By Jessica BradyPLAY Writer
There are a million Google hits and 500 Facebook groups devoted to The Price is Right, though when it premiered, the Internet was just science fiction.
The prizes are sleeker and the host is older, but the game show is just as big of a hit today as it was when it began in 1972 – but not just with its old fans. How does a 35-year-old game show still appeal to a generation that wasn’t even born when it premiered?
The Price is Right is composed of a series of bidding and pricing games, known for awarding contestants (pulled from the audience) with tens of thousands of dollars worth of prizes – including cash, vacations and cars. Those left in their seats seem just as excited to watch the onstage contestants as the big win hopefuls are to play.
Today the Price game show everyone knows and loves is a version of an earlier program that ran from 1956 to 1965. The Price is Right as we know it now premiered on CBS in September 1972 as a half-hour show. It received a bonus half hour its third year. Price has aired more than 6,000 shows, making it the longest-running game show in the United States and the second-longest in the world. During its 35-year run, The Price is Right has spawned international versions in over 25 countries. TV Guide once named it “the greatest game show of all time.”
It has always been a daytime game show, and it is currently the only one in production in the U.S. Because of its morning time slot, it’s nearly impossible to find someone who doesn’t have vivid childhood memories of the show, whether it was watching with their family or while they were home sick from school.
“I have images of sitting on the couch with my mom after her soap operas, watching The Price is Right,” says Communication sophomore Joey Skladany.
While nostalgia is certainly part of Price’s appeal, nothing can top the universal appeal of Bob Barker, the show’s charismatic 17-time Emmy Award-winning host. No man has been able to wrest the title from his hands. Known for his effortless ability to work the audience and his easy rapport with contestants, Barker is undoubtedly the star of the show.
“I think Bob Barker is hysterical,” says Medill freshman Jennifer Sale. “He’s a classic. Everybody knows Bob Barker. He’s part of a whole different era of TV.”
On Oct. 31, 2006, Barker announced that he would retire at the end of the 2006-2007 season, taping his final show in June 2007. Freemantle Media, the company that owns the show, has yet to announce Barker’s successor, though CBS weatherman Dave Price from The Early Show became a frontrunner when he was the first candidate auditioned in early December. Regardless of who gets the job, fans say no one can replace Barker.
“I don’t think (the show) should continue,” says Medill senior Adam Amaro. “I can’t imagine anyone trying to fill Bob Barker’s shoes.”
Sure, everyone loves watching The Price is Right during days off from school, but not many can admit having two drawers-worth of episodes on tape. McCormick sophomore Stephen Wylie may be Northwestern’s biggest Price fan. Like many others, Wylie recalls watching the show as a child, though he embraced the show more than most fans ever do.
“I like to say I’ve been a fan since 1972,” he says. “It’s just an obsession that never stopped.”
Wylie’s collection of memorabilia includes more than 500 episodes of the show in both digital and VHS format, a vast assortment of musical cues, a replica of Barker’s signature skinny microphone, four different editions of the Price board game and a Bob Barker wall clock. He owns and operates a Web site, www.stev-o.us, which contains his collection of clips, cues and a computerized model of the Price wheel he created. The site averages about 100 hits per day. He also participates in tape-trading with other fans from around the world.
Wylie believes it’s the right time for Barker to leave, but he admits the show’s future looks bleak.
“I don’t have faith in any one else to do the same thing,” he says. “I’m such a conservative. I hope (the show) stays the same.”
Wylie and several other students are planning a trip to a Price taping in Los Angeles during Spring Break. Though Wylie says he has wanted to go to a taping for years, Barker’s retirement announcement suddenly made the trip urgent.
“I had always thought that he would host the show until the day he died,” Wylie says. “We can go to the beach anytime, but this is the last opportunity in our entire lives to go see him.”
Though Barker’s reign as host may be coming to an end, Wylie sees no end to his fanaticism.
“It’s only gotten stronger,” he says. “There’s always something new to be seen, even if it’s old.”
The students traveling to the taping this March are fulfilling childhood dreams by visiting the show – and they have high expectations for their visit.
“Some of us were saying we should buy a one-way ticket and drive our new car back,” says Medill sophomore Bethany Marzewski. “We plan on winning.”
Medill sophomore Jessica Brady is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
