A priceless Man

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Good afternoon. Welcome to a special edition of..........





This week, we say goodbye to an iconic legend. 


THE PRICE IS RIGHT: A TRIBUTE TO BOB BARKER, a new one-hour special honoring the life and career of the beloved late television legend and animal rights activist, who was a longstanding member of the CBS family, will be broadcast Thursday, Aug. 31 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+*. Drew Carey, who succeeded Bob Barker as THE PRICE IS RIGHT host - and is a longtime fan and friend of Barker's - celebrates Barker's life and legacy as host of the tribute.

CBS will air an encore broadcast of the special in the regular weekday timeslot for THE PRICE IS RIGHT (11:00 AM-12:00 PM, ET/10:00-11:00 AM, PT) on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4.

"This tribute to the legendary Bob Barker will bring back great memories for generations of THE PRICE IS RIGHT fans who loved Bob, his humor, his ability to connect with contestants and his innate talent for making the most out of every moment," said Margot Wain, SVP of daytime programs. "Bob was one-of-a-kind; he'll be remembered as an extraordinary host, a devoted animal activist, and, as he would put it, 'a loyal friend and true.' We're so pleased to be able to salute his many accomplishments and honor his memory in this way."

For 35 years, Barker, who died at age 99 last Saturday (Aug. 26), hosted THE PRICE IS RIGHT, television's longest-running daytime game show. He was its host from 1972 to 2007 and was well-known for signing off each day with the quote, "Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered." He earned 14 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Daytime Emmy Awards.

Featuring an array of "priceless" on-camera moments from throughout Barker's 50-plus year career, the special showcases his talents as a charming, charismatic and razor-sharp "master of ceremonies" who created special connections with countless contestants on THE PRICE IS RIGHT - and his evolution into a pop culture icon appearing as himself in prominent projects on both the silver and small screens. Key moments include:
· Historic memories of Barker:
· Appearing as host on the first episode of what was then "The New Price Is Right" in 1972.
· Announcing the transition from 30-minute to one-hour episodes of the show in 1975 and introducing a very different-looking big wheel.
· Introducing the game Plinko to excited contestants (and viewers) for the very first time.
· Acknowledging with pride that CBS was renaming his show's soundstage "The Bob Barker Studio."
· Appearing in his final episode of "The Price Is Right" in 2007 prior to retiring.
· Returning to the show, with Drew Carey as host, for his 90th birthday, April Fool's Day and to promote his book Priceless Memories.
· Special THE PRICE IS RIGHT appearances by stars at the height of their popularity.
· Barker with Adam Sandler as Sandler read his poem "Ode to Bob Barker" during the 2007 CBS special A CELEBRATION OF BOB BARKER'S 50 YEARS IN TELEVISION, shortly prior to Barker's retirement as THE PRICE IS RIGHT host.
· Video montages of emotional contestants literally jumping for joy - often pulling Barker into their orbit - after the call to "Come on Down," or when he bestowed the winners with cars, cash, trips and more.
· Barker's perfect handling of mishap moments with contestants, sets and prizes while hosting.

Meanwhile, Game Show Network will honor the late Bob Barker with an eight-hour marathon of MATCH GAME episodes featuring him this Saturday, September 2, starting at 9 am. The network will pay tribute to the legendary Bob Barker through 5 pm.

Carey wrote on X, "Very sad day for the Price Is Right family, and animal lovers all over the world. There hasn't been a day on set that I didn't think of Bob Barker and thank him. I will carry his memory in my heart forever. #RIPBobBarker We love you."

Adam Sandler posted a photo of himself alongside Barker on Instagram, writing, "The man. The myth. The best. Such a sweet funny guy to hang out with. Loved talking to him. Loved laughing with him. Loved him kicking the crap out of me. He will be missed by everyone I know! Heartbreaking day. Love to Bob always and his family! Thanks for all you gave us!"

"Bob Barker was a Daytime television mainstay for generations. He helped to define the game show genre, cementing the Price is Right as a powerhouse format that has remained essentially unchanged for more than half a century," Adam Sharp, president and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, said in a statement. "You don't mess with perfection. His championship of the craft and for animal welfare were equal in their exuberance. His presence will be missed greatly by the Emmy community."

Fremantle, who produces "The Price Is Right" for CBS, said in a statement, "We are saddened Bob Barker has passed at the age of 99. Renowned host of The Price is Right for 35 years, animal activist, radio host, husband, and all-around game show legend will forever hold a spot in our hearts. We thank him for bringing joy to our homes for so many years."

"Long before I became an emcee, I admired Bob Barker very much," says legendary emcee Peter Marshall. "He was great at what he did, quite wonderful. I can't claim to have been close to Bob, but when together at events we always talked about our shared love of animals. I hope everyone knows what he did for animal welfare."

Added Wink Martindale, "In the history of televised game shows, no one is more synonymous with host than Bob Barker. The word that always came to my mind when the name Bob Barker was mentioned was superlative. And Bob defined the meaning of preparation. Tape never rolled until Bob is ready. And that meant prepared. It was my distinct honor and privilege to call Bob my friend for a number of years. To chat with Bob about his career was both interesting and meaningful. Bob was so successful, because he was a simple and natural talent. May he rest in peace."

Producer and curator of the National Archives of Game Show History Bob Boden said, "Bob Barker was one of the most accomplished game show hosts if all time. He gave away millions of dollars to thousands of people on the "Price is Right" alone, and that was just one of the many shows he hosted over a 50 year career. Here's hoping that all his consequences are happy ones."

"Wheel of Fortune" co-host Vanna White took to Instagram Sunday to share a vintage photo of herself from 43 years ago when she was a contestant on The Price Is Right. "When I moved to LA in 1980, I was on Price Is Right and met Bob Barker," White captioned the photo. "Thank you Bob for introducing me to the game show world! We will miss you."

Barker was working in radio in 1956 when producer Ralph Edwards invited him to audition as the new host of "Truth or Consequences," a game show in which audience members had to do wacky stunts — the "consequence" — if they failed to answer a question — the "truth," which was always the silly punchline to a riddle no one was ever meant to furnish. (Q: What did one eye say to another? A: Just between us, something smells.)

In a 1996 interview with The Associated Press, Barker recalled receiving the news that he had been hired: "I know exactly where I was, I know exactly how I felt: I hung up the phone and said to my wife, 'Dorothy Jo, I got it!'"

Barker stayed with "Truth or Consequences" for 18 years — including several years in a syndicated version.

In 1972, Barker began hosting a revival of "The Price Is Right," which originally aired in the '50s and '60s, and he stayed in that position for 35 years. Audience members were enthusiastic about their affable host; some participants asked for kisses, which Barker once obliged by smooching a fan square on the lips while dipping her backward. Another fan told Barker she dreamed he was chasing her in a hayloft.

CBS said in a statement that daytime television has lost one of its "most iconic stars."

"We lost a beloved member of the CBS family today with the passing of Bob Barker. During his 35 years as host of The Price Is Right Bob made countless people's dreams come true and everyone feel like a winner when they were called to 'come on down.' In addition to his legendary 50-year career in broadcasting, Bob will be remembered as a dedicated animal rights activist."

In all, he taped more than 5,000 shows in his career.

He said he was retiring because "I'm just reaching the age where the constant effort to be there and do the show physically is a lot for me. … Better (to leave) a year too soon than a year too late."

Carey was chosen to replace him. Barker was back with Carey for one show broadcast in April 2009. He was there to promote the publication of his memoir, "Priceless Memories," in which he summed up his joy from hosting the show as the opportunity "to watch people reveal themselves and to watch the excitement and humor unfold."

He well understood the attraction of "The Price Is Right," in which audience members — invited to "Come on down!" to the stage — competed for prizes by trying to guess their retail value.

"Everyone can identify with prices, even the president of the United States. Viewers at home become involved because they all have an opinion on the bids," Barker once said.

His own appeal was clear: Barker played it straight — warm, gracious and witty — refusing to mock the game show format or his contestants. "I want the contestants to feel as though they're guests in my home," he said in 1996. "Perhaps my feeling of respect for them comes across to viewers, and that may be one of the reasons why I've lasted."

As a TV personality, Barker retained a touch of the old school — for instance, no wireless microphone for him. Like the mic itself, the mic cord served him well as a prop, insouciantly flicked and finessed.

His career longevity, he said, was the result of being content. "I had the opportunity to do this type of show and I discovered I enjoyed it … People who do something that they thoroughly enjoy and they started doing it when they're very young, I don't think they want to stop."

Barker won 19 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, also being elected to the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2008. But perhaps Barker's greatest passion – even more than being a television personality – was animal rights, which became the cause of Barker's life from middle-age into his later decades. He had been a vegetarian since 1981 and contributed his time, money and brand to a host on animal charities.

Barker also spent 20 years as host of the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Universe Pageant. A longtime animal rights activist who daily urged his viewers to "have your pets spayed or neutered" and successfully lobbied to ban fur coats as prizes on "The Price Is Right," he quit the Miss USA Pageant in 1987 in protest over the presentation of fur coats to the winners.

In 1997, Barker declined to be a presenter at the Daytime Emmy awards ceremony because he said it snubbed game shows by not airing awards in the category. He called game shows "the pillars of daytime TV."

He had a memorable cameo appearance on the big screen in 1996, sparring with Adam Sandler in the movie "Happy Gilmore."

"I did `The Price Is Right' for 35 years, and they're asking me how it was to beat up Adam Sandler," Barker later joked.

In 1994, the widowed Barker was sued for sexual harassment by Dian Parkinson, a "Price is Right" model for 18 years. Barker admitted engaging in "hanky panky" with Parkinson from 1989-91 but said she initiated the relationship. Parkinson dropped the lawsuit in 1995, saying it was hurting her health.

Barker became embroiled in a dispute with another former "Price Is Right" model, Holly Hallstrom, who claimed she was fired in 1995 because the show's producers believed she was fat. Barker denied the allegations.

Neither uproar affected his goodwill from the audience.

Born in Darrington, Washington, in 1923, Robert William Barker spent part of his childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where his widowed mother had taken a teaching job. The family later moved to Springfield, Mo., where he attended high school. He served in the Navy in World War II. He married Dorothy Jo Gideon, his high school sweetheart; she died in 1981 after 37 years of marriage. They had no children.

Barker was given a lifetime achievement award at the 26th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1999. He closed his acceptance remarks with the signoff: "Have your pets spayed or neutered."

NAB President-CEO Curtis LeGeyt said in a statement: "We are saddened by the loss of legendary television personality Bob Barker, a monumental figure in broadcasting whose career spanned nearly six decades. Originating in radio, Bob's seamless transition to television made him a household name, particularly through his 35-year tenure as the host of The Price Is Right.

"A member of the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, his contributions to the industry were not only groundbreaking but also set a high bar for excellence, extending beyond entertainment to include his advocacy for animal rights. As a standard-bearer for integrity and compassion, his legacy will continue to influence and inspire future generations in the broadcasting community."


We'll have more of our special edition right after this message.








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Welcome back. The loss of Bob Barker was a big blow to the entire game show community. Not only to us but to these fans for reactions:








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And even though Mr. barker helped usher in the Carey Era, he was also a good match game panelist in which GSN will do his tribute later on this week, but we was also on I've got a Secret the same year TPIR began the modern run and it's the subject of today's Game Show Live!......



 Warp Ahead! 







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