[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MERV GRIFFIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 19, 2007

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a truly 
outstanding gentleman, Merv Griffin. Merv is a distinguished 
entertainer and business entrepreneur, as well as a man who is deeply 
committed to helping others.
  Merv is a special friend of the Louis Warschaw Prostate Cancer Center 
and gives generously of his time and energy to fight this disease. As a 
prostate cancer survivor, he is deeply aware of the importance of 
medical research being done by the Center which was established by the 
Warschaw Family at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in memory of Louis, their 
beloved husband and father.
  Merv is one of the world's great performers. He began his 
distinguished career as a singer at 19, and shortly thereafter formed 
his own record label, Panda Records. His self-released album ``Songs by 
Merv Griffin'' was the first American album recorded on magnetic tape. 
Freddy Martin, impressed with Merv's talent, asked him to tour with his 
orchestra. Four years later, Merv started as a solo performer, scoring 
a number one hit with ``I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.''
  In 1958 Merv launched his brilliant television career as host of the 
game shows ``Play your Hunch'' and ``Keep Talking. ``In 1963, he hosted 
and produced ``Word for Word. `` The following year, he produced the 
incredibly successful ``Jeopardy'' and followed that with ``Wheel of 
Fortune.'' These two shows established Merv as a television legend.
  Merv was also much admired and respected as a television talk show 
host. Among his most interesting and controversial guests were 
journalists Adele Rogers St. John, futurist Buckminster Fuller, writer 
Norman Mailer, and philosopher Bertrand Russell.
  In addition to his show business success, Merv is a real estate 
magnate with prestigious properties in Beverly Hills, Palm Springs, 
Atlantic City and Scottsdale. He raises thoroughbred racehorses on his 
ranch in Carmel, CA and owns St. Clerans Manor, an 18th century estate, 
near Galway, Ireland.
  In 2001, Merv returned to singing with the release of the album 
``It's Like a Dream,'' and this year his production company began pre-
production on a new syndicated game show, ``Let's Play Crossword,'' 
which is expected to air in September.
  I am proud to ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Merv Griffin 
for his lifetime of extraordinary accomplishments, and in expressing 
our appreciation for his support of the Louis Warschaw Prostate Cancer 
Center.

                          ____________________