The answer is: Dying within two weeks of each other, these three titans influenced visual media immeasurably.
Who were Ingmar Bergman, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Merv Griffin?
That's correct for $1,000!
Ah yes, in the Arts & Entertainment world, they always die in groups of three. And so, complementing the two great film directors and their art, comes (and goes) Merv and his pure TV entertainment — especially The Merv Griffin Show and two game shows he created, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
On DVD, The Merv Griffin Show: 40 of the Most Interesting People of Our Time is available in a three-disc set from Alpha Home Entertainment via oldies.com.
Meanwhile, I grew up watching the original Jeopardy! — which began in 1964 and whose original host, it should be noted, was Art Fleming — and my sons grew up watching, as they called it, Wheel!
For today's obit in The New York Times, click here. And for Merv's official site, go to (where else?) merv.com —Ken Richardson
