{"id":1666,"date":"2025-04-16T10:05:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T02:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/?p=1666"},"modified":"2025-04-16T10:05:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T02:05:43","slug":"wink-martindale-beloved-game-show-host-and-radio-icon-dies-at-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/?p=1666","title":{"rendered":"Wink Martindale, Beloved Game Show Host and Radio Icon, Dies at 91"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

#WinkMartindale #GameShowLegend #ElvisPresley #TVHost #RadioHistory #TicTacDough #Gambit #EntertainmentHistory<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Television and Radio Pioneer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wink Martindale, the warm and charismatic host known for his work on classic game shows like Gambit<\/em> and Tic-Tac-Dough<\/em>, has passed away at the age of 91. A prominent figure in American entertainment, Martindale also holds a place in music and television history as one of the first TV interviewers of Elvis Presley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to his publicist, Martindale died peacefully at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage after a year-long battle with lymphoma. He remained in relatively good health until recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Game Show Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Martindale’s career in television took off with Gambit<\/em>, which debuted in 1972 alongside The Price is Right<\/em> and The Joker\u2019s Wild<\/em>. He credited its success to simplicity, comparing the show\u2019s blackjack-inspired format to playing Old Maid as a child. Despite strong ratings, Gambit<\/em> eventually lost out to the rise of Wheel of Fortune<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His comeback came in 1978 with Tic-Tac-Dough<\/em>, a CBS hit that ran until 1985. The show made headlines with Navy Lt. Thom McKee\u2019s record-breaking winning streak, during which he collected over $300,000 in prizes. Martindale reveled in the excitement and personal transformation game shows could bring to contestants, once noting that he gave away over $7 million during his time on Tic-Tac-Dough<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Radio Foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before dominating television, Martindale made his name in radio. He began as a teenage DJ in Jackson, Tennessee, and moved up to WHBQ in Memphis, where he witnessed the birth of Elvis Presley\u2019s career. In 1956, Martindale hosted a now-legendary interview with Presley on his show Top Ten Dance Party<\/em>. The two remained in touch over the years, even speaking again during Presley\u2019s time in the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His radio journey brought him to Los Angeles, where he hosted on KHJ, KRLA, and KFWB. Martindale also scored a Billboard hit in 1959 with his spoken-word recording Deck of Cards<\/em>, which sold over a million copies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reinventing Himself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Throughout his career, Martindale hosted nearly two dozen game shows, from What’s This Song?<\/em> to quirky titles like Dream Girl ’67<\/em> and How\u2019s Your Mother-in-Law?<\/em>, the latter of which he humorously called the worst show of his career. He later revived Gambit<\/em> in Las Vegas and launched his own production company to develop new content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His projects included Headline Chasers<\/em>, a collaboration with Merv Griffin, and Bumper Stumpers<\/em>, which ran for several years in the U.S. and Canada. Martindale continued to evolve with the times, returning to radio in 2012 with a Christmas music countdown, and later hosting The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll<\/em> in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Lasting Impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In his later years, Martindale even dipped into advertising, appearing in a KFC campaign alongside Rob Lowe. Despite the ever-changing landscape of entertainment, he remained a beloved figure for generations of audiences who grew up watching or listening to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martindale is survived by his second wife Sandy, with whom he shared 49 years of marriage, and four children from his first marriage: Lisa, Madelyn, Laura, and Wink Jr. His legacy lives on in the many lives he touched through television, radio, and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

#WinkMartindale #GameShowLegend #ElvisPresley #TVHost #RadioHistory #TicTacDough #Gambit #EntertainmentHistory A Television and Radio Pioneer Wink Martindale, the warm and charismatic host known for his work on classic game shows like Gambit and Tic-Tac-Dough, has passed away at the age of 91. A prominent figure in American entertainment, Martindale also holds a place in music and television […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1667,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1666\/revisions\/1667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportpro.cc\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}