R.I.P. Wink Martindale - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

icecream · 04-15-2025, 06:57 PM

He was 91. Eerie news of his death comes one day after Brooke Burns' version of Tic Tac Dough premiered.

https://tvline.com/news/wink-martind...t-list-wrapper

biffbronson · 04-15-2025, 08:49 PM

Thanks for letting us know. I think I last saw Wink working on one of the PBS funding drives. His name was synonymous with popular game shows.

stevea · 04-15-2025, 09:31 PM

Rest in peace.

Dude111 · 04-15-2025, 10:36 PM

Very sad

Thank you icecream!!!

staytuned · 04-17-2025, 04:51 AM

You know folks, I just had a thought. After all the scheduled pilots have been uploaded on YouTube. One must think, will his channel Wink's Vault "file for bankruptcy"? I mean, Martindale had various unsold game show pilots and clips that were way more interesting and fun to watch than a former Original Kings of Comedy's regular and celebrity Family Filth parody spoof where the survey questions and answers are so straight up ghetto and adult oriented that you might as well have a barf bag sitting on your side of the recliner. Hell, even Jaleel White's Flip Side had better written survey questions that this.

bmasters9 · 04-17-2025, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by staytuned

You know folks, I just had a thought. After all the scheduled pilots have been uploaded on YouTube. One must think, will his channel Wink's Vault "file for bankruptcy"? I mean, Martindale had various unsold game show pilots and clips that were way more interesting and fun to watch than a former Original Kings of Comedy's regular and celebrity Family Filth parody spoof where the survey questions and answers are so straight up ghetto and adult oriented that you might as well have a barf bag sitting on your side of the recliner.

Indeed-- I saw quite a few of them, and though practically none of them actually became shows, at least they hardly had anything objectionable.

MrCleveland · 04-18-2025, 06:27 AM

He's My favorite game show host...I watched the show Trivial Pursuit when I was a kid.

TJ · 04-18-2025, 12:02 PM

Game Show Network will honor the late Wink Martindale with a four-hour marathon of "Tic-Tac-Dough" this Sunday, April 20th from 2pm-6pm.

icecream · 04-18-2025, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ

Game Show Network will honor the late Wink Martindale with a four-hour marathon of "Tic-Tac-Dough" this Sunday, April 20th from 2pm-6pm.

Ugh! Most Sundays I would be able to watch all of the marathon, but not on Easter.

staytuned · 04-18-2025, 12:32 PM

It sucks that Martindale never hosted/executive produced an updated version of Debt when he was still alive and I'm pretty sure he would've been awesome at it as well. But, let's be honest here ladies and gentlemen. In today's PC society, Hollywoke would've thrown him under the bus and ran him over since obviously these drooling neanderthals from tinseltools mostly would've considered hiring a washed-up comedian (more specficially a black comedian) or actor way before him.

Dude111 · 04-18-2025, 06:46 PM

The original one was much better!!

sm95fan · 04-18-2025, 10:39 PM

WTOJ FM is airing Wink's American Top 40 Guest Host from 10/11/75

Sunday 1pm EDT

staytuned · 04-19-2025, 04:58 AM

In my honest and humble opinion, Wink Martindale was, is and will always and forever be an actual game show host in real life. Not a former athlete turned morning show news anchor turned crappy game show host, not a washed-up comedian, not a washed-up actor and not somebody trying to host all of the major shows at once.

cd637299 · 04-19-2025, 09:53 AM

It caught me by surprise, reading of Wink’s passing. I almost always looked forward to The Vault for anything new to us.

Many pilots were absolute disasters (cough Duel in the Daytime cough), but also a few were legitimate shows that deserved longer runs. He also uploaded some episodes of “Whew!” * that BUZZR didn’t air.

Something HAS BEEN uploaded since Wink’s passing, and I don’t know who is in charge. Nevertheless, I hope that the Vault continues in the spirit that Wink intended.

[* I felt “Whew!” to have been a GREAT game show that deserved a longer run, and I think that adding celebrities caused it to jump the shark 🦈. The set was not built to accommodate twice the people. Ironically it was created by Jay Wolpert, of “Duel in the Daytime” fame above! One thing about Jay—he was all-over-the-place in his creativity!]

cd

staytuned · 04-19-2025, 02:21 PM

With the Winkster gone, that leaves Bob Eubanks, Pat Sajak, Bob Goen, Jim Peck, John Davidson, David Ruprecht, Pat Finn, Jim Peck, Jim McKrell and Marc Summers still with us. As far as classic veteran hosts go.

P.S. Am I missing any?

04-15-2025, 06:57 PM	#1
icecream Cat-tastic and Whiskerlicious Forum Celebrity Join Date: Sep 01, 2006 Location: The Catacombs Posts: 20,614	R.I.P. Wink Martindale He was 91. Eerie news of his death comes one day after Brooke Burns' version of Tic Tac Dough premiered. https://tvline.com/news/wink-martind...t-list-wrapper
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04-18-2025, 06:27 AM	#7
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	He's My favorite game show host...I watched the show Trivial Pursuit when I was a kid.
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

04-19-2025, 04:58 AM	#13
staytuned Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2025 Location: Some Where You are Posts: 268	In my honest and humble opinion, Wink Martindale was, is and will always and forever be an actual game show host in real life. Not a former athlete turned morning show news anchor turned crappy game show host, not a washed-up comedian, not a washed-up actor and not somebody trying to host all of the major shows at once.
	Last edited by staytuned; 04-19-2025 at 01:26 PM.

04-15-2025, 08:49 PM	#2
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,281	Thanks for letting us know. I think I last saw Wink working on one of the PBS funding drives. His name was synonymous with popular game shows.

04-15-2025, 09:31 PM	#3
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,196	Rest in peace.

04-15-2025, 10:36 PM	#4
Dude111 Forum Legend Join Date: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 35,386	Very sad Thank you icecream!!!

04-17-2025, 04:51 AM	#5
staytuned Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2025 Location: Some Where You are Posts: 268	You know folks, I just had a thought. After all the scheduled pilots have been uploaded on YouTube. One must think, will his channel Wink's Vault "file for bankruptcy"? I mean, Martindale had various unsold game show pilots and clips that were way more interesting and fun to watch than a former Original Kings of Comedy's regular and celebrity Family Filth parody spoof where the survey questions and answers are so straight up ghetto and adult oriented that you might as well have a barf bag sitting on your side of the recliner. Hell, even Jaleel White's Flip Side had better written survey questions that this.

04-18-2025, 12:02 PM	#8
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,650	Game Show Network will honor the late Wink Martindale with a four-hour marathon of "Tic-Tac-Dough" this Sunday, April 20th from 2pm-6pm.

04-18-2025, 12:32 PM	#10
staytuned Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2025 Location: Some Where You are Posts: 268	It sucks that Martindale never hosted/executive produced an updated version of Debt when he was still alive and I'm pretty sure he would've been awesome at it as well. But, let's be honest here ladies and gentlemen. In today's PC society, Hollywoke would've thrown him under the bus and ran him over since obviously these drooling neanderthals from tinseltools mostly would've considered hiring a washed-up comedian (more specficially a black comedian) or actor way before him.

04-18-2025, 06:46 PM	#11
Dude111 Forum Legend Join Date: Nov 05, 2013 Posts: 35,386	The original one was much better!!

04-18-2025, 10:39 PM	#12
sm95fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 07, 2021 Location: Las Lunas Posts: 1,880	WTOJ FM is airing Wink's American Top 40 Guest Host from 10/11/75 Sunday 1pm EDT

04-19-2025, 09:53 AM	#14
cd637299 cd637299 Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 14, 2022 Location: South Florida Posts: 844	It caught me by surprise, reading of Wink’s passing. I almost always looked forward to The Vault for anything new to us. Many pilots were absolute disasters (cough Duel in the Daytime cough), but also a few were legitimate shows that deserved longer runs. He also uploaded some episodes of “Whew!” * that BUZZR didn’t air. Something HAS BEEN uploaded since Wink’s passing, and I don’t know who is in charge. Nevertheless, I hope that the Vault continues in the spirit that Wink intended. [* I felt “Whew!” to have been a GREAT game show that deserved a longer run, and I think that adding celebrities caused it to jump the shark 🦈. The set was not built to accommodate twice the people. Ironically it was created by Jay Wolpert, of “Duel in the Daytime” fame above! One thing about Jay—he was all-over-the-place in his creativity!] cd

04-19-2025, 02:21 PM	#15
staytuned Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2025 Location: Some Where You are Posts: 268	With the Winkster gone, that leaves Bob Eubanks, Pat Sajak, Bob Goen, Jim Peck, John Davidson, David Ruprecht, Pat Finn, Jim Peck, Jim McKrell and Marc Summers still with us. As far as classic veteran hosts go. P.S. Am I missing any?