September 4, 1972 was a historic day in game show history when The Price is Right returned to daytime television after a seven year absence. On September 13, the show begins its 50th season on CBS and since 1987 it is television's longest running game show.
When The Price is Right debuted in 1972, it was like any other game show on the air. It was a half hour show. Sandwiched between newcomers The Joker's Wild and Gambit, The Price is Right did something that a bunch of sitcom reruns couldn't do against NBC's long running game show Concentration, it beat it in the ratings. When you compare the two shows, The Price is Right was vibrant, flashy and featured a synthesized soundtrack in a studio that would be later named for its host of 35 years, Bob Barker. On the other hand, Concentration, taped in New York, looked old, dated and tired. It was one of the last game shows to utilize an organist. Six months after its debut, it was the end of the line for Concentration.
Backtracking a little, it was the summer of 1972 and CBS named Bud Grant as the new daytime vice president who decided to cancel the sitcom reruns and replace them with game shows. He called Mark Goodson about reviving The Price is Right but Goodson felt the old format was outdated so he and his staff revamped the show that included an element that would be central to the show, pricing games. Contestants would be chosen from the audience and the late announcer Johnny Olson would originate one of the most famous game show catchphrases "Come on down!" It's still used by the men who succeeded him, Rod Roddy, Rich Fields and the show's current announcer who always says hi to his Mama Mae, George Gray.
Early in the show's run, there were only five pricing games. The first which is still played today was Any Number. Over the show's long run, there are currently 77 games in the rotation, including the most popular pricing game Plinko. Unfortunately, there were 33 games that have been retired for reasons such as mechanical problems or taking too much air time.
The Price is Right really took off in November in 1975 when CBS expanded the show to an hour. It also game birth to the Showcase Showdown. CBS did the right thing in making The Price is Right an hour long show. It flows better and more contestants get a chance to Come on Down.
So why has The Price is Right lasted longer than any other daytime game show? First, viewers can relate to the show's main focus, shopping. Second, it's a show that involves the home audience, as an item goes up for bids, and viewers can shout at the screen the price of the item.
Third and perhaps a big reason why the show has endured is that when you tune in several shows a week, you're not watching the same show. There are different contestants and different games. Stan Blits in his book on the show summed it up best "No two shows are alike."
It has survived the deaths of Goodson, Olson and Roddy and lawsuits over the years. It made the transition from four digit cars to five, altering the rules for pricing games and the transition of hosts from Barker to current host Drew Carey.
The best of luck to everyone connected with The Price is Right as the show enters Season 50. It would be fitting to close this text the way Barker did from every show since the early 1980s. "Control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered"
No comments:
Post a Comment