Hollywood mourns Merv Griffin at funeral for 'Jeopardy' creator

(18 Aug 2007) SHOTLIST
AP Television
Los Angeles, 17 August 2007
1. WS Church of the Good Shepherd
2. MS arrival Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi
3. MS mourners
4. WS Larry King
5. Anthony Griffin hugs mourners
6. Cu mourner
7. MS Nancy Reagan
8. MS mourners
9. MS mourners
10. MS Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver
11. MS Dick Van Dyke
12 CU mourner
13. MS Pall bearers carry coffin
14. MS service, coffin brought in
15. MS Congretaion - including Nancy Regan and Schwarzenegger
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (English) " We hit it off right away because we had so much in common, and it was not the muscles and was not the accent either, it was just his personality. Merv was always upbeat always so optimistic, and so passionate about life, in fact, he had me on many times on his shows and I can say today I wouldn't have gone as far in my career if it wouldn't have been for Merv Griffin, He had me on many times, and I was on his show to teach him about fitness and he would be teaching me about acting. Well, neither worked."
17. C/a Nancy Regan
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Griffin "We'd go to a party and my dad would walk in and it was like, I'm sure all of you have experienced this with him, he'd walk in and it was like all of a sudden the lights came on, the music got a little louder and the party was just starting, because that's how he was, he was the centre of entertainment. It was magical to watch, he had kind of a touch or a hold on people that was very mesmerising, and it was his love of life, he really loved life, he loved living more than anyone, anyone I've ever met."
19. MS coffin
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Griffin "We love you Dad, thank you"
shot continues with pulls to WS, walks to Schwarzenegger and hugs
21 MS coffin brought down church steps
HOLLYWOOD REMEMBERS MERV GRIFFIN AT BEVERLY HILLS FUNERAL
Hollywood stars fondly remembered Merv Griffin at his funeral, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who credited the creator of "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" with jump starting his own acting career.
Among mourners who filled the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills on Friday (17AUG07) were former first lady Nancy Reagan, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Alex Trebek, Dick Van Dyke and Griffin's son, Anthony, and his family.
Schwarzenegger, who attended with wife Maria Shriver, gave one of the eulogies.
"I can say today I wouldn't have gone as far in my career if it wouldn't have been for Merv Griffin," Schwarzenegger said, recalling his appearances
on "The Merv Griffin Show," which date back to 1974.
"He had me on many times, and I was on his show to teach him about fitness and he would be teaching me about acting. Well, neither worked," the
bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-governor said to laughter.
Griffin's son followed with a mix of humour and affection: "I never knew anyone who loved life as much as my father," he said.
Griffin, who created "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune," was 82 when he died Sunday (12AUG07) of prostate cancer.
He began his career as a radio vocalist, then began to appear on TV. In 1965, Westinghouse Broadcasting began "The Merv Griffin Show" on syndicated television.
Griffin was already working on developing game shows. "Jeopardy" began in 1964 and went on to become a huge hit, followed by "Wheel of Fortune" in 1975. He sold their rights to the Columbia Pictures Television Unit for $250 million (US dollars), retaining a share of the profits, and went into real estate and other business ventures.

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