Merv Griffin

During his crooning heydey, there was a Merv Griffin Fan Club, whose president was "a large-toothed girl with pigtails [named] Carol Burnett."

He gave Jack Warner $5000 to terminate his contract with Warner Bros.

His empire includes radio stations, real estate, race horses and his own private wine label, among other commodities.

During a live broadcast of NBC's "Play Your Hunch" in 1959, the back curtain suddenly opened up, and the studio audience let out a scream as "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar stumbled onto the stage . . .

"What are you doing here?" Paar asked.

"What are you doing here?" Merv replied.

"This is my studio."

"It's my studio in the daytime."

"Who are you?"

Paar liked the kid's naive bravura. A few months after their encounter, Merv did his first guest-host spot on "The Tonight Show".

--From Los Angeles, February 1998.

"You know, when I bought the Beverly Hilton the National Enquirere said, 'Merv Griffin bought the Beverly Hilton so he would have a place to work for the rest of his life,' and I thought, I've never heard such a rude thing in my life! But a few months later I was singing there and I thought, Hey! They were right--I bought the Beverly Hilton so I would have a stage for myself to perform on!" --Merv Griffin quoted in Vanity Fair, June 1998.