If you’ve ever watched The Price is Right, you’re surely familiar with “Race Game.” If you’re not, here’s how it works: a contestant is shown four prices and four prizes. They must race to place the four price tags in front of the correct prizes before the clock runs out, and they can keep making changes until they’re either out of time.
Simple, right?
One more detail: they have 45 seconds to get the prices on the right prizes. Except in this particular playing from the early to mid 1980s:
Barker’s ad lib about the contestant not having enough time was priceless.
Even though Bob Barker’s final episode of The Price is Right aired back in June, his real final airdate is tomorrow. That’s because that final episode replays for the last time before Drew Carey takes over as host on the show’s 36th season premiere next Monday.
People were in line for up to five days outside CBS Television City for the chance to see Barker host one last time. The 83-year-old retired after fifty years on national television and more Emmy Awards than any other single performer.
So be sure to set your Tivo for tomorrow morning to see Barker in action and the proverbial torch moving a step closer toward a new runner.
I’ll still watch the show, most likely, unless I’m unable to get past Carey’s Martha Stewart-like laugh. They have redone the show’s logo, albeit a modest change; they have redone the show’s classic set, albeit keeping the retro look that will make it instantly familiar; and they have redone, note for note, the show’s classic theme. This last modification, the story goes, was to render it in stereo. I’m no audio expert, but I suspect that there were perfectly acceptable ways to take original studio tracks of the original recording, make it stereo, and fool all but the most sharp-eared of listeners. And how many people are going to get that upset about a “fake stereo” rendition of a game show theme?!?
The good news, if there is any for long-time fans of the show upon seeing Barker hang up the mic, is that most of the other elements of the show that have become so familiar over the years are staying put. So in many ways, it will be the same fun hour it has always been.
One of The Price is Right’s most common cash games is “Grand Game.” A contestant must select four grocery items that are valued below a specific target price.
This clip dates back to 1980 or early 1981, and features Pauline, the show’s first $10,000 winner. Her reaction to the big win — $10,000 was a lot more money back then — was priceless.
I’m South Carolina editor for Blognetnews.com. Click the link to visit the main page, where you can click on your own state to read what local bloggers are writing about.