Yesterday we did THIS POST on the death of show biz producer, pioneering TV talk show host and businessman Merv Griffin. And we got emails from readers (particularly young readers) want to know more.
SO:
FIRST be SURE TO READ skippy’s post — a must read post for show biz and comedy buffs and aspiring show biz types. Skippy (who writes in lower case)puts it perfectly in perspective: Griffin truly tried to make the young and not so young comedians that appeared on his show stars. He was an “encourager”. One quote (but read IT ALL):
show biz folks everywhere will say a little prayer for merv tonite, in honor of one of the most affable and savvy entertainers to every stand either in the spot lite or behind the scenes.
if the answer is, a magnanimous multi-talented soul who never stopped working hard or loving his job, the question surely is, who was merv griffin?
SECOND: There are host of You Tubes on Griffin. But here’s one that shows how classy, young talk show host Merv Griffin introduces singer Ruth Olay singing a Duke Ellington song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbxdli39ff4Here’s a censored moment — comedian Pat Paulson appearing in blackface in a snarky routine about ethnic humor under fire. Watch Griffin’s face when he comes out. He knows there’s going to be a problem with the censors (and it was never aired).
In later years, he did a segment on breakdancing. His guest list was show biz history. A few: The Carpenters, The Jackson 5 (with a young Michael Jackson who looked like a normal teen), teenager Whitney Houston (her 1983 debut), Patty Duke (singing), Hinton Battle (the tap dance kid), “belter singer” Karen Morrow (doing a real show stopper) and many more..
People who tuned into Griffin’s show never saw a show that coasted. He offered a rich tapestry of show biz during his time, and helped weave it because he seemed to care about more than just his ego or paycheck. By most accounts, he gave every job he did his 100 percent all and cared about people. And that’s what will be missed in show biz.
UPDATE: Be sure to also read David Bender’s take on Griffin in full at The Huffington Post. A tiny taste 4 U:
But here’s what you don’t know about Merv Griffin and what you absolutely should: he was a man who had a profound and significant impact on our country and our culture in ways that are still being felt today.
What? Merv Griffin? The perennially wide-eyed talk show host whose supposed refrain of “ooooh” to his guests was widely parodied back in the day as proof of his insubstantiality? Could someone whose own sidekick (the redoubtable Arthur Treacher) dubbed him “that dear boy” possibly have had an important and lasting effect on our society?
As Merv was fond of saying: “You betcha!”
Let me tell you why.
MAKE SURE YOU read him telling you why…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.