Comments on: Merv Griffin: ’70s Showbiz Ringmaster

By: Stephanie Travitsky

Stephanie Travitsky — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:55:06 +0000

You know Rhea after seeing that clip, I forgot how campy his talk shows really were (not to mention John Thor can’t sing). If Merv was gay and decided to not come out, that was his choice. Perhaps he felt that there was no need to. I think that singer Michael Stipe said it best when he noted that he(michael)wore eyeliner, and that was an obvious clue.

By: FLIPPER

FLIPPER — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:28:18 +0000

Yes, I remember watching Merv during my teen years. The only episodes I recall are the ones that included Zsa Zsa(yawn), Little Richard(enlightening), and of course Charro (ugh). I must say I’d rather watch this water-bottle dude than sit through 10 min. of ‘koochie koochie’.
Rest in peace, Merv.

By: stacydarc

stacydarc — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:34:17 +0000

I always used to confuse him and Mike Douglas. How strange they should die almost exactly a year apart. With Tom Snyder sandwiched in-between, it’s been a bad 12 months for the golden era of chat shows (when celebrities used to CONVERSE with each other like people instead of plug and leave). Please, talk show reaper, leave my Dick Cavett alone!

By: sam

sam — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 07:33:01 +0000

People are not required to use their personal lives to set an example, no matter how much others may want them to do so. We really don’t know what anyone does in the privacy of their own lives–what contributions they make quietly, what words they convey privately. If one wishes to be an activist, fine, but for others to force someone into the public glare is cruel and insulting. And to attack people when they are gone and unable to defend themselves is wrong. Let the man rest in peace–he did a lot of good in the world and he had a right to his privacy, as we all do.

By: rhea

rhea — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:57:50 +0000

The Hollywood mogul Merv Griffin died at the age of 82 over the weekend after a battle with cancer, and The New York Times actually discuss his sexual orientation, the palimony lawsuit and the male-on-male sexual harassment lawsuit.
Merv Griffin was an example of how dangerous the closet can be — and how the closet and power are a combustible combination that adversely affects so many other lives.
Griffin never acknowledged he was gay, though it became widely known in Hollywood, even as Eva Gabor played his beard.
Griffin’s closet kept him shockingly silent while he had access to the president of the United States as his own people were dying.
He also stayed silent about the epidemic in the media even though he was a man very much at the center of the media industry and in shaping communications and television in this country. He could have made a huge difference!
Griffin’s closet had him firing gay men who’d actually made it up through the ranks of his own company, simply because they were openly gay.
Merv Griffin accomplished a lot and being held up as a example of a stellar Hollywood businessman. But he should also be held up as man who was hugely influential and powerful and yet still allowed the closet and homophobia to manipulate his life. That should not be forgotten.

By: sam

sam — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:59:40 +0000

Merv Griffin was a witty, warm and entertaining host. I am sorry that you chose to remember him with more ridicule than respect and the comments that speculate on his private life are in the worst possible taste. I will always remember him as a fond part of my childhood–he talked with world leaders and little old ladies in the audience with the same respect and interest. His show was informative and fun and he was a genius in the game show field. I will miss him and so will television–I hear he was working on a new game show to the end.

By: Help Me Rhonda

Help Me Rhonda — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:25:54 +0000

I. Just. Gored. My. Left. Eye. Out.
What in the name of day old Sara Lee Cheese Cake was that hot mess?

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:24:34 +0000

Hmmm. Wonder why Merv had that guy on.

By: Alex Gordon

Alex Gordon — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:23:24 +0000

If I’m Matthew McConaughey’s agent, I’m on the phone right now trying to buy the rights to Thor’s story.

By: Dio_K

Dio_K — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:32:33 +0000

Ahhhh, Merv. I loved him. I learned so much weird information on being an adult, I’ll never be able to shake it. I’ve been watching and enjoying him all my life. When I was a kid I thought the conversation on his show was the wittiest most sparkling stuff on TV. We’ll miss you, Merv, and think of you every time we hear the theme song from Jeopardy.