Merv Griffin - His Biography

[Girard]

Has anyone read Merv Griffin's biography? If so, can you recommend it? I'm not a game-show fan, but I do remember Merv's 'I've Got a Luvly Bunch of Cocoanuts,' and he seemed like a pleasant enough person.



If you're interested, go into the comments on IMDb's section on the late American actor Robert Francis, who died just before James Dean (Dean was quoted as saying, 'I guess I'm the next one to go'--and, of course, he was), only Francis killed himself and two others in a small airplane which he apparently wasn't experienced enough to fly.



Robert Francis made only a few films, but he had a good part in The Cain Mutiny and held his own against seasoned actors such as Fred MacMurray, Humphrey Bogart, and Van Johnson.



According to one commentator, Merv thought he was going to get the part of 'Willy,' until one night he had young Francis 'over' to his place (read into this what you like). Francis saw (and purloined?) the script and Griffin was soon flabbergasted to learn he no longer had the part!



According to the commentator, the biography's author made some ridiculous statements, which would cast a cloud over anything he might say, if I couldn't believe them, unless I could verify them from other sources.

[will.15]

I figured out Merv Griffin was gay before it was generally known because one of those newspaper gossip columnists said a well known talk show host had left his wife for a man. At the time there were only three male talk show hosts. It couldn't be the womanizing Carson, and boring Mike Douglas seemed very unlikely. I figured it was Griffin, which was confirmed when he shortly after that was divorced. Apparently, it was pretty well known because years later SCTV did a parody with Griffin and Liberace making Lou Ferrigino uncomfortable by feeling his muscles (who now is rumored to be gay also). I mean, of course, actors were playing the celebrities.

[Mr Sloane]

If you mean the biography by Darwin Porter, I would save your money. While I have n't read this book I have read another of his books. Mr Porter writes salacious books about dead celebrities in the safe knowledge they can't sue.



Yellow press at it's worst.

[will.15]

name='Mr Sloane' timestamp='1285538490' post='477847']

If you mean the biography by Darwin Porter, I would save your money. While I have n't read this book I have read another of his books. Mr Porter writes salacious books about dead celebrities in the safe knowledge they can't sue.



Yellow press at it's worst.

What does it say about Merv? That he was a flaming queen?

[Mr Sloane]

name='will.15' timestamp='1285538868' post='477851']

What does it say about Merv? That he was a flaming queen?

Yep.

[will.15]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HraQiS9jwo

[waldo_lydecker]

Darwin Porter is AWFUL. He produces convenient and incredibly candid quotes from dead stars, without any source given, in order to 'out' them, when it's obvious from the desperate way that he tries to suggest practically all the big stars were gay that, if he'd really had such dramatic material for all these years, he'd hardly stick it all in a file and half-forget all about it. Unless that was really a microphone down his trousers all along I think the man's a fantasist.

[Girard]

name='Mr Sloane' timestamp='1285538490' post='477847']

If you mean the biography by Darwin Porter, I would save your money. While I have n't read this book I have read another of his books. Mr Porter writes salacious books about dead celebrities in the safe knowledge they can't sue.



Yellow press at it's worst.

Thanks, very helpful. You needn't worry about my wasting my money, though, since I pick up books at the thrifts or at the library, since new book prices are ridiculous! I guess the publishers have mucho $$$$ tied up in them. I have Cemetery Dance (2009) by the hot-selling writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, which has a price of $26.99 and Canadian of nearly $30! I got it for $1 at the charity book rack inside of Furr's Cafeteria.



Same with Tab Hunter's biography, although I paid a bit more--$5--he personally autographed it, I assume, for what that's worth.



Merv Griffin seemed liked a nice person. When the late ex-child actor Bobby Driscoll disappeared and his father was dying and wanted to see his son, Merv Griffin went out of his way to help Mrs. Driscoll find her son. Sadly, Bobby was dead and buried in a pauper's grave months before.



I was not surprised, nor particularly cared, about Merv's sexuality, but I was a bit taken aback by Francis'. He didn't come across that way, but then neither did Tab Hunter.



I always follow the caveat of not believing everything I read on the internet. That's one reason I wanted the biography, to check out Robert Francis as much as anything. He died young (twenty-five) and made so few movies, that it's hard to dig up anything on him.

[Girard]

name='waldo_lydecker' timestamp='1285539390' post='477855']

Darwin Porter is AWFUL. He produces convenient and incredibly candid quotes from dead stars, without any source given, in order to 'out' them, when it's obvious from the desperate way that he tries to suggest practically all the big stars were gay that, if he'd really had such dramatic material for all these years, he'd hardly stick it all in a file and half-forget all about it. Unless that was really a microphone down his trousers all along I think the man's a fantasist.

I was going to add this thought with my other post, but forgot. It's not about Merv, however.



Some years ago I worked with a gay chap, who was discrete but didn't take any particular pains to hide it. One day, we were chatting, and he (I guess I can say Everett, without his last name, since I doubt he'll be reading this and make a connection) kept throwing out gay candidates--the usual suspects: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Tom Selleck, et al. All the cream of the then crop before they began to wilt.



I jokingly said, 'You people are always laying claim to the Pitts and the Cruises, but I've yet to hear any of you brag about Ernest Borgnine or William Bendix [I doubt if either gentleman was gay].'



Everett laughed and said he'd pass my observation on to his chums.

[waldo_lydecker]

Ha! Very good! The other writer who gets away with crazy claims is called Boze Hadleigh. He produced a few books in which he'd share with us entire chapters of incredibly intimate chats with the like of Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Cesar Romero, Cary Grant, Sal Mineo, George Cukor, etc etc, all of which he appeared to have remembered in toto without the need for tape recordings even though all conversations had taken place at least a decade before. It was obviously a mixture of wish fulfilment, shameless mischief-making and probably mild insanity. The sad thing is that one way or another this trash gets treated as fact by some idiots and goes into circulation.

[seanflynn76]

Merv Griffin, is an interesting character, he owned John Huston's home St Cleran's in Galway (about 40 mins drive from my house) and converted into one of the most beautiful hotels in Ireland. But I will add if anyone who knows of Darwin Porters work believes what he has written, then more fool you!!! He books run a particular theme, which doesn't do anyone any good - look at his Humphrey Bogart book which charts HB early years. You would mistake it for toliet tissue, it really is that bad....

[CaptainWaggett]

Surely the master of the crazy claim is Charles 'Errol Flynn was Hitler's houseguest' Higham though Doctor Who fans will also be familiar with Adrian 'I interviewed Patrick Troughton and Stanley Kubrick' Rigelsford.

[seanflynn76]

Seriously check out Porters work, I have a friend in the US who reviewed a coupe of his biographies, one of which was the Bogart book and he threatend to take legal action against her for defamation against his character. I would take his work and lies with a pinch of salt, in fact the books I have of his have been put in the composter, which is the best place for them.....

[waldo_lydecker]

name='seanflynn76' timestamp='1285588401' post='477955']

Seriously check out Porters work, I have a friend in the US who reviewed a coupe of his biographies, one of which was the Bogart book and he threatend to take legal action against her for defamation against his character. I would take his work and lies with a pinch of salt, in fact the books I have of his have been put in the composter, which is the best place for them.....

Yes, and even this very day he's getting more publicity out of his usual tosh:



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...=feeds-newsxml

[will.15]

In the closet interviews out of the closet.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM4nR0wR0Y0

[waldo_lydecker]

The trick these writers use is to claim, without any proof at all, that some star was a closet gay, and then condemn anyone who dismisses the claim as homophobic. That's the deeply cynical way that they sustain careers. Their shoddy or non-existent research is protected by this 'don't be a homophobe' firewall!

[CaptainWaggett]

name='waldo_lydecker' timestamp='1285671556' post='478213']

The trick these writers use is to claim, without any proof at all, that some star was a closet gay, and then condemn anyone who dismisses the claim as homophobic. That's the deeply cynical way that they sustain careers. Their shoddy or non-existent research is protected by this 'don't be a homophobe' firewall!

See also biographies of Richard the Lionheart...

[will.15]

name='waldo_lydecker' timestamp='1285671556' post='478213']

The trick these writers use is to claim, without any proof at all, that some star was a closet gay, and then condemn anyone who dismisses the claim as homophobic. That's the deeply cynical way that they sustain careers. Their shoddy or non-existent research is protected by this 'don't be a homophobe' firewall!

I agree with the above as a general principal. But Griffin didn't get outed after his death. It has been well known for a very long time. He was one of the great success stories, a rather mediocre singer who packaged himself as a television personality when the singing was no longer happening, developed a hit game show based on his ex-wife's idea and became a hit game show producer, and turned into a real estate mogul developing hotels. He also always came across as a nice guy. He was more sharp witted than he's given credit for, and his talk show ad libs were never planted by writers the way Carson's sometimes were. He was also fun to goof on as an interviewer because he never could stay on subject, as that SCTC interview mocks and you can see it in his own Chapman interview.