Respectance - share your memories

Merv Griffin, an entertainer and entrepreneur, passed away on August 12th, 2007. He had unexpectedly developed a recurrence of aggressive prostate cancer that he had overcame ten years ago.

Born July 6th, 1925, he grew up in San Mateo, California possessed of a “joie de vivre and self-confidence” that served him well throughout his life. A child piano prodigy and singer, he started his career on radio station KFRC. After three days, he had his own show, “The Merv Griffin Show” at the ripe age of 19. After touring with the Freddy Martin Orchestra for four years, Merv had a hit song: “I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”. It shot to #1 on the Hit Parade and sold 3 million copies. 

After a short-lived Hollywood film career, Merv went to New York to reinvent himself. "I don't want to depend on my singing voice anymore," he told his agent. "I want to emcee." After a stint of hosting other shows, by 1962 he had his own talk show, the eponymous “Merv Griffin Show.”  A genial, relaxed type, he developed a “gushy” style that was “friendlier and more accessible” than the more high-pressure Johnny Carson. Over the next 23 years, Merv hosted 5,500 shows and interviewed more than 25,000 guests, including John Lennon (when he was still a Beatle), George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Whitney Houston and Jerry Seinfeld. His lifelong interest in words and puzzles led him to create Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, the two most successful game shows in television syndication history. He wrote the theme songs of both shows, and the Jeopardy! theme alone has earned him in excess of $70 million in royalties.

In 1986, the sale of his production company, Merv Griffin Enterprises, netted him the title of “richest Hollywood performer in history” by Forbes Magazine. Even though “his name became synonymous in later years with the kind of fluffy, disposable entertainment that epitomized lowest-common-denominator television,” his many investments made him a multi-millionaire - all by simply following his instincts. His holdings include TV shows, luxury real estate, a racing stable and Cocunut Productions, which develops the careers of emerging musical talent.