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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wink Martindale, veteran game show host of 'Tic-Tac-Dough', 'Gambit', and more, dies at 91
Wink Martindale, the prolific TV and radio personality best known for hosting game shows such as Tic-Tac-Dough and Gambit, died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 91. Martindale was surrounded by his family in his final moments, including his wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale, according to a press release. A cause of death was not disclosed. Born Winston Conrad Martindale on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson, Tenn., Martindale began his career at 17, working as a disc jockey at the local Jackson radio station WPLI before hopping to WTJS, WDXI, and eventually WHBQ in Memphis. There, in 1954, fellow DJ Dewey Phillips was playing Elvis Presley's very first record, "That's All Right," while Martindale tried calling Presley's mother to see if they could get the King to come down to the station. Eventually, Presley showed up "for his first interview, and music was changed forever," per the press release. Martindale first broke into TV with a hosting gig on the local sci-fi children's series Mars Patrol. He then hosted Teenage Dance Party, where Presley would eventually appear in a 1965 episode. Martindale's first stint as a game show host came on NBC's What's This Song? in 1964 and '65. He followed that up with Words and Music on NBC and Gambit on CBS (from 1972 to 1976, and again from 1980 to 81). His biggest success was Tic-Tac-Dough, which he hosted from 1978 to 85. He hosted other popular game shows including Headline Chasers (which he created and executive-produced), High Rollers, The Last Word, The Great Getaway Game, Trivial Pursuit, Debt, and Instant Recall. In total, Martindale hosted a whopping 20 game shows throughout his lengthy career — according to The Hollywood Reporter, only Bill Cullen did more. Martindale's radio work didn't end in his youth. He had stints at various stations, including longer stays at KGIL-AM, KKGO-FM/KJQI, Gene Autry's KMPC, and KABC. His radio credits include Your Hit Parade, Music of Your Life, 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, and The History of Rock 'n' Roll. More recently, he had a recurring appearance on The Howard Stern Show. His iconic voice nabbed him a gold record as well, for the spoken-word song "Deck of Cards," which made it to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold more than 1 million copies in 1959. In his later years, Martindale added commercials to his resume, including for Orbitz and KFC, the latter of which saw him star alongside Rob Lowe. He also made appearances on television shows including The Bold and the Beautiful, The Chase, and The Eric Andre Show. In addition to his wife, Martindale's survivors include his daughters, Lisa, Lyn and Laura; his sister, Geraldine; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his "honorary son," Eric; and his "beloved Chihuahua," Dude. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Wink Martindale Dies: The Iconic Game Show Host Was 91
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Wink Martindale visits the SiriusXM studios on ... More August 08, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by) Wink Martindale, one of the most recognized game show hosts in television history, died Tuesday died in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 91. Martindale passed away surrounded by family and his wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale, according to a news release from his publicity firm. Through the course of his career, Martindale hosted 15 game shows, with his three greatest successes Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers and Gambit. Including his later role as a producer, the number of game shows on his resume rose to 21. Born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1933 in Jackson, Mississippi, Martindale started his career as a disc jockey at age 17 at WPLI in his hometown. While attending Memphis State University, Martindale hosted of morning show Clockwatchers on radio station WHBQ. An early segue into television came at WHBQ-TV in Memphis, where he hosted Mars Patrol, a science-fiction themed children's television series. Next as a host at the station was Teenage Dance Party, which featured an appearance by Elvis Presley, who was a personal friend, in 1956. American singer Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977) appears with presenter Wink Martindale (left) on Wink's ... More television show 'Teenage Dance Party' in Memphis, Tennessee, 16th June 1956. (Photo by Silver) Martindale also had a hit record in the 1950s with the spoken-word country song, Deck of Cards. Nicknamed "Wink" by a neighborhood friend, Martindale's first break on television came at age 31 as host of the game show What's This Song? on NBC from 1964 to 1965. Next on NBC was another musical-themed game show, Words and Music, from 1970 to 1971. But it was the original Gambit from 1970 to 1974 on CBS (and later the Las Vegas-based revival from 1980 to 1981) that brought him national recognition. LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 25: Pictured is host Wink Martindale on the CBS television game show GAMBIT. ... More August 25, 1972. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) Martindale's greatest success as a game show host came courtesy of the revival of Tic-Tac-Dough beginning in 1978. He exited in 1985 to host the one season Headline Chasers through his newly formed production company, Wink Martindale Enterprises. Next under his production banner was the three season game show Bumper Stumpers, which aired on both American and Canadian television from 1987 until 1990. Prior to Bumper Stumpers, and in a partnership with producer Jerry Gilden, Martindale/Gilden Productions secured the licensing rights from Parker Brothers to develop game shows based on Parker-owned properties. After hosting the short-lived revival of High Rollers and the Canadian game show The Last Word, Martindale moved into a producer's role on The Great Getaway Game on Travel Channel in 1990. He also produced and hosted a series of interactive game shows for the old Family Channel, including Trivial Pursuit in 1993. Martindale then headed to Lifetime to host game show Debt, which ran from 1996 to 1998. Additionally, Martindale was active doing commercials for Orbitz and KFC, among other outlets, and made guest appearances on such programs as Most Outrageous Game Show Moments, The Chase, and The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And he was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame, amopng other career honors. Wink Martindale during Game Show Host Wink Martindale Honored With Star On the Hollywood Walk of ... More Fame at 7018 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, CA, United States. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic) Beginning in 2014, Martindale had started his own YouTube channel, called Wink's Vault, featuring episodes of game shows, game show pilots, rare clips from various game shows, among other clips. Martindale is survived by his wife, Sandra; sister Geraldine; his daughters Lisa, Lyn and Laura; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
