Merv Griffin- A Life in the Closet Read online

  ***

  The greatest mystery of Merv's early years revolves around “America's Bishop,” Fulton J. Sheen, the leading American Catholic of the 20th Century.

  In time Merv would meet and in many cases get to know the most famous people on the planet, from Richard Nixon to Jacqueline Kennedy, from Elizabeth Taylor to Pablo Casals. Merv began meeting famous people when he was still in grade school, and Fulton J. Sheen, an American archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, arrived on the Griffin doorstep to play tennis with Merv Sr. The two men had become great friends and both were avid tennis players.

  Whenever Sheen was in California, he always called on Merv Sr. “Tennis is my only form of relaxation,” he once said. “You can't do God's work twenty- four hours a day, only twenty-three.”

  The few times Sheen had visited the Griffin household had been during the day when Merv was in school. Usually Merv Sr. drove to San Francisco to give tennis lessons to Sheen, whose visits to San Mateo were extremely rare.

  But one day, quite unannounced, Sheen had arrived at the Griffin household to be greeted by Merv, the only family member at home that day. Merv later told Johnny that he was awed by the presence of such an august person and was tongue-tied for a minute.

  Sheen at the time was one of the most distinguished-looking men in America, with a slender build, wavy hair, and a rather thin face which made him look ascetic.

  What Merv would forever remember was Sheen's deep-set, penetrating eyes. “It would be impossible to lie to a man like His Worship,” Merv later told Johnny. “He seemed to see right through me. It was like he was reading all those dark secrets I kept hidden from my family. I knew at once I wasn't fooling him for a minute. It was like going to confession without confessing anything. He just knew!”

  It is not known what transpired during the approximate three hours that Sheen spent talking to Merv that day. “Merv didn't share all the dirt with me,” Johnny said. Whatever happened, a bond seemed to have formed between Sheen and the young boy. The relationship would last a lifetime.

  Apparently, Sheen had been intrigued by Merv's ambition, particularly when the kid told the older churchman, “Some day I'm gonna become more famous than you.” The bishop was far more amused than insulted by this brassy young boy.

  “Merv trusted Sheen completely, the way he had Father Lyon when he was fourteen years old back in San Mateo,” Bill Robbins later said. Like Merv, Bill was a member of the church choir.

  At his young age, and in a surprise move by Father Lyon, Merv was made director of the church choir at the local Catholic church, a post usually held by an older man. Father Lyon also turned over complete creative control to the teenager. “What Father Lyon liked about me was my sense of drama,” Merv later said. “He liked it when I hit chords on the organ that made his entrance into the church seem like the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”

  Merv's unorthodox handling of the music at the church in San Mateo upset many members of the congregation. Avisiting priest from San Francisco wrote a letter to Father Lyon suggesting that Merv be “excommunicated.” That same priest, knowing of Griffin's relationship with Sheen, also wrote the bishop a letter citing Griffin's outrageous direction of the church choir. “His music is more Glenn Miller or Tommy Dorsey than church music,” the priest charged.

  When he was next in San Francisco, Sheen asked for a private meeting with Merv to discuss his music and why it was causing some concern among parishioners. The details of that meeting aren't known, but Merv spent the night in Sheen's private quarters and drove to Los Angeles with him the following day where he spent another five days with the bishop.

  In the days and years to come, whenever Sheen was in California, he met privately with Merv, and they often spent weekends together. In those days, when a Catholic priest took an interest in a young boy, it was assumed that it was for spiritual guidance instead of a sexual adventure.

  All three of Merv's friends, Johnny, Paul, and Bill, later claimed that Merv had told them that the relationship had become sexual. “Merv didn't sound like a whining child bitching about getting molested,” Johnny recalled. “If anything, he seemed to enjoy his time with Sheen, and was excited that of all the boys in America, Sheen had singled him out. That made Merv special, and he loved it. I didn't see anything wrong with it, because at the time I was having sexual relationships with older men myself.”

  Bishop and TV Evangelist

  Fulton J. Sheen

  Merv grew so intimate with Sheen that he began to call him “Uncle Fultie.” “After all, this guy chose me,” Merv told Bill Robbins. “He's dined with popes and princes and is on friendly terms with the President of the United States. And yet he chooses to be with me.”

  When he was growing up in the 1930s, Merv gathered with his family to listen to Sheen's Sunday night radio broadcast, The Catholic Hour. By 1950 the radio show had a devoted following of four million people. But by this time Sheen was growing increasingly fascinated by the new medium of television.

  He became the country's first TV preacher to achieve nationwide fame. His TV show faced serious competition, especially from Milton Berle, “Mr. Television” himself. At the peak of his popularity, Sheen drew more TV viewers than Milton. Newspapers called the rating battle “Uncle Miltie faces Uncle Fultie.” For his Catholic TV broadcasts, Sheen in 1952 won an Emmy as “The Most Outstanding Television Personality.” In accepting the award, he thanked “my writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” It was Sheen's great success on television that encouraged Merv himself to try to conquer the medium in years to come.

  As host of Life Is Worth Living, Bishop Sheen became a household word in the 1950s, beginning with the DuMont Television Network. Later he appeared on ABC from 1951 to 1957. At the end of his run, he was attracting an audience of thirty million TV viewers. In time he would also write 70 books—many of them ghost written—including his first, God and Intelligence (1925), and his last, Treasure in Clay, published in 1980 after he died on December 9, 1979.

  Sheen appeared on TV in his full bishop's drag, the envy of his bitter rival in New York, Cardinal Francis J. Spellman, whom Vatican insiders had nicknamed “Nellie” Spellman because of his secret homosexual lifestyle. He was fond of hiring only the most expensive hustlers in New York. Homosexual rumors also plagued Bishop Sheen throughout his life.

  Sheen appeared on TV wearing bright green alligator shoes, which were covered by his gown, and hand-sewn red silk underwear. He also became known for constantly checking his regal appearance in the mirror or in reflective glass. He did that at every opportunity. “I'm not vain,” he once said in answer to his critics. “I think a servant of God should look his best at all times, even if summoned on a mission of mercy in the middle of the night.”

  Legal at Last: Bishop Sheen

  on TV with a grown up Merv

  Merv later told his friends that Sheen spent at least two hours every morning bathing, doing his hair, and getting dressed. He also was an artist at applying makeup skillfully. “You never know,” he told Merv, “when a photographer might be lurking in the bush.”

  Merv later said that it was Sheen's formidable powers of articulation that helped him become glib on TV instead of tongue-tied. “I could listen to him talk for hours. God, did he have a way with words.” Merv cited such statements made by Sheen as “Christ without The Cross is effeminacy, degeneration, LSD, and mysticism which settles for pharmaceuticals instead of sacrifice.”

  Sheen, whose TV programs are still broadcast, came back into the news as late as 2006. Two packages, containing documentation of two alleged miracles attributed to him, were sent to the Vatican where a panel of priests, doctors of divinity, and theologians have been examining them. After what may be years of study, the panel will “verify if indeed the alleged miracles are authentic.” Some of Sheen's most avid supporters want the Vatican to bestow sainthood on their hero.

  ***

  Like his father, two of Merv's uncles, Elmer and Peck, were also cham
pion tennis players. The smallest brother, Peck, was actually the national doubles champion. But it was Elmer who made “Ripley's Believe It or Not” by winning three state titles in Oregon, all in one afternoon. Soon tennis-obsessed movie stars in Los Angeles were seeking the Griffin brothers out, wanting to hire them for tennis lessons.

  Elmer became so popular as a tennis pro to the stars that in 1936 he launched the West Side Tennis Club in Los Angeles. Within months it became a rendezvous and social center for movie stars and film executives.

  In time Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. showed up, as did a drunken John Barrymore, Clark Gable, Rod La Rocque, Johnny Mack Brown, and Louis B. Mayer himself.

  As a very young teenager, Merv was allowed to journey to Los Angeles on occasions to stay with his Uncle Elmer and to hang out all day at the tennis club, watching the stars. On those occasions, Merv rarely left the locker room. Whether his uncle noticed that or not is not known.

  It was at this club that Merv met his first movie stars. It was to become his life-long obsession. But instead of a locker room, he would meet many of the stars for the first time on television in front of millions of people.

  One day at the club he spotted a hot, sweaty Humphrey Bogart stripping down to take a cold shower. Merv had seen Bogart and Bette Davis in The Petrified Forest. Back home in San Mateo, Johnny Riley pressed Merv to divulge all the details. “Bogart has a long thing, but it's a bit on the skinny side.”

  Elmer wasn't too fond of another member, Cesar Romero, who appeared frequently at the club. During one of Merv's many visits, he saw Romero with the actor, Tyrone Power. The two stars later played tennis together.

  That afternoon Merv heard Elmer telling another tennis pro, “That Romero guy has fallen in love with Tyrone Power. I've already warned that Latin sleazeball, ‘No funny business in the locker room.’ Have you noticed that the other guys cover their privates with a towel every time Romero comes into the room? Word has gotten out about him.”

  Back home, Merv told Johnny that “Ty Power is the second handsomest man in the world. No one, but no one, is as beautiful as Errol Flynn. He's the most beautiful man on the planet.” Although Flynn was a regular member of the club, he never appeared there when Merv was present.

  In addition to Flynn, Merv had another idol, the Olympic athlete and movie star, Johnny Weissmuller. Merv had seen all his Tarzan movies. Begging his parents to let him go to Los Angeles, Merv made a special trip there just to meet Weissmuller. He wasn't disappointed.

  Back home, he supplied another Johnny, his friend, with all the juicy details. “Tarzan needs a big loincloth to cover all that. I couldn't believe it. He put all the other guys in the locker room to shame. And he likes to show off what he's got. He parades around naked in front of all the others to make them jealous. But I never got to see the head of it even in the shower. He never skinned it back even though I was standing nearby waiting for the unveiling. Oh, well. Maybe some other time. I hear some of the guys get big erections when they're massaged. Maybe I'll get lucky and see Tarzan put on a show.”

  Merv got lucky, but with another actor, his all-time favorite, Errol Flynn, “Satan's Angel” himself. At the tennis club, the reputation of the handsome star had already preceded him.

  Johnny Weissmuller

  as Tarzan, King of the Jungle

  Merv was all ears as he listened to stories in the locker room about his swashbuckler super hero. He'd seen Captain Blood nine times, and planned to see it nine more times if he had a chance. When Merv sat through the first showing of The Adventures of Robin Hood, watching Flynn in green tights at his most charming and daring-do best, in Technicolor no less, he later admitted to Johnny: “I've fallen in love with Errol Flynn. He's the man of my dreams.”

  Merv shared all the gossip he'd learned about Flynn with Johnny. Was it really true that he had been a slave trader in New Guinea? Was he also a drunkard, lecher, pervert? Merv had heard that he had an amazing appetite for handsome young boys and underage girls. With his astonishing good looks, stunning physique, and legendary endowment, it was said that all he had to do was look at his conquest for the night, and any beautiful girl or boy would rush to the bed of this incorrigible hedonist to be deflowered.

  Merv had heard Elmer telling of a visit to the tennis club by Jack L. Warner, head of Warner Brothers, Flynn's studio. “You know Errol. He's either got to be fighting or fucking.” The studio mogul also said, “The guy's so well hung that he often unzips on the set in front of everybody, whips it out for all to see. Just to set the record straight about who's the best and the biggest. It's hard to get him to appear on the set. He's often in his dressing room having sex with four different starlets a day.”

  Years later in Las Vegas, Merv rewatched Captain Blood with his best friend, Liberace. One of Liberace's boyfriends heard Merv say: “For a fat little boy growing up in San Mateo, this film was a feast of homoeroticism. I never grew out of the letch I had for Errol. He was my dream man. When I saw him without his shirt in The Perfect Specimen, I sat in a dark corner of the theater and masturbated. The film had the most accurate title of any movie Hollywood ever turned out.”

  In a memoir, Merv recalled his first solo trip at the age of sixteen to visit his Uncle Elmer in Los Angeles. Memory did not serve him well. Actually he'd made nearly a dozen trips to visit his uncle before. When Elmer told him that Flynn was his house guest, Merv was “trembling with excitement” when he walked into Elmer's house to confront his idol.

  Swashbuckler and debauched

  heartthrob, Errol Flynn

  “What I didn't expect was that my film idol, fresh from the shower, would be sitting starkers in Elmer's living room. Now, how shall I put this? I think it's fair to say that Errol Flynn brandished a sword both on and off the screen.”

  “Hi, kid,” Flynn said. “Come on in.” Merv later recalled that he was so mesmerized by the sight of his nude hero that he couldn't speak. He knew that Johnny back in San Mateo would be eager to hear all the details. When Flynn saw that Merv's eyes were fixated on his private parts, he said, “Enjoy the free show. To see me on the screen will cost you twelve cents.”

  Merv was even more surprised when three beautiful girls arrived an hour later. He discovered that the swashbuckler had a date with all of them. To Merv's surprise, Flynn did not put on any clothes but sat drinking, talking, and fondling the girls on Elmer's big sofa. The star seemed oblivious to the little fat boy staring intently at them. Finally, Flynn got up with a big erection and proceeded to get dressed, stuffing his hard-on into his pants. Merv stood at the window watching the four of them disappear into the late afternoon in a white convertible.

  He shared a bedroom with Flynn, who always slept nude and uncovered on the sheets. Merv would wake up early in the morning just to stare for an hour or so at Flynn's large penis, which was often erect.

  One drunken night, Flynn came into the room and pulled off his clothes, flopping down on the bed. “For the first time in weeks, kid, I didn't get lucky. Those girls must have been lesbians.” After about fifteen minutes, Flynn whispered to Merv. “Come on over here and play with it, kid. You know you want to. You can't take your eyes off it. If you play with it enough, I'll make leche for you.”

  Back in San Mateo, Johnny insisted that Merv tell him that story of masturbating Flynn over and over again.

  Before leaving Los Angeles, Elmer had taken Merv to his favorite restaurant, Romanoff's, where all the stars gathered. They stopped briefly at Humphrey Bogart's table. Even though it was only one o'clock in the afternoon, the star appeared drunk.

  When Merv spotted his favorite character actor, Monty Woolley, at the bar, he excused himself from Elmer's table and walked over. Merv thought Woolley could spit out insults with his razor-sharp tongue better than anybody on the screen.

  He also knew that the bearded actor was the best friend of Cole Porter, and Merv knew all the composer's songs. Getting up the courage to approach Woolley at the bar, Merv said, “May I have your autograph, M
r. Woolley?” Forgetting Errol Flynn for the moment, he added, “You're my favorite actor.”

  “Kid, if you were a Botticelli angel, I'd give you my autograph—and a lot more. But you're nothing but a roly-poly fatso. Fuck off!”

  Back at table, Merv told his uncle about the rude rejection. “Stay away from him. He's the biggest pervert in Los Angeles. I mean, how sick can you get? He and that Ty Power sicko have private parties where all the guests eat shit for a sexual thrill.”

  Merv was astonished, thinking at first Elmer might be joking. It was years later that he learned about coprophagia (feces eating).

  ***

  Merv got his driving license at the age of sixteen, just months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and he often drove Johnny Riley into San Francisco for the weekend. Johnny was having an affair with a 45-year-old stockbroker, who often gave both boys twenty-dollar bills for fun and games. Merv slept on the sofa in the living room of the stockbroker, where he heard noises coming from the bedroom at night.

  During the day Johnny and Merv cruised the streets of San Francisco on the search for good-looking sailors. “Johnny got lucky … always,” Merv later told his gay pal, Liberace. “I rarely did unless Johnny fixed me up with one of his rejects. When I got to give a sailor a blow-job, he was too drunk to care if some little fat boy was doing the job or a beautiful blonde.”

  Merv was drafted in 1942 after he'd graduated from San Mateo High School. He stood 5'9” at the time and still weighed slightly more than 240 pounds. “As remarkable as it seems, I had to show up at the induction hall in San Francisco ten different times for physical examinations,” Merv said. “I sort of got used to doctors playing with my balls and urging me to cough. On the final exam, the doctor discovered a heart murmur. He considered it serious enough to send me to the hospital. When I was released from the ward and went back to San Mateo, I learned that at long last I'd been classified 4F.”