EXTRA! Vanna White

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Life is full of moments that matter and Edward Joe's helps you make the most of them. That's why every Edward Jones financial advisor works with you to build personalized strategies for now and down the road so when your next moment arrives bigger small, you're ready for it. Life is for living. Let's partner for all of it. Learn more@edwardjones.com hi Jane Pauley and this is our Sunday morning extra podcast featuring a memorable story from our latest show this week that a white she's been revealing letters on wheel of fortune for nearly 40 years now. She's revealing even more to our Moraga Vatican from my grandmother's next-door neighbor. Her name was Vanna world and my mother loved the name Vanna she's got the ANA. My mother changed the ANA and it just rolls right off the tongue is such a great name is distinctive. It is going up. It was a little difficult because it was an unusual name and Vona that Vanna Vanna, I wonder how many people think it's a stage name would be surprise at its it is your name. A lot of people think it short for Vanessa right what was it like growing up in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was wonderful back then we didn't have to lock our doors.

We left the keys in the car population of about 5000 people. It was just one if I ride my bike. Do all this things we did as kids in the beach was just part of growing up for sure go and lay on the beach with her reflectors and baby oil and just loved every minute of it is when you were what what were you watching on TV. Growing up I watched bewitched Gilligan's Island. The real McCoy is not all my gosh, my going way back when I can as real realists of the predecessor cottages Beverly hillbillies kind of watching shows. I did as a matter of fact, concentration was one of my game shows that I love to watch, and I even went to New York when I was 12 years old and went to the set concentration. Yes, it sounds right and so was that kind of site you are interested enough in that but that you know it's not entirely surprising doing this now and I grew up playing games to be played all the boardgames live monopoly Parcheesi.

We played all these games so games has been in my life my whole life and I read some of these should marbles yes I did in school did you I have to tell you I'm not sure how you play marbles is it. I know it's a circle about your marbles yes and you try to hit the you hit the marbles out and you get to keep the marbles that you get out of that circle. Oh. The object is to get them out of the circle. I think that's the way I remember it again so long ago, but now I remember playing that in school all the time I was a sharpshooter I was big when I had a big stock of marbles love that and it was your family bank.

I grew up with younger brother. So basically it was the four of us lies in what way what your parents do for a living.

My dad worked in the post office for 30 years. He was postmaster. My mother was an accountant.

She did taxes and so she's a bookkeeper and we had a normal life become home and or after school I come home.

We don't have dinner about 6 o'clock. We all had dinner together again. It was just really normal and I don't when I ask I read somewhere.

We were 14, you found out that your father was without your stepfather, yes, actually I was 12 my both my mother and father came to me and said you have real father my father that I knew as a father has he adopted you when you were three so we wanted way to your 12 to tell you so you can understand and if you would like to meet him. We would like. Just meet them. So that's that was my first trip to New York and then I met him and was this alternate head spinning for you or were you just can't resilient and you know what I thought to myself when I first saw him for the first time I real father. I thought gosh I look just like you, but he was a kind of a stranger, but I respected him, and I was very thankful that he gave me life and we remained close with course lived in New York and I lived in South Carolina at the time and we would correspond with letters and so forth and hit my grandparents as well.

So I was very close and in fortune. He passed away about 10 years after that you are still very young and it was was he Cuban. He was born in Havana, Cuba. Yes he was. And then they moved to Puerto Rico. It's okay and eventually you left North Myrtle Beach and you want to study in Atlanta. Yes close out like well when I graduate I graduated from high school wanted to be on TV.

I wanted to be in the movies but I felt coming from a small town. I should at least go to big city close by before I go all the way to Los Angeles so I moved to Atlanta Georgia attended a fashion college took some acting classes and I ended up loving the city life. So, five years after that 1980 I moved to Los Angeles packed up the car I did. I didn't even have a car at the time I wrote drove out there with a friend in a 20 foot U-Haul truck and I bought a little car and a Pinto white pinto for a few hundred dollars and I had to pay first and last months rent which was $700 at $1000 to my name 300 for the car. 700 for the apartment and a job immediately in a job. What was waitressing.

I've got a waitressing job boy and waitress before I did. You do don't worry I was in high school yet. The summer I would waitress and were you, I mean more scared, excited, even like I was scared at all. I don't know why I had such a strong drive to be on TV. I really did. From the time I was 10 years old. I would tell you that story to test result.

I just had my appendix taken out. I'm laying on the sofa and rat patrol comes on TV. It was a old TV show in my mother's in the kitchen cooking and she does all that your uncle Christopher George to my uncle.

I have an uncle on TV. I will be on TV is what started was 10 that soldiers are easy so it was both a dream, but it also seemed kind of attainable because you had a relative on TV. I think that's what did it. If he can do it I can do it for me this uncle when I came to Los Angeles I that's I don't know that show patrol rat patrol was it was an army show.

Okay were in jeeps and all that stuff and so and and at what point were you doing you to he and modeling for a while I did. I was able to get a couple of modeling jobs including my hands, which was great. That's the best because you don't have to put makeup on. You can just stick your hand out there.

We had Sunday morning.

We watched the story on hand models and was people were totally fascinated because some of the top hand models to protect their hands, like concert pianist. Did you have to be get will be careful know I was that I just got lucky and got the job though I it wasn't.

I wasn't planning on having hand modeling job. Just great and then and then you actually were on a game show a different game show yes which was I was on the Price is right. I came on down and I didn't want a doggone thing.

Did you get up on stage seated because not everyone makes it from the panel right of the first things you did get up on there. I got on stage and Bob Barker.

I kept looking in the monitor for my girlfriend to get the answers I say and he goes, if you stop looking at yourself in the monitor. You might win something I wasn't looking at myself in the monitor was looking for my friend Bob Barker throwing shade right then. Let me tell you something oddly enough, we take wheel of fortune there for a period of time. I had the same dressing room is Bob Barker. Years later, so it all worked out. It certainly did work out all right. So how did you get the job will fortune I went to a taping of dance fever which was a Merv Griffin show and I heard they were looking for replacement on wheel of fortune and just so happen Merv's right hand man Morrie Schwartz was there so I had a friend Janet Jones is no Janet Gretzky was one of the dancers are doing trip to Mary doing Gretzky.

She introduced me to Murray and of course I said hey if you haven't found replacement for will fortune, can I come in and audition. He gave me his card.

He said you call me on October 5 and if we haven't chosen someone you can come in and audition 10 o'clock on Tober. Fifth, I called he said come on in what I love about this trip the story so far. Also, is that your determined which are also very polite because he didn't even so to say I Nicole is a before you waited until he told you when you could call.

I did very professional about yes I was, as of the new called and he said we haven't found anyone, so I went to the studio. They shot me turning letters in meeting Pat and they put me on the air for a week. They couldn't decide between me and one other girl who was Vicki McCarthy who is now Vicki I have been who is also a friend of mine. She wrote several books great friend. I have a feeling you have a lot of long term friends I do started from the time I was born as a matter fact every October. I go back to my hometown with all my high school girlfriends. Not all of them but there's about eight or 10 of us it meets every year in have along girls weekend. You know sometimes people say you know just wondering if you have kind of a Amato in terms of how you approach work I mean do you, you know, would you make sure not to take it too seriously or you do take it seriously or I don't know you know as far as work goes, I do take it seriously, I'm I'm I'm on time and never late. I'm I go by the book.

Whatever it is I am there unprofessional and do I take my job seriously not what I do turn letters okay. Touch letters now and my job I'll be the first to make fun of it, shall we say it is what I do and I feel very lucky that I was able to get this job I love what I do and you can call it whatever it is but it's my job and it's good.

And do you miss turning letters. Now you know I've said is there any way you can make my job easier. I didn't really say that, but it saved a lot of time when I used to physically turn letters as we all know, but it took time because they had to manually stop tape and change those letters, which was couple hours at least to do so when they turned it into a computerized puzzle board. It went like that so it saved hours and you know production sure money and hours. The other will roll in that whole thing off they went, replacing them manually run every puzzle.

Yeah so can you imagine how long that takes right that's a big difference in time. So back to how you got the job done.

So then you and Vicki each did a week that he got a call that I got a call the day before Thanksgiving in 1982 I got a call from the producer saying you got the job best Thanksgiving ever. I still think God every day for my job. I do love it 37 years I've been doing it and still like it and let it know it's very it's funny because all those days of job security were people would stay with the company from start to finish of their careers in of the whole host of reasons. They don't exist anymore.

So there's something special right about being a place for a long time. Yes, it's great we have a huge family here, it will fortune is probably about 150 people staff and crew that have been on the show forever.

I'm talking about these kids.

They started out of college, they now have four kids of their own. Now we just have gone through a couple of generations and it's it's wonderful.

I come to work and it's my second family and you know I'm such a guess of the morning is also: Legacy program and or something special about that. You probably have your people to come up to you and say hi know my grandmother and I watched this together when I was growing up, and you guess if it gets to certain death. What kinds of things to people save you just like you said, I've watched you my whole life my grandmother and I watched you and you taught me the alphabets you taught me how to speak English really people will say that the English as a second language yesterday.

Yes, someone said that to us at the end of the show, so it's you know it's a half-hour of family fun. I think families get together. Life is so crazy these days and there's a lot of things on TV they're crazy so it's 30 minutes of safe, family fun educational right.

Almost like an oasis or something.

I mean, that's that that's really what the show was about to you right is not mean it it is. It's a family show in its everybody is so familiar with it. Everybody all ages.

Someone has a story about watching wheel of fortune and can you recall any of those that may be really touched you were surprised you yes I remember one in particular the guy when a brand-new car and he turned to Pat and said I don't have to take the bus anymore so we change people's lives. People payoffs kids pay off student loans. They by the first house they go on a honeymoon. There's if they start they start businesses. They help charities so that is really sweet that the man said. I don't take the bus anymore. Yeah, that really touched me. We hear hear stories like that all the time. So who is so was it Merv Griffin's decision solely he was in charge. I think it was Merv's. I think Merv is the one who made that final decision and did you ask him why he chose you. I did and he said, first of all you and Pat make a great brother sister team. I see you guys together and you did turn the letters better than anyone else.

What's interesting when you mention a brother sister dynamic with Pat. That's because that's the kind of appeal that in jurors right on you people in humans is apt to think part of the magic to come to. I think it Pat's personality and my personality go together. He gives he makes me look good. I think in the beginning I was so nervous and he took me under his wing and now he he's he's like a big brother to me and I think people see that they see our relationship and what what a good relationship.

It is in no way think that we people to mandate. They enjoy is like in the old days out calling Ken and Barbie you know inventive like Ken and Barbie. I do know what you would call us today. Been there for so long. Pat personal model for this kind of thing I'm but the audience is smart right they can tell when people like each other.

Do the yes the camera never lies and you agree with that. I great never lies and we genuinely like each other and you and him and that I think has to be a big part of the appeal of why the show was going on and on and on. Check one out. I don't know what the answer is that I think that is definitely a part of it has some neat little pieces Pat and me together as a team.

I think a lot of people like to see what I'm wearing.

Can I ask you and push it on about Naomi a difficult time in your life. In 1986. You work you were engaged yes yes my boyfriend at the time was killed in a plane crash that was devastating and I know there's a lot of people out there that lose relatives loved ones suddenly and it is of course the hardest thing to go through but again all my fans were so supportive and they I received tons of fan mail of letters I've been through this and they helped me by describing their stories and it just made me feel like I wasn't the only one did you think at the time, you know, obviously your your life was very much changed.

Did you think maybe all stopped the show or what you know horse my life will take now. I didn't think that it all as a matter fact, the show was my anchor. I was so thankful that I had it and I had such support around me and such love around me. It really they really just hugged me and everybody made me feel stronger and helped me get better and as time went on it and healed.

Then again, I'm so thankful that I was doing what I was doing on wheel of fortune and had all that support and love. Were you surprised by the outpouring of fan support and love I was. I either know how to describe that anyone who's been to that knows you just feel dead yourself and you don't want don't want to go on but again the show in the hands and everybody around me just gave me such support and pushed me up and and I've made it through. At what point did you at what point did you realize O'Boyle, household name, I mean I'm a first name only person that like that big.

That was when I was in the grocery line, checking out and I was on the cover of Newsweek.wow, I guess I've made it. Did you have any sense of O'Boyle, there's no turning back now.

Now you're just happy I was very happy I was doing what I wanted to do and the whole reason I wanted to be on TV was to be a good role model for people. Okay, tell me more, but I just felt I do know I grew up, my parents growing up in a small town. My parents were kind people and so they taught me to be kind and and I think we need more kindness in this country.

So in the world so I don't know. I've just always wanted to try to be a good role model for people and what a better way. I was fortunate to get to play myself instead of another character right you are Vanna White when you're up there is not a character correct right notes. Once I was doing project with with Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien psychically so Conan says he had to swim against the tide. When you're very famous of all the flattery of your wonderful your wonderful start leaving too much of that nuts. So when you're talking about you know going back to be with your girlfriends and back in South Carolina. Are there things you do, consciously, to sort of stay grounded. I think I'm pretty grounded.

Even today, I remember before I became famous I saw a couple of famous people who were not very nice to people and I thought if I ever become famous.

I'm not going to treat people that way. But all the same were all created the same you deliver 7000 episodes. Yes, how many different dresses over 7000. I've never worn the same dress twice what happens to the dresses. Most of them go back to the designer. There usually borrow dresses from the design as they send their samples and I wear them and then they take them back and but it is not because that's part of the fuel the show what she can wear this time. So I think from the very beginning. It's been part of it so it it has worked and I enjoy doing.

I feel like I'm I'm a Barbie doll dressing up every day. So when I'm not on camera.

I'm not in dresses about a will to.

I do miss you showcase shopping you do too lovely so far and the ceramic Dalmatian, no you.

Well I really was fascinating to see the choices that people make. I never understood why people to just take it all on account right you cash. Could you do that, I think the rules against it. I think you had to spend a certain amount of money.

But did you. I love that you just mentioned a ceramic Dalmatian. Yes, I agree to spend money on that did seem like a foolhardy decision so so when the but I wonder why I just I don't know if you can answer this one the get rid of it. I think they thought cash would be better right and I have to ask have you ever seen those video compilations of wheel of fortune fails.

Yes yeah you have a favorite with all my goodness, you know, I feel so bad because those contestants go through so much in there so nervous up there.

I just feel bad for them that you know they call a wrong letter say it the wrong way. I'm trying to think when it comes to mind, and you have a couple of the others. A group of pill pushers.

There's a streetcar naked desire leather mullet was it was Rosie Webb leather wallet. This was a big one. Minors and hose but I don't know what it was supposed to be so I'll have to get the answer for you. I don't remember and then there was a great one or all three contestants said the pointed desert, the painted Desert.

Your empathetic, of course, I am. I feel so bad for them. When that happens, because I'm sure that it's embarrassing to them, but don't be embarrassed. It's okay. Do you ever want that I have you come close to bursting into tears. You know on the show happiness for somebody or of course my heart just is. So get so warm when I see people win the bid and I think that's the biggest key to the success of the show.

Everyone loves to see a winner. November 8, 2019 eight 2019 was a day believe that the executive producer of the Kerry Friedman came to you and said that's the day, all my goodness, yes, that was the day he came to me at 10 in the morning and said pets in the hospital. He's going into surgery. How would you feel about hosting the show.what now you're kidding me for so how's Pat Pat, that's fine, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't really want to do it because it's so not part of me. You know that I have that I can fill his shoes. What to do.

I been watching them for 37 years, but not really watching him and paying attention, but I've been working with him and I just I said yes I said yes because I felt the show must go on. Were you as nervous as you were when you do that first week of tapings back in 1982, probably more nervous because I knew there were millions of people watching and I wanted to do a good job and it was way out of my comfort zone so it was a big challenge for me. Would you ever want to do it again. The top of my list. I will I love I love being there.

I love doing it. I did it was fine but I was so nervous. Maybe if I did it a few more times I would feel better about it, but I my worst critic and will what do you think you did less than perfectly. I just wasn't how to describe it. I wasn't comfortable I wasn't. I couldn't see. I couldn't see the scoreboard. It was way far away. Pat has better eyesight than me. Are you ever worried the robots can take your job know now I'm not actually they were replaced with a robe of the technology already exists. Now you're in the clear right yeah I say they need my touch.

Only my touch lights of those letters telling my touch progress and crazy time once final season is the point is we need. There are bad people in the world.

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