Mervgate!

Surely the facts are in considerable dispute. Merv Griffin -- band singer, talk show host, game show producer, hotel/casino entrepreneur, and all-round mega-powerful multi-billionaire -- is dead at 82 from prostate cancer diagnosed several years back. The media have gone into full Celebrity-Grief mode, with Entertainment Tonight outdoing itself with retrospective clips of Merv-through-the-years being his cheerful elf self, smiling that smarmily contented smile and cooing over all and sundry in a manner Rick Moranis captured so deliciously on SCTV when he turned Merv's "We'll be right back" into a kind of mantra.

But then THIS happened.

Ray Richmond, longtime Hollywood Reporter scribe and all-round professional journalist, devoted his weekly column to Merv, noting that the mega-mogul was a Big Ol' Gay Homosexual -- a fact that everyone in the industry knew as surely as they knew their own names.

All Hell Broke Loose.

Merv's people called the Reporter, making all manner of threats and the piece was yanked hours after it went up. It was also yanked from Ray's Blog. Then Ray called me. He was fearful for his job. So I called Michelangelo Signorile's SIRIUS OUT Q radio show to inform Mike of this development. He was just talking about Ray's piece at the time. And in no time at all outraged listeners were deluging the Hollywood Reporter switchboard with demands that the piece be put back up. And in a few hours it was -- with a statement of support for Ray to boot.

Meaning, of course, that this is not over

Far from it.

It goes without saying that times have changed in what might well be called Post-Doogie Culture

More and more gays and lesbians in show business are "out" now. Ellen and Portia, resplendent in white, were caught by camera walking hand in hand towards the chapel for Merv's funeral. David Geffen, every bit as rich and successful a mega-mogul as Merv, is "out."

But they're of "a different generation," you say.

Well more than a mere "generational" difference is involved.

Back in the early 1980s the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (of which I'm a member) had one of its annual awards presentations held on The Merv Griffin Show. The studio was turned into a small night club set, and we all dined with Dustin Hoffman (nice but boring) Natassia Kinski ( gorgeous beyond belief) and Peter O'Toole (charming beyond belief) among others. During the untelevised dinner portion of the event we didn't see Merv at all. Rather a surprise, we thought, as while he might not deign to dine with us he surely would drop by before showtime for a greeting or two. But Merv didn't do that. What came by instead were the Mervettes. A gaggle of gorgeous muscle boys in multi-colored Izod shirts running about hither thither and yon they did all sorts of things: showing us to our tables, delivering messages from the stars to an offstage Merv and such.

There's no doubt he hired each and every one of them personally.

The nanosecond airtime arrived, Merv suddenly materialized. He introduced himself as he always does to the TV audience and went about his host duties as the awards program progressed. The nanosecond it was over, Merv was gone.

And so were the Mervettes.

The stars were as gobsmacked as the critics by all of this -- a male harem to rival Hef's Playboy Bunnies in every way. And the message was clear: "Look at what I've got!" IOW, Merv's "common man" pose was just that. A pose. No "common man" - especially "common gay" ones could boast such a bevvy of Babes.

One wonders where the Mervettes are today. Did they survive the AIDS onslaught as Merv (surprisingly) did? Did they don their black Izods for the funeral? Or were they "not on the guest list"? If they were nice, quiet little hustlers then perhaps they were. That was acceptable.

"Out" Mervettes -- or "out" gay men of any sort, weren't.

As Michelangelo shows in his book Queer in America, if you worked for Merv and he found out you were "out" -- you were out the door.

"We don't want your kind here," the secretary/executioner would tell the hapless homo getting the bum's rush.

Of course thanks to a civil rights movement Merv was doubtless utterly hostile to that's all changed.

And everything else has changed too, though as is obvious from this affair the ghost of Mike Connolly still stalks the halls of the Hollywood Reporter

And now some last words from Merv's grandson:

"He was funny, just the nicest grandfather," said Donovan Griffin, who had served as a pallbearer with his father.

"He always remembered everyone's names."

No shit!

Comments

[JKalos]

How sad for you to post this when the man is dead, and unable to answer your various charges: sad for you to be a person who apparently delights in demeaning someone when they have no way to answer back. I can't see even kicking a dead dog. The death of a human being deserves respect. You should have said all this when he was alive, if you feel so strongly that you are right.

[Dehrenstein]

Being gay myself I have tons of gay friends. And it's not up to me to "lose the hatred," dear.

[Dehrenstein]

"People are free to be as gay or straight or democratic or republican as they damned well want."

Uh, no they're not.

Certainly not gay. There is a price to be paid in this culture -- as Matthew Sheperd discovered.

"Mr. Griffin donated to more than just the right wing, ya know."

I don't consider payment to hustlers for their services to be support of gay rights.

[AtheistVegGirl]

""People are free to be as gay or straight or democratic or republican as they damned well want."

Uh, no they're not."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Alright, so with your unique brand of what I'm sure you call 'logic', John Bobbitt wasn't as free as he damned well wanted to sleep with his penis unprotected. Just because some bigoted people do something criminal does not change ANYone's rights.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
""Mr. Griffin donated to more than just the right wing, ya know."

I don't consider payment to hustlers for their services to be support of gay rights."

Awesome for you. Who asked or insinuated otherwise?? Do you in any way think that anyone ELSE considers payment to hustlers to be support of gay rights? Congrats, you just made it to the 100 percentile of how everyone else on the planet thinks.
Get a gay friend and lose the hatred.

[AtheistVegGirl]

Not end of story. Let's not forget he was a biiiiiiiig Republican donor, the hypocritical homo-hating party.
*********************************
And so what of Log Cabin Rebubs?? And Atheist Repubs? And Roman Catholic Dems? And Libs who denounce the ACLU and Cons who denounce war.
Don't pigeonhole someone because you know ONE juicy little tidbit about them. People are free to be as gay or straight or democratic or republican as they damned well want.
Mr. Griffin donated to more than just the right wing, ya know.

[NYCBear]

Griffin contributed to politicians who are overtly anti-gay and
supported conservative efforts to harass and vilify gay people.

He may have been the sweetest man around in some circumstances, but he was grossly hypocritical about gay issues.

Most of us gay folks are tired of being beaten up by closet cases trying to protect their "straight" credentials. Griffin was one of those. He worked hard to earn my contempt, it would be churlish of me to withhold it.

[Grulg]

First heard about Merv being gay when he was slapped w/ a palimony suit by his driver or whatever 15 years back. Okay whatever-it surprised me but that's life. It was his business. I liked his show and him, what he or Johnny Mathis or Randolph Scott or Dusty Springfield did/do behind their walls is their biz, seems to me.

[Libsrule]

Hey, I liked Merv. He was pleasant and he seemed to be genuinely interested in guests AND he had MARVELOUS Hollywood stories. My grandmother used to be head of a small but prestigeous sanitarium where, among others, a lot of Hollywood celebrities elderly family members were housed. This place was gordeous by the way. AND very expensive.

Merv came by several times to see the elderly mother of a good family friend and he would wait in my grandmother's office with her while the guest was either readied, or they had to make arrangements of some sort. He regaled my grandmother and some of the other ladies with stories of old Hollywood and as far as they were concerned he was THE perfect gentlman.

I never saw any reason to ever think he was anything but a pretty good guy and this "controversy" is just kind of rediculous.

Sort of a nonstory story.

[SouthJerseySteve]

Two more words: Herbert Hoover at the FBI (ok, more than two words).

[SouthJerseySteve]

Two words: Roy Cohn

[ClaudiaJean]

Those who believe they posess the moral highground because they chooes to 'out' those homosexuals who for personal reasons choose not to come out, are the ones ceding the high ground.
The uncontained rabid zeal with which people are showing up to flog the dead is what's disturbing.
The man was gay. Never a doubt in my mind. Also, never a care. Worry about yourself and stop policing others. Outing famous celebrities who are gay is not a sport and I pity the souls of those who truly believe it is and that they're doing the right thing.

[Dehrenstein]

And I suppose you think it was "his choice" to fire anyone gay person working for him who he discovered was "out"?

[oogabooga]

Who gives a shit if he liked men? What really matters is: Who got his money?

[PeteBogs]

hat tip to you for mentioning Rick Moranis' brilliant send-up on SCTV! I've just been watching those DVDs...

Moranis' impression made it quite clear that many suspected Merv was gay... case in point: Dave Thomas as Liberace as a guest on Merv's show... they were fauning over each other... then another more "masculine" guest observed: "You guys are acting like a coupla..." Merv quickly interjects, "We'll be right back!"

too bad Merv couldn't be honest with the world, if he was indeed gay, but I enjoyed his show while growing up...

[JScott]

It seems so silly really in the 21st century. I mean so what if he was gay---SO WHAT!
Do we speculate if one is straight. Think CAREFULLY-what are implications if he was gay, really think long and hard (oh please pardon the pun)--there are NONE. I don't see why this is an speculative issue-IT'S A NON STORY!!!!!!!

[suki21693]

Such a non-story that it shouldn't have been told. If he wanted people to know he was gay, then they did.

These type of gossipy revelations don't encourage GLBT rights. On the contrary, this furthers the idea that being gay is something to gossip and giggle about and reveal about someone with a flourish after they are dead.
Absolutely repulsive.

I never thought one way or another about Merv Griffin's sexual orientation. I couldn't care less. I don't want to know what kind of person he was banging, I want to know what kind of person he was, and sex actually has very little to do with that.

[eddiestardust]

I've said it once and I will say it again...
what's the x rated word when all x rated 4 letter (maybe more) words have been said?

It's such a dreadful word that no common LIBERAL would ever say it...

CELIBACY!:)

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[dawlishgal]

Well, although conservatives frequently SAY "celibacy," it is certainly hard to find any evidence that they actually practice what they preach.

[AurigaRa]

like Jenna Bush!!
Hope she doesn't show too much at the wedding!

[TJS]

True equality means that an individual has a choice about whether or not to disclose one's sexual preference. For gay rights activists to posthumously berate Merv for not "coming out" is just as wrong as right-wingers demanding that gays stay in the closet. It was Merv's choice to make and he made it.