I just read that Merv Griffin passed away. I had a great experience with him a few years ago and thought I’d share.

I was asked to be a part of a new show called “The Court of Common Sense.” It was sort of like “Judge Judy” except that the decisions were based solely on common sense rather than the law. Needless to say, I loved the concept.

Every day for about a week we did run-throughs in Merv Griffin’s Beverly Hilton office. A run-through is when you test out a show and hopefully work out the kinks before the pilot is filmed. There were only a handful of us involved in this- me as the wisecracking court reporter, the always-funny Steve Seagren as the sidekick bailiff, the show creator, Merv Griffin and one of Merv’s top development execs. We auditioned several people to be the judge, including Howie Mandel, Bobby Collins and Adam West. Yes, the original Batman. He was my favorite as I thought his dry sense of humor was a nice contrast to Steve’s goofy style and my smart ass style.

Quite often during the week, Merv would ask for my opinion on things since I was the only female in the room. I remember being surprised the first time he did that because I wouldn’t expect someone of his stature to even notice I was there much less care about what I thought. But he was so friendly and kept commenting on how lovely I was that I thought he was flirting with me and I told a friend that. My friend said, “Uh, you know Merv Griffin is gay, right?” Apparently I missed that issue of the National Enquirer but it made perfect sense since the ‘Mo’s love me (I think it’s because at my former height of 5’10″ and with my broad shoulders I resembled a bad drag queen).

When we actually filmed the pilot, Joe Rogan held the role of the judge and it was absolutely hilarious. I was certain that the show was going to be an enormous hit but for some unknown reason it wasn’t picked up. Serious error in someone’s judgment.

But in a town full of phony, conceited nobodies, it was nice to encounter someone at the top who still acknowledged the little guy with respect. Merv Griffin seemed like a class act to me- R.I.P.