December 31 is quickly coming upon on, and believe me, nobody is more relieved about that than I am. Not only will it mercifully mark the end of another year (thank goodness), but it will obviously mean a new one is just around the corner (thank goodness) - and one of these years, the new year has got to be better than the last one. It's like Susan Lucci at the Daytime Emmy's: The odds have got to be on my side... Right?
December 31, however, is also a significant day in entertainment history, and this year's anniversary is a milestone one. Though, this time around, it's also somewhat bittersweet.
Nearly fifty years ago, on December 31, 1956, millions of people would turn on their television as they usually did at that time, and tune into the hit show Truth Or Consequences. ToC was about to enter it's 18th year on the air, including the first ten years of its history as a radio show.
However, what would be sigificant about today's show wasn't the fact it was the final episode of 1956, but a major change. Out was former host Jack Bailey, and in his place was a young man who was making his television debut after working on various radio shows throughout the previous decade.
It would be on this day that America would first lay eyes on a 33 year old man named Bob Barker.
At this point, surely nobody knew what to expect from this new, recently-discovered host. Would he sink? Would he swim? Surely, nobody out there could've imagined that he would last 19 years (two more years than original host and creator Ralph Edwards)...
Or that fifty years later, he'd still be a fixture on television.
While Bob has become synonomous with The Price Is Right, it would be his success on Truth Or Consequences that would put him on the map. And while Ralph Edwards clearly saw great things for his young protogee, I don't even think he would've imagined that young Bob's career would last 50 years, or that the world would watch as young, newly discovered Bob Barker would become senior citizen, game show legend Bob Barker on our televisions.
Needless to say, this is an anniversay I've been looking forward to for some time. Of course, it goes without saying that it's been dampened a bit by knowing we won't be celebrating anymore of these anniversaries on television after this one.
To take a look at where my fascination with Bob began, we have to take a step back to 1979 - my earliest recollections of watching the World's Greatest Master of Ceremonies in action.
Game shows dominated daytime television. You could turn on your TV from nearly anytime between 9 am and 8 pm and likely catch a game show. While the genre may have had it's first boom in the 50's (before scandals rocked the industry), the 70's may have been the golden age of the game show.
I was like a kid in a candy store (or like what I am now when I find a site that sells fetish footwear). I was engrossed with game shows the way most kids are engrossed with cartoons. There were so many shows I was hooked on, but even then The Price Is Right was something very special.
TPIR was in its eighth year on CBS. Bob was a spry, young 55 - still being picked up and bear-hugged by Simoans. The great Johnny Olson was still shouting for people to come on down. And with it's exciting games, colorful set, fabulous prizes - and, of course, the witty and charming Bob Barker - what was there not to love?
Back then, I looked forward to summers and breaks. While I actually liked school back then, I would've liked it more if it started at 11:30, so I could watch The Price Is Right before heading off to class.
Over the years, I watched so much of the show change. Bob started urging us to have our pets spayed or neutered. Johnny passed away, and would be replaced by Rod Roddy. Rod, too, would pass on, and be replaced by Rich Fields. The set changed. New games were added. Old games were retired. Bob's hair turned grey. The models were replaced. The soundstage where TPIR is taped went from being "Studio 33" to "The Bob Barker Studio"...
But the one constant through all of that was Bob Barker himself, who kept on ticking away like a Timex.
That would all change on October 31. On what is supposed to be a dark day, Bob Barker would make an announcement, one we probably all knew was coming someday, but never wanted to hear...
He announced his retirement.
Bob, who recently turned 83, finally decided it was time. Admitting that the show is taking more and more of a toll physically and mentally, he decided to "retire while he's still young", and to walk away after half a century on television.
I have a number of mixed feelings on the news...
First off, I am happy for him. After fifty years, he certainly deserves some rest, and I hope he truly has a long and happy retirement.
Secondly, I am happy for the animal world, as Bob will now have more time and energy to devote to making the world a better place for them. We all know that has been a very important cause in his life, and I'm sure he won't abandon that just because he's stepping out of the spotlight.
That being said, there is some genuine sadness. I grew up with Bob. In a world that has often times been chaotic and out of control for me, Bob Barker on daytime television has always been a constant. I knew no matter how dark my mood was, Bob was also good for a laugh, and watching him for an hour would be like stepping into a time machine, and enjoy watching someone who had been there since childhood.
As my friend Mike put it after the news broke (when some people on golden-road.net seemed bothered by the fact the forum felt like a funeral), it's natural to be said when someone who brought so much joy into our lives decides to call it a career. And, no, it's not like Bob is passing away, but in a way, he is passing out of our lives. After June, we won't see him on TV anymore, and it's not like we can drop in and have coffee with him. He's moving on, and it's hard to say how much we'll see him after he walks off that stage for the final time.
I would like to reflect on some thoughts I have, and have had, since the heartbreaking announcement a couple months ago:
The end of an era: Bob truly had been a fixture on television, and in many of our lives. I mean, to put it into perspective, how many SHOWS have lasted on television as long as Bob has? Guiding Light? The Today Show? He has braved nine presidencies (Eisenhower was just about to start his second time). Color television was still years away. We were thirteen years away from Neil Armstrong uttering those famous words from the moon. Reagan was still an actor (come to think of it, did he ever quit being one?). Madonna wasn't even BORN yet, much less be into her plans to take over the world.
Honestly, it's kind of hard to admit and accept that such an incredible journey is about to end...
Last one to leave, turn off the lights: Obviously, it goes without saying that Bob is the last host standing from the early days of game shows, as nearly everyone who hosted back in the 1950's has not only retired, but passed on to the great game show in the sky. But, to put into perspective how long Bob's career has spanned, let's go back to 1979, the genesis of my love of game shows.
Do you know how many hosts who were on TV back then are still on TV now, including Bob himself?
Three.
Besides Bob, we have Alex Trebek, who was hosting High Rollers. And Chuck Woolery, who was hosting a little show named Wheel Of Fortune (yes, THE Wheel Of Fortune).
During those 27 years, countless ones have either retired, or been left behind by the crumbling game show market: Wink Martindale, Tom Kennedy, Peter Marshall, Geoff Edwards, Jim Perry, Bob Eubanks, Jim Lange, Richard Dawson, Monty Hall, and Dick Clark, to name a few...
And, sadly, of course, some of those great have moved onto the great game show: Bill Cullen, Gene Rayburn, Jack Barry, Allen Ludden, Bert Convy, Art James and Dennis James, to name a few.
When Bob steps down in six months, we'll be down to just two hosts left from my golden days of game shows.
The future of Price: Then, I must admit, I worry about the future of a show I've grown up on. CBS and Fremantle have made it clear Price will carry on without the WGMC...
But will it?
Despite how much Bob says it's the constestants, fans and games who carry the show, he is indeed a HUGE part of this show's success. And it's going to be tough to find the right man to take over for Bob (notice I didn't say replace, as you can't REPLACE Bob Barker or what he has done for this franchise).
So far, the early favorite (according to the presstitutes) is Early Show weatherman/doofus Dave Price. I don't know what they see in him myself. Either Les Moonves is even dumber than Howard Stern thinks, or Price has done something to blackmail Moonves.
Price strikes me as your typical on-camera presstitute of the 21st century - someone more interested in trying to be a celebrity than doing his job. He seems far more interested in promoting Dave Price than discussing the weather. And I have no reason to doubt that his over-the-top, look-at-me bullshit would carry over to TPIR if he gets the job, which would distract viewers from what really matters: The contestants, and the games.
Worse yet, I don't find Price funny in the least. I find him about as much as another weatherman-turned-game show host: Former KNBC weatherman Pat Sajak, who not only grates on my nerves, but helped turn Rush Limbaugh into a household name.
Going into this, I was worried that Fremantle would push to give us their very own Ryan Seacrust to take over for Bob, and thought that would be the worst possible choice (so bad that I would quit watching). Quite frankly, Dave Price is a very close second to Seacrust. He's horrible, he irks me, and I can't see myself watching him.
Mind you, my top choices for the job are either too old to get any consideration (Wink Martindale and Geoff Edwards), or no longer with us (Ray Combs). Also, nobody has found Ponce de Leon's fountain of youth, so turning Bob into a 30 year old man and looking forward to another fifty years isn't going to happen...
So, with all that said, I have my candidate, the person I truly feel is the best man to take over for Bob next summer. He, like Dave Price, is/was a weatherman. However, that's about all they have in common...
My choice? Rich Fields. And there are a number of reasons why I feel Rich is the best option out there:
1. Rich has been a longtime fan of the show. During warmups, he is quite fond of telling the story about his first trip to see the show, back in 1979 (that'd make him 20). The fact that this would be a new host that loves the show, and isn't just drooling over the paycheck, is a big plus.
2. Rich has energy. I didn't really appreciate it watching the show on TV (at first), but it's so obvious when you're in the studio (especially during his warmup).
3. Rich truly seems to appreciate the fans. I've had some great experiences meeting celebrities. I've had some so-so ones. And I've had some absolutely rotten ones (a certain Canadian country singer, and a certain golfer whose initials are Mark Calcaveccia). Rich definitely falls into category #1 - not only for signing that contestant card for me at the season premiere, but for having fun when I blurt out an outrageous age in response to "You do the math" (19!). I think this would work very well up on stage, as I think he'd truly be able to have fun with contestants and put them at ease.
4. You want real? I'd say a guy who is happy to shake hands, sign autographs, thank people for coming to the show and who answers his own email is quite real.
5. Rich is already a member of the TPIR family. It's going to be hard seeing anyone NOT named Robert William Barker walk through those big doors. But I think it would be a little easier, and hurt a little less, if it's someone who's already with the family doing so.
Sure, one of the very few cons is they'd have to hire a new announcer. Hey, call up Randy, or Burton. Just no Daniel Rosen.
I truly feel Rich would not only be good enough to keep me glued to my TV, but even good enough to keep me enthusiastic about attending tapings. I honestly can't say that about any other possible candidate.
No matter what, this is going to be a big choice, and let's hope CBS/Fremantle choose right.
I am also hoping that we don't see them try to erase's Bob impact on the show. I don't want to turn on TPIR next season and see Bargain Bar, instead of Barker's Bargain Bar. Or Make Your Mark instead of Barker's Markers. Or hear Barker's Beauties called, well.. Something else. Please, guys, keeps these names as they are as a tribute to everything Bob Barker has done for The Price Is Right for 35 years. He deserves it.
I just know, regardless of who gets the nod, I plan on spending the next six months enjoying Bob on TV, and for as many tapings as possible. I am also planning to be there for the final taping, if at all possible. I don't have much time left to enjoy watching someone who has brought me so much joy for most of my life, and I intend to cherish every second left.
Thank you for the laughter, the joy and the memories, Bob. It's been a blast. And you can bet you will never be replaced, nor forgotten. You are not only the WGMC, but the greatest there ever was!
Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
Labels: Barker Worship
