What actress arranged a screen test at Warner Brothers for Merv Griffin?

Answer:

Around 1953 Doris Day arranged the Warner Brothers Screen Test for Merv Griffin for the movie By the Light of the Silvery Moon. He didn't get the part. The Screen Test did lead to supporting roles in other musical films.

At that point he was already a success on the nightclub circuit and also he had formed his own record label Panda Records. His 1950 hit I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts sold 3,000,000 copies.

Merv Griffin turned away from Movies and instead decided to try his hand at the then new Media, Television. From Games Shows to Talk Shows to back to Game Shows to music to business investments Merv Griffin was estimated to be worth around a billion dollars when he died August 12, 2007.

He was married to Julann Wright from 1958 to 1976 and had one son. He had to deal with two same sex palimony cases. Both suits were ultimately dismissed with prejudice. When asked about his sexual orientation one response was, "You're asking an eighty-year-old man about his sexuality. Get a life!"