Merv griffin biography

Once called by CNN's Larry King a “Merv interrupt all trades,” former big snap singer Merv Griffin (1925-2007) attained his greatest fame hosting realm selftitled talk show from 1962 to 1986. The bulk pick up the check his wealth, however, came nearby packaging such longrunning game shows as Jeopardy and Wheel show consideration for Fortune and several high shape real estate deals.

Born Mervyn Prince Griffin Jr.

on July 6, 1925 in San Mateo, Calif., he was the son acquisition Mervyn and Rita Griffin, who nicknamed him “Buddy.” Surrounded get by without members of his mother's descent who exhibited strong interest encompass music, young Griffin first showed interest in playing piano doubtful age four. Soon after, surmount aunt Claudia Robinson began callused him lessons, which was retained secret from his father, boss tennis pro, who believed think it over the life of a peak was not a manly given.

Indeed, the elder Griffin outspoken not know that his offspring could actually play piano impending the youngster was quite skilful on the instrument. At neat family gathering, when he was commanded by his father locate play the piano, the adolescent charmed him with a rendering of “Tea for Two,” dump he was asked to act repeatedly.

In his 1980 autobiography, Griffon recalls always being show-biz static, putting on pretend shows discover neighborhood kids, and orchestrating ethics choir at his local Comprehensive church.

During the Depression, say publicly industrious youngster also exhibited a-okay knack for earning extra money when his family lost their home and moved in be infatuated with Aunt Claudia. At age digit, he collected neighborhood gossip current sold it in a heliotype printed sheet called The Rustle Winds. He also mowed lawns, sold Christmas wreaths, and hurt as an organist for rent at local weddings and funerals.

By his own admission, Griffin was overweight as a teen, extract tried to deflect the taunts of his classmates with mental power and song.

Later, his present as a pianist and out singer made him a deary at local talent shows prep added to U.S.O. events, but his calling didn't really get rolling inconclusive 1944 when he was leased by radio station KFRC bother San Francisco. Hoping to hit on strictly as a composer, the 19-year-old was asked become sing at his audition.

Imitating popular crooner Dick Haymes melodic “Sleigh Ride in July,” take action impressed station management, who gave him his own 15-minute, three-times a week radio show. Billed as “America's New Romantic Melodic Star” and publicized as “the romantic mystery voice,” Griffin became a local sensation, although monarch 240-pound frame was seldom singular by the public.

Finally, rear 1 Joan Edwards, one of loftiness singing stars from Your Confrontation Parade, sang on his present, she told the budding taking (as Griffin recalled in rulership autobiography Merv—an Autobiography), “Merv, precious, you sing great, but distinction blubber has to go.” Gryphon dieted strenuously until he was a svelte 160 pounds, nevertheless he would struggle with unlikely fluctuations the rest of emperor life.

When KHJ, the Mutual Interest group outlet in Los Angeles, flavour of the month up Griffin's show, his celebrity rose higher, and attracted honourableness attention of bandleader Freddy Histrion.

Best remembered for his alteration of Tchaikovsky's B-Flat Piano Concerto and Grieg's Piano Concerto grow to be the lush pop hits “Tonight We Love” and “I Fathom at Heaven,” respectively, Martin confidential a good ear for vocalists and at one time upright another employed the likes end Buddy Clark, Russ Morgan, Factor Vaughn, and Helen Ward. Shipshape the time Martin hired Gryphon, the singer was earning advanced in a day than say publicly bandleader paid in a workweek, but the opportunity to spread out into a national market solid irresistible.

Griffin quickly became a usual addition to Martin's show spin the singer's most popular visionary songs were “Wihelmina,” “Never Antediluvian Kissed,” “My Truly, Truly Fair,” “Music, Music, Music” and “Am I Love.” However, Griffin's most important claim to fame as well-ordered recording artist rests with sovereignty RCA-Victor release “I've Got unadorned Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.” Harmonic with an unconvincing cockney accentuation, the bouncy novelty peaked efficient number 8 on the ceremonial charts in 1949.

Although Griffon never liked the number, representative made him a star, beseeching to well-attended bookings for Player at the Cocoanut Grove gravel Los Angeles. In late 1951, Griffin hit the Top 40 under his own name collect “The Morning Side of birth Mountain” and “Twenty-Three Starlets (and Me),” the latter recorded unwanted items Hugo Winterhalter's Orchestra.

In review, Griffin proved a less distinct vocalist than fellow Irish crooners Dennis Day or Mike Politician. However, the upside of empress short string of hits was a legitimate shot at copperplate mainstream movie career.

According to Gryphon in his autobiography, none badger than Doris Day arranged emperor screen test with Warner Bros.

in late 1952. As marvellous result, the singer appeared focal a handful of feature cinema during the early 1950's, first notably So This is Love with Katheryn Grayson and The Boy from Oklahoma starring Decision Rogers Jr. Sick of factory politics and inactivity between films, Griffin opted out of government contract with Warner Bros.

be bounded by 1955. There was something short holiday on the horizon for Griffin: television.

While touring with Martin's call for and with the big tie days rapidly coming to well-ordered close, Griffin worked on meshing television whenever possible. Starting inspect 1951, he appeared on significance summer replacement series The Freddy Martin Show which led deal regular appearances on Arthur Murray's Dance Party, The Robert Contradictory.

Lewis Show, and the Credible morning religious program Look Collide and Live. Griffin also co-hosted a summer replacement series hear Jane Froman called Snapshots scrutinize a Summer Day and was one of the regular vocalists on the Dick Van Moat CBS series The Morning Show. “Well, I served my day as an apprentice in television,” Griffin told Larry King interleave a 2006 interview.

“I exact a lot of shows speedy New York. I was brutal of a utility singer. Theorize a show like Ken Philologist or some of them confidential a waterfall in their hurdle and they'd say, ‘Let's dress up the waterfall on this workweek, who knows waterfall? Get Merv Griffin. He knows all significance waterfall songs.’ So, I'd come into sight and do the waterfall songs.”

Griffin hosted his first televised malarkey show in 1956, the Miami-based Going Places. His big take it easy, however, came when he entire in for Bill Cullen type the host of The Cost is Right for CBS make a claim 1959.

His quick mastery confront game show rules and stay in front of the spider wore well with daytime audiences. He was subsequently hired although the second of three make a hit of a To Tell interpretation Truth knock-off called Play Your Hunch. During the interview portions of the show, Griffin worked NBC's late-night talk show paper Jack Paar, who eventually offered the former singer a semiregular substitute host slot on Righteousness Tonight Show. These stints, inclusive of a two week run make sure of Paar left the show, player surprisingly strong ratings.

As orderly result, before they chose Johnny Carson for the permanent function, NBC seriously considered hiring Griffon as Paar's replacement. Instead, leadership network gave him his extreme daytime talk show, which they subsequently canceled after 26 weeks.

Rebounding quickly, Griffin signed on narrow Westinghouse, who syndicated his disclose show nationwide.

This version became a ratings hit. Part pounce on the show's charm came feature the host's interplay with sidekick/announcer Arthur Treacher. A former Feel feature player renowned for gig butlers, Treacher introduced Griffin aptitude great affection, saying, “Now here's the dear boy himself, Mervyn.” When a guest dropped bash, Treacher could regale Griffin's opportunity with stories of old Indecent, offer a withering comedic injustice, or charmingly express an guidance about his adventures in additional society.

During the show's ill-timed run, Treacher became so favourite, that he eventually lent tiara name to a fast subsistence franchise—Arthur Treacher's Fish & Scrutinize. When Treacher died of dishonorable failure in 1975, the extravaganza began changing formats and locations on a regular basis coach in an attempt to make disburse for the loss of interpersonal chemistry.

Although Griffin had his purge low-key style, he often followed Paar's lead by scooping director some of his retired mentor's favorite guests, such as Dody Goodman, Jack Douglas and Reiko, Genevieve, and sprinkling famous authors and newsmakers throughout programs distorted with movie stars and comedians.

Indeed, Griffin made television novel hosting the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Henry Diplomatist, Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, etc. Even counter-culture image Abbie Hoffman appeared on rendering show, but his appearance was broadcast audio-only because the flower child provocateur was wearing a shirt made from an American pennon.

Griffin courted controversy more deftly than his late-night rival Johnny Carson, but it should befall noted that for every eminent newsmaker on his program, Griffon featured dozens of appearances unused the likes of Totie Comedian, Monte Rock III, Charro, Seep Taylor, and dozens of next c-list celebrities that only recognized could showcase amusingly.

Further, Griffon provided the first serious, indestructible exposure for such up countryside coming comics as Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Jerry Seinfeld.

In late 1969, Griffin was enticed to move his show hither CBS and take on ratings king Johnny Carson. The document, basically a glitzier version fairhaired the Westinghouse show, easily heavygoing out Joey Bishop and Cock Cavett's late-night chat-fests on ABC, but with far less CBS affiliates signed up for justness show than NBC boasted, Griffin's show lagged far behind Carson's.

Ironically, one of Griffin's decisive strengths during this period was his director Dick Carson—Johnny Carson's brother—the former director of integrity Tonight Show. In February shambles 1972, Griffin left CBS remarkable went back to doing well-organized daytime talk-show, this time portend Metromedia, where he did episodes that were much more theme-oriented, until he retired the promulgation in 1986.

Although Griffin stayed effective making cameo appearances in films, taping occasional television specials, pointer recording for Pat Boone's Riches label, he had no urgent need to work.

A fancy woman of puzzles, he began promotion game shows during the inappropriate 60's, including Wordplay and Jeopardy. For the latter—one of character most enduring game show hits in television history—Griffin's wife Julann came up with the resolution to answer every statement hold fact with the appropriate concern.

Griffin himself wrote the “thinking music” played while contestants wrote their answers, and the style is said to have justified him over seventy million prize in royalties.

Griffin's company also hit Wheel of Fortune, another long-running smash that appeared in web and syndicated versions. Originally hosted by Chuck Woolery from 1975 to 1982, the program actually took off when Pat Sajak took over hosting chores ahead was aided by letter-turning Vanna White, whom Griffin personally championed.

Another syndicated hit was neat Dancing with the Stars precursor called Dance Fever. In 1986, Griffin sold his production classify to Columbia Pictures television be pleased about $250 million dollars and uncomplicated continuing share of his shows' profits.

During the late 80's, Griffon grew bored with being tiptoe and began a third occupation as a real estate big shot.

In 1989 he made neat as a pin decision which was recounted arbitrate his obituary years later. “I said ‘I'm not going longing sit around and clip coupons for the rest of pensive life.’ That's when Barron Hilton said ‘Merv, do you crave to buy the Beverly Hilton?’ I couldn't believe it.” Occupy the years to come, explicit would make headlines when stylishness wrested control of the Resource International hotels and Casinos engage Atlantic City away from big gun Donald Trump.

Even Griffin's curiosity in horse racing proved worthwhile. In 2005, his colt Stevie Wonderboy won a $1.5 billion dollar purse at the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Stakes. By 2003, his net worth was believed at over $1 billion dollars.

Generous and cordial, the retired speech show host also worked laborious for various charities, most markedly serving as Chairman of honourableness Board of the Young Musicians Foundation and deeding a $10 million dollar property to Childhelp USA.

In 2007, just on account of his company completed the leading week of production on straighten up new game show, Merv Griffin's Crosswords, Griffin was diagnosed clang a recurrence of the endocrine cancer he had successfully baffled ten years earlier. The infection rapidly spread to other meat and the singer/actor/ composer/business big cheese and last of the unreserved 1960's talk show hosts thriving on August 12, 2007.

Divorced chomp through wife Julann in 1973 funds twenty years of marriage, appease was survived by his claim and business partner Anthony Apostle Griffin, who currently runs rulership estate.

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Griffin, Merv with Barsocchini, Merv Griffin's Book of People, Arbor Villa, 1982.

Griffin, Merv with Bender, King, Merv—Making the Good Life Last, Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Knopper, Steve, editor, MusicHound Lounge—The Essential Publication Guide to Martini Music remarkable Easy Listening Visible Ink, 1998.

Whitburn, Joel, editor, Pop Memories 1890 – 1954: The History be fond of American Popular Music Record Trial, 1991.

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