About The Box Set

A COLLECTION OF THE GREATEST EPISODES FROM ONE OF THE PREMIER TALK SHOWS IN TELEVISION HISTORY

THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW – 1962-1986

12-DVD Box Set, Featuring Over 200 Iconic Guests!  Order Here
Merv Griffin Show DVD set

In the pantheon of great American talk-show hosts stands the charming and intelligent Merv Griffin, who became one of the most beloved TV personalities of his time, thanks to his long-running, 10-time Emmy-winning daily talk show. Now, in an unprecedented retrospective covering 24 years of star-studded entertainment and provocative in-depth interviews, Reelin’ in the Years Productions and MPI Home Video will release THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW – 1962-1986 on November 4, 2014. The 12-disc collection, containing 44 classic episodes and more than 7 hours of bonus material, has been newly transferred from recently discovered master tapes, making for a spectacular viewing and listening experience.

THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW – 1962-1986 features more than 200 guests from the worlds of entertainment, politics, music, sports, literature and art, most of which have not been seen for decades. Over its 42 hours, viewers will be entertained by the likes of Mel Brooks, Lucille Ball, the Everly Brothers, Willie Mays and Aretha Franklin; enlightened by Salvador Dali, Dr. Timothy Leary and Maya Angelou; and inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Pres. Ronald Reagan, and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Among the film and TV legends interviewed by Griffin in this collection are John Wayne, Bette Davis, Gene Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Warren Beatty, the cast of The Golden Girls, Dennis Hopper, Jayne Mansfield, George Clooney, Jane Fonda and the final interview with Orson Welles who died just a few hours after the show.

The array of comedy greats alone is astounding. Here are the young Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin, Bill Maher and Jay Leno, as well as Richard Pryor and Jerry Lewis together (!), Joan Rivers, Steve Martin, Moms Mabley, Bill Cosby, Henny Youngman, Jack Benny, Redd Foxx, Carol Burnett, Andy Kaufman and Woody Allen. In a new interview filmed for this box set, Jay Leno reminisced about the show: “When you go back and look at all the comics that started with Merv, it’s pretty amazing because most of them did do Merv before they did The Tonight Show. Merv broke as many comics as almost any other show.”

In juxtapositions that only Griffin would dare attempt, a comedy routine in 1965 by Phyllis Diller is followed by a conversation with the Japanese officer who helped plan and lead the Pearl Harbor attack; the next week the ground-breaking young comic genius Richard Pryor leads to a chat with contentious and brilliant record producer Phil Spector.

Among the collection’s 50 great musical moments is a 1972 tribute to Stax Records hosted by Soul legend Isaac Hayes, 17-year-old Stevie Wonder singing “I Was Made to Love Her,” Merle Haggard performing at San Quentin prison in 1971 and 19-year-old Whitney Houston in her national TV debut in 1983.

The extensive bonus material includes seven hours of interviews with such wide-ranging figures as Norman Rockwell, Barbara Walters, Adam West and Burt Ward of Batman, James Michener, Alec Baldwin, Muhammad Ali and many more. Other extras include the aforementioned interview with Jay Leno, vintage promo trailers, and a 52-page booklet with exhaustive notes, rare photos, memorabilia and a foreword by Dick Cavett.

THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW – 1962-1986 is a cultural treasure trove providing insight into almost a quarter century of American thought, style and attitudes as seen through the prism of one of the premier talk shows in American television history.

About Reelin’ in the Years Productions
Reelin’ in the Years Productions is regarded as having one of the most prestigious footage libraries of musical artists, entertainers and history makers and has produced more than 70 DVD titles including the Grammy-nominated American Folk Blues Festival series, the multi-platinum-selling Definitive Motown series, the British Invasion series and the award-winning 36-title Jazz Icons series. RITY producers David Peck and Tom Gulotta spent more than two years meticulously cataloging and combing through 2,500 hours of the Merv Griffin Show archives to hand-select the best episodes and moments that underscore the historic significance of the program. The Merv Griffin Show — 1962-1986 is the first in an anticipated series of releases from this archive through MPI Home Video.

CLICK HERE for an episode by episode breakdown of each of the 12 DVDs.


Comments

About The Box Set — 11 Comments

  1. Would love to see some more solo appearances of comedian/actor Jerry Lewis on these DVD sets. Mr. Lewis was a frequent guest of Mr. Griffin’s. Thank you for allowing us to post on here.

  2. I have some great memories of the Merv Griffin show, but this collection is a treasure-trove of even more. Merv and the show are a significant piece of American broadcast history, and history in general. Merv displayed the art of listening and in depth interview that has vanished from today’s talk show landscape. Current hosts could learn much from Merv Griffin.

  3. I PURCHASED “THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW 1962-1986” box set, the other day. I have not viewed the dvds as of yet due to I have not opened it just yet. I did attend one of Merv’s shows in March/April 1979, in Hollywood, when visiting California at the time (I did eventually move to CA in 1984 until 1990, when I moved back to New York, which I never did see any of Merv’s New York shows as I was too young to attend, but after moving to California, I never did have the opportunity again to attend another show, still, I am greatful that I did attend once, as I did attend Tonight Show with Johnny Carson twice, to bring one of my parents each time to see.) I am one for nostalgia, and memories, and that is why I constantly purchase dvds of tv shows and movies from the 1960s/1970s/1980s, as to remember the “good times, the best of times”. I thank you for manufacturing this dvd set. Do more, and keep up the great work! (BY THE WAY, my attorney’s name is Tom Gulotta also! Not the same one I guess! LOL). Happy Holidays!

  4. I just got the DVD set the other day & started watching them & this set is Amazing!!! I loved the Merv Griffin Show when it was on in the 70’s & 80’s & this set brings back those good old days again. Please do another set of more great shows in the Future!!

  5. My grandparents were in the studio audience for Orson Welles’ final guest appearence on October 9th, 1985. My plaid wearing grandfather was the tall, slender man randomly chosen to help perform what would be Orson’s last magic trick. A few hours later Mr Welles would give his final bow. My pop just turned 88 years young about a month ago and still considers it to be one of the best moments of his life. 🙂

  6. I am looking for a July, 1967 show that hosted a long lineup of stars. I remember George Gobel came on last, and comparing himself with the stars that had proceeded him, said that he felt like he was wearing a black tuxedo with a brown pair of shoes. Is that show in the boxed set?

    • Sir, that is an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Other guests included Bob Hope, Dean Martin, and others.

      You can find much of it on youtube. Unfortunately, almost all of Johnny’s first ten years are gone…much of this episode survives.

  7. Hello
    Just wondering if Gloria Loring is on this dvd set? I think she appeared May 10,1967.She is one of my favorite singers.Looking forward to your answer.

    Sincerely
    Richard Fruth

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *