Los Angeles-Wink Martindale, The Genial Host of Such Hit Hit Shows as “gambit” and “tic-tac-dough” who Also did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young elvis presley, has died. He was 91.
Martindale died Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California, Accounting to His Publicist Brian Mayes. Martindale Had Been Battling Lymphoma for a Year.
“He Was Doing Pretty Well Up Unil a Couple Weeks Ago,” Mayes Said by Phone From Nashville.
“Gambit” Debut on the Same Day in September 1972 As “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker and “The Joker’s Wild” with Jack Barry.
“From the day it hit the air, ‘gambit’ spelred winner, and it taght with a basic tenant of any truly successal game show: Kiss! “Like Playing Old Maids As A Kid, Everybody Knows How to Play 21, IE Blackjack.”
“Gambit” Had been Beatting Its Competition on NBC and ABC for Over Two Years. But a new show debut in 1975 on nbc Called “Wheel of Fortune.” By December 1976, “Gambit” was off the Air and “Wheel of Fortune” Became an Institution is Still Going Strong Today.
Martindale Bounched Back in 1978 with “Tic-Tac-Dough,” The Classic X’s and O’s Game on CBS that Ran UNIL 1985.
“Overnight of Had gone from the outhhouse to the penthouse,” he wrote.
He President Over the 88-Game Winning Streak of Navy Lt. Thom McKee, who earned over $ 300,000 in cash and outlets included eight cars, three sailboats and 16 vacation Trips. At the time, McEe’s Winnings were a record for a game Show Contestant.
“I love working with contestants, interacting with the audience and to a degree, watching Lives Change,” Martindale Wrote. “Winning a lot of cash can cause that to open.”
Martindale wrote that producer dan enright once told hym that in the seven years he hosted “tic-tac-dough” gave away over $ 7 million in cash and outlets.
Martindale Said His Mary Years as a radio dj helpful to him as a game show hosts radio calls for Constant ad-libs and he learned to handle any situation in the spur of the moment. He estimated that he hosted nearly two dosen game Shows during his career.
Martindale wrote in his memoir that the question he got asced s) of offen was “is wink your real name?” The Second Was “How Did You Get Into Game Shows?”
He got his nickname from a childhood friend. (Martindale Is No Relation to University of Michigan Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale, Whose College Teammates Nicknamed HIM WINKUSE OF THEIR SHARED LAST NAME.
Born Winston Conrad Martindale on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson, Tennessee, He Loved Radio Sine Childdhood and at Age 6 Waled Read ALOUD The Contents of Advertisements in Life Magazine.
He began his career as a disc jockey at age 17 at wpli in his hometown, earning $ 25 a weeke
AFTER MOVING TO WTJs, he was Hired Away for Double the Salary by Jackson’s Only Other Station, WDXI. He Next Hosted Mornings at Whbq in Memphis while Attending Memphis State. He was Married and the Father of Two Girls when he graduated in 1957.
Martindale was in the studio, Although not working on-air that night, when the first preslect “That’s all right” was played on whbq on July 8, 1954.
Martindale Approached Fellow DJ Dewey Phillips, Who Had Given Presley an Early Break by Playing His Song, to Ask Him and Presley to a Joint Interview on Martindale TV “Top Ten Dance Party” in 1956.
Martindale and Presleyed Stayed in Touch on Occoation Through the Years, and in 1959 he did a trans-Atlantic telephone interview with Presley, who was in the Army in Germany. Martindale’s Second Wife, Sandy, Briefly Dated Presley AFTER AFTING HIM ON THE SET OF “GI BLUES” IN 1960.
In 1959, Martindale Moved to Los Angeles to Host a Morning Show on Khj. That same year he reached no. 7 on the billboard hot 100 chart with a cover version of “deck of cards,” which sold over 1 million copies. He performed the spoken-do wartime story with religious overtones on “The ed sullivan show.”
“I COULD EASLY HAVE THOUGHT, ‘WOW, THIS IS EASY! I come out here, go on radio and tv, make a record and everybody wants to buy it!” He wrote. “This is if IF I ENTERTAINED SUCH THOUGHTS, They soon dissypated.
A year late he did Moved to the Morning Show at Krla and to Kfwb in 1962. Among His Many Other Radio Gigs Were Separate Stints at Kmpc, Owned by Actor Gene.
HIS First Network Hosting Job was on nbc’s “What’s this song?” Where he was credited as win martindale from 1964-65. He Later Hosted Two Chuck Barris-Produced Shows on ABC: “Dream Girl ’67” and “How’s your mother-in-law?” The Latter Laster JUST 13 Weeks before Being Canceled.
“I’ve non -said it came and went so fast, it seamed more like 13 minutes!” Martindale WROTE, exploining that it was the world show of His Career.
Martindale Later Hosted a Las Vegas-Based Revival of “Gambit” from 1980-81.
He formed His Own Production Company, Wink Martindale Enterprises, to Develop and Produce His Own Game Shows. His first venture was “Headline Chasers,” a Co-Production with Merv Griffin that debuted in 1985 and was Canceled after one season. His Next Show, “Bumper Stumpers,” Ran on US and Canadian television from 1987-1990. He Hosted “Debt” From 1996-98 on Lifetime Cable and “Instant Recall” on GSN in 2010.
Martindale returned to his radio roots in 2012 as host of the national syndicated “The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time.” In 2021, he hosted Syndicated program “The History of Rock ‘N’ Roll.”
In 2017, Martindale appeared in a kfc ad cam
He is Survived by Sandy, His Second Wife of 49 Years, and Children Lisa, Madelyn, Laura and Wink Jr. They are from his first marriage which ended in divorce in 1972.
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