The E! True Hollywood Story (usually shortened to THS) is a TV documentary series on the E! cable channel which debuted on August 21, 1996 as essentially a counterpart to A&E's Biography. THS subjects have covered all forms of media, with episodes running for either one or two hours.
Wheel of Fortune[]
Wheel was the subject of Episode #380, airing January 23, 2005. The two-hour episode covered the program's history from its conception in 1973 through the then-present day.
The episode features a bevy of clips, including the January 6, 1975 premiere and Susan's last show (October 22, 1982), plus what had then been all circulating photos of the Shopper's Bazaar pilot. Also included are some rare publicity shots, as well as brief shots of production papers regarding the 1973-74 pilots.
Given the episode's contents, those interviewed (see below), and the timing of its production and broadcast, the THS could reasonably be considered Wheel's 30th-Anniversary Special.
People Interviewed[]
Listed alphabetically.
- Rolf Benirschke
- Belinda Berry (Vanna's friend)
- Lin Bolen
- Mark Corwin
- Ed Flesh
- Harry Friedman
- Merv Griffin
- Nancy Jones
- John Lauderdale
- Ray Manzella (Vanna's former manager)
- Vicki McCarty
- Marty Pasetta
- Pat Sajak (archival footage only)
- Diane K. Shah (journalist; talks about Pat's early life in his absence)
- Susan Stafford
- Herbert White (Vanna's father)
- Pat White (Vanna's cheerleading coach)
- Vanna White
- Chuck Woolery
- Fred Wostbrock (co-author of The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows and Susan's agent for a time, although only credited as "game show expert")
In addition, two unnamed staff members are briefly interviewed: a female in the show's wardrobe room discussing Vanna's outfits, and a male in the show's control room talking about tapings.