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Merv Griffin 1925-2007
I am – Hercules.
Mervyn Edward Griffin, Jr., a stockbroker's son and a native of San Mateo, Calif., was a pianist, singer, radio performer, recording artist, game show host, talk show host, movie and stage actor, and a record and TV executive.
He had number-one hit in 1949 with “I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts,” which he sang with a cockney accent.
He is said to have released the first American album recorded on magnetic tape.
He hosted a talk show between 1969 and 1972 in what is now the David Letterman timeslot on CBS. He drew at that time a bigger salary than NBC’s Johnny Carson.
NBC once pursued him to host “The Today Show.”
He owned hotels, including the Beverly Hilton.
He created “Jeopardy” in 1964 and “Wheel of Fortune” in 1975.
He played himself in at least two Steve Martin movies: “The Man With Two Brains” (1983) and “The Lonely Guy” (1984).
His latest syndicated show, “Crosswords,” is expected to begin airing next month on a number of NBC-owned TV stations.
He passed away Sunday at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles following a long bout with prostate cancer.
He was 82.
Find Griffin's Associated Press obituary here.
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Wow! While he wasn't the biggest name in the talk show arena he was a big icon! His show was a staple on TV while I was growing up. Someone you always thought of as a talkshow host.
RIP. -
Someone recruit Evan Dorkin for TalkBack. Milk and Cheese must be properly discussed.
Also, THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS seems so much less funny in a world without Merv. -
http://tinyurl.com/3dctjq
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Who'd a thunk it? RIP Merv.
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Steve Martin takes down Merv.....classic
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RIP sir.
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You stole my thunder. RIP Merv.
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Every night at 8:30 or 9pm The Merv Griffin show would come on and that would be when my parents would make us go to bed...so I friggin hated that bastard at the time..but damn didn't realize the dude was so successful in the business world..he had to be worth close to or over a billion dollars at one point from what I read today. RIP Merv.
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Aug 12, 2007 12:09:07 PM CDT
A classic, sadly we don't have many like him anymore
by allpowerfulwizardofoz
The passing of someone from an era of class in the TV entertainment world. He helped pave the way for so many IE: Letterman, Leno, O'Brien. Right up there with Carson.
RIP. -
He always had great guests on his show as well as musical entertainment for the audience. Variety shows like this will never come again and sadly, neither will entertainers like Mr. Griffin.
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Anyone remember Rick Moranis' hilarious portrayal of ol' Merv on SCTV? It was almost as funny as Eugene Levy's Perry Como... RIP, Windex Killer.
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He said in quite a number of interviews over the years that on his tombstone he wanted these words to be inscribed: "Merv will NOT be back after this commercial message!" I saw him tell a TV reporter that once and he was laughing pretty hard about wanting that.
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There's gonna be a chatfest up yonder tonight. I'll take "Theme Song Millionaires for $200", Alex.
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and a friend of an aunt and uncle of mine who live in california, was attacked by merv griffins dog. She was going for a walk cut through his property. there were no keep off the grass signs. He wasnt there obviously at the time, but this was a woman in her sixties and had arthritis. The dog mauled her very badly and she had to be lifted by air ambulance.
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anyone found the jekyll tb?
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I was hoping for one of those patented "this is what _____ meant to me growing up" obituaries that AICN is famous for, but I did find that very informative. The man lived quite a life, and he will be missed. God bless.
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Some people have various personal reasons for staying in the closet, I'm not sure what Merv's were... But like Liberace, he adamantly stayed in, even when it seemed like only a few tribesmen in the Amazon didn't know... ... and I'm not even really sure those tribesmen didn't know... You'd think on his deathbed he could have acknowleged his lover at least... ...said something about the man who stood faithfully by him... In the early ninties gay folksingers romanovsky and phillips wrote a verse about him: There's a former host of a talk show As gay as the day is long. But he always sang the wrong pronouns When he opened with a song Well it's true he might lose a few fans But he'd gain one more in me If he just wouldn't try to live the myth Of heterosexuality
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You had more involved in the Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. Merv was a consummate entertainer. His talk show ran for 26 years, and he's given us the two of great game shows. He was a beloved icon who made self-depreciating appearances in a myriad of television shows. The Merv Griffin Show was so influential that he became friends with a great many movers and shakers. His shows were largely self-produces, so he billionaire from his TV and investments. With his billions he beat Trump at the casino game. Paradise Island was created out of one of Trumps bankrupted properties. He was also the best ringmaster on Circus of the Stars, where I first saw him.
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jekyll is not that good of a program. There will be no talkback.
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This site has lost it's cred - years ago.
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people would say "who's that lurking in the bushes? is that Merv Griffin?" He had to go to Europe to do his killing.
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My real name is George...
RIP dude... your passing is noted -
Merv found out that Drew Carey was taking over The Price is Right and fell over dead...
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I'm old enough to remember his talk show as a kid, and what always struck me about Merv -- much like Carson -- was that he just seemed like a class act. He treated the guests like guests, spoke to them in a warm friendly way, he got them to open up and talk, and it was just a pleasant time all around. Watching Merv is where I first discovered Steve Martin, when Merv was really trying to help him get started in stand-up, as Martin tried to break away from simply being a background writer. All in all, that was the nice thing about Merv's show -- It wasn't like today where everything seems truly staged and you roll your eyes or overly confrontational, where you know something's being done purely for the sake of ratings. On Merv's talk show they actually came out and talked. Gee, what a novel idea!Toss in the fact that he was a genius at business, he made shrewd decisions and was rewarded handsomely for them, and you have someone who seemed to live life on his own terms...which is something we all like to dream about.So Rest in Peace, Merv -- you were a class act and will be missed by family, friends and loved ones. Then again, I'm sure you're already busy at work creating some new game show for Heaven as we speak...
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My mom watched The Merv Griffin Show when I was a kid, and I thought he was cool 'cause he had that hair that always looked so damn perfect. You'll be missed, Merv.
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I'd like to buy an 'O'.
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Your dick explodes.
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A million pieces of Xerxes bullion for whoever can pinpoint where the above quote comes from and how it relates to the Mervster.
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Merv was a bit more than a
multi-millionaie, but a billionaire whose company owns several shows (mostly US game shows licensed all over the world) that will still rake in big dollars after his death, so it'll be interesting seeing who
he's left all his money to, even though he had 1 child. -
... but I still watched Merv too. A major player in TV history. RIP Merv.
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That's from Hal Smith's - aka Otis Campbell the town drunk from The Andy Griffith Show - appearance on Merv's show. Merv said later that it was one of the best shows he ever did.
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It's an SCTV bit - the Merv Griffith show with Moranis as Merv/Andy Griffith... "Otis Campbell... 'Wakeup Call'!"
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Yep, that's right. I saw him do stand up comedy at San Francisco State University, about six months after 9/11. I remember Richard Riordan, a Republican candidate for governor was there too (he lost to Bill Simon who lost to Grey Davis who got kicked out by Arnold). My friend got us the tickets for free. Brett Butler and Pat Morita also did stand up sets. I remember looking around thinking, "Geez, security here is pretty lax. You'd think there'd be more armed bodyguard types." Afterwards I said to my friend, "Damn it, Jeremy! We could've killed Riordan and taken Griffin for ransom! We'd be set for life!" I guess someone else will get his loot now...
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... Time to give that set back to the Griffin family!
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...And what a timeless piece of comedy that was. "OOOooooo....this is a long promo."
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We'll have some good games shows here in Hell.
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Dead Guys I Don't Care About for $200 Alex
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Merv in space - "OOoohhh, HAL's a terrible guest..."
Or Merv with Liberace...
"Hey, you guys are acting like a couple of --"
"We'll be right back." -
MERV GRIFFIN!!!!!!!!
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http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tmz.com/media/2007/08/0811_mg.jpg
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Indeed. I remember him from after-school shows, as well as Match Game. People today don't understand how amazing TV was back then. It will never be the same, unfortunately. RIP Merv, from a lifetime fan.
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This is the first i've heard of this.
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