MERV: Making The Good Life Last

Griffin, a self-described "Depression baby," lost his home to the bank as a kid and admits that as an adult "I've placed far too much value on material things." Yet his entrepreneurial nature is the dramatic wheel that drives this autobiography. The book's chatty style is reminiscent of a talk show, and beneath its light tone are suggestions of a complex, enthralling person. Dubbed the "Merv of All Trades" by Larry King, Griffin mowed lawns, put out a newspaper and sold Christmas wreaths as a child in California. Early exposure to such stars as Errol Flynn came through his uncle Elmer, a national tennis doubles champion and founder of the Beverly Hills Country Club. Admittedly resentful of being told what to do, Griffin pursued a career as a band singer and eventually made a screen test, which resulted in the disastrous So This Is Love (1953). When Hollywood stardom didn't materialize, Griffin turned to TV; the book presents numerous profiles of the guests he hosted on his own show, from 1962 to 1986, including the temperamental Peter O'Toole and the hostile Al Pacino. Such diverse personalities as Rosalind Russell, Ronald Reagan (who actually liked peanut brittle, not jelly beans), Whitney Houston and Peter Ustinov fill these entertaining pages. The final portion covers Griffin's years as a hotel magnate, bout with prostate cancer, psychoanalysis, divorce and weight problems. He conveys his upbeat outlook most effectively when he comments, "I don't watch Survivor. If something requires cheating, lying and cruelty to other people to stay on top, it's nothing I want any part of." Photos. Agents, B.G. Dilworth and Bill Klemm. (Jan. 10)