Timeline of Nancy Jones departure / Harry Friedman's Hiring

Here are a few words about the internal atmosphere at Wheel of Fortune under the management of Nancy Jones. Since this was my first travel, I found it interesting that every night after wrap, there was a production meeting usually in Nancy Jones's hotel suite. On this Dallas trip, we were lodged at the five-diamond Adolphus Hotel. One evening prior to our first day of production, the entire staff was transported to Mesquite, Texas, for dinner. A closed restaurant had been hired for our meal that included a band for our entertainment and dancing pleasure. On arrival, Nancy Jones told me with a pointed finger, "You're going to dance with me tonight."

Our restaurant was interesting in that at one end was a highly polished wooden slide that was easily two and a half stories in height. The drinks were a generous free pour, and as you might imagine, the Texas charbroiled steak was excellent.

Did I dance with Ms. Jones? No, I did not. I made a point of slipping out for a smoke and was inadvertently locked out. I was happy to keep it that way.

Ms. Jones was not happy with me for dancing with her since I was washed out of the following trip to Orlando, Florida, at Disney World in early 1995. An interesting thing occurred during the planning for Orlando. Ms. Jones's assistant, Karen Griffith, submitted the travel list to Nancy Jones, who immediately scratched my name. I later learned that three days later, Ms. Jones provided Karen Griffith the name of a good friend of hers to take my plane seat and hotel room for the friend's vacation enjoyment.

Can you say whim and caprice?

Another incident which confirms the whim and caprice is best illustrated by an incident arising out of a staff dinner at an Orlando karaoke bar. The stage manager from CBS, Mr. Randy Berke, was expected to get up and sing like everyone else. Berke refused to indulge Nancy Jones with his ability to warble. Ms. Jones then refused Berke the van ride back to the hotel, forcing Berke to walk nearly two miles. Once the show was moved to Sony Studios, Randy Berke would come with it. Ms. Jones would not.

Sony made no excuses or apologies for their intent to move their show to their lot in Culver City. It only followed suit to the 1994 move of Jeopardy!

The intention of Sony was clear. Nancy Jones simply refused to acknowledge their ownership and control of the property or participate in any way with the Sony Studio or related business of creating a sound stage. Ms. Jones sent Wally Weltman's assistant, Steve Schwartz, in her place as Wally Weltman was seriously ill and succumbed to cancer sometime after the Norfolk, Virginia remote in April 1995.

The refusal on the part of Nancy Jones to deal with any Sony preparations for the impending move was to be the catalyst for many internal changes that were to greatly improve not only the overall production but the overall workplace atmosphere.

In late February 1995, I was with Merv for the annual La Quinta Arts Festival extravaganza, which always closed out the day at Merv's estate. That is, you could close out your day there if you donated the $250 per person that remained in the Arts Council's offers. It was charity of course, and there was no shortage of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres with beer and wine.

The next day as I prepared to leave, I bid Merv a goodbye and see you tomorrow on my lips when he announced, "I have to go to Sony tomorrow and do battle with those ... They want to fire Nancy Jones. I'm going to see if I can save her job."

My immediate question was, who would replace her? Merv responded with a nastily curled lip, "A nice enough little guy who has been producer of two failed television shows and now Sony wants to let him ... up the Wheel of Fortune."

I was immediately reminded of a passage of military wisdom from the book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. "Don't fight on your foe's territory unless you have no choice."

I assessed Merv's willingness to do battle at Sony Studios as a certain loser, and I was right.

A mere few days later we were in production at CBS. After the wrap, Pat Sajak called the entire staff into his dressing room and announced that Nancy Jones's tenure as executive producer of Wheel of Fortune was finished.

At the following day's production, everyone had the opportunity to meet the new executive producer, Mr. Harry Friedman, a breath of fresh air. Harry started out well liked and remains so to present day. Of course, not everyone was taken with Harry. There were a few who opted out of the show with a preference to stay with Nancy Jones. Why is a mystery to me since she wasn't doing anything except moving to her horse ranch on the big island of Hawaii. Go figure.

[new chapter]

In April 1995, Wheel of Fortune was scheduled prior by Nancy Jones's planning for production of ten shows aboard the IKE. Ms. Jones's other arrangements had the staff split between two hotels. The larger portion of the staff were lodged downtown at the newer Marriott Hotel, while Harry Friedman, myself, hair, makeup, wardrobe, and of course, Vanna, child, and nanny were lodged at the Omni Hotel, closer to the waterfront. Why? Well, there is an answer to that as well and entirely consistent with a Jones decision. The Marriott being much newer was better appointed than the crappy Omni Hotel that had old-style windows you could open if you wished. All of us in the regular-sized rooms had the same complaints: mold infestation in the bathroom. Vanna's makeup lady was lodged in a handicapped room with the closet clothing rod at wheelchair height.