Merv Griffin: A Life in the Closet

Merv, we hardly knew you. That was a because Merv Griffin, that popular TV host, wasn't exactly the man he appeared to be. This is one of the most intriguing show business biographies I've ever read. Darwin Porter has probed deep into the background of this fascinating personality. Material on virtually every aspect of his early years--and beyond--is exposed for the first time. Porter has gone beyond the facade Merv presented to the world and revealed the man behind the image, the myth and all the lies that Merv falsely spread about himself to throw fans off his trail. The portrait is of a tormented, but fun loving young man who was deeply amorous and wildly promiscuous in his search for the love he probably never found. What a compelling read.

I loved this book and found it to be spot on. I was there in the Coconut Grove many a nights and listened to the boy singer, also remember the many young and up coming Hollywood actors mentioned. Everything in the book is true, but,really Howard Hughs, John Wayne and Elvis. In Merv's last years I lived close to him. He was the kindest person I knew.

When Merv Griffin was a talk show, it was looked down upon as a "poor man's Johnny Carson". Then, Mr. G.'s name became quite visible at the end of game show programs. Yet, somehow, I never could quite picture him as an interesting person. That is, until I read this book. If you are looking for historical data or a morale lifting tale, put the book down now. However, if you need something light and full of gossip, how can you resist any book that begins with Merv and includes: Eva Gabor, Erroll Flynn, Tyronne Power, Johnny Weismuller, Ceasar Romero and . . . You get the idea? And then you read that further on, he had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. I didn't want to but I just could not put the book down. It isn't wise (or very nice) to kiss-and-tell but it does make one dandy guilty pleasure of a read. Mr. Griffin was a complicated and driven person. Unfortunately the author merely notes what he did without linking it to any reason. So, perhaps it is a good thing that this is just an addictive candy that you can not stop eating. This book makes no pretenses about what its intentions are. The author is not psychoanalyzing Merv; just reciting a litany of his life, career and sexual adventures. So, pull down the shades, get your favorite junk food handy and treat yourself.

i'm not really in the business of reading the national enquirer or any other tabloid but a copy on a friend's coffee table the other day led me to a review of this book (why hasn't the ny times reviewed this? uhm... read the book). wow. i mean, wow ! aside from the shocking sexual affairs the man supposedly had with a lot of famous men (including james dean), what really made me enjoy this book is the real story behind this culture icon. from his poor childhood to billions he made, it sounds like merv griffin kind of stayed true to himself. and yet another revelation of the great ingredient to a successful life: when you combine what you love (he loved television above all else) with what you do for a living, you made it. definitely worth every dollar.