That year, Brent Plott, a longtime employee who worked as a bodyguard, horse trainer, and driver, filed a $200million palimony lawsuit, which was also dismissed. | Photo: Getty Images. It was then that Merv, who loved puzzles, came up with the idea for a show called "Jeopardy!" Griffin always avoided questions about his sexuality and would joke about it most of the time. ", Eva Gabor and Merv Griffin posing for a picture together in Los Angeles 1985 | Source: Getty Images. Terrio's suit alleged: "Commencing in 1978 and continuing through the parties' business relationship, the Defendant, Merv Griffin, made ongoing explicit homosexual advances towards [Terrio]. Griffin would invite Reagan over to his hotel for dinner to celebrate, and he also introduced her to Astrologer Joan Quigley. "And that was it. Griffin also created the game shows Jeopardy! "This is a guy who, you know, he's 82 and he's running a company like he's, you know, 42 or 32," Tony said. The Merv Griffin Show hosted Whitney Houston 's first TV appearance in 1983. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! His abilities as a pianist played a part in his early entry into show business. 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. From 1965 to 1986, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show. Griffin said that he did not know his actual worth because it "would keep me from sleeping at night". In 1975, NBC canceled Jeopardy! In 1954, Griffin appeared in several Cincraft Productions sponsored films including a musical, Milestones of Motoring with Joe E. Brown and Rita Farrell. 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]. "Here's a secret nobody knows: Whenever he did a game show, he would be on that set from the moment it started till 4 or 5 in the morning rewriting it the first night. He extended his investments into casinos and hotels and took over Donald Trump's Resorts International property in Atlantic City and the Trump Casino. Griffin disliked the censorship imposed by CBS and complained. The pair went out on regular dates that were said to be strictly "platonic" up until she died in 1995. From 2005-2008, Griffin joined forces with Yani-Brune Entertainment and was in charge of Griffin's television division after Griffin died of prostate cancer on August 12, 2007. He could duck it for a while, but it would always find him. This former bodyguard and horse trainer was paid $250 a week, lived in one of two apartments underneath my former house as part of his security function, and left my payroll six or seven years ago. He created "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune," but to his only child, Tony Griffin, he was just dad. Honors event along with his widow Julann. Metromedia also gave Griffin prime time clearances on the company's group of independent stations, which included outlets in New York, Los Angeles, MinneapolisSaint Paul and Washington, D.C. Beginning in 1981, The Merv Griffin Show was cut back to one hour in order to accommodate stations who preferred that length over the 90-minute version. The show became a phenomenon when, on September 19, 1983, a nighttime version hit the syndication market with Pat Sajak and Vanna White as host and hostess. [2] As of February 2014, 1,800 episodes, spanning over 2,000 hours of footage, have been located and preserved for future generations. The theme returned to the show in 2021 at the start of season 39. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. It has been alleged that legendary TV producer and the game show host of "The Merv Griffin Show," Merv Griffin led a "secret gay life" while he was alive. Griffin was married to the former Julann Wright from 1958 to 1976; they remained friends after their divorce. Then he conceived the idea of a game show where contestants would be given answers but have to come up with the questions or lose their money if they could not. Its disheartening that Merv had to die to shake it for good. [citation needed], Griffin attended San Mateo High School, graduating in 1942, and continued to aid in financing the school. [18][19], That summer, Griffin became acquainted with music publisher Loring Buzzell. This led to the creation of "The Eva Gabor Show. For many years, Griffin was seen in the company of "Green Acres" actress Eva Gabor. Just before his death, he created his last game show Crosswords (2007). Merv Griffin was reportedly gay, and his sexuality was a well-known secret in Hollywood. He said, "I'm a quarter-sexual. He did not get to do that with 'Merv Griffin's Crossword' that comes out in September. Mervs secret gay life was widely known throughout showbiz culture, if not the wider America. Four U.S. Presidents -- Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan appeared, as did Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Jonas Salk and Robert F. Kennedy. This continued after her two terms as First Lady. Episodes of the show have been released on DVDs. Soon he got his own game show, "Play Your Hunch." As Fox was already setting up its own late-night talk show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, the former Metromedia stations dropped the show soon thereafter. But, you know, I said, "Merv, this stuff is out there; talk to me about it," and he was very frank. ET weeknights on CBS from August 18, 1969, to February 11, 1972; and again in first-run syndication from February 14, 1972, to September 5, 1986. When he was fired a few months later, his new show began the following Monday, and ran until the mid-1980s. Judges dismissed these lawsuits, but that did not help Griffin's reputation. The lawsuits were filed by Denny Terrio, the host of a show called "Dance Fever," and Griffin's former assistant Brent Plott who sought $200 million in palimony. Not content with catering merely to the celebrity publicity mongers on his self-titled talk show, his unusually wide spectrum of guests ranged from superstars (. Griffin similarly bought and upgraded the Beverly Hills hotel located in Beverly Hills and opened a nightclub, which he named the "Coconut Club" and modeled after the famous Coconut Grove. 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. According to Plott, Griffin promised to care for him for the rest of his life. | Photo: Getty Images. The ex-couple share one son, Tony Griffin, who is an American actor and writer. Add photos, demo reels Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Awards 1 win & 7 nominations Known for Wheel of Fortune 6.7 TV Series Producer Other notable guests that rarely made TV appearances showed up to talk to Griffin include Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Salvador Dal. [29], In 1988, Griffin purchased Resorts International and two of their hotels, one in Atlantic City, New Jersey; and another on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, from Donald Trump and other investors. [8] Griffin wrote years later in his autobiography that there was a deliberate effort to keep the public from finding out how he looked. Additionally, the sources reported witnessing Griffin on a cozy date in a dimly lit restaurant with another man, where the two were very clearly flirting. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Griffin and Julann Elizabeth Wright were married in 1958, and their son, Anthony, was born the following year. The late Merv Griffin was many things -- businessman, talk show host, singer, entertainer, game show creator. Who created Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune? For over a quarter of a century, more than 25,000 guests appeared on The Merv Griffin Show including numerous significant cultural, political, social and musical icons of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. I've been in the public eye for more than fifty years as Merv Griffin, not as somebody else's creation. 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. That was it. and it worked for 11 years, after which he came up with "Wheels Of Fortune," another game show in 1975. At one of his nightclub performances, Griffin was discovered by Doris Day. (GSN, 1998, both for children); Rock & Roll Jeopardy! After leaving high school, Griffin enrolled at San Mateo Junior College and moved to the University of San Francisco, where he later dropped out. The constant allegations and outings about Merv's sexuality caused him to steer entirely clear of the gay community and refrain from supporting gay rights initiatives. Intended as a nighttime companion to The Mike Douglas Show and succeeding Steve Allen and Regis Philbin in the time slot, this version of the Griffin program aired in multiple time slots throughout North America (many stations ran it in the daytime, and other non-NBC affiliates broadcast it opposite The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson). The song reached the #1 spot on the Hit Parade and sold three million copies.[13]. The show was canceled altogether later that year, and aired its final episode on September 5, 1986. [6], Griffin and First Lady Nancy Reagan exchanged birthday greetings each July 6 for their shared birthday. Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese navy officer who planned and led the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 a truly unique moment in television history. After Griffin's death, The Hollywood Reporter published a report stating that he had been a closeted gay man. The late Merv Griffin was many things businessman, talk show host, singer, entertainer, game show creator. Robert Plant's Wife: Maureen Wilson Is the Only Woman the Legendary Singer Was Married To, Brendan Fraser's 2 Handsome Sons Hug Him after His Ex Was Awarded $900K in Alimony & Child Support, The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Everyone that knows him, he's the Energizer Bunny. (Griffin revealed the epitaph on The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. Round, which became the iconic melody of the theme for the syndicated version of the show hosted by Alex Trebek in 1984. Nonetheless, Griffin remained "close friends" with the Gabor family, and Zsa Zsa described him as a "wonderful, wonderful man.