Years ago, GSN aired the still-existing weekly prime time episodes of NBC’s (later ABC’s, but there aren’t nearly as many) The Price is Right with Bill Cullen. Recently, BUZZR has started airing them, but have made some additional edits to them.
First, the show used to have “home viewer sweepstakes/showcases”, where viewers would send in prices on postcards, and the winners would be announced on TV. When GSN aired them, the full announcement was left in, which included not only the winner’s name, but their home address as well! BUZZR now edits out the winner’s information, although usually it forgets to remove the winner’s last name when Bill congratulates them on winning - and it makes no sense to edit out a winner’s name and home city if, as happened in later years, the winner then appears as a contestant in a later episode.
Second, some episodes have, as a prize, a “King ______ car, from the ______ Motors Company.” The missing word is “midg-” - er, “a six-letter word beginning with M that was a synonym for a short person, but is now considered by some people to be derogatory.”
I used to love watching TPIR as a kid in the 70s and 80s. I was vaguely aware that Bob Barker wasn’t the first host, but I didn’t realize the program dated from the 1950s.
Is it similar to how Art Fleming’s Jeopardy! went off the air in the 1970s, and then was revived later in the 80s with Alex Trebek? Was Bob Barker’s The Price is Right a revival after a hiatus?
The 1950’s version was pretty rough. Instead of dropping a ball down the Plinko board, the contestant dropped the severed head of a blacklisted screenwriter.
I watched the other day and a prize was a Piper Tri-Pacer. I have always yelled at the TV during that show and one player stood pat at $3100 IIRC while everyone else was up around seven grand, including the usual asshole who bid a buck more than the next highest bidder. Mr Lowball must have heard me across the decades because I kept yelling “It costs $3200.” My childhood subscription to Flying paid off as the MSRP was $3191.
The bonuses here are really something! Like, contestants bid on a $1200 bar and the winner also gets to throw a big party with Woody Herman providing live music.
My dad was on the original Price Is Right, with Bill Cullen.
He won OVER 30K$ of stuff in 1963 dollars. Including a Leopard Jacket and a White Beaver full length cape (hood trimmed in mink)…an, I kid you not, a HOUSE in florida as a bonus prize.
I wish i could see the episodes. My mom has them on records but that is just (obviously) the audio.
“Oh, Carol…Carol… …YES!!!..siiiiiiiigh” (yup, that 70’s soundtrack, in earth browns and greens.)
Also put me in the camp with those who had no idea it existed that far back. And of course Bill Cullen would’ve hosted it back then (whom I believe hosted about 12,872 different game shows).
He got around.
Maybe he was the only person allowed to host game shows back then, and then the FCC loosened up and let Jack Barry into the rarifed fold.
Strange - didn’t know there was also a “nighttime” Price is Right from '72 to '80.
Wow, your basic 3-bedroom’er?
Heh - can’t picture Jay Stewart yelling out, “A NEW HOUSE!”
My Mom and Dad were flown down to Leigh High Acres sub division (in Florida, Fort Myers area), given a key to a new house and told if they found the home in 8 hours it was theirs to own.
They found it!
To answer questions that may arise…yes, times were different (1963) and the local newspaper ran and article to inform the subdivision residents.
They sold the house to pay taxes on the other loot.
Mom still has the Leopard and Beaver coats. The leopard is endangered but grandfathered in by date purchased (won).
I’m picturing running from one front door to the next, trying the key in hundreds of identical-looking houses. I would think eight hours would be plenty… even if it took a minute apiece, that’s 480 houses.
I could swear there was an episode where one starter contestant kept getting outbid by a dollar multiple times. And started looking pissed as hell as the game went on.
That is how it was done…I was 3 at the time, I do not remember it but that’s how the story was told to be. And the news paper articles support the story.