Trivia for
"The New Price Is Right" (1972)

photos

board

trailer

details

• 6 October 1985: With the death of the show's original announcer Johnny Olson due to Cerebral Hemorrhage, Gene Wood, Rod Roddy, Rich Jeffries, and Bob Hilton tried out for the announcing position with Rod Roddy being selected as the show's second permanent announcer.
  
  
• 27 October 2003: Announcer Rod Roddy dies of Colon and Breast Cancer. Randy West, Art Sanders, Burton Richardson, Don Bishop, Rich Fields, Jim Thornton, Roger Rose and Daniel Rosen tried out on air for the announcing position and Rich Fields was selected as the show's third permanent announcer.
  
  
• 14 August 1986: A series of 6 weekly episodes of "The Price Is Right Special" aired on CBS during prime-time. The show was 1-hour and aired Thursday nights each week. For 6 weeks, 'Bob Barker' was the host and the only differences from the daytime version were that the prizes were fancier and more expensive and the set was decorated differently.
  
  

• 11 September 1972: A syndicated nighttime version of "The New Price Is Right" premiered starring Dennis James as host. This version was also a half hour but aired only one night each week.
  
  
• 12 September 1994: "The New Price Is Right" premiered in syndication. This half hour version was hosted by Doug Davidson and aired five nights each week. This version featured 'Burton Richardson' as the announcer and Julie Cialini, Ferrari Farris and Lisa Stahl as the models. This version also featured a new, jazzier version of the original theme and the set was completely renovated to reflect a more "modern" look.
  
  
• 9 September 1985: A syndicated nighttime version of "The Price Is Right" premiered with Tom Kennedy as host. The show was half hour and aired five nights each week.
  
  
• 1977: 'Bob Barker' replaced Dennis James as host of the syndicated nighttime version.
  
  
• 4 September 1972: "The New Price Is Right" premiered on CBS starring 'Bob Barker' as host. The show was a half hour and aired Mondays through Fridays.
  
  
• 18 September 1986: _"Price Is Right Primetime Specials, The" (2002) (mini)_ starring 'Bob Barker' ended its run. as the Police and Fire Departments.
  
  
• 17 May 2002: _"Price Is Right Primetime Specials, The" (2002) (mini)_ began to air on CBS. Six episodes were taped, each saluting a branch of the United States Military as well as the Police and Fire Departments.
  
  
• 5 September 1986: "The Nighttime Price Is Right" with Tom Kennedy was canceled.
  
  
• 18 September 2006: On the first show of the 35th season, contestant Vickyann Chrobak-Sadowski made Daytime Television History in more ways than one. Due to an astonishing Double Showcase Win, she won $147,517 in cash and prizes. As a result, Chrobak-Sadowski not only becomes the biggest winner in the Daytime History of "The Price Is Right" to date, she ALSO sets the record for most money in cash and prizes ever won by a contestant in one appearance on a Network Daytime Game Show. The old record was set on 19 May 1984 when unemployed ice cream truck driver Michael Larson appeared as a contestant on "Press Your Luck" (1983), and won $110,237 in cash and prizes.
  
  
• The original models, formally named "Barker's Beauties" were Janice Pennington and Anitra Ford. At the start of the fourth season, when the show went into a one-hour format, Dian Parkinson became the third newest "beauty". Then in early 1977, Anitra Ford was replaced by 24 year-old Holly Halstrom. Janice, Dian, and Holly would show their true beauty success when modeling for new cars, exotic vacation, and nifty prizes. Then, a milestone occurred: On Christmas Eve (December 24,)1990, Kathleen Bradley not only became the fourth new "Barker Beauty", but also the first Black American beauty in both CBS Daytime and "Price Is Right" history.
  
  
• On June 15, 2007, After 35 years as the "World Greatest Emcee" of "The Price Is Right" and the face of CBS Daytime, 83 year-old 'Bob Barker' will step down from his duties and retire.
  
  
• 18 September 2006: On the first show of the 35th season, contestant Vickyann Chrobak-Sadowski made Daytime Television History in more ways than one. Due to an astonishing Double Showcase Win, she won $147,517 in cash and prizes. As a result, Chrobak-Sadowski not only becomes the biggest winner in the Daytime History of "The Price Is Right" to date, she ALSO sets the record for the most money in cash and prizes ever won by a contestant in one appearance on a Network Daytime Game Show. The old record was set on 19 May 1984 when Michael Larson -- an unemployed ice cream truck driver from Lebanon, Ohio -- appeared as a contestant on "Press Your Luck" (1983), and won $110,237 in cash and prizes by means of noticing, studying and memorizing the not-so-random flashing light sequences of the show's big board.
  
  
• 27 January 1995: "The New Price Is Right" starring Doug Davidson was canceled.
  
  
• 23 August 1996: The Price Is Right 25th Anniversary Special (1996) (TV) aired on CBS.
  
  
• 31 January 2002: The Price Is Right 30th Anniversary Special (2002) (TV) aired on CBS.
  
  
• 30th Anniversary Special taped in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aired on the evening of 31 January 2002.
  
  
• In February 2003, due to the success of the previous year's primetime specials, CBS ordered six more, dubbing them _"Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular, The" (2003) (mini)_ where at least one contestant on each show gets to spin the big wheel for a chance to win $1,000,000. Six more aired in 2004 and three more in 2005. Specials saluted 'Bob Barker''s 80th birthday, college and university students, the U.S. military, teachers, and the history of "The Price Is Right."
  
  
• The show originally premiered as "The New Price is Right" however, the "New" was dropped at the end of the first season.
  
  
• The very first One Bid prize was a fur coat.
  
  
• As of January 2002, "The Price Is Right" is the only daytime game show still on network television. The studio at CBS, where this show is taped was renamed the "Bob Barker Studio" in honor of the program's five thousandth episode and for 'Bob Barker''s achievements. It's currently CBS's second longest running daytime program.
  
  
• On 24 September 2002, after thirty years with basically the same set design and color scheme, a brand-new look was introduced on the show inspired by the primetime specials, including new door designs and a Hollywood-themed mural on the turntable.
  
  
• Originally the bonus prize for getting a perfect bid in "One Bid" was $100. On November 12, 1998, it was increased to $500.
  
  
• Originally in order to win both showcases, the winning bid had to be less than $100 from the actual price without going over. At the beginning of the show's twenty-seventh season, it was changed to $250 or less away.
  
  
• The top prize slot in the Plinko game was originally $5,000. It was later changed to $10,000.
  
  
• When the show expanded from a half hour to an hour, the Showcase Showdown was introduced. The three contestants who won their way up on stage during the first half of the show spun a wheel marked with values of 5¢, 10¢, 15¢, etc. through to $1. The objective was the build up a score as close to $1 as possible without going over in one or two spins of the wheel with anything in the second spin being added to the value spun in the first spin. The player who had the score nearest to $1 without going over advanced to the Showcase. As an added bonus, contestants were awarded a $1,000 bonus if they raised $1 in one spin or a combination of two spins in 1975. Later, a bonus spin was added after winning $1,000 for a chance to win an extra $5,000 for landing on either 5¢ or 15¢ spaces adjacent to the $1 space. If they spun $1 in the bonus spin and additional $10,000 was awarded.
  
  
• The very first pricing game played on the show was "Any Number"; however, all the games were unnamed at this time. This game featured the first car offered and won on the show, which was a 1972 Chevrolet Vega. Its cost was $2,746.
  
  
• The final three pricing games played on 'Bob Barker''s final show (‘Double Prices’, ‘Grocery Game’, and ‘Any Number’) were the first three games played on his first show, although, in reverse order.
  
  
• January 17, 1992: Danielle Torres from Pepperdine University became the biggest winner in the show's history winning $88,865 in cash and prizes.
  
  
• In 1980, pre-"Wheel of Fortune" (1975)Vanna White was a contestant on The Price is Right; however she never made it out of Contestants' Row.
  
  
• The call for contestants to "Come on down!", popularized by announcer Johnny Olson was ranked #7 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 20 Top Catchphrases" (21-27 August 2005 issue).
  
  
• Balance Game (II) was the 100th pricing game to debut on the show. The Game made its debut in Season 34.
  
  
• There are a number of pricing games where, even if you know the prices of all of the items in advance, there is no guarantee you will win. For example, in "Secret X", even if the contestant gets both prices correct, there is only a 2/3 chance of winning the main prize. (One of the reasons "3 Strikes" was changed to have one "strike" chip instead of three was, when there were three strike chips and five digits in the car price, there was a 5/8 chance of losing even if you knew the price of the car in advance.) On the other hand, there are games such as "Hole in One (or Two)" and "Let 'em Roll" where the contestant can win even without getting any prices correct.
  
  
• The final episode hosted by 'Bob Barker' was recorded on June 6, 2007, and aired on June 15, 2007.
  
  
• June 6, 2007: 'Bob Barker', in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" (1981), stated that he would host another season of TPIR if CBS can't find a replacement by the deadline set. The deadline is unknown to the public. On July 23, 2007, on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993), Drew Carey announced that he was chosen to fulfill the duties of Bob Barker as host of "The Price Is Right".
  
  
• 3 November 1975: The Price Is Right expands the series time slot from 30 minutes to a full one hour with the premiere of the Showcase Showdown and the Big Wheel.
  
  
• 15 October 2007: Drew Carey began his hosting duties on the show's 36th season premiere.
  
  

Related Links