Wink Martindale, the friendly host of popular game shows like “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough,” who also conducted one of the first recorded TV interviews with a young Elvis Presley, has passed away at 91.
Martindale died on Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California, after battling lymphoma for a year, his publicist Brian Mayes confirmed. He had been doing well until just a few weeks ago.
“Gambit” debuted in September 1972, the same day as “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker and “The Joker’s Wild” with Jack Barry. Martindale explained in his 2000 memoir “Winking at Life” that “Gambit” succeeded because it kept things simple. He said it was like playing blackjack—easy to understand.
Although “Gambit” had been beating its competition for over two years, a new show, “Wheel of Fortune,” premiered in 1975. By December 1976, “Gambit” was off the air, and “Wheel of Fortune” became a massive success that continues to this day.
In 1978, Martindale returned with “Tic-Tac-Dough,” which ran until 1985. He described his comeback as going “from the outhouse to the penthouse.”
He was the host during Navy Lt. Thom McKee’s 88-game winning streak, where McKee earned over $300,000 in cash and prizes, including cars, sailboats, and vacation trips. At the time, McKee’s winnings set a record for game show contestants.
Martindale enjoyed interacting with contestants, saying that winning large amounts of money could truly change their lives. He mentioned that his time hosting “Tic-Tac-Dough” led to him giving away more than $7 million in cash and prizes.
Martindale’s experience as a radio DJ helped him succeed as a game show host. He learned to handle unexpected situations, estimating that he hosted nearly two dozen game shows in his career.
He often received two questions: “Is Wink your real name?” and “How did you get into game shows?” He got the nickname “Wink” from a childhood friend, and it’s unrelated to Don Martindale, the University of Michigan defensive coordinator.
Born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1933, in Jackson, Tennessee, Martindale was passionate about radio from a young age. At 6 years old, he would read advertisements aloud from Life magazine. He began his career as a disc jockey at 17, earning $25 a week at WPLI in Jackson.
He moved to WTJS and was then hired by WDXI for double the salary. Afterward, he hosted a morning show at WHBQ in Memphis while attending Memphis State. He graduated in 1957, married, and had two daughters by that time.
Wink Martindale and his wife Sandy Ferra MartindaleMartindale was at WHBQ when Elvis Presley’s first song “That’s All Right” was played on July 8, 1954. In 1956, Martindale conducted a joint interview with Presley on his TV show “Top Ten Dance Party” after Presley became a star.
Martindale and Presley stayed in touch over the years. In 1959, Martindale did a transatlantic interview with Presley, who was stationed 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 moved to Los Angeles to host a morning show on KHJ and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his version of “Deck of Cards.” It sold over 1 million copies and he performed it on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Martindale moved to KRLA and KFWB, and had two separate stints at KMPC, a station owned by actor Gene Autry.
His first network hosting job was on NBC’s “What’s This Song?” from 1964 to 1965. He later hosted two shows produced by Chuck Barris on ABC: “Dream Girl ’67” and “How’s Your Mother-in-Law?” The second show was canceled after just 13 weeks.
Martindale went on to host a Las Vegas-based revival of “Gambit” from 1980 to 1981. He later formed Wink Martindale Enterprises and produced his own game shows, such as “Headline Chasers” in 1985 and “Bumper Stumpers” from 1987 to 1990.
He hosted “Debt” from 1996 to 1998 on Lifetime and “Instant Recall” on GSN in 2010. He returned to his radio roots in 2012, hosting the syndicated “The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time.” In 2021, he hosted “The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
In 2017, Martindale appeared in a KFC ad campaign with actor Rob Lowe.
Martindale is survived by Sandy, his wife of 49 years, his daughters Lisa, Madelyn, and Laura, and many grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Wink Jr., from his first marriage, which ended in divorce in 1972.
