Wink Martindale, Veteran Game Show Host, Passes Away at 91

Wink Martindale, known for his affable hosting of popular game shows like “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough,” and who also conducted one of the earliest TV interviews with a young Elvis Presley, has passed away at the age of 91.

Martindale’s publicist, Brian Mayes, confirmed that he died on Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California, after a year-long battle with lymphoma.

Mayes commented from Nashville that Martindale had been doing relatively well until recent weeks.

“Gambit” premiered in September 1972, the same day as Bob Barker’s “The Price is Right” and Jack Barry’s “The Joker’s Wild”.

Martindale reflected in his 2000 memoir, “Winking at Life,” that “Gambit” was an immediate success, teaching him the importance of simplicity in a successful game show. He likened it to the widely known game of blackjack.

“Gambit” outperformed its competitors on NBC and ABC for over two years. However, the debut of “Wheel of Fortune” on NBC in 1975 led to “Gambit’s” cancellation by December 1976, while “Wheel of Fortune” became a long-standing television staple.

Martindale made a comeback in 1978 with “Tic-Tac-Dough,” a CBS revival of the classic game, which he hosted until 1985.

He noted the rapid shift in his fortunes, going “from the outhouse to the penthouse.”

During his tenure, Navy Lt. Thom McKee achieved a record-breaking 88-game winning streak, earning over $300,000 in cash and prizes, including multiple cars, sailboats, and vacations. McKee’s winnings were the highest for a game show contestant at that time.

Martindale expressed his enjoyment of interacting with contestants and the audience, and witnessing the life-changing impact of winning substantial amounts of money.

Martindale recounted that producer Dan Enright estimated that he gave away over $7 million in cash and prizes during his seven years hosting “Tic-Tac-Dough.”

Martindale attributed his success as a game show host to his years as a radio DJ, where he honed his improvisational skills and learned to handle unexpected situations. He estimated that he had hosted around two dozen game shows throughout his career.

Martindale mentioned in his memoir that he was frequently asked if “Wink” was his real name and how he got into hosting game shows.

He received his nickname from a childhood friend. He was not related to University of Michigan defensive coordinator Don Martindale, whose college teammates also nicknamed him Wink due to their shared last name.

Born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1933, in Jackson, Tennessee, he had a lifelong passion for radio and began reading advertisements from Life magazine aloud at age 6.

He began his radio career at age 17 at WPLI in his hometown, earning $25 per week.

After working at WTJS, he was recruited by Jackson’s other radio station, WDXI, for double his salary. He then hosted morning shows at WHBQ in Memphis while attending Memphis State, graduating in 1957 while married with two daughters.

Martindale was present in the studio, though not on-air, when Elvis Presley’s first record, “That’s All Right,” was played on WHBQ on July 8, 1954.

Martindale approached DJ Dewey Phillips, who had given Presley an early platform, to arrange a joint interview with Presley on Martindale’s TV show “Top Ten Dance Party” in 1956. By then, Presley had become a major star but agreed to the appearance.

Martindale and Presley maintained contact over the years, and in 1959, Martindale conducted a trans-Atlantic telephone interview with Presley, who was serving in the Army in Germany. Martindale’s second wife, Sandy, briefly dated Presley after meeting him on the set of “G.I. Blues” in 1960.

In 1959, Martindale relocated to Los Angeles to host a morning show on KHJ. That same year, his cover version of “Deck of Cards” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, selling over 1 million copies. He performed the spoken word song, a wartime story with religious themes, on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

He reflected on his early success, realizing it was far from typical, even if he briefly entertained the idea that success in radio, TV, and recording would come easily.

A year later, he moved to the morning show at KRLA and then to KFWB in 1962. His extensive radio career also included two separate periods at KMPC, owned by Gene Autry.

His first national hosting role was on NBC’s “What’s This Song?” from 1964-65, where he was credited as Win Martindale.

He subsequently hosted two Chuck Barris-produced shows on ABC: “Dream Girl ’67” and “How’s Your Mother-in-Law?” The latter was canceled after only 13 weeks.

Martindale jokingly called “How’s Your Mother-in-Law?” the worst show of his career, saying it “came and went so fast, it seemed more like 13 minutes!”

Martindale later hosted a Las Vegas-based revival of “Gambit” from 1980-81.

He established his own production company, Wink Martindale Enterprises, to develop and produce his own game shows. His first project was “Headline Chasers,” a co-production with Merv Griffin that premiered in 1985 but was canceled after one season. His next show, “Bumper Stumpers,” aired on U.S. and Canadian television from 1987-1990.

He hosted “Debt” from 1996-98 on Lifetime cable and “Instant Recall” on GSN in 2010.

Martindale returned to radio in 2012 as host of the nationally syndicated “The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time.” In 2021, he hosted the syndicated program “The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

In 2017, Martindale appeared in a KFC ad campaign alongside actor Rob Lowe.

He is survived by his second wife of 49 years, Sandy, his children Lisa, Madelyn, and Laura, and numerous grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Wink Jr. Martindale’s children are from his first marriage, which ended in divorce in 1972.

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