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.. [35][36] After ten months of ownership, Griffin reported a loss of $46.6 million. He served as Executive Producer of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" (2000).After his retirement from daytime chat, Merv became a real estate baron, acquiring the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, which is now the venue of choice for virtually all of the Tinseltown's most high profile events such as The Golden Globe Awards, The Soap Opera Digest Awards, and The American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Awards. His first crush was Errol Flynn, whom he saw passed out naked on a couch. "We read a lot of magazines. [45] The article was later altered due to protests from his friends and business associates. Why not do a switch, and give the answers to the contestant and let them come up with the question. . However, it returned years later and led to his death on 12th August 2007. He was also close friends with Actress and former First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan, with who he shares the same birthdate, July 6. He rose as far as possible in Dayton -- anchoring the television news and hosting a radio call-in show. "Obviously it's complicated," Donahue says. 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. If they're slow, he takes telephone calls. [citation needed], He attended San Mateo High School, graduating in 1942, and continued to aid in financing the school. "Even if there's spinach in my teeth, it goes," Donahue says. He started the game show Jeopardy! in 1964. However, she explained she thought in hers but didn't have the same feelings toward the institution of marriage because she wasn't sure it was "rigged against the woman. . (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. I like someone to love me," Thomas replied. After Fonda's appearance some sponsors said they wouldn't "pay for a program that tears America down." He started his professional life by joining the radio as well as by singing in collaboration with a big band. Merv Griffin was born on 6th July 1925 in San Francisco, California, to Mervyn Edward Griffin and Rita Elizabeth Griffin. Why should that be so uncomfortable to read? That was Fibber and Mollie McGee's address. It was these games which inspired him to create the game show Wheel of Fortune in 1975. He was 82. ", Donahue loves it. In a December 1977 article, the actress recalled how Phil was a modern man and a single parent when they met. [16] He decided to spend the summer of 1954 in New York City. Six years later they had five children, two born in the same year. The actress was so private but called the host's telecast when her father, Danny Thomas, noted a hilarious observation. Nonetheless, the elephant that was his sexual orientation never really stopped following Griffin from room to room. General Info. The couple divorced in 1976. (See review in today's Book World section.). Day arranged for a screen test at the Warner Bros. Studios for a role in By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). Most of the folks Porter talks about and says Griffin was involved with are, like Griffin, dead. Merv Griffin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996 which was treated successfully. Griffin also appeared in The Boy from Oklahoma and Phantom of the Rue Morgue (both 1954), but became disillusioned with movie-making. ", "Controversy is not a dirty word," he says. 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." In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs was dedicated to him. . GSN honored Griffin by airing ten-episode marathons of Wheel and Jeopardy! Its disheartening that Merv had to die to shake it for good. 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. 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. He considers many fellow journalists "professional gapers" who pursue rat-pack "me-too-ism." 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. In 1969 "Donahue" (until 1974 called "The Phil Donahue Show") entered national syndication, but half a decade later his salesman quit because the show was stuck at around 40 markets and "just couldn't sell." In 1965, Griffin was criticized as a "traitor" when he aired a special from London in which Nobel Prize-winning philosopher Bertrand Russell denounced the Vietnam War.Despite his success on daytime television, it was late night that was The Holy Grail for talk show hosts. Studying business administration at Notre Dame brought maturity and a desire to serve a city "with two airports." Griffin ventured into real estate, purchasing the Beverly Hilton Hotel in 1987. 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. But each of the more than 200 "Donahue" stations -- including flagship WGN in Chicago -- buys it on his terms: If any station manager wants to pull the plug, fine. He retained the title of creator of both his game shows. 05:12 PM ET 06/12/2014. Tony Griffin was born in California in December 1959. Marlo Thomas, 2018 | Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas, 2022 | Source: Instagram.com/marlothomas | Getty Images. "Spokeswoman: 'Jeopardy' inventor Merv Griffin dies at 82", "Daily Press: Hampton Roads News, Virginia News & Videos", "Merv Griffin, Television Innovator, Dies at 82", "Frater Merv Griffin Passes into the Chapter Eternal", "Lean Days are Better; Griffin Shed Weight and Song to Be a TV Host", "Entertainment Legend Merv Griffin Dies At 82", "(Advertisment) Thanks: The Merv Griffin Show", "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; founded Transcendental Meditation movement", "For Merv Griffin, 14 Seconds Can Last a Lifetime", "Griffin buys Resorts; Trump to get Taj Mahal", "Merv Griffin's Outrageous Fortune: When Millionaire Griffin Took on Billionaire Trump, They Said It Was a Mismatch. He lost his virginity, to a female, that is, when Judy Garland seduced him. They moan, gasp and applaud, and surround him with a chorus of questions and arguments. Griffin was best known for creating the two most popular game shows in television syndication history, Wheel of Fortune (1983) and Jeopardy! But how tremendously sad it is that a man of Mervs renown, of his gregarious nature and social dexterity, would feel compelled to endure such a stealthy double life even as the gay communitys clout, and its levels of acceptance and equality, rose steadily from the ashes of ignorance. [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. In 2022, the star and her husband married for 42 years after giving their union a chance, and she nailed stepmotherhood! Now, someone else is doing it for him. 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. His real problems, he says, were economic. Profits from his highly successful game shows made him one of the world's wealthiest entertainers. He broke into broadcasting in 1957 as a summer TV announcer. Griffin was married to the former Julann Wright from 1958 to 1976; they remained friends after their divorce. 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! He's not afraid to sound stupid, either. What he made then was a far cry from the billionaire he was at the end., But what about the sex? Secondly, Griffins closet had him engaging in workplace sexual harassment, something that, as I showed in my 1993 book Queer in America, is common among closeted powerful men, who often are simply seeking outlets for sex. He kept his wealth an open secret, amassing media outlets, hotels and casinos with a net worth estimated at more than $1 billion. Discussion rapidly evolves into a group event, with Donahue roaming along the aisles, cajoling, flirting, taunting and enticing. After 17 years, his wife left him. At the time, it was the largest sale of an entertainment company owned by a single individual, and Forbes pronounced Griffin history's richest Hollywood performer. [20] When they had their first child, Cynthia Leigh Buzzell, on September 11, 1955, Griffin was named her godfather. The theme returned to the show in 2021 at the start of season 39. His voice becomes soft, "We have a lot to lose now. 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.". American Talk Show Host Merv Griffin was born Mervyn . Merv Griffin reaches only 3.9 million viewers, Mike Douglas 3.7 and Dinah Shore 2.8 million. (GSN, 1998, both for children); Rock & Roll Jeopardy! "Let's put a ribbon on this," he tells the long-winded. His program is television's most consistent forum for provocative, controversial subject matter: lesbian couples adopting children; parents of homosexuals; breast-feeding mothers; unwed mothers; elderly people living together out of wedlock; victims of incest. And lots about Mervs prolonged sexual tryst with Marlon Brando. 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. The show enjoyed tremendous popularity and was adapted into several international versions which aired in 60 countries. Griffin sold his empire to The Coca-Cola Company for $250million in 1986, then went on a buying spree of hotels, so that his wealth in 2003 was said to be around $1.2billion.[40]. The former home of Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas in Westport, Conn., is going on the market for $28 million. His first work on the big screen was an unaccredited role in the 1953 horror sci-fi movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. 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. . 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. He also owns the Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas in Arizona, and St. Clerans Manor, an 18th century estate once owned by director John Huston which is located near Galway, the premier resort destination in Ireland.In January 1998, Griffin opened The Coconut Club, one of the country's hottest swing/dance clubs, at his Beverly Hilton Hotel. The couple had one son. The star said she liked her husband's children and it was a "treat" to be around them in 1977, Phil's daughter lived with his ex in Illinois. [17][20][21] After the wedding, and about two months after arriving in the city, Griffin moved into a different apartment, but in the same building, and remained lifelong friends with Buzzell and Simms. "He speaks in tablets. Such candor is not new to Donahue, but it usually comes from his guests and audience. The guests on the Westinghouse show were an eclectic mix of entertainers, authors, politicians, and "personality" performers like Zsa Zsa Gabor. The "Sunday Morning" thought being independent and single had become the star's brand. But Donahue is top dog becuase he has attracted and maintained an extraordinarily large audience. 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. [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]. 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.". [citation needed], Griffin started as a singer on radio at age 19, appearing on San Francisco Sketchbook, a nationally syndicated program based at KFRC. They became a couple, even though he lives in Chicago and she lives in New York. His first encounter, a boyhood friend he grew up with, later tried writing a book about Merv. She is most remembered for Lisa Douglas on Green Acres. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. He too appears vulnerable, capable of tears, joy or simply being left speechless when an 80-year-old woman says a man has "taken her to the stars.". On Monday, Nov. 6, 1967, his first guest was Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the woman whose lawsuit eliminated prayer from public schools. [12], 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". He next hosted the game show Keep Talking and also temporarily The Price is Right and To Tell the Truth. [17] They had much in common and became instant friends, and Buzzell introduced Griffin to all of New York City's popular musicians and music executives. GSN dedicated a whole weekend in order to credit him by releasing 10-episode marathons of Wheel and Jeopardy. 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. 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. He also created the game shows Jeopardy! Griffin was not shy about tackling controversial subjects, especially the Vietnam War. Part of the deal was that Trump would buy Resorts' interest in the yet-to-be-constructed Taj Mahal project for $273million, and that Trump would own Resorts International Air, which included three Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. He rarely expects answers to questions: He wants only punchy responses. Griffin dedicated two shows, in 1975 and 1977, to Transcendental Meditation and its founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He is the only son of Merv Griffin and Julann Wright. From that moment, "Donahue" became an audience-participation program. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. And now hes doing it to Griffin withMerv Griffin: a Life in the Closet. Griffin never acknowledged he was gay, though it became widely known in Hollywood, even as Eva Gabor played his beard. "I'm not sure I could put Henry Kissinger on my show," Donahue says. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius. He continued to appear in films like The Boy from Oklahoma and Phantom of the Rue Morgue. And yet, because he was closeted it is highly unlikely he ever made the connection for the Reagans (between himself and those who were suffering and dying), pointed out the government negligence, or even talked openly as a gay person. When Treacher left the show in 1970, Griffin did the announcing himself, and walked on stage with the phrase "And now here I come!" Griffin later claimed in interviews that he was best man at their wedding, but was in fact one of the four ushers. Merv understood himself as a celebrity (or, at least, as a hanger-on) and would casually mention that he had played tennis with Errol Flynn, or had sublet. He attended San Mateo High School from where he graduated in 1942. Merv Griffin was a popular band singer, the host of his own successful talk show for over 20 years, the creator and producer of such long-running television game shows as Jeopardy! Peter Graves, Marlo Thomas, Barbara Eden, Della Reese, Roger Ray: With Merv Griffin, Barbara Eden, Peter Graves, Mort Lindsey. He started his professional life by joining the radio as well as by singing in collaboration with a big band. Griffin was a well-known TV personality who died on 12 August 2007 due to prostate cancer. As his family was Roman Catholic, he started signing in the church from an early age. ", 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. In an Associated Press profile released before it premiered, he discussed the show's origins:[1]. (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. Griffin produced the show's successor, Wheel of Fortune, which premiered January 6, 1975 with host Chuck Woolery and hostess Susan Stafford, and had high ratings throughout its network run. Merv Griffin, talk show host and game show creator, is shown on his talk show 'The Merv Griffin Show' which aired from 1962-1986 in this undated publicity photograph. He died on August 12, 2007. Griffin was introduced to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1974. He then did orchestra for four years after getting selected by Freddy Martin. One of Merv Griffins most important works was his talk show The Merv Griffin Show. Although a former choirboy, he now finds the Catholic church "racist," "sexist" and "destructive." So it doesnt matter if he calls James Dean a glorified prostitute, or Griffin a pimp. And if that wasnt scandalous enough: I write that friends who went to school with him in San Mateo say, when he was a young homosexual growing up, he was sexually molested by a priest. In 1974, Griffin was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "We don't like to discuss sex at that hour of the morning," NBC explained. The show, originally titled What's the Question?, premiered on NBC on March 30, 1964, hosted by Art Fleming, and ran for 11 years. Being born on 6 July 1925, Merv Griffin was 82 years . Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue during the Iris Awards Banquet on March 4, 1978, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images. [2] He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. And as any law student knows, you cant libel the dead. Merv Griffin was an example of how dangerous the closet can be and how the closet and power are a combustible combination that adversely affects so many other lives. "Suddenly my phone was ringing," Donahue says. And for good reason: "In an attempt to be honest you pay a price," he said -- afraid that his popular image may self-destruct in the confessional heat of his first book, "Donahue: My Own Story. On the other hand, Phil had been married before and welcomed five children, making his new wife a stepmother. Once, Donahue says, Walter Cronkite himself telephoned to say, "Phil, that was a goddamned good interview you sent us yesterday. She cried on the air," he says proudly. Donahue has plenty of other markets. He works live (most markets broadcast an unedited tape). https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/merv-griffin-10911.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 21st Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities, 21st Century American Film & Theater Personalities. The show was a humongous success and became the longest running game show with over 6000 episodes. This weekend venue, fashioned after Hollywood's famed Coconut Grove (where Griffin headlined as a boy singer with The Freddy Martin Orchestra) features live Big Bands, Swing Orchestras, and Rock Bands amidst a glamorous nightclub setting.He was honored with the prestigious 1994 Broadcasting and Cable "Hall of Fame" Award, alongside such figures as Diane Sawyer and Dan Rather. His 12-year-old granddaughter Farah gave a reading. He had dedicated two of his shows to the topics of Transcendental Meditation and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Griffin was also an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan in 2004, having been the Reagans' friends for many years. He often received criticism for booking such guests. 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 . A typical example is the cancellation of a Masters and Johnson broadcast in Medford, Ore., because they "tantalized the audience by talking about homosexuality. Tony Griffin appeared in the movies Evil Laugh in 1986, Spaceballs in 1987, Aspen. [52], Some of the songs Griffin recorded were:[citation needed]. In Donahue's world the biggest sin is to be boring. His father was a stockbroker while his mother was a homemaker. "It's no mystery to me why they are so conservative," Donahue says. (1980) Aug 16, 2020 - Phil Donahue & Marlo Thomas on their wedding day . Even in the capital of entertainment -- in a business where homosexuality isnt exactly a rare phenomenon -- its still spoken of in hushed tones or, more often, not at all. His second show featured single men discussing what they liked in women. . In 1975 Donahue set up housekeeping in suburban Chicago, and the women's magazines dubbed him "Bachelor-Father." Brent Plott, who had been his employee, also accused him of harassment. There is no wise-cracking sidekick, band, desk or ashtray. Another successful and significant work in his career was the game show Wheel of Fortune. 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.
