Wink Martindale Dies: Game Show Host Of ‘Tic-Tac-Dough’, ‘Gambit’ And ‘High Rollers’ Was 91
By Greg Evans (Deadline.com)
Wink Martindale, one of TV’s most beloved game show hosts whose name became virtually synonymous with the profession, died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, CA. He was 91.
His death was announced by a spokesperson for Martindale’s family. No cause was given, but the statement said the host of such classic game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers and Gambit as part of a 74-year career in radio and television was “surrounded by family and his beloved wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale.”
Winston Conrad “Wink” Martindale was born on December 4, 1933, in Jackson, TN. He launched his career as a disc jockey in Jackson at the age of 17, then rising through the ranks at Memphis’ WHBQ, where, according to his family, on the evening of July 10, 1954, fellow DJ Dewey Phillips played Elvis Presley’s debut record, “That’s All Right,” on the radio for the very first time — playing the tune repeatedly while Martindale phoned Presley’s mother and asked if Elvis could come down to the radio station.
“Elvis soon arrived at WHBQ for his first interview, and music was changed forever,” the family statement reads.
Martindale also found his own success as a recording artist, performing the spoken-word song “Deck of Cards” in 1959, a track that went to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and sold over 1 million copies.
Later that year, Martindale moved to Los Angeles as the morning host of pre-“Boss Jock” KHJ-AM. The following year he joined the morning crew at archrival KRLA and moved to KFWB in 1962, replacing future Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens. He also had stints at KGIL-AM from 1968-71, KKGO-FM/KJQI and Gene Autry’s KMPC from 1971-79 and 1983-87, KABC in 1989 and KJQI from 1993-94.
His additional radio credits include Hit Parade Radio and the syndicated programs Music of Your Life, 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the three-hour Those Were the Days and recent recurring appearances on The Howard Stern Show. Among his most popular radio specials was The Elvis Presley Story in 1975.
While he first found success in radio, the handsome Martindale found wider, national fame on television. Earlier in Memphis, he’d hosted a science fiction-themed kids series called Mars Patrol and then hosted Teenage Dance Party, where his new friend Presley made an appearance on June 16, 1956.
But it wasn’t until 1964, when he landed his first game-show hosting job on NBC’s What’s This Song?, that Martindale found his niche. He followed the musical-contest show with NBC’s Words and Music, CBS’ Gambit and his biggest success Tic-Tac-Dough. Martindale hosted the popular and long-running Tic-Tac-Dough for its first seven seasons, leaving in 1985 to host Headline Chasers, which was the first show he produced, in association with Merv Griffin and syndication giant King World.
Martindale also went on to host such popular game shows as High Rollers, The Last Word, The Great Getaway Game, Trivial Pursuit, Debt, Instant Recall and more. With his wide grin and bubbly air, Martindale rather personified the game hosts – and became a frequent target of The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, who enjoyed skewering the genre and its famous faces.
“A good host is a person who loves people,” Martindale said in a 2017 interview with the Television Academy Foundation. “If you’re a people person, you’re naturally going to be attracted to contestants, and it’s easy for you to be able to interact with those people.”
In recent years, Martindale made appearances on such programs as Most Outrageous Game Show Moments, The Chase, and The Bold and the Beautiful, and appeared in commercials for Orbitz, KFC (alongside Rob Lowe) and more.
Martindale also worked in local Los Angeles TV, hosting KTLA’s American Bandstand-influenced P.O.P. Dance Party on Saturdays from the old Pacific Ocean Park pier during the early 1960s. He also hosted dance shows for KCOP and KHJ-TV. By 1970, Martindale was so recognizable as a DJ and game show host that he merited a Cheech & Chong parody on the duo’s debut comedy album.
Cheech Marin took on the role of “Wink Dickerson,” a smooth-talking but nerdy DJ at AM radio station KRUT. Tommy Chong played the stoner emcee of a multi-act concert who is tasked with introducing him – but can’t quite get the name right, saying, “I’m really not into AM, man.” When Chong’s character hits the stage, he calls him “ Winkerson from KRUD radio.” “” proceeds to drop a bunch of period slang in an effort to ingratiate himself to the booing young crowd as he brings on the next act, Blind Melon Chitlin’. The LP reached the Top 30 and went gold, launching Cheech & Chong’s long career and cementing Martindale as one of the quintessential, best-known game show hosts of his generation.
Martindale also supported numerous causes and produced and hosted annual telethons for Cerebral Palsy and St. Jude Children’s Hospital, among other charities.
In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2024 he was honored with a Beale Street Note on Memphis’ Beale Street Walk of Fame – not far from where, in 2015, he was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award by his alma mater, the University of Memphis. He also was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame and received the 1972 Gavin Radio Programming Award.
In addition to his wife, Martindale is survived by sister Geraldine; daughters Lisa, Lyn and Laura; a large extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren; and his “honorary son” Eric.