in 1987, Aspen. The Wheel marathon included two episodes with cameo appearances by Griffin: Sajak's departure from the daytime version in 1989 and a 199293 episode that ended with Griffin, his band "The MervTones," and White singing at a dinner club in Orlando, Florida. In 1974, Griffin was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. What's important is that our conversation is interesting. [4] When he was a child, Griffin used to play Hangman games with his sister during family road trips. 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. "In a network situation," Donahue says, "one guy can end your career while he's shaving." The censorship did not boost the ratings for Griffin, who was facing stiff competition from the genial Carson, who himself was criticized during the era for shying away from controversial subjects.In 1972, a fed-up Griffin negotiated a syndication deal with Metromedia to move his talk show back to the daytime, and in the event he was terminated by CBS. Sensing that his time at CBS was ending, and tired of the network's restrictions, Griffin secretly signed a contract with rival company Metromedia that gave him a syndicated daytime talk show deal as soon as CBS canceled their show. "You're on the cover of 'Publisher's Weekly'," editor-in-chief Michael Korda told talk-show king Phil Donahue. Subsequently, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased Columbia and he retains the title of executive producer of both "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" Though dismissed, the lawsuits put Griffin on the spot, and while he never denied being gay, he didnt own it either. [17][20] Griffin needed a place to stay and moved-in with Buzzell as his new roommate. "When half of America is saying, 'That guest got him,' believe me when I tell you it's fine with me." One regular attendee, Lillian Miller, became a fixture on the show throughout its run. ", 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. 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. During a May 2020 "Sunday Morning" interview, Marlo explained that the interview she had with Phil all those years back wasn't really one. He also stayed silent about the epidemic in the media ironic since he was a man very much at the center of the media industry and in shaping communications and television in this country when his voice would have made a huge difference. Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue during the Iris Awards Banquet on March 4, 1978, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images. He usually has only one guest and discusses only one topic. In a December 1977 article, the actress recalled how Phil was a modern man and a single parent when they met. And Mervs brush with tabloid scandal no doubt only drove him further into the closet. He gained massive popularity with Ive Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts, which was a big hit in 1950. Imagine the amount of good Merv could have done as a well-respected, hugely successful, beloved and uncloseted gay man in embodying a positive image. His best years, he fears, may already be behind him: "The most creative, innovative ideas come from people with the least power and the least to lose." I said, I just don't believe it's for me.". [6] He was a member of the international fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. . I noticed that my children weren't really sharing feelings with me -- and one of the reasons was I don't do a hell of a lot of sharing with them in terms of feelings. [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. Studying business administration at Notre Dame brought maturity and a desire to serve a city "with two airports." Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. Merv Griffin, the creator of Jeopardy! His 12-year-old granddaughter Farah gave a reading. were 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 September 10, 1984, starring Alex Trebek. (for which he still creates puzzles and questions.) One of Merv Griffins most important works was his talk show The Merv Griffin Show. The Modern Family star was previously married to her high school love Joe Gonzalez . Around the office, Mervs being gay was understood but rarely discussed (and certainly never with him). Donahue denied the rumors by signing a six-year contract to continue independent production. The show enjoyed tremendous popularity and was adapted into several international versions which aired in 60 countries. The second time they went out was fine, and the duo phoned each other two or three times daily and saw each other on weekends because Phil was based in Chicago. Involving slapstick stunts and a somewhat truncated version of his old Reach for the Stars, it initially aired locally in New York, with the intent of national syndication early the following year. Griffin was married to Julann Wright, and together they had a son named Anthony. Griffin wrote the 30-second piece of music heard during the show's Final Jeopardy! Griffin was considered the most successful of the guest hosts,[26] and was rewarded with his own daytime talk show on NBC in 1962. Even though they divorced, they continued being good friends. [51] He was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, where his epitaph reads "I will not be right back after this message". He had an older sister, Barbara. "Not everybody who writes a book is necessarily a good television persona. Donahue has plenty of other markets. Griffin, who died of prostate cancer Sunday at 82, stayed in the closet throughout his life. Self 5 episodes, 1969-1973 Lenny Schultz . (1984) He had also been the recipient of the coveted Scopus Award from the American Friends of Hebrew University, "The Duke Award" presented by the John Wayne Cancer Institute, and he had been honored by the American Ireland Fund and the SHARE organization. I keep it to his A-list dates like Rock Hudson, whom he met through Henry Wilson, Rocks agent, and who advised him to keep his sexuality quiet. My wife Julann just came up with the idea one day when we were in a plane bringing us back to New York from Duluth. He lived with Roddy McDowall here at the Dakota, where he introduced Eddie Fisher to Elizabeth Taylor. He could duck it for a while, but it would always find him. Their meeting was later described as love at first sight, and by 1980, the pair were married! And sometimes he's slapped down. "We don't like to discuss sex at that hour of the morning," NBC explained. [10], By 1945, Griffin had earned enough money to form his own record label, Panda Records, which produced Songs by Merv Griffin, the first U.S. album ever recorded on magnetic tape. He also created the still running game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Why are we still so jittery even about raising the issue in purportedly liberal-minded Hollywood, in 2007? After Fonda's appearance some sponsors said they wouldn't "pay for a program that tears America down." The former home of Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas in Westport, Conn., is going on the market for $28 million. [45] The article was later altered due to protests from his friends and business associates. He maintained a virtual male harem and a pimp who supplied porn stars, but I dont go into his pay-for-gay guys. Discussion rapidly evolves into a group event, with Donahue roaming along the aisles, cajoling, flirting, taunting and enticing. Donahue inherited not only the show, but a live studio audience whom he decided not to burden with yet another song-and-dance program. 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. This. Other Griffin successes in the game show field included "One in a Million" and Joe Garagiola's Memory Game (1971), both airing on ABC, Let's Play Post Office on NBC, and Reach for the Stars (1967).In 1986, Griffin sold his production company, Merv Griffin Enterprises, to Coca-Cola's Columbia Pictures Television unit for $250 million as well as a continuing share of the profits of the shows. "We read a lot of magazines. Rumors about Griffin being gay aren't new, and they weren't helped by two lawsuits (a palimony claim, and a sexual harassment charge) by two dudes in the 90s. As a result, this literally wiped out or greatly reduced the investments of the bondholders, so that Mr. Griffin could sue Trump and yet still retain a significant portion for himself. 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. To prove his point, Donahue does a Kissinger imitation, complete with heavy accent. 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.Continuing to record hits, including "Wilhelmina" and "Never Been Kissed", Griffin made a foray into motion pictures after Doris Day saw his nightclub performance and arranged a screen test for him at Warner Bros. Studios. Two revivals of Jeopardy! He was a famous but unsuccesssful single until 1977, when actress Marlo Thomas made her second appearance on his program. Aug 16, 2020 - Phil Donahue & Marlo Thomas on their wedding day . [18][19], That summer, Griffin became acquainted with music publisher Loring Buzzell. "Donahue" is unlike any other talk show. The second show aired as a standalone special in some regions such as Canada. We should point to his life for GLBT youth and say, Dont let this happen to you. American Talk Show Host Merv Griffin was born Mervyn . He also created the game shows Jeopardy! 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. He eventually started his own show The Merv Griffin Show in 1962 which proved to be a huge success. There was one major difference, though. Merv Griffin accomplished a lot and is, in his death, being held up as a example of a stellar Hollywood businessman. Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 - August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. "Yes," finally emerges. Why not do a switch, and give the answers to the contestant and let them come up with the question. At the same time, however, in success he sees the seeds of destruction. Ironically, weeks after being on Phil's show, Marlo was a regular guest at his Winnetka, Illinois home, where he raised four sons. 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." Why should that be so uncomfortable to read? He died on August 12, 2007. To a tearful father whose teenaged daughter died he says, "You must know that she wants you to be happy. Some of his talk show remained a big hit and gained considerable rating all over the world. . When philosopher and anti-war activist Bertrand Russell used the show to condemn the war in Vietnam, Griffin was criticized for letting Russell have his say. 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. The background to this was on November 12, when Resorts reached a tentative agreement with certain bondholders, several bondholders petitioned the United States Bankruptcy Court in Camden, New Jersey, to put the company into involuntary bankruptcy to protect legal claims they might have against Trump, the real estate investor Griffin outbid for Resorts the prior year. ", The book reveals he was a virgin before marriage, a lousy lover afterward, and avoided the draft through fatherhood. A relationship that should be renewed and examined can't grow as long as we're not telling our women how we feel. As he recalls the past, Donahue stands again and begins to pace. Also, he founded two TV production organizations Merv Griffin Entertainment and Merv Griffin Enterprises. The well-attended service included Nancy Reagan; Arnold Schwarzenegger, who gave the eulogy with Tony Griffin; Maria Shriver; and various actors, television stars, employees, and friends, including Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Alex Trebek, Dick Van Dyke, Jack Klugman, Dick Van Patten, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Ryan Seacrest, Johnny Mathis, Catherine Oxenberg and Casper Van Dien. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 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! He said that he did not know his actual worth because it "would keep me from sleeping at night". [2] He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. Phil Donahue & Marlo Thomas on their wedding day . It was a good question. In 2021, Marlo gave some advice on how to make a marriage last. He used to tackle bold subjects and also invited controversial guests such as George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Bertrand Russell. ", So, talking about marriage with Phil on his show wasn't easy for her. 24K views, 950 likes, 99 loves, 117 comments, 155 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Marlo Thomas: #TBT to this scene from That Girl. The star said they connected "fantastically," but their first date was awkward, with them staring at each other! Merv Griffin spent decades as a beloved talk-show host but the gay game-show mogul was also a pioneer in Hollywood sexual-harassment cases! "It's no mystery to me why they are so conservative," Donahue says. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show. Merv Griffin had an encounter with Betty Kelly. AT SIMON & SCHUSTER, they were excited. . He did it for Katharine Hepburn. In his book Merv, written with David Bender in 2003, he stated that it would be "Stay Tuned".). Pallbearers included Griffin Group vice-chairman Ron Ward, President Robert Pritchard, and Vice President Michael Eyre, as well as Tony Griffin. He didn't need CBS, NBC or ABC. Meanwhile, his body is working fulltime. Every comedian ends up, one day, taking a pie in the face. As of March 2023, Griffin has an estimated net worth of $1 billion. That's when Griffin's wife pitched the . Subsequently, a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars was devoted to him in 1998. 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. "The irony of the situation wasn't wasted on me", Griffin recalls in his autobiography. She noted how no one wanted to be a stepmother cause they were seen as villains in children's stories. With resignation in his voice, Donahue will concede that his show is "a platform for pitchmen," one endless commercial. Griffin and Grove were brought together by Byron Paul, producer of U.S.A. Canteen, and Irving Mansfield, Summer Holiday's creator. Some of his highly famous songs are Christmas City, Never Been Kissed, The Charanga, Wilhelmina, Happy To Know You, Banned in Boston, etc. This show was aired on for almost 21 years and achieved 11 Emmy awards all through its course. He was Lifetime Honorary Festival Chairman of La Quinta Arts Festival and recently donated his Wickenburg Inn and Dude Ranch to Childhelp USA.In March 2001, the Gold Label released his new CD, "It's Like a Dream", for which he composed the title song. He bought his contract back from Warner Bros. and decided to devote his attention to a new medium: television.