Search - The Merv Griffin Show - 40 of the Most Interesting People of Our Time on DVD

Who are the 40?

Paul J. Mular | San Carlos, CA USA | 12/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I always feel these 'clip' DVDs always show too little. And there seems to be alot to cram on three discs.
I'd also like to know who the 40 are since the information I gathered has 45 named guests :

DISC 1:

1)Ingrid Bergman
2)Richard Burton
3)Tom Cruise
4)John Wayne
5)Sophia Loren
6)Orson Welles
7)David Niven
8)Grace Kelly
9)Joan Collins
10)Sammy Davis Jr.
11)Janet Leigh
12)Lee Marvin
13)Jane Fonda
14)Tom Hanks
15)Arnold Schwarzenegger
16)Roy Rogers
17)Michael Caine
18)Christopher Reeve
19)Denzel Washington

DISC 2:

20)Jack Benny
21)George Carlin
22)Jerry Seinfeld
23)Jackie Mason
24)Phyllis Diller
25)Don Rickles
26)George Burns
27)Richard Pryor
28)Jay Leno
29)Carl Reiner
30)Totie Fields
31)Monti Rock III
32)Billy Crystal
33)Danny DeVito
34)Tony Danza
35)Clarence Nash (Voice of Donald Duck)

DISC 3:

36)Barbara Walters
37)Walter Cronkite
38)Rose F. Kennedy
39)Robert F. Kennedy
40)Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with
41)Harry Belafonte
42)Gerald Ford
43)Ronald Reagan
44)Jimmy Carter
45)Richard Nixon

And where is Moe Howard (of the Three Stooges)? He made many appearances in his retirement years!
"

Here's Merv...

Paul J. Mular | 04/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As wonderful as it is to see the concept of mining the vast library of "The Merv Griffin Show", this set will likely leave true fans feeling like they've been teased and then cut loose. I'm not a big fan of "segments-only" compilations, but I was even more disappointed to see that many of the segments were also edited. In addition, any music elements have been totally removed to avoid dealing with rights issues/payments.

I would much rather have seen these shows released in the same manner as the Dick Cavett sets which gave you the entire show and gave you a real historic snapshot of talk shows from that era.

On a positive note, it still is worth seeing some of these interviews again despite the fragmented presentation. The shows Merv did for CBS (1969-72) were all destroyed/erased by CBS, so it is a special treat to see his October 1969 interview with Rose Kennedy since it is one of the few fragments of the CBS era that are left in existence. This color kinescope was likely acquired from a White House archive.

One error exists on the set: a 1968 interview with Carl Reiner is incorrectly credited as being from 1983.

Considering that Merv owns the rights to his Westinghouse shows (1965-69) and his Metromedia Shows (1972-86), it would have been nice to have seen complete shows more thoughtfully presented."

What a let-down, merv

Marv Boyer | Omaha, NE | 04/28/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I was thrilled to see this set come out but was disappointed after viewing it in its entirety. Why is there 10mins or more of contemporary comic "legends" like seinfeld and leno and then about a minute and a half of george burns???? We see seinfeld & leno DAILY on their own shows. The worst segment of all is phyllis diller. What possessed the makers of this thing to "showcase" phyllis diller, a pioneering female comic since the 50's, in a very very very lame sendup of Dr. Ruth Westheimer??? she was not known for playing characters or in skits---she was hilarious in her zany outfits and wigs. simply an embarassment! additionally, who the heck is Monte Rock III? I have a faint remembrance of him but...and why isn't the far more funny gentleman with merv at the desk, the one gyrating to monte's song, ever identified????? Merv's commentary is off base, too. For the blink of an eye burn's segment, he says george is "well into his 90's" but he's only 87 or 88 in the clip. the carl reiner segment is obviously mislabeld as 1983 when it's clear that merv is dark haired and semi-svelte, so it's probably from 1973. i did enjoy totie fields, john wayne, jack benny, the politicians, roy rogers and orson welles. Gee, could we maybe see orson welles entire last gasp interview he ever did? But then we would've had to cut jay leno's segment in half. Geesh!"

An amazing retrospective from the best of the talk show host

Alijandra | San Jose, CA | 07/05/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful compilation of the best from a much loved talk show and host of his day.

I have been treasuring the interviews with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Bobby Kennedy, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Orson Welles (a couple of hours before he unexpectedly died), Sammy Davis, Jr., Jimmy Carter, Jack Benny and more!

Back when Merv was doing his show, there seemed to be more of a sense of freedom in expressing oneself, and less of the politically correct climate we have now. That doesn't mean that there weren't views expressed that would make you cringe (ie, Richard Nixon's appearance), but a sense of non-censureship, and the natural likeableness and non-phoniness of Merv prevail. It often feels like you are listening in on a luncheon talk or a living room visit with the host and his guests.

What is amazing is that a guest can come on and talk for minutes on end without getting interrupted by host or commercial breaks. That really is important when listening to King, or Bobby Kennedy particularly. The interview with King, by the way, is probably the most impactful of all.

What helps is that Merv, himself, is such an interesting person. (definitely the male Oprah of his day). His magnetism comes through on the small screen. And definitely in real life. I once exchanged a long look with him at a Bay Meadows horse racing event, back in the stable area. He apparently had a horse running that day. I can tell you that the man has a charismatic aura!

A must-see for lovers of celebrities who actually earned their celebrity status!"