MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
OK. So, A?
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Yes?
MARTIN: Can I ask you a question?
MARTÍNEZ: Ask me anything, Michel.
MARTIN: OK. Would you like to buy a vowel?
MARTÍNEZ: A vowel, like an A, maybe?
MARTIN: A good choice, but not today. I was thinking an O, because a certain program just turned the big 5-0.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "WHEEL OF FORTUNE")
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: "Wheel Of Fortune."
MARTIN: That's right, the game show "Wheel Of Fortune" is 50 years old.
MARTÍNEZ: At least I'm younger than "Wheel Of Fortune." I'll take that.
MARTIN: (Laughter) Bragging or complaining?
MARTÍNEZ: Both.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: OK. Well, it first went on the air on this day back in 1975.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR: Players spin the Wheel of Fortune for fabulous prizes.
MARTÍNEZ: It is surprising that it's been on the air that long, I mean, because if you think about it, it's a pretty simple concept. Spin the wheel to figure out your prize, and then you guess the letters in a word or phrase until someone guesses the whole thing.
MARTIN: I know, but I guess maybe the factor of being on the spot like that maybe makes it harder.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Yeah.
MARTIN: I don't know. Never done it.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Yeah.
MARTIN: OK, but its first host was Chuck Woolery. He died just a couple of months ago, but NPR was able to talk to him about the show back in 2007.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
CHUCK WOOLERY: "Wheel Of Fortune" came from Merv playing Hangman all the time.
MARTIN: He's talking about the show's creator, Merv Griffin, the hugely successful talk show host and singer.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, also created "Jeopardy!" by the way.
MARTIN: Yeah, that one was a little harder to play.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
MARTIN: Woolery said that Griffin wanted "Wheel Of Fortune" to have a different vibe.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
WOOLERY: He said, make sure people can play along. And the other thing is, make sure when they leave the room and they come back that they can pick it up right where it was and feel like they haven't lost connection with what's going on.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, I think a lot of people associate the show with Pat Sajak, though.
MARTIN: Yeah, I mean, he took over right after Chuck Woolery. That was in 1981, and wouldn't you know it? NPR has also talked to Pat Sajak.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow. I mean, it's not like we're creepy fans or anything.
MARTIN: No, of course not. Sajak talked about being a TV weatherman in Los Angeles before Merv Griffin made him a star.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "WHEEL OF FORTUNE")
PAT SAJAK: Please do not adjust your sets at home. Chuck Woolery has not shrunk. A lot of people are playing with their vertical hold right now.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
SAJAK: Honestly, I didn't see myself as a game show host. You know, back then especially, there was sort of a stereotypical idea of a game show host, the guy, smiley - hey, you won $10,000, you know? And I don't really do that. Although, I did that pretty well just now.
MARTIN: Pat Sajak did go on to host the show his own way for 43 years.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, and just retired, right, just last year?
MARTIN: Just last year.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
MARTIN: And the gig belongs to Ryan Seacrest now. And we can't talk about "Wheel Of Fortune" without mentioning the woman who's turned the letters around since 1982. That would be Vanna White. Guess what? NPR also talked to Vanna.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter) Of course we did.
MARTIN: Yes. She very nicely summed up why "Wheel Of Fortune" has been so enduring.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
VANNA WHITE: It's a family show. It's 30 minutes when you're spending time with your family. You're solving the puzzles together. You're just being together. There's so much horrible stuff going on in the world. To have 30 minutes of quality time with a family member is special.
MARTIN: So happy birthday, "Wheel Of Fortune." Fifty years old today.
MARTÍNEZ: And by the way, Ryan Seacrest, I mean, come on. Come on. Come on to NPR. Let's complete the whole set.
MARTIN: (Laughter) Right, great interview with A Martínez.
MARTÍNEZ: I know. Me and him? We would vibe.
MARTIN: Totally vibe, totally vibe.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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