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No Such Thing As A Fish
No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As Magical Fox Phishing

February 19, 2026 • 52m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

This episode features comedian Ray O'Leary joining the team to discuss fascinating facts about a lucrative TV theme song, Japan's phone-answering competitions, philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau's scandalous confessions, and the belly-flopping mating rituals of manta rays. The conversation weaves through topics ranging from game show history to marine biology with the podcast's signature blend of humor and surprising information.

The $70 Million Lullaby: Jeopardy's Theme Song

Ray reveals that a 30-second lullaby written in 1963 has earned over $70 million in royalties. This simple tune became the iconic theme for the quiz show Jeopardy, written by the show's creator Merv Griffin. The discussion explores how Griffin's wife actually came up with the show's innovative answer-question format on an airplane, and how Griffin built an entertainment empire that included both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.

  • A 30-second lullaby from 1963 has made over $70 million in royalties as the Jeopardy theme song
  • The song was written by Merv Griffin, creator of Jeopardy, who paid himself royalties every episode (230 episodes per year)
  • The melody is nearly identical to 'I'm a Little Teapot' but was never challenged for copyright infringement
  • Griffin's wife Julianne Wright actually invented Jeopardy's format on a plane by suggesting swapping answers and questions
  • Griffin also created Wheel of Fortune and sang the original version of 'I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts'
" come on, people, get a life "

Merv Griffin's Entertainment Empire

The episode explores Merv Griffin's massive influence on television, from creating both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to hosting a chat show where he interviewed 25,000 people. His final interview with Orson Welles became legendary when Welles agreed to answer personal questions he'd always refused to discuss, then died two hours after the interview ended. Griffin also discovered talent and had connections to major entertainment figures including Doris Day and Ronald Reagan.

  • Merv Griffin interviewed an estimated 25,000 people on his chat show
  • Griffin's best interview was with Orson Welles, who agreed to answer personal questions then died two hours later
  • Griffin was discovered by Doris Day but was too short to be a leading man, relegated to minor roles
  • He served as a pallbearer at Ronald Reagan's funeral
  • Vanna White holds a Guinness World Record for clapping 3,721,446 times on Wheel of Fortune as of February 2015
" you know these wonderful gossipy things that you've always wanted to ask about my past? And Merv says, yeah, yeah, but I'm not allowed to ask those, am I? And Orson Welles says, well, tonight you are. I'm feeling very expansive "

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