Wink Martindale on January 1, 1974. Photo:
CBS via Getty
Wink Martindale, who was best known as host of Tic-Tac-Dough and Gambit, has died. He was 91.
The iconic television host died “surrounded by family and his beloved wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale” at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. on Tuesday, April 15, according to a press release.
Martindale began his career in show business as a disc jockey in his hometown of Jackson, Tennessee at 17 years old. He went on to work at WHBQ radio station in Memphis.
After fellow DJ Dewey Phillips debuted Elvis Presley‘s first record “That’s All Right” on the radio on July 10, 1954, Martindale phoned the legendary singer’s mother to request Presley visit the station leading to the “Hound Dog” singer to come to WHBQ and do his first interview.
“Wink was the last living witness to ‘Presleymania’ and the birth of Rock & Roll,” the press release states.
Wink Martindale on ‘Gambit’ on Aug. 25, 1972. CBS via Getty
“He was so nervous about his record being played on the air that he’d gone to the theater,” Martindale recalled of Presley’s visit during an interview with Television Academy Foundation in 2018. “They found him sitting there by himself and brought him to the station. Dewey put him in front of a microphone and just started talking to him. So I met Elvis that night. He became my friend and he continued to be my friend until the day he died.”
He later moved to Los Angeles to host the morning show at KHJ before landing jobs at KRLA in 1959 and KFWB in 1962. He also worked at KGIL-AM from 1968 to 1971, KKGO-FM/KJQI and Gene Autry’s KMPC from 1971 to 1979 and 1983 to 1987, KABC in 1989 and KJQI from 1993 to 1994.
Martindale also made a name for himself on the small screen beginning as the host of Mars Patrol, a science-fiction themed children’s television series, and later becoming the host of Teenage Dance Party, on which Elvis made an appearance on June 16, 1956.
Wink Martindale. Courtesy of Nashville Publicity Group
His foray into game shows started with NBC’s What’s This Song?, which ran from 1964 to 1965. He became host of NBC’s Words and Music, CBS’ Gambit, and Tic-Tac-Dough. He also became host of programs including High Rollers, The Last Word, The Great Getaway Game, Trivial Pursuit, Debt, Instant Recall, and more.
In addition to serving as the host of Headline Chasers, Martindale worked behind the scenes as a producer of the game show.
During an interview with Television Academy Foundation, Martindale revealed why he enjoyed hosting, saying, “I like people, and you get to meet so many different people in the world of game shows. I enjoy finding out what makes people tick. As you play a game, you see why one person is more successful than another. But I just love working with people, and I love talking. I could sit here and talk all day.”
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In addition to his work on the small screen, Martindale has found success as a recording artist. In 1959, he performed the spoken-word song “Deck of Cards” in 1959, which went to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and sold over a million copies.
Most recently, Martindale made appearances on shows including Most Outrageous Game Show Moments, The Chase, and The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as in commercials for Orbitz and KFC.
His legendary career earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 as well as being honored with a Beale Street Note on Memphis, Tennessee’s Beale Street Walk of Fame last year. He was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award by his alma mater, the University of Memphis, and was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame.
“Memorial flowers for Walk of Famer Wink Martindale will be placed on his star today at 5 pm at 7018 Hollywood Blvd,” Ana Martinez, Hollywood Walk of Fame Producer and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Media Relations, announced on X on April 15 following news of his death. “The Hollywood community extends its sympathy to the Martindale family. Flowers are placed by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce & sponsored by Hollywood Historic Trust.”
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Over the years, Martindale supported numerous charitable causes and created annual telethons for Cerebral Palsy and St. Jude Children’s Hospital, in addition to other organizations.
Martindale is survived by his wife Sandra, sister Geraldine, his daughters Lisa, Lyn and Laura and “a large extended family full of grandchildren and great grandchildren, his honorary son Eric and his beloved Chihuahua Dude!” according to the press release.
