Exhibits: Irish American Hall of History

Merv Griffin

1925 - 2007

Television, Recording Artist

Merv Griffin had one of the most successful talk shows in television history. He hosted the Merv Griffin Show for 23 years, which won 15 Emmys and had high ratings every season. He also created Wheel of Fortune and Jeapordy the most successful game shows in history and wrote their theme songs. In 1944 he began singing on the radio show San Francisco Sketchbook, and within 3 days they changed the name to the Merv Griffin Show. He also founded Panda Records and recorded his first album Songs by Merv Griffin, which is the first American album recorded on magnetic tape, now enshrined in the Ampex Museum. In 1950 Merv hit the Top 40 with his hit "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" which sold 3 million copies. After a short film career he hosted the CBS Morning Show which eventually led to his own show a few years later. He now owns the 18th century St. Clerans Manor in Galway, Ireland as one of his hotels.

External Links

• THE GRIFFIN GROUP - Official Site
• Merv Griffin - Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Merv Griffin - Wikipedia