What name did creator Merv Griffin originally give “Wheel of Fortune”?”
Mervyn Edward “Merv” Griffin, Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television host, singer, and media mogul.[2] He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. During the 1960s, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show, and created the game shows Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and Merv Griffin’s Crosswords. A billionaire at his death, he is considered an entertainment business magnate. Contents [hide] * 1 Biography o 1.1 Early life o 1.2 Career + 1.2.1 Singing at 19 + 1.2.2 Game show host + 1.2.3 Talk show host + 1.2.4 Late-night host o 1.3 Game show creator o 1.4 Business ventures o 1.5 Private life + 1.5.1 Sexual orientation o 1.6 Illness and death * 2 Selected popular songs * 3 References * 4 External links [edit] Biography [edit] Early life Griffin was born into a very poor Irish American family on July 6, 1925 in San Mateo, California to Mervyn Griffin Sr., a stock broker and Rita Griffin (née Robinson
Game show creator Griffin created and produced the successful television game show Jeopardy! in 1964; in an Associated Press profile released right before the show premiered, Griffin talked about the show’s origins:[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. I was mulling over game show ideas, when she noted that there had not been a successful ‘question and answer’ game on the air since the quiz show scandals. Why not do a switch, and give the answers to the contestant and let them come up with the question. She fired a couple of answers to me: ‘5,280’ and the question of course was how many feet in a mile. Another was ’79 Wistful Vista.’ That was Fibber and Mollie McGee’s address. I loved the idea, went straight to NBC with the idea, and they bought it without even looking at a pilot show. The show premiered on NBC on March 30, 1964, hosted by Art Fleming, and lasted for 11 years. Merv wrote the 30-second pie
Griffin had an idea for a game based on hangman but wanted to incorporate shopping to hook the ladies. In its first incarnation, in 1974, the show that became “Wheel of Fortune” was called “Shopper’s Bazaar.” In its 1975 premiere, “Wheel of Fortune” still included the shopping element, which lasted until 1987. Current host Pat Sajak, a former weatherman, did not join the game until December 1981, when a salary dispute between original host Chuck Woolery and Griffin created the vacancy. Soap actress Susan Stafford was the original letter turner but left the show in 1982 to pursue humanitarian work. Vanna White was hired after a handful of co-hosts were tried out.
