By Michaela Gordoni
Beloved game show host and friend of Movieguide®, Winston Conrad “Wink” Martindale, passed on Tuesday after a battle with lymphoma.
“Wink was a wonderful friend, who came several times to the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards. We spent long dinners reminiscing about the Golden Age of Hollywood. Jesus will be happy to enjoy the heavenly banquet with Wink,” Movieguide® founder Dr. Ted Baehr said.
The game show host is known for GAMBIT, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, TIC-TAC-DOUGH, HIGH ROLLERS, THE LAST WORD, THE GREAT GETAWAY GAME, DEBT, INSTANT RECALL and nearly half a dozen more.
The Tennessee native had a 74-year-long career in the entertainment industry. He was a DJ before he became a TV personality, and his mix of “Deck of Cards” reached the Billboard Hot 100, CBS News reported. His first venture on the screen was as the host of MARS PATROL, a kids’ sci-fi program.
According to Elvis’ family, Martindale was an important part of Elvis’ launch to fame. The radio station he worked for, Memphis’ WHBQ, debuted Presley’s first record on the radio for the first time. Martindale called Elvis’ mother and asked her to have Elvis come to the station.
“Elvis soon arrived at WHBQ for his first interview, and music was changed forever,” the family statement reads.
The two were good friends. Elvis once joined Martindale on an episode of TEENAGE DANCE PARTY, which Martindale hosted. Martindale’s wife, Sandy, was also an old flame of Elvis’. In 1959, Martindale did a trans-Atlantic phone interview with Elvis, who was in the Army in Germany, NPR reported.
In 1998, Martindale did Movieguide® the honor of hosting the sixth annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala, creating a memorable night for all.
In 2018, he remarked that his role on GAMBIT was a tough win.
“I remember that they auditioned practically every possible host,” Martindale told the Television Academy Foundation at the time. “It came down to Dick Clark and me, and this is one time I beat Dick Clark.”
“I enjoy finding out what makes people tick,” he told the Television Academy Foundation. “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.”
Related: LASSIE Actor Joey D. Vieira Dies ‘Minutes Shy’ of 81st Birthday
Martindale was “surrounded by family and his beloved wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale,” when he passed, per Deadline.
The Game Show Network posted on social media: “The entire Game Show Network family mourns the loss of Wink Martindale, the host of the original TIC-TAC-DOUGH and a true legend of television game shows,” “His charm and presence lit up the screen for generations of viewers and he will never be forgotten.”
Martindale was a follower of Christ and recently had a role on Pure Flix’s HILTON HEAD ISLAND, as a pastor. A few years ago, he shared a gospel story on TBN in remembrance of Memorial Day.
Martindale hosted and produced telethons for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and other charities. He hosted a telethon for his hometown’s local Cerebral Palsy center in Jackson, TN, for twelve years in a row.
In 2006, Martindale got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Last year, he got a Beale Street Note on Memphis’ Beale Street Walk of Fame. He is a recipient of the Gavin Radio Programming Award and one of the original inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame.
Wink’s charismatic presence will be deeply missed. Please pray for friends and family of the entertainer in their time of grief.
Read Next: 007 Star Sir Sean Connery Dies at Age 90
- Content: +3Share:
- Content: +1