It's most associated with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, but Wheel of Fortune — which debuted Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC and premieres its primetime spinoff, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, on ABC on Jan.
7— was first hosted by Chuck Woolery. Woolery, then 33, was trying to make it in Nashville as a singer. After performing on The Merv Griffin Show, Griffin "took me to his office and said, 'We got this show that we're doing called Shopper's Bazaar,' " recalls Woolery.
That pilot incorporated Hangman-style puzzles and a roulette wheel but was "horrible," says Woolery, 79. After NBC passed, Griffin retooled it as Wheel of Fortune and got a green light. "Before you knew it, we were number one in the ratings," says Woolery.
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