Merv Griffin was a poster boy for the American Dream - rising from brash boy who staged backyard entertainment, to struggling big band crooner, to king of daytime talk shows, to multi-millionaire TV mogul. As host of the Merv Griffin Show, he interviewed everybody who mattered in contemporary American life, including Martin Luther King, Jr and Joan Crawford. He also brought on drag queens, revolutionaries, gay activists, and "fringe elements" of the society in ways which at the time were considered radical. Merv also became quietly known for his Midas touch, earning millions through the development of two wildly popular game shows, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. But whereas he grew adept at getting the world's most famous people to spill their secrets on TV, he managed to keep his own closet of secrets tightly locked, including maintaining what amounted to a male harem. Until now! In this comprehensive biography - the first published since Merv's death in 2007 - Darwin Porter (who had a long personal friendship with Merv, which gave him access to many secrets) reveals the details behind the richest, most successful, and most notorious mogul in the history of America's entertainment industry. By one of the authors of the best-selling Hollywood Babylon - It's Back! Hardcover, 576 Pages, Published 2009 |
