alocispepraluger102 Posted August 12, 2007 Report Posted August 12, 2007 http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=pr...p;categoryid=14 Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 12, 2007 Report Posted August 12, 2007 Griffin's career as a producer began in 1963 with the short-lived gameshow "Word for Word." A few months later, NBC purchased his "Jeopardy," which went on to become the most successful TV gameshow ever. "Dance Fever" was another hit. Then "Wheel of Fortune" joined "Jeopardy" as one of the most successful gameshows in TV history. You mean without Merv, the world would have never known Deney Terrio? Quote
MoGrubb Posted August 12, 2007 Report Posted August 12, 2007 (edited) For a consummate always the bridesmaid, never the bride, he did pretty darn good. Rip Merv Griffin. Edited August 12, 2007 by MoGrubb Quote
ValerieB Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 sorry to hear this news. he was an absolute institution in this town. Quote
Randy Twizzle Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 A cringe-inducing performance with Helen Merrill, Roger Kellaway and Carroll O'Connor. As a kid I watched much more of Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin than I did Johnny Carson. It's probably why I still have a lingering fondness for those now forgotten 1960's comedians like Jackie Vernon, Stanley Myron Handleman, London Lee and Monti Rock III who were regulars on the Douglas/Griffin circuit. Quote
Kalo Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 A cringe-inducing performance with Helen Merrill, Roger Kellaway and Carroll O'Connor. As a kid I watched much more of Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin than I did Johnny Carson. It's probably why I still have a lingering fondness for those now forgotten 1960's comedians like Jackie Vernon, Stanley Myron Handleman, London Lee and Monti Rock III who were regulars on the Douglas/Griffin circuit. OUCH! That youtube clip is stricty from cringeville! I recall coming home from school in the afternoons in the early 1970s and flipping on the tube to watch Griffin and/or Douglas myself. I remember seeing acts from the sublime to the ridiculous, or sometimes both, , like the Mills Brothers, Charo, Buddy Hackett, etc. Quite an education, in its own way. If you're anywhere near the same age as I am, Randy, you saw Griffin/Douglas more than Carson because your parents wouldn't let you stay up late enough to see The Tonight Show. Quote
Kalo Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 I must admit that I retain an affection for Merv, as well as for Rick Moranis's devastatingly funny impression of him on SCTV. Quote
GA Russell Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 I must admit that I retain an affection for Merv, as well as for Rick Moranis's devastatingly funny impression of him on SCTV. Ooooooh! Aaaahhhhhh! Quote
MoGrubb Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 I must admit that I retain an affection for Merv, as well as for Rick Moranis's devastatingly funny impression of him on SCTV. Ooooooh! Aaaahhhhhh! Those Oooohs and Aaahhhs are classics. The man could act interested over the most boring stories from his guests. Merv was a real pro, a the-show-must-go-on type of guy. I was an adult and could stay up late for Carson. Quote
Dan Gould Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 From the Times obit: What he was rarely reluctant to talk about was his success, particularly those ventures that produced significant portions of his wealth. When he was creating “Jeopardy!,” he realized the show needed some music to fill the time while contestants were puzzling out a question. Sitting at a piano, he plunked out a few notes, then a repetitive melody, and within about a half-hour had the show’s familiar theme music. He retained the rights to the song even after selling the shows, and royalties from the ditty “made me a fortune, millions,” he said in 2005. How much? he was asked. “Probably close to $70-80 million.” Quote
JSngry Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8O98SNb8-U...ted&search= Quote
JSngry Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 Not to get too "disrespectful" or anything, but I played a reception for Prince Charles (he was sponsoring some medical thiong or soemthing, hell, I don't remember) in Albuquerque ca. 1982-83, right in the most dire depths of the then-current recession, and Merv was Master of Ceremonies for the affair. He told a series of "I wonder what the poor folks are doing now" jokes that, while warmly received by those in attendance (pretty sure it was a $X0,000.00/plate affair, that's what the sponsors were putting out anyway), made me have a bad feeling for this guy that hasn't gone away yet. I mean, he was being really catty - INTO it - about shit like unemployment, street people, lay-offs, etc, and it was all I could do to keep from hollering out something like FUCK YOU BITCH, YOU AND YOUR GODDAMNED ROYAL PONY BOY! But I sure as hell though it, and still do. Proper respect fully given for the accomplishments (and they are notable within that realm), but... Quote
7/4 Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 I'm not too surprised to hear a story like that. Quote
GA Russell Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 In the late 50s I watched Play Your Hunch every morning. I didn't see his talk show very often, but I do remember once seeing it when Cal Tjader was the guest. As I recall, Tjader had just celebrated his 50th birthday, and Merv shouted at the end of the last musical performance, "Cal Tjader at Fifty!" Quote
BruceH Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 A cringe-inducing performance with Helen Merrill, Roger Kellaway and Carroll O'Connor. As a kid I watched much more of Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin than I did Johnny Carson. It's probably why I still have a lingering fondness for those now forgotten 1960's comedians like Jackie Vernon, Stanley Myron Handleman, London Lee and Monti Rock III who were regulars on the Douglas/Griffin circuit. OUCH! That youtube clip is stricty from cringeville! I recall coming home from school in the afternoons in the early 1970s and flipping on the tube to watch Griffin and/or Douglas myself. I remember seeing acts from the sublime to the ridiculous, or sometimes both, , like the Mills Brothers, Charo, Buddy Hackett, etc. Quite an education, in its own way. Same here. Though I recall liking Mike Douglas more. Surprised to learn that Merv Griffin was born and raised right here in the Bay Area, in the small city of San Mateo. Quote
Alexander Posted August 13, 2007 Report Posted August 13, 2007 Not to get too "disrespectful" or anything, but I played a reception for Prince Charles (he was sponsoring some medical thiong or soemthing, hell, I don't remember) in Albuquerque ca. 1982-83, right in the most dire depths of the then-current recession, and Merv was Master of Ceremonies for the affair. He told a series of "I wonder what the poor folks are doing now" jokes that, while warmly received by those in attendance (pretty sure it was a $X0,000.00/plate affair, that's what the sponsors were putting out anyway), made me have a bad feeling for this guy that hasn't gone away yet. I mean, he was being really catty - INTO it - about shit like unemployment, street people, lay-offs, etc, and it was all I could do to keep from hollering out something like FUCK YOU BITCH, YOU AND YOUR GODDAMNED ROYAL PONY BOY! But I sure as hell though it, and still do. Proper respect fully given for the accomplishments (and they are notable within that realm), but... Has anybody tried driving a stake through Merv's heart and stuffing his mouth with garlic? I want to make sure that he doesn't come back... Quote
robviti Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 what i enjoyed most about merv's tv show was his sidekick arthur treacher and of course, jack sheldon, who was a pretty funny guy and leader of merv's big band. Quote
GA Russell Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 Because Merv dared to have a nighttime show on CBS opposite the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson often insulted Merv, making snide comments about Merv's theme shows, even long after Merv had retreated to the daytime. That all stopped on a dime the day that Griffin sold Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to King World for $400 million. All the world then realized that Merv Griffin, the butt of the sneers, was a lot wealthier than Johnny Carson was. Quote
marcello Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 Because Merv dared to have a nighttime show on CBS opposite the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson often insulted Merv, making snide comments about Merv's theme shows, even long after Merv had retreated to the daytime. That all stopped on a dime the day that Griffin sold Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to King World for $400 million. All the world then realized that Merv Griffin, the butt of the sneers, was a lot wealthier than Johnny Carson was. A man of local roots and interest from here (Rochester) named Dale Scutti, teamed with Merv to buy Resorts International out from under Trump. That was also a eye opener to how much cash Merv had. During the fight for control Mr. Scutti said of Trump that " he has to carry a hose so he can tell everybody that he can walk on water" or something to that effect. Merv's shows got to be terribly wretching as time went by, but when he was based in NYC he had his share of Jazz players perform. I remember seeing Duke Ellington once (in NYC) and another time, much later ( in LA) I saw Cannonball play with the orchestra. Quote
JSngry Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 what i enjoyed most about merv's tv show was his sidekick arthur treacher and of course, jack sheldon, who was a pretty funny guy and leader of merv's big band. Pretty sure the bandleader was Mort Lindsey. Quote
MoGrubb Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 (edited) what i enjoyed most about merv's tv show was his sidekick arthur treacher and of course, jack sheldon, who was a pretty funny guy and leader of merv's big band. Pretty sure the bandleader was Mort Lindsey. Maybe so, but, if I recall correctly, Sheldon was featured and mentioned quite a bit. Maybe Lindsey left and Sheldon took over(?). Also, I don't recall a big band, per se, just three of four horns, etc. Edited August 14, 2007 by MoGrubb Quote
JSngry Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 Pretty sure the late-nite CBS show had a big band. Not sure about the syndicated show. Quote
JSngry Posted August 14, 2007 Report Posted August 14, 2007 Yeah, the CBS show was in NYC. Sheldon was Cali all the way, right? Check this out: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:jcfwxqw0ldse Merv Griffin Presents Mort Lindsey and His Orchestra Review by Dave Nathan Mort Lindsey may well have been the conductor/arranger of choice for more pop singers than anyone else. If not first, he's certainly near the top. Judy Garland, Pat Boone, Eddie Fisher, and Barbra Streisand are just a few of the headliners he has backed on stage or in the recording studio. Lindsey also led the studio band for the Merv Griffin show during the 1960s. The outfit was stocked with top-notch jazz musicians, which is not surprising. The good money earned in the studio subsidized them until they got to a position where all the bills could be paid by strictly playing jazz. This mid-1960s release featured some outstanding performers. On the album's best cut, a swinging "Just Friends," Bill Berry's trumpet improvises above the melody line played by the ensemble before he exchanges fours with Danny Stiles. Jim Hall has significant solo time here as well and also on an otherwise maudlin arrangement of "Poor Butterfly." Berry and Bob Brookmeyer inject some life into "The Shadow of Your Smile," while Jake Hanna strives mightily to keep matters as upbeat as possible on drums. But the good tracks are few and far between, with hokey material like "Green Grass" dominating the set. Nonetheless, there is some fine playing by then and future icons of jazz on this hard to get LP. 1 Heartaches Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:04 2 Strangers in the Night Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:17 3 Forgotten Dreams Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:05 4 Just Friends Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:36 5 The Shadow of Your Smile Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 3:01 6 Green Grass Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:12 7 Poinciana Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:44 8 I Will Wait for You Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:39 9 You've Got Your Troubles Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:05 10 Stolen Hours Lindsey, Mort Orchestra 2:31 LP Dot DLP 3765 Everett Barksdale Guitar Bob Brookmeyer Trombone Billy Byers Trombone Art Davis Bass Shelly Gold Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone Charles Randolph Grean Producer Merv Griffin Liner Notes Dick Hafer Clarinet, Oboe, Saxophone Jim Hall Guitar Jake Hanna Drums Ernie Hayes Organ Richie Kamuca Clarinet, Horn (English), Saxophone Mort Lindsey Arranger, Conductor Jim Mitchell Guitar Roger Pemberton Clarinet, Flute, Arranger, Saxophone Danny Styles Trumpet Joe Venuto Percussion Quote
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