Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul.

[7] During World War II, Griffin was classified as 4F and exempt from military service after failing several physical examinations due to a minor heart murmur.

[citation needed] Griffin started as a singer on radio at age 19, appearing on San Francisco Sketchbook, a nationally syndicated program based at KFRC.

In 1949, his recording of "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts", performed with Freddy Martin and his Orchestra, sold three million copies.

[13] During a nightclub performance, Griffin was discovered by Doris Day, who arranged a screen test at Warner Bros. for a role in By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).

[15] Griffin also played minor roles in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) The Boy from Oklahoma (1954) and Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954).

In 1954, Griffin appeared in Cinécraft Productions sponsored films, including a musical, Milestones of Motoring, with Joe E.

[18][19] Griffin initially stayed with Loring Buzzell upon arriving in New York and became friends with him and his fiancée, Lu Ann Simms.

[20] After Buzzell's death in 1959, Griffin remained close to Simms and often featured her as a guest on his talk show.

[22][23][24] From 1958 to 1962, Griffin hosted Play Your Hunch, a game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman.

Griffin gained attention when Tonight Show host Jack Paar accidentally walked onto the set of Play Your Hunch during a live broadcast.

[25] After Paar departed from The Tonight Show and before Johnny Carson assumed the role, Griffin served as one of several guest hosts during the interim period.

He was regarded as the most successful of the guest hosts and,[26] as a result, was given his own daytime talk show on NBC in 1962.

The program aired in various time slots across North America, with some stations broadcasting it during the daytime, others in primetime, and a few placing it opposite The Tonight Show.

Guests included a mix of entertainers, authors, politicians, and public figures like Zsa Zsa Gabor, as well as controversial figures including George Carlin, Dick Gregory, Richard Pryor, Norman Mailer, and Bertrand Russell.

His three-year tenure at CBS was contentious, as the network frequently objected to his choice of guests, particularly those critical of the Vietnam War and other sensitive topics.

In an Associated Press profile released prior to its debut, he explained the origins of the show:[1] My wife Julann just came up with the idea one day when we were in a plane bringing us back to New York from Duluth.

Around this period, Griffin composed the show's theme song, "Changing Keys," which was used in various forms until 2000 and returned in 2021.

were produced: a five-month run on NBC in 1978 and 1979 with Art Fleming, and a syndicated version starting September 10, 1984, hosted by Alex Trebek.

His final game show, Ruckus, aired from the Resorts International Hotel & Casino, which Griffin owned, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

[28] In 1988, Griffin purchased Resorts International and two of its properties: one in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and another on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, from Donald Trump and other investors.

Griffin sold his empire to The Coca-Cola Company for $250 million in 1986 and subsequently focused on hotel acquisitions, with his wealth estimated at $1.2 billion in 2003.

[39] Griffin was married to Julann Elizabeth Wright,[40][41][42][43] a comedian and a founder of First Women's Bank of California,[40] from 1958 to 1976.

[44] In an interview with The New York Times published on May 26, 2005, Merv Griffin "said with a sly grin" about his private life: "I tell everybody that I'm a quarter-sexual, I will do anything with anybody for a quarter.

Deney Terrio, host of the Griffin-created Dance Fever, sued Griffin, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him, which was dismissed.

That same year, Brent Plott, a former employee who had worked as a bodyguard, horse trainer, and driver, filed a $200 million palimony lawsuit, which was also dismissed.

[51] In 2005, Griffin accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Griffin's 7-year-old grandson, Donovan Mervyn, and Nancy Reagan were honorary pallbearers, while his 12-year-old granddaughter, Farah, gave a reading.

In his 2003 book Merv, written with David Bender, he had mentioned an alternate epitaph: "Stay Tuned."

GSN paid tribute to Griffin by airing ten-episode marathons of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!