Merv: No Regrets

For 23 years Merv Griffin hosted his own talk show, perfecting the art of the schmooze.

And though his show has been off the air for 20 years Griffin's affability and durability earned him an honorary degree from the University of Ireland, a special honor from the Museum of Radio and Television and an Emmy Award, too, all just last year.

"I immediately look in the mirror and say, 'Yes. You are getting old.' It's wonderful, you know, at this time of life now to reap the rewards of, you know, 60 years of work," Griffin tells CBS Sunday Morning contributor Rita Braver.

Born in California in 1925 to a middle class Irish family that struggled during the Great Depression, Griffin has always worked hard. He learned to play piano at four, started singing in church and at age 20, got his first big break.

Griffin went on a radio program just to sing one song.

"That was on a Friday," Griffin said of the performance. "It was called the 'San Francisco Sketch Book.' On the Monday, the following Monday, the show was changed to the 'Merv Grifin Show' with this gigantic orchestra."

Up to that point, Griffin had never worked professionally, he said. "But somehow it worked. It was amazing to me, too."

Griffin went on to sing nationally with the Freddy Martin Orchestra and recorded several songs, including "I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," which became the number one hit in the nation in 1950.

He even made a film, playing Katherine Grayson's boyfriend in "So This Is Love."

But he was not in love with movies or even music.

"I liked talking. But in those days, people who sang were not allowed to talk. It did not go together they thought singers were stumblebums and couldn't talk," Griffin says.

Yet he gradually talked his way into a series of jobs on radio and television, ending up as the host of a game show which happened to shoot in the same studio that Jack Paar used for the old "Tonight Show."

One day Paar accidentally barged in while Griffin was on live.

"And he said, 'What are you doing here? This is my studio,'" Griffin recalls Paar saying.

After an awkward, but humorous exchange on stage, Paar went backstage and declared that Griffin was a funny man and wanted him to fill in for the "Tonight Show" occasionally.

"And that was the beginning," Griffin says.

Substituting for Paar catapulted Griffin to his own show, with various incarnations running on NBC, CBS and syndication. He especially prides himself on the young comedians he showcased early in their careers, such as Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld and Richard Pryor.

Along the way Griffin found time to create "Jeopardy," even writing the show's famous theme music. Griffin also created "Wheel of Fortune," personally picking Vanna White from a pile of photos on his desk.

And in 1986, Griffin sold the shows to Coca-Cola for $250 million, he said.

At that point Griffin decided to end his talk show…and concentrate on business: buying and selling a string of hotels including the famous Beverly Hilton.

He had a natural flair for business and has expanded to real estate. He recently broke ground on a new development in La Quinta, Calif. His net worth is now estimated in the billion-dollar range.

But it's not all been smooth sailing. In 1973 his marriage to former radio comedian Julann Wright, mother of his son Tony, dissolved.

In the 1980s he began a long-term relationship with actress Eva Gabor, who's closet he had visited for his show.

They were together until they she died in 1995. Gabor's death was tough for Griffin to handle.

"Only because we'd had an argument and we hadn't settled the argument yet and I was mad and I was off on my boat and she died while I was gone. That was tough," Griffin says.

Now 80, Griffin says he has no plans to marry again.

"What do you want from me?" Griffin quips. "I don't want to create a widow immediately. Jeez."

Griffin still owns a production company, but works a lot less these days.

"I like my life. When I look back on it, I don't have any regrets," Griffin says. "It was all great fun."