HALLOWEEN DAY, 2006: Many loyal Price is Right fans caught wind of perhaps another "trick"--er, rumor over the Internet: that Bob Barker had announced his retirement. People have falsely stated this all the time, and it never turns out to be true; this time will not be the exception, or so we thought. However, it was certainly confirmed later that day that the World's Greatest M.C. will finally hang it up in June after appearing on television screens in our homes every day for the last 50 years, since he first walked through the curtains of Truth or Consequences all the way back on December 31, 1956.
Fifty years later, the television genre lacks another personality with the wit, charm, pimp factor, and overall charisma of Bob Barker, especially the Bob that existed in the days before commercials ate up every spare second of the show, the Bob that existed before all the young Plinko fans mobbed the studio day after day, and even the Bob who was not quite yet comfortable in his routine (or as some of my friends say nowadays, a robot).
I hope these clips will conjure up old, fond memories for some of you, and for the rest of you, I hope to provide a brief, insightful glimpse into an era of television about to be gone forever.
Clip 1: Bob Barker as "Mort" on Bonanza, 10/15/1960, Denver McKee
Clip 7: ToC 12/31/56 - Bob leads the contestants through the first stunt!
Clip 9: Bob Barker guest hosts Tattletales in 1977. Watch clips of the first segment here!
Stay tuned for more clips to be posted here periodically!