As eras go, there is no greater sign of an ending than when a legend passes.
Robert William Barker made it the closest to 100 without going over when he died last week at the age of 99.
In the history of television, there have been some fantastic hosts — Masters of Ceremony, or MCs — for game shows, talk shows, beauty pageants, variety shows and all the rest. But really, was there anyone better than Bob Barker?
Barker was born in 1923 and grew up on an Indian Reservation in Washington state. His father was a part-Sioux electrical lineman; his mother was a schoolteacher. Barker met his future wife, Dorothy, at an Ella Fitzgerald concert while he was attending high school. They began dating when he was 15 and they married while in college at Drury University. In his 20s, Bob served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Bob’s first job in media came at a radio station in Missouri. He later was a newsman and disc jockey at a radio station in Florida. Before long, he headed to California to pursue a career in network broadcasting and landed a job at a radio station. His first radio show lasted six years.
In 1956, Barker was tapped to replace Ralph Edwards as host of the NBC-TV game show, “Truth or Consequences.” Barker became the most well-known host of the program, staying with it until 1975 (though “Truth or Consequences” ran until 1988 with other hosts).
In 1972, Mark Goodson and Bill Todman proposed a modernized version of “The Price is Right” to networks, with Dennis James as the host. CBS-TV was interested, but only if Bob Barker could replace James.
Barker’s tenure with “The New Price is Right” began 51 years ago this week on September 4, 1972. The format of the show really hasn’t changed in the years since.
As an hour-long program, contestants are chosen randomly by the announcer to appear on Contestants Row and begin making bids on grocery products. The winning bid closest to the actual retail price wins that prize then gets to play a pricing game. In the first half-hour, there are three pricing games, and the midway point of the show features all three contestants spinning the big wheel to determine who will appear in the Showcase Showdown at the end of the program.
During the second half-hour, three more contestants are chosen in the same manner, before spinning that same wheel. The showcases are then presented, featuring huge prizes such as trips, cars, furniture, boats, and more. The winning bid — again, the person closest without going over the actual retail price — wins the showcase.
The games themselves are legendary! There’s Lucky Seven, Safe Crackers, Punch-a-Bunch, Shell Game, Hit Me, It’s in the Bag, Switcheroo, Cover Up, One Away, Hole in One, Bullseye, Squeeze Play, Temptation, Check Game and Hi-Lo. But two games are often mentioned as favorites: Cliff Hangers (the one with the yodeling mountain climber) and Plinko (the one with the chips dropped on a peg board leading to different prize amounts).
Speaking of Plinko, that is a game that nearly got me kicked out of band once.
Dr. Johnny Long, my band director at Troy University, would have three- and four-hour rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday nights for the symphony band, the premier concert band at Troy. And while it was an honor to be there, the trombone section didn’t have a lot to do when he was working on those extremely challenging woodwind parts with the flutes and clarinets.
So, whenever one of our trombone cup mutes would lose its bottom — and this happened often, so we’d have to tape or glue them back on — we would label them as Plinko chips and set up a mini-Plinko game on music stands across the trombone section.
Until one night, Dr. Long saw us playing Plinko. I would say we lost the game that evening.
Back to Bob Barker, animal rights advocate: in 1982, he began concluding each episode with the words: “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”
He took his animal advocacy seriously. In 1987, after years of hosting the Miss USA beauty pageant, he requested the organizers remove fur prizes. When the producers refused, he quit. Later, in 1999, he testified before Congress about the mistreatment of circus animals, such as elephants.
While Barker had performed as an actor on episodic television over the years, it was a role in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore” that became his signature achievement. The avid golfer, playing himself, administers a severe beating to Happy Gilmore (played by Adam Sandler).
In 2007, Bob Barker announced he would be retiring at the end of the 35th season of “The Price is Right,” and he would be replaced by actor-comedian Drew Carey. Barker returned for numerous guest-hosting occasions, the last one in 2015. During that retirement period, he also guest-hosted other programs such as “Huckabee” and filled in as guest host on some other game shows.
When all the prizes have been won, what is the legacy of Bob Barker? It is an accomplishment we may never see again — 50-plus years of appearing on daily American television, most of that time hosting the No. 1 daytime program.
Smiling, congenial, pleasant, professional — all that, and the man might even give you a new car or a fancy trip. Not a bad life; the price, after all, was right.
Michael Bird is a music teacher for Tallassee City Schools.
