4/10/2022

Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune

Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune
  1. Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune Images
  2. Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune
  3. Chuck Woolery And Susan Stafford

Susan Stafford left Wheel of Fortune on October 22 1982 and was replaced by Vanna White on 13 December 1982 on the daytime show of Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Fortune Teen Week Susan Stafford A 1986 Part 1 of 2. 12 years ago 8.4K views. Very Special Wheel of Fortune with Susan Stafford guest. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Susan grew up in Missouri, started winning beauty contests as a teenager in Kansas City where her modeling career began. Susan moved to California and enjoyed success in co-starring roles in major television series and a couple of motion pictures. Susan is best known as the original hostess on 'Wheel of Fortune' from. BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS - October 18, 2015) - Susan Stafford, the original hostess of Wheel of Fortune, has revealed how she was present when a Catholic priest led Rock Hudson in the 'sinner's prayer' to receive Jesus Christ into his life, just hours before his death on October 2, 1985 of complications from AIDS. Susan Stafford was the original Hostess or letter turner for the Daytime Wheel of Fortune from 1975 until 1982 and was replaced by Vanna White.

Last updated
Susan Stafford
Born
October 13, 1945 (age75)
Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation
  • Game show co-host
  • author
  • clinical psychologist
  • chaplain
Yearsactive1970–present
Spouse(s)
  • (married'}]]}'>m.1973;divorced'}]]}'>div.1975)
  • (married'}]]}'>m.1976;annulled'}]]}'>ann.1981)
Partner(s)Dan Enright (1983–1992)
Websitesusanstafford.org

Susan Stafford (born Susanna Gail Carney October 13, 1945) is an American former model, actress and television host. She was the original hostess of the American game show Wheel of Fortune from January 6, 1975, until she left on October 22, 1982. She returned briefly to Wheel of Fortune in 1986 to substitute for Vanna White.[1][2]

Contents

Personal life

Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Stafford grew up in Missouri, and won several beauty contests as a teenager in Kansas City.[3] Stafford moved to California as an adult to work as a television actress.

Stafford married radio pioneer Gordon McLendon in 1973,[4] and was then married to Dick Ebersol of NBC Sports and Saturday Night Live in 1976. Ebersol and Stafford were married on a beach in Malibu. Their wedding was attended by John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and SNL producer Lorne Michaels. After they exchanged vows, Chase jokingly grabbed Stafford and threw her into the ocean.[5] According to People magazine, '[they] parted 18 months later.'[6] Their marriage was annulled in 1981.[7] Stafford later fell in love with game show producer Dan Enright. Enright employed her as vice president of Barry & Enright Productions.[8]

Stafford currently lives in Las Vegas.

Susan Stafford Wheel Of FortuneOriginal

Career

After leaving Wheel of Fortune, Stafford earned a B.A. in nutrition and an M.A. in clinical psychology from Antioch University, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the unaccreditedPacific Western University.[9] During this time, Stafford returned to television in 1988 as host of Alive, which aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network and in syndication. In 2003, Stafford made her first game show appearance since Wheel of Fortune, appearing on Hollywood Squares Game Show Week (Part 2).[10]

Stafford

Other Work

In 2011, Stafford published her first book, Stop the Wheel, I Want to Get Off.[11]

Walk of Stars- Golden Palm

In 2005, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[12]

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Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune Images

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References

  1. Greene, Bob (February 22, 1987). 'THAT'S HOW 'WHEEL OF FORTUNE' SPINS'. The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  2. 'Vanna White takes time off from 'Wheel of Fortune''. The Greenville News. June 1, 1986. p.9. Retrieved October 26, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Mitchell, Marilyn. Walking with the Stars. BearManor Media.
  4. Dary, David. 'MCLENDON, GORDON BARTON'. tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  5. Mitchell, Marilyn. Walking with the Stars. BearManor Media.
  6. Lemon, Richard. 'Live from Litchfield! It's the Improbable Duo of Dick Ebersol and Susan Saint James'. People. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  7. Potempa, Philip (July 6, 2008). 'Susan St. James smiling for life's happier moments'. The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved October 3, 2020 via nwitimes.com. Ebersol and Stafford where [sic] only married for a short time, from 1976 to 1981, before agreeing to have the marriage annulled.
  8. 'Stafford/Enright bows TV/pix unit'. Variety. January 21, 1993. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  9. 'Dr. Susan - Susan Stafford'. cmslogin.info. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  10. 'Susan Stafford'. IMDb.com. IMDb, Inc. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  11. Stafford, Susan (2010). Stop the Wheel, I Want to Get Off!. Xlibris Corporation.
  12. Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicatedArchived 2012-10-13 at the Wayback Machine

External links

  • Official website
  • Susan Stafford on IMDb
Media offices
Precededby
New creation
Wheel of Fortune Hostess
1975–1982
Succeededby
Vanna White
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images

In 1975, the game show phenomenon Wheel of Fortunedebuted on NBC. The show ran for 14 years on the network, before moving to CBS, then back to NBC before officially getting canceled on Sept. 20, 1991. However, for eight years, along with the show's daytime version, there was a nighttime syndicated version of the show, which debuted on Sept. 19, 1983. Confusing, right? The nighttime WheelofFortune has been a syndicated hit ever since.

Pat Sajak became the longest-running host of a game show when his 38th season premiered on Sept. 14, 2020. Sajak also hosted the network version of Wheel eight years after replacing the original host, Chuck Woolery. Vanna White has been with Sajack since the show's syndicated debut. However, she debuted the network version of the game show in 1982. During her time on Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White made it into the Guinness World Book of Records. On the May 24, 2013, episode of Wheel of Fortune, Guinness World Records presented White with a most frequent clapper certificate. As of Jan. 31, 2013, it was estimated she clapped at least 3,480,864 times across the show's 30 seasons. White not becoming a spokesperson for The Clapper seems like a missed opportunity, TBH.

Although White has been a fixture of Wheel of Fortune since 1982, she was not the first hostess on the game show. Keep scrolling for all of the details on Vanna White's letter-turning predecessor.

Susan Stafford was the original letter turner

Although Vanna White has become a game show icon, thanks to her almost four decades on Wheel of Fortune, Susan Stafford was the original Wheel letter-turner. Stafford, born on Jan. 27, 1944, started her career as a model, which led to acting roles on the 1970's TV series staplesIronside, Love American Style, Police Story, and Marcus Welby, MD.

Stafford's time on Wheel of Fortune ran from 1975 to 1982, when she decided to leave the hit game show after reassessing her life priorities. Of her decision to leave Wheel, in a February 1987 interview with The Chicago Tribune, Stafford said, 'I mean, for seven years I stood there and turned letters. I had to ask myself if that was any way for a grown woman to live her life.'

Despite second-guessing her life choices, in 1987, Stafford became the first woman to be nominated for an Emmy on a game show. Looking back, does she have any regrets since Vanna White became a household name? 'Do I kick myself?' Stafford told The Chicago Tribune. 'No, I like myself too much for that. Do I miss the money? You bet I do.' After leaving Wheel of Fortune, Susan Stafford did a total 180. Continue reading for more on her drastic life change.

Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune

Susan Safford became a born-again Christian

After leaving WheelofFortune, Susan Stafford went to work at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas, where she specialized in pastoral care education and working with dying cancer patients, The Chicago Tribune reported. Stafford revealed in her 2010 memoir, Stop the Wheel I Want to Get Off, that when she left Wheel, her bosses were quite surprised. Of the news, her boss allegedly said, 'You're going to Houston to take care of cancer patients, people who are dying? 'Susan, you can't be serious. Even for you, this is a stretch.' She replied, I'm very serious Murray, I can't expect you or anyone for that matter to understand. It's like a special 'calling from God.'

Stafford became a born-again Christian, and according to her website, she earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Psychology. She is also a motivational/inspirational seminar speaker and Spiritual Counselor. Stafford formed a non-profit organization called Wheel of Grace Unlimited and continues to reach out daily as a Chaplain and counselor.

Chuck Woolery And Susan Stafford

One of the most interesting stories involving Susan Stafford involves the late actor Rock Hudson. She was allegedly was present when a Catholic priest led Hudson in the 'sinner's prayer' to receive Jesus Christ into his life just hours before his death at 59 on Oct. 2, 1985, from AIDS complications. 'Yes, it is true that Rock Hudson accepted Jesus Christ on his deathbed,' she revealed in an interview with ASSIST Ministries. I wonder if Vanna White has any stories that can top that one?