Merv Griffin Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Merv Griffin Entertainment is a production company founded by entertainer Merv GriffinMerv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
in December 1995. Its productions include revivals of recent franchises (such as Dance Fever, revived in 2003 for the ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
channel). Griffin's company is part of The Griffin Group. Merv Griffin Entertainment owns The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...
and the 1979 version of Dance Fever
Dance Fever
Dance Fever is an American musical variety series that aired weekly in syndication from January 1979 to September 1987. The series was created and produced by Merv Griffin and written by Tony Garofalo....
, but Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
handles television distribution rights. The television division was run by Yani-Brune Entertainment from 2005 to 2008; hand-picked by Griffin himself. In 2008, ShineReveille International
Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions is an independently-owned television and motion picture studio and production company based in Los Angeles. The studio was founded by Ben Silverman in March 2002....
made a deal with Merv Griffin Entertainment to distribute all of MGE programming overseas.
Griffin's previous production company was Merv Griffin Enterprises
Merv Griffin Enterprises
Merv Griffin Enterprises was a television production company founded by Merv Griffin, in business from 1964 to 1994.-History:The company was first established as Merv Griffin Productions in 1964 and Griffin's first production was Jeopardy! In 1965, his talk show The Merv Griffin Show returned to...
, which he sold to The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
on May 6, 1986.
Television programs
- ClickClick (game show)Click is an American television game show based around computers and the then-relatively novel medium of the Internet. The youth-oriented series was created by Merv Griffin and hosted by Ryan Seacrest....
(1997–1998) - The Ainsley Harriott Show (2000)
- Men Are From Mars, Women Are From VenusMen Are from Mars, Women Are from VenusMen are from Mars, Women are from Venus is a book written by American author, and relationship counselor, John Gray.The book has sold more than 7 million copies and is reported to be one of the best selling self-help books of all time...
(2000) - Dance FeverDance Fever (2003 TV series)Dance Fever is an American variety game show hosted by Eric Nies. The three celebrity judges were Carmen Electra, Jamie King, and MC Hammer. The two-hour series premiere aired on ABC Family on July 13, 2003....
(2003 revival from the 1979 version) (co-produced by Nash EntertainmentBruce NashBruce Mitchell Nash is an American reality television producer.Nash first entered reality TV with Before They Were Stars. His credits include the Sci Fi Channel series Who Wants to Be a Superhero? with Stan Lee; World's Most Amazing Videos for Spike TV; Most Shocking as well as Most Daring for...
and Bob Bain Productions) - Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead (2006–2008)
- Merv Griffin's CrosswordsMerv Griffin's CrosswordsMerv Griffin's Crosswords is an American game show based on crossword puzzles. The show was created by its namesake, Merv Griffin, who died shortly after beginning production on the series...
(2007–2008) (co-produced by Yani-Brune Entertainment Distributed by Program Partners, with ad-sales from NBC Universal Television Distribution and Sony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
) - Lisa Williams: Voices from the Other Side (2008)
- It's Worth What?It's Worth What?It's Worth What? is a reality game show that debuted July 19, 2011 on NBC. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, the show's primary focus is the cost and value of items. Announcer Dave Mitchell would describe each item that appears on stage...
(2011–Present)
Television
- Murder at the Cannes Film FestivalMurder at the Cannes Film FestivalMurder at the Cannes Film Festival is a 2000 television film directed by Harvey Frost, starring French Stewart and Karina Lombard....
(2000) - Inside the Osmonds (2001) (TV)
- Gilda Radner: It's Always Something (2002) (with Touchstone Television (now ABC Studios)) (distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television)
Theatrical
- ShadeShade (film)Shade is a 2003 neo-noir crime drama starring Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, Thandie Newton, Jamie Foxx, Roger Guenveur Smith, Melanie Griffith and Sylvester Stallone...
(2003) (with RKO PicturesRKO PicturesRKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
) (distributed by Dimension FilmsDimension FilmsDimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
) - RainRain (2006 film)Rain is a 2006 film directed by Craig DiBona. The screenplay was written by Andrew Neiderman, based on the novel by V.C. Andrews. It premiered at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, although it did not receive further domestic distribution.-Plot:...
(2006) (co-produced with Big Headz Entertainment and Lexi Dog Media) - My One and OnlyMy One and Only (film)My One and Only is a 2009 comedy film loosely based on a story about George Hamilton's early life on the road with his mother and brother, featuring anecdotes that Hamilton had told to Merv Griffin. Griffin pitched the idea for the script, and had shepherded the project from idea to production,...
(2009) (co-produced by George Hamilton Productions, Raygun Proudctions, and Runaway Home Productions. Distributed by Freestyle ReleasingFreestyle ReleasingFreestyle Releasing is an independent film studio founded in 2003, specializing in helping other people/companies to release their films theatrically for getting distribution fees...
)