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68-412: Love Connection was produced by Eric Lieber Productions in association with and distributed by Telepictures (1983–1986), Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1989), Lorimar Television (1989–1990), and Warner Bros. Television (1989–1994). Love Connection ' s main premise was to arrange dates for couples. A guest appeared on the show after going on a date with one of three contestants, having chosen on

136-423: A Daily Variety trade ad promoting the end of the original show's run after 11 seasons, it was stated that there were 35,478 taped interviews, 2,120 episodes, 31 marriages, and 20 children. Woolery created his catch phrase "we'll be back in two and two" on Love Connection , often accompanied by a two-fingered hand gesture. The line referred to the fact that the program would return in two minutes and two seconds,

204-422: A $ 200 million palimony lawsuit, which was also dismissed. Griffin characterized both lawsuits as extortion attempts. Regarding Plott's lawsuit, Griffin claimed that Plott had been paid $ 250 a week, lived in one of two apartments under Griffin's former house as part of his security function, and left the payroll six or seven years before the lawsuit. Griffin dismissed the charges as untrue. Griffin maintained

272-535: A 9% stake in Warner Communications (now Warner Bros. Discovery ), which set off talks about a possible merger between two entertainment entities. The following year, Warner Communications finally purchased the company. Lorimar Television became a separate subsidiary of Warner Bros. Television Studios until 1993, while Lorimar-Telepictures unit was folded into Warner Bros. Television Distribution . Telepictures became Telepictures Productions in 1990,

340-476: A Million for ABC in 1967. Griffin gained attention when Tonight Show host Jack Paar accidentally walked onto the set of Play Your Hunch during a live broadcast. Griffin persuaded Paar to stay for a spontaneous interview. At the time, both shows shared Studio 6B at Rockefeller Center , with Play Your Hunch airing live in the morning and The Tonight Show taping later in the day. After Paar departed from The Tonight Show and before Johnny Carson assumed

408-447: A Millionaire . Coincidentally, the show premiered on the same date (September 19) that Woolery's former show, Wheel of Fortune , debuted its syndicated edition in 1983. There is a scene in the 1990 movie Misery where Annie Wilkes is watching the show while eating Cheetos . As of 1993, among the couples who met on the show, there were a total of 29 marriages, 8 engagements, and 15 children, according to Woolery. A year later, in

476-413: A bachelor or spinster who had not yet chosen a date made an appearance and allow the studio audience to make the choice for him or her, based on video excerpts. The couple would report back in the usual fashion several weeks later. If the couple hit it off, they were entitled to a second date at the show's expense. If not, the contestant could choose between the two losing candidates for the second date. In

544-660: A birthday with Nancy Reagan on July 6, and they exchanged birthday greetings annually. A close friend of the Reagan family, Griffin served as an honorary pallbearer at Ronald Reagan 's funeral in 2004. In 1974, Griffin was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs was dedicated to him. In 2005, Griffin accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from

612-560: A child. By his teenage years, was earning money as a church organist. His abilities as a pianist played a part in his early entry into show business. Griffin graduated from San Mateo High School in 1942 and later contributed financially to the school. He attended San Mateo Junior College and then the University of San Francisco . Griffin was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. During World War II , Griffin

680-551: A close friendship with Eva Gabor from the mid-1980s until her death in 1995. Gabor stated in 1990 that they were not romantically involved. Griffin was a longtime member of the Republican Party . On being wealthy, Griffin said, "when you walk down the street and everybody knows you're rich, they don't talk to you." His net worth was estimated at over $ 1 billion. Griffin claimed to not know his exact worth, stating it might cause unnecessary stress. Griffin shared

748-416: A date with the vote winner, regardless of the success of the first date. In addition, if the guest had already unsuccessfully dated the audience pick, the guest could choose to go on a date with either of the other contestants. If a second date took place, the couple would be invited back for a second interview at a later taping. Two or three segments usually aired per show. In a variation that aired on Fridays,

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816-468: A deal with Metromedia for a syndicated daytime talk show to begin immediately if his CBS program was canceled. When CBS terminated his show a few months later, Griffin's new program debuted the following Monday and ran until 1986. By then, profits from his successful game shows had made Griffin one of the wealthiest entertainers in the world. A hallmark of the show was Griffin's interaction with audience members. One regular attendee, Lillian Miller , became

884-587: A guest on the Robert Q. Lewis Show. The couple had one son, Anthony Patrick "Tony" Griffin, born in 1959, who later had two children of his own. 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 quartre-sexual, I will do anything with anybody for a quarter." He was otherwise secretive about his business and personal lives. Following Griffin's death, The Hollywood Reporter published an article stating Griffin

952-445: A half-hearted attempt to purchase Fox affiliate WCIX from Taft Broadcasting (CBS would later make a more serious attempt to purchase the station two years later and succeeded; it is now CBS owned-and-operated station WFOR-TV ), Telepictures backed off from purchasing WTVJ. ( NBC eventually purchased the station; it remains an NBC O&O today.) The company would then subsequently sell WPGH-TV to Renaissance Broadcasting after only

1020-509: A musical, Milestones of Motoring , with Joe E. Brown . While moving to New York City that summer, Griffin and Betty Ann Grove co-hosted Summer Holiday on CBS . The show featured live music with the hosts while simulating a trip to various places in the world. Griffin initially stayed with Loring Buzzell upon arriving in New York and became friends with him and his fiancée, Lu Ann Simms . Griffin later claimed in interviews that he

1088-596: 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). Griffin did not get the part, but was subsequently cast in supporting roles in other musical films , including So This Is Love (1953). The film featured a scene with an open-mouthed kiss between Griffin and Kathryn Grayson , which attracted attention for being

1156-493: A producer of syndicated programming that Warner Bros. Television would distribute. Later on that year, David Salzman, founding partner left Lorimar to start Warner-affiliated production company with Millennium Productions, covering affiliated houses like Lorimar Television and Telepictures Productions. Beginning in 1994, certain Telepictures shows, such as Extra , were co-produced by then-sister company Time Inc. , under

1224-658: A range of topics, often addressing controversial issues such as the Vietnam War . 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 . In 1974, Arnold Schwarzenegger made his U.S. talk show debut on The Merv Griffin Show . In 1975 and 1977, Griffin dedicated two episodes to Transcendental Meditation and its founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . The 1977 episode

1292-591: A reading. A post-burial reception was held at the Beverly Hilton , owned by Griffin from 1987 to 2003. Griffin was buried at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park , His epitaph reads, "I will not be right back after this message," an idea he had shared on The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder . 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! during

1360-492: A recurring presence on the program throughout its run. Robert "Bob" Murphy, Griffin's best friend since sixth grade, was the producer of The Merv Griffin Show, and eventually became president of Merv Griffin Enterprises. Griffin created and produced the television game show Jeopardy! . In an Associated Press profile released prior to its debut, he explained the origins of the show: My wife Julann just came up with

1428-553: A single individual. Forbes declared Griffin the wealthiest Hollywood performer in history. He retained the title of creator for his game shows. The success of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune inspired spin-offs, including Wheel 2000 (1997-1998), Jep! (1998), and Rock & Roll Jeopardy! (1998-2001). Grffin also created Click! (1997-1999) and co-developed Headline Chasers (1985-1986) with Wink Martindale . From 2007 to 2008, Merv Griffin Entertainment produced

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1496-433: A subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment . Telepictures was established in 1979 by David Salzman , Michael Jay Solomon , and Michael Garin as a television syndication firm. The company made its origins when Telepictures decided to distribute four projects, one was a game show in collaboration with Jerome Schnur Productions, and to produce projects for network television and public television stations, mainly PBS , which

1564-588: A syndicated version starting September 10, 1984, hosted by Alex Trebek. Both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune continue to air in syndication today. In 1990, Griffin attempted to adapt the board game Monopoly into a game show , which was cancelled after 12 episodes. His final game show, Ruckus , aired from the Resorts International Hotel & Casino , which Griffin owned, in Atlantic City, New Jersey . The show aired locally in

1632-404: A year in ownership; WPGH-TV, which went through several owners in the 1980s, would not have stable ownership until current owner Sinclair Broadcast Group (which had been outbid by Telepictures for the station in 1986) bought the station from Renaissance in 1990. In 1987, Lorimar Television was created as a separate production entity of Lorimar-Telepictures. Around this time, the company purchased

1700-626: The National University of Ireland, Galway . In 2008, Griffin was posthumously inducted into the Television Hall of Fame . On September 29, 2022, Merv and Julann Griffin were posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Jeopardy! Hall of Fame at the first Jeopardy! Honors event. Their son, Tony, accepted the awards on their behalf. Griffin was treated for prostate cancer in 1996. The cancer returned in 2007. He

1768-415: The hotel-casino 's debt of $ 925 million on November 15, 1988. Within ten months, the company reported a loss of $ 46.6 million. Griffin had financed the acquisition with $ 325 million in junk bond financing at nearly 14% from Drexel Burnham Lambert 's Michael Milken , and suspended interest payments in early 1989. By that year, the company's cash flow was about $ 70 million short of

1836-482: The 2017 revival, the guest appeared on the show after having gone on a date with each of the three contestants, and all three were interviewed from backstage after the video intros and audience vote. This version added a segment where guests and contestants rate their first impressions of each other's looks on a scale of 1–10; however, some contestants have acknowledged basing this rating in part on factors other than physical looks, such as punctuality or fashion sense. After

1904-503: The Bahamas for $ 400 million from Trump, and later sold it for $ 125 million. 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. Griffin was married to Julann Elizabeth Wright, a comedian and a founder of First Women's Bank of California , from 1958 to 1976. The two met when Griffin appeared as

1972-514: The Chuck Woolery season on March 6, 2020. Only a few episodes have aired on there since. In 2015, a remake of the show was in development by Warner Bros. for a shot in 2016 with comedian Loni Love as host, but those plans fell through. On January 11, 2017, Fox announced plans to revive the series for Summer 2017, with Andy Cohen serving as host. The reboot premiered at 9:00 p.m. ET on May 25, 2017. On August 10, 2017, Fox renewed

2040-796: The Dick Clark productions and TV specials. In 1985, the company merged with Merv Adelson and Lee Rich 's Lorimar Television , creating Lorimar-Telepictures and assumed production and distribution of shows like Dallas and Knots Landing . The company also began distribution of first-run episodes of Mama's Family in June 1986 in television . The company briefly dabbled into owning television station by purchasing charter Fox affiliate WPGH-TV in Pittsburgh and attempted to purchase then- CBS affiliate WTVJ in Miami . However, after CBS made

2108-500: The GoBots Magazine . In 1983, Frank Konigsberg 's Konigsberg Co. was merged into Telepictures. Also that year, the company launched its Perennial division, to distribute evergreen programming for syndication, such as Mayberry, R.F.D. and The New Dick Van Dyke Show . On March 21, 1984, it signed a distribution deal with Dick Clark Productions in order to expand its activities in order to distribute virtually all of

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2176-650: The La Quinta Arts Festival, Griffin owned the Merv Griffin Givenchy Resort & Spa in Palm Springs (later The Parker) and a ranch near La Quinta, California , where he raised thoroughbred racehorses. In County Galway , Ireland, he owned St. Clerans Manor, a boutique hotel on an 18th-century estate previously owned by John Huston . In the 1980s, Griffin purchased the Paradise Island Resort and Casino in

2244-604: The NIWS news service, and by 1982, had formed a joint venture with Gannett Broadcasting to start out the Newscope program through Gannett/Telepictures. In addition, Telepictures had syndicated numerous television programs such as My Favorite Martian , Here's Lucy , Love Connection , and the original The People's Court with Judge Joseph Wapner . Telepictures also operated a small publishing arm, which published magazines, such as The Muppets Magazine and Challenge of

2312-412: The New York metropolitan area. After 60 episodes, a contract dispute led to its cancellation before syndication, scrapping plans for national syndication. Reruns later aired on Game Show Network . On May 6, 1986, Griffin sold his production company, Merv Griffin Enterprises , to Columbia Pictures Television for $ 250 million. At the time, it was the largest sale of an entertainment company owned by

2380-448: The Telepictures company. In 1995, Time Warner Entertainment formed Telepictures Distribution as a division of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution , running over the oversight of then-EVP Scott Carlin. The company distributed non- Warner Bros. produced programming to which the syndication rights have been licensed to Warner and/or Turner as well as Warner properties. Upon Time Warner 's purchase of Turner in 1996, some of

2448-474: The Vietnam War and other sensitive topics. In April 1970, when Abbie Hoffman appeared as a guest, CBS blurred the video of Hoffman to obscure his American flag-patterned shirt, despite the fact that other guests had worn similar attire uncensored. Griffin expressed frustration with CBS's censorship policies. Frustrated with these restrictions and anticipating his departure from CBS, Griffin secretly signed

2516-746: The amount needed to service its debt. On December 23, 1989, Griffin sought bankruptcy court protection for Resorts International. The bankruptcy filing followed an involuntary petition by bondholders, who had previously reached a tentative agreement with Resorts. These bondholders sought protection of their legal claims against Trump, whom Griffin had outbid for Resorts in 1988. The bankruptcy affected not only Resorts International but also three affiliated entities: Griffin Resorts Inc., Resorts International Financing Inc., and Griffin Resorts Holding Inc. An active desert resident and supporter of

2584-421: The basis of the contestants' videotaped profiles. After the date, the televised appearance was scheduled. Love Connection tapings took place before a live studio audience. Woolery introduced the guest and show excerpts from the three candidates' videos. The studio audience then secretly voted on which candidate they preferred for the guest. (In the 1998–99 version, home viewers voted online and were included in

2652-435: The contestants was noted on-screen in their profile summary in both syndicated iterations of the show, but is not referenced in the 2017 revival unless it arises in conversation between the guest, dates, and host. In the original series, men were paired only with women, and vice versa; the 2017 revival has included same-sex pairings. The show paid the expenses incurred on the date, plus $ 75 for incidentals. The incidental amount

2720-499: The daytime, others in primetime, and a few placing it opposite The Tonight Show . Arthur Treacher , Griffin's mentor, served as the show's announcer and sidekick until 1970. After Treacher's departure, Griffin took over the announcing role, entering the stage with the phrase, "And now...here I come!" According to Griffin's obituary in Entertainment Weekly , The Merv Griffin Show won 11 Emmy Awards . The show covered

2788-689: The first such kiss in a Hollywood film since the implementation of the Hays Code in 1934. 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). Dissatisfied with the film industry, Griffin bought out his Warner Bros. contract and shifted his focus to television. In 1954, Griffin appeared in Cinécraft Productions sponsored films , including

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2856-399: The guest had had a successful date with the vote winner, Woolery congratulated the couple for making a "love connection", and they would usually (but not always) accept the offered prize of a second date at the show's expense. After a successful date, the guest was always offered another date with that person. However, if the vote winner was one of the other contestants, the guest could choose

2924-412: 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

2992-403: The interviews, the guest received an overnight date with the contestant of his or her choice, along with a chance to receive a $ 10,000 cash prize. In season 1, the guest automatically received the prize if the audience vote matched his or her choice; otherwise, the guest was given the option to instead spend the overnight date with the vote winner and thereby receive the monetary prize. In season 2,

3060-763: The key assets of Turner Program Services were folded into the company. In 2003, Telepictures Distribution was folded into Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul . He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway . From 1962 to 1986, Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show . Griffin also created several game shows, including Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune , through his production companies, Merv Griffin Enterprises and Merv Griffin Entertainment . Griffin

3128-416: The name Time-Telepictures Television . Most shows produced by them bore a copyright for "TTT West Coast", while Sports Illustrated videos released during the timeframe bore a copyright for "TTT East Coast" instead. The joint venture ceased in 2003 and TTT productions were brought under the main Telepictures name. In 2004, John Rieber and Alex Duda via Streamroller Entertainment set up an overall deal with

3196-440: The option to switch was dropped; the guest spent the overnight date with the contestant he or she chose, and the $ 10,000 prize was awarded if the audience vote matched that choice. The great majority of contestants in the original series were in their twenties and had never been married. However, older never-married, widowed, and divorced (some multiple times) contestants were occasionally selected as well. The relationship status of

3264-530: The primetime ABC game show Keep Talking . He also filled as a temporary host for Bill Cullen on The Price Is Right and Bud Collyer on To Tell the Truth . In 1963, NBC offered Griffin the role of host for a new game show, Word for Word , which he also produced. He went on to produce additional game shows, including Let's Play Post Office for NBC in 1965, Reach for the Stars for NBC in 1967, and One in

3332-507: 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, as a result, was given his own daytime talk show on NBC in 1962. The live 55-minute program was not successful and was canceled in 1963. In 1965, Griffin launched a syndicated talk show titled The Merv Griffin Show through Westinghouse Broadcasting . The program aired in various time slots across North America, with some stations broadcasting it during

3400-421: The series for a second season, which premiered on May 29, 2018. The second season concluded on September 18, 2018. Cohen announced the series' cancellation on February 27, 2019. Telepictures Telepictures (also known as Telepictures Productions ; formerly known as Telepictures Distribution and Telepictures Corporation ) is an American television show and filmmaking company, currently operating as

3468-415: The show's theme song, "Changing Keys," which was used in various forms until 2000 and returned in 2021. NBC canceled the daytime version of Wheel of Fortune in 1989, after which CBS aired it for a year before it returned to NBC. The daytime version remained on NBC until its final cancellation in 1991. Two revivals of Jeopardy! were produced: a five-month run on NBC in 1978 and 1979 with Art Fleming, and

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3536-642: The syndicated game show Merv Griffin's Crosswords . On May 14, 2003, Griffin received the Broadcast Music, Inc. President's Award at the annual Film and Television Awards for his contributions to game show music. Griffin expanded into real estate by purchasing The Beverly Hilton in 1987. 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. As part of

3604-415: The tally.) The guest then revealed whom he or she had actually dated, and the date joined the conversation from backstage via closed-circuit television camera . Woolery led the guest and date to discuss their time together. If they both agreed that the date had been successful, the couple would be reunited onstage; otherwise, the date's participation in the show ended. Woolery then revealed the vote result; if

3672-464: The theme song for the syndicated version hosted by Alex Trebek starting in 1984. After 11 years on the air, NBC canceled Jeopardy! while it still had a year remaining on its network contract. The final episode aired on January 3, 1975. Wheel of Fortune , another game show created by Griffin, premiered the following Monday. The show became a cultural phenomenon when its nighttime syndicated version debuted in 1983. Around this period, Griffin composed

3740-746: The total length of a standard commercial break at the time, including the fade-out and fade-ins bookending each break. Woolery would later use this phrase on other shows he hosted as well. The Chuck Woolery episodes were rerun on the USA Network from October 16, 1995 to June 6, 1997 and on the Game Show Network from January 6, 2003 to July 18, 2008. Beginning November 9, 2009, the Woolery episodes returned to GSN's weekday lineup but have since been removed. The Pat Bullard version has not been aired since its cancellation. GameTV will start airing

3808-656: The transaction, Trump purchased Resorts' interest in the under-construction Taj Mahal project for $ 273 million and retained ownership of Resorts International Air, which included three Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. Earlier that year, Trump had sought to take Resorts privatebut Griffin, through his company Griffin Gaming & Entertainment, offered minority shareholders a more competitive bid in April 1988. After purchasing Resorts International for $ 101 million in 1987, Trump sold it to Griffin for $ 365 million and assumed

3876-469: The weekend of August 18–19, 2007. The Wheel of Fortune marathon included episodes featuring Griffin, such as Pat Sajak's departure from the daytime version in 1989 and a 1992–93 episode where Griffin performed with his band, "The MervTones," and Vanna White at a dinner club in Orlando, Florida . The Jeopardy! marathon featured a rerun of the 2002 Million Dollar Masters Tournament. In 2013, Griffin's home

3944-495: Was a closeted gay man. This report was later altered after objections from Griffin's friends and business associates. In 1991, Griffin faced two lawsuits. 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

4012-460: Was able to form his own record label, Panda Records, which produced Songs by Merv Griffin , the first U.S. album recorded on magnetic tape . In 1947, Griffin had a 15-minute weekday singing program on KFRC. Griffin gained widespread popularity through his radio performances and nightclub appearances. In 1949, his recording of " I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts ", performed with Freddy Martin and his Orchestra, sold three million copies. During

4080-1140: Was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where his condition deteriorated. Griffin died on August 12, 2007, at the age of 82. Funeral services were held on August 17, 2007, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills . Attendees included Nancy Reagan; Arnold Schwarzenegger, who gave the eulogy with Tony Griffin; Maria Shriver , Pat Sajak , Vanna White , Alex Trebek , Dick Van Dyke , Jack Klugman , Dick Van Patten , Ellen DeGeneres , Portia de Rossi , Ryan Seacrest , Johnny Mathis , Catherine Oxenberg and Casper Van Dien . Pallbearers included Griffin Group vice-chairman Ron Ward, President Robert Pritchard, Vice President Michael Eyre, and Tony Griffin. Griffin's 7-year-old grandson, Donovan Mervyn, and Nancy Reagan were honorary pallbearers, while his 12-year-old granddaughter, Farah, gave

4148-404: Was aired as a standalone special in some regions, including Canada. Griffin was an enthusiastic practitioner of meditation. In 1969, Griffin moved from syndication to CBS, which launched a late-night talk show hosted by Griffin to compete with The Tonight Show . His three-year tenure at CBS was contentious, as the network frequently objected to his choice of guests, particularly those critical of

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4216-512: Was best man at their wedding in July 1954, but was in fact one of four ushers. When Buzzell and Simms had their first child, Cynthia Leigh Buzzell, on September 11, 1955, Griffin was named her godfather. After Buzzell's death in 1959, Griffin remained close to Simms and often featured her as a guest on his talk show. From 1958 to 1962, Griffin hosted Play Your Hunch , a game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman . Griffin also hosted

4284-551: Was born July 6, 1925, in San Mateo, California , to Mervyn Edward Griffin Sr., a stockbroker, and Rita Elizabeth Griffin (née Robinson), a homemaker. He had an older sister named Barbara. As a child, Griffin played Hangman with his sister during family road trips. These games later inspired him to create the game show Wheel of Fortune . The family was Irish-American and Roman Catholic . Griffin began singing in his church choir as

4352-473: Was classified as 4F and exempt from military service after failing several physical examinations due to a minor heart murmur . During the Korean War , he was reexamined and found fit for service; however, he was exempt from the draft as he was over the age of 26. Griffin started as a singer on radio at age 19, appearing on San Francisco Sketchbook , a nationally syndicated program based at KFRC . He

4420-558: 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, originally titled What's the Question? , premiered on NBC in 1964, with Art Fleming as host, and ran for 11 years. Griffin composed the 30-second music piece for the Final Jeopardy! round, which later became

4488-572: Was increased to $ 100 for the 1998–1999 revival. In the 2017 revival, contestants were given $ 500 for each date. The show was one of the biggest game show hits of the 1980s and early 1990s, and helped revive Chuck Woolery's hosting career. At 11 seasons and 2,120 episodes, it was one of the longest lasting game shows in syndication. For many years it was third behind Merv Griffin 's Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (formerly hosted by Woolery) for longest lasting game show in syndication, but since has been surpassed by Family Feud and Who Wants to Be

4556-463: Was maintained by Charles Fries Productions to secure underwriting and had a deal to distribute Time-Life Television fare in the Middle East. The company syndicated Rankin-Bass 's programming and specials that were produced from 1974 to 1988, including new and successful animated series, such as ThunderCats and SilverHawks . Telepictures bought Rankin-Bass outright in 1983. It managed

4624-427: Was overweight as an adolescent and a young man, which led to some disappointment among fans who met him in person. In his autobiography, Griffin later revealed efforts to keep his appearance hidden from the public. Determined to change his appearance, he lost 80 pounds in four months. Freddy Martin heard Griffin on the radio and invited him to tour with his orchestra , which he did for four years. By 1945, Griffin

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