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The Moments

August 19, 1972 was a big day for game show fans: it was the day that the first episode of ‘The New Price is Right’ was recorded on Stage 33 at CBS Television City. The rest as they say is history–and, as Bob would say, “Still lots more to do!”
This is the first time Bob entered the stage on September 4, 1972. Note that there was not yet a Barker Wall: the elements behind him became the background for the first item up for bids: a fur coat!
Bob Barker as he appeared from the beginning of ‘The Price is Right.’ On the first episode, he assured fans of the original version of ‘TPIR’ that they’d love the new surprises waiting for them!
Here’s a nice wide shot of the people lucky enough to be sitting in Studio 33 for the very first taping of ‘The New Price is Right.’
One of the favorite features of the showcase was the many movie spoofs, called Flaky Flicks. One of the greatest ones was Socky.
And here’s Socky, a professional boxer on his way up in the world. Sure he won fights, but he lost more than his share too, and many of his opponents regarded him as just a punching bag.
Holly Hallstrom played his plain-jane girlfriend, in a bow to Talia Shire’s role as Adrian, the pet shop worker who was Rocky’s girlfriend in the actual film. Holly put in a great performance in this showcase despite no dialogue.
Through divine intervention, Socky wins the title, beating opponent Johnny Jock with a lucky punch. His girlfriend accepts $1000 prize money and goes with Socky on a South American cruise. Dian and Jan (behind Socky) were the “cornermen” for the bout.
Time for another Flaky Flick, Nitwork.
The nitwork’s sultry weather girl announces she’s going to do something which would be a TV first in order to bump up the show’s ratings.
Diana Voracious, head of programming at the network, offers the weather girl $1000 cash not to carry out the stunt. Most Flaky Flick showcases included the cash in order to give the story as much time as possible to play out. Some Showcases back then clocked in at just over four minutes, a lot of time for a Showcase back then.
But the weather girl is intent on carrying out her stunt, which is performing a striptease on the air! An upset Diana makes a frantic call to someone who can save the day…
…Johnny Olson! Diana tells Johnny to get something to cover her weather girl up, if not for the sake of the newscast, for the sake of the Showcase.
After rummaging around backstage, Johnny finds a Chinook camper which will do the job.
And Diana and her assistant can relax, for now anyway…the contestant won this showcase and will soon be driving the camper off the stage!
Another popular 70’s showcase was Johnny’s Schoolhouse, where Professor Johnny tried to give lessons to two rowdy youths. Initially Johnny did pre-recorded copy for this one, but in time the stage portions were miked and Johnny, Holly and Janice all had speaking parts.
The lesson today concerns hats and activities related to them. Who would wear this hat?
Holly is probably thinking about lunch right now.
Janice couldn’t tell you either, since she just woke up.
But Johnny’s class wasn’t all burnouts and losers. His star pupil was poodle-skirted goody-good Dian, who always had the right answers.
Johnny Olson joins Dian Parkinson, Holly Hallstrom, and Janice Pennington in a showcase skit. This one contained prizes revealed as the models took a tour of the Orient. Johnny played a waiter in a Chinese restaurant who served up prizes.
At Johnny’s carnival Holly can win prizes by shooting the monster (Janice).
Through most of the show’s run, credits and most other on-screen graphics were done the ‘old-fashioned way.’ Here is a shot of what the credits looked like for the majority of this time. This episode aired in 1985.
The credits that made ‘Price’ fans cringe back in 1988. For the first time, credits were run off of a character generator instead of the old-fashioned crawl board. This experiment was short-lived until electronically-generated credits became the norm in the late 1990’s.
Poor picture quality, but you get the idea: from the same episode in 1988, this is how the show logo and copyright notice appeared. For trivia buffs, ‘Price’ used roman numerals for copyright notices until they switched permanently to Chyron. The year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) is the longest roman numeral year they ever had to type out for the credit drum.
Here’s the logo used as a bumper shot in the nighttime syndicated version. This logo was shown after the winner of the showcase was revealed leading into a consolation prize plug that happened just before the credit roll. How ’80’s can you get?
A rare tel-op slide, used by local stations — and even the Network itself — when something went wrong. This one, featuring Bob, Janice, Dian and Holly, was used some time around 1987.
From a 1982 show, it’s truly a family affair as Bob’s mom Tilly and brother Kent are in the audience. Looks a lot like Bob, doesn’t he?
Jeanne and Margaret, the first two bidders, are instructed to look at the next item up for bids. They mistakenly believe the next item will be the Plinko sign.
It’s “Soap Opera Week” on TPIR, and “As The World Turns” stars Meg Ryan and Frank Runyeon are about to surprise a contestant with a trip to New York to be an extra on the soap.
Big John, in his usual spot outside the law offices of Olson, Olson, Olson and Olson, accosts a cowboy to ask her a question. She politely tells the interviewer, “That’s cow person, turkey.”
The TPIR train makes one of its first Showcase appearances as it brings on a trip sign heralding a European rail excursion. The train would thereafter be featured once every few weeks as it chugged into the train depot, loaded with prizes. The train’s “wah-waaaah” wolf whistle was taken from the soundtrack of an old Three Stooges short.
Jon Darby takes time out from “The Young and the Restless” taping to visit his girlfriend, Holly. They were quite the item for about two years back in the 1980’s.
Who’s been messing with Barker’s putter?
WHEN GAMES COLLIDE! On another occasion where a Super Ball got stuck on the top of the ring, Janice brought out Barker’s Plinko Stick to get the thing loose. (The contestant even got credited with the $50 for the practice ball!) Barker said “This game doesn’t know that’s a Plinko Stick…that’s why it worked!”
He kept the Plinko Stick at the ready for the remainder of the game. “Bring out the prize with the Super Ball!”
Watch out for a man flailing his Plinko Stick…especially when the contestant has scored all three prizes! (With that boat in the background he looks like a swashbuckler!)
Another Showcase staple was the Price Is Right Giant Crossword Puzzle, which in fact was only slightly taller than Janice.
Little Toot, the intrepid TPIR watercraft, is having a spot of trouble trying to transport one of its own.
Remember that large camera that Johnny would lead us to believe could take pictures of home viewers?
When a contestant bids $12000 on a motorcycle in the one bid, Barker wants to know why they can’t ring it up on the readouts. (Note the flip card that reads TEST on top of the slate.)
It’s a special day when you know what ALL the games are going to be before one is even played. The show, #5875D, will feature Super Ball, Range Game, 3 Strikes Plus, Bump, One Away and Grand Game.
Then Phil has to call the booth and bust some heads when the buzzer doesn’t ring for an overbid.
Even Holly got into the act kidding Bob about his troubles with Samoan women. Big John asked this woman what she would do if she met Bob. “I would grab him so hard his feet would not touch the ground and carry him all the way back to Samoa!”
The newspaper art card which had different headlines depending on the theme of the showcase. It was commonly used in the Time Capsule showcases, and for other skits as well. But today’s big story: “Licensing Procedure Changes Examined by City Council.”
And after the Martians did their thing, they brought back their space capsule, loaded with prizes, back to Mars as Martian Queen Dian and a few Mars creatures brought them out. The font used on this newspaper is the futuristic Stop, which would’ve looked great on some game’s logo.
Stanley Agita takes a bad trip on Punk Airlines, with a flight crew that’s about two Go-Go’s short.
Bob Barker welcomes loyal viewers to the first show of the 15th season of “The Price is Right” in September, 1986.
Bob Boden enjoys the show, in more ways than one, visiting on a show taped on that other Bob’s birthday.
Looks like Dian might just hit Bob! She always liked to poke him when he mildly put her down.
Sweet Sixteen on September 14, 1987, as TPIR begins its sixteenth year.
Showcases were often accompanied by whimsical drawings of the models, Bob, or the staff (notably Roger, Fingers, Stan and Phil). Also a little brown dog would show up, engaged in some bit of business. Here Dian’s vacation snapshot is shown, as they look through postcard snapshots.
Here’s a great rendering of TPIR director Paul Alter, from a Daydreamers showcase.
One punch is all you need. After a contestant won one punch and $5000, Janice got to try her luck because she said she always wanted to try to punch a hole.
“Would you believe that? She got TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!”
“One-Punch” Pennington thinks she may have a shot at collecting that award!
Two game show legends, Bob Barker and Betty White.
Bob says that Betty is the Club Champion at LaCosta. “But not necessarily for playing golf!” says Betty.
Betty tells Bob she’s a jock at heart, and Bob says “But that’s not wear you wear them.” Betty thinks about that one.
Betty’s Inspiration Putt is wide left.
“Would you like to wear my lucky socks?”
When the player misses her first put, Bob lets Betty push the famous button.
Betty seems shocked that TPIR is giving her another chance to putt the ball.
But the real way to get value for money at the drivein? Take a motorhome! Love that sign.
In this 1990 showcase skit called “The Edge of Taste”, a soap opera parody, the models and Rod play very scary characters!…
…Here are Janice and Rod, playing a “shocking” pair of lovers!…
…Yikes! Here is Holly, playing a crazy lunatic on this episode of “The Edge of Taste!”…
…and last but not least, here is Dian, who is threatening to cut her lover’s brake lines!
Randy McLaughlin is the one on the left, Jerry Skeels the one on the right. Together they own and run Jeran, a company that makes one of a kind dresses for TPIR to give away. They were frequent visitors to the show in the 1980’s.
Here’s the woman whom Janice explained the Check Game to, after she won. Janice asks, “How about me?” after she hugs Bob.
You never know who’ll show up on the show! Here’s Ray Combs helping Janice show off a rug.
And Ray returns helping Holly give away a bar set.
April 8, 1998: “The Price Is Right” celebrates its 5,000th first run episode on CBS…something no game show in daytime network television has ever done. Soap operas can last for 40 to 50 years on TV…how about a game show?
As he has for nearly every one of the proceeding 4999 shows, Bob Barker makes that famous walk to his spot just in front of Contestants Row.
CBS Daytime exec Lucy Johnson tells Bob Barker that Studio 33 at CBS Television City is being named in his honor.
Bob, the winner, and the entire crew wave at the end of the 5000th show.
Former Barker’s Beauty Gena Lee Nolin visited the crew on the 5000th show, and helped present the cake. Here she hugs Roger Dobkowitz.
He’s at it again! Bob shows no mercy on an uncooperative lock when the key jams in “Master Key.” Careful, Bob: that’s a $5,000 key!!
“Something for every room in your home.” This showcase always had a unique beginning: the stage was dark except for the chase lights around the doors. As the doors opened, revealing silhouettes of the prizes, the full lights would come on so that Johnny could describe the prizes.
The first week of the fourth season was “Anniversary Week,” which consisted of five hour-long shows as experiments. Obviously, the experiment worked.
Bob picks on Janice, who looked over his shoulder while he was taking a peek at the next slip in ‘Punch a Bunch.’ He’s imitating her reaction (at seeing the $10,000 slip), which he says completely blew the suspense he was trying to build. One of several funny moments between Bob and Janice on this game over the years.
Bob comes over and asks Janice what’s coming up next on today’s show. Unfortunately, the person holding the cue card isn’t around, so a clueless Janice starts making things up! Bob, of course, starts making fun of her to lighten up the moment!
Barker studied karate under Chuck Norris himself. When games didn’t cooperate, he’d sometimes demonstrate his talent. Here, the ‘Squeeze Play’ prize reveal flap gets jammed for the second time in PiR history, and Bob gives it a kick–to remind the prop just who’s the boss!
During the Check Game, the contestant starts asking Janice what she should write the check for! Bob decides to have fun…
…and let Janice explain how to play the Check Game in her own words!
This trash compactor has a mind of it’s own! Janice and Dian are having such a hard time getting the door closed, Bob jumps in to help out. Bob looks like he is saying “Shouldn’t this be a Holly problem?”
The original bumper logo from the very first episode of “The Price is Right” in 1972.
Originally, the credits were all printed in the typeface now commonly referred to as ‘Pricedown.’ While this look maintained continuity with the show’s logo, it made for some credits that were very difficult to read while the credit roll was in motion.
Here, the credits go haywire for a moment as a glare hits the crawl board. The camera shooting the crawl board is photographing white letters on a black background. The switcher electronically removes the black area but gets confused by the sudden burst of light, causing this embarrassing effect.
By 1975, Price switched to a cleaner, easier-to-read typeface that was similar to the one used for the ticket plug.
Another version of the Goodson Todman credit roll. Chanel, the blonde model on the right, was filling in for Holly during this week of Christmas shows in 1982.
Here’s the original on-screen graphic used when a smart bidder managed to get within $100 of the retail price of his or her showcase, thereby winning both showcases.
The late Mark Goodson, owner of ‘The Price is Right’ made a surprise appearance on the first show of the 15th year to read a poem saluting the milestone. He was accompanied onstage with Barker’s Beauties.
A good closeup of Mark Goodson as he salutes “The Price is Right”–one of his proudest achievements.
After Mark’s poem, he presented Bob with a check for $5,000 for the Dorothy Jo Barker Memorial Fund for animals. Holly’s expression says it all: it was a very special gesture.
Happy Holidays from the Price is Right!
Bob and Janice have such peculiar looks on their faces. I wonder what they are up to? Maybe they are wondering what game will be played next?
Here is the lovely Dian, handing the Plinko chip back to this troublemaker!
The cameraman went crazy on this episode, trying to find the contestant who was called to “Come On Down!”, and gets a rarely seen shot of the announcer’s podium and the light box used for the show’s opening.
As much a part of the show at that time as Bob Barker was, the Barker’s Beauties join Bob to open Bob’s 18th year on CBS on September 11, 1989.
Mark Goodson was abroad when this show was taped, so he was unable to attend this one. He sent his best regards by wire.
Bob reads “Thanks to the world’s greatest master of ceremonies, Bob Barker.” Holly sweetly asks, “Where’s my name?”
During 5 Price Tags, this contestants tries to pick her own Price right off the board! Bob quickly tries to reach up and stop her, but she pulls off the tag anyway and wins the car on her first pick!
In 1990, before a explaining that “some of the prizes on the Price is Right are provided by Service Merchandise” was shown, a shot of the audience was seen with the old Price is Right logo.
Bargain price for the gas pump is $1,490….
Actual retail price is $2,590!…
For a difference of …. $900??? New math???
During the experimental hour-long shows in 1975, the Showcase Showdown had the three contestants from each half behind this unusual prop in Contestants’ Row. One by one, they would come up on stage to spin the Big Wheel.
The contestant with the highest score stood at this unusual Rainbow scoreboard during the first Showcase Showdown from the experimental hour-long shows in 1975.
The Big Wheel as it appeared during the experimental hour-long shows in 1975. This wheel was similar in concept to the Star Wheel from “Match Game.” The sports-style read-out in the center of the wheel displayed the contestant’s spin.
Look who’s in the audience! It’s Ricky Schroder (from Silver Spoons, Lonesome Dove, and most recently, NYPD Blue) visiting Price is Right in this 1990 episode!
The contestant told Bob that she does a great job playing the game at home, so Bob asked Fingers to bring out a chair. That way, the contestant could pretend she was at home watching the show!
How do you compete with the number one sitcom on TV? In 1986, CBS decided to experiment with six prime time specials on Thursday nights to air opposite NBC’s “The Cosby Show.” The ratings didn’t topple Cosby, unfortunately, and we’d have to wait a while before more prime time specials appeared to greater success. Back then, this was the logo that zoomed in after the first four contestants were called to ‘Come on down!’
For the 1986 Prime time specials, the openings didn’t have the familiar light box. Instead, the audience was in the dark with searchlights panning across the crowd.
The camera would then zoom in across the studio to the “Price is Right Special” sign before calling the first four contestants.
Rather than the match dissolve from the logo over the audience to the logo on the big doors, they dissolved to a wide shot of door number two. The stage was dark, colored spotlights were flashing around the door frames, and a single spotlight was shining on the logo.
Bob wore tuxedos for the 1986 Prime time specials. Note that the border of the turntable was gray instead of green.
As the doors opened and Bob emerged, all of the lights came up. The set was modified for the 1986 prime time specials. The doors were repainted with the gold logo, the door borders were painted gray, the channels where the chase lights were housed were covered with a gold strip and silver spotlights lined the front side of the door frames.
Instead of the multicolored curtains behind the audience, they used elegant silver curtains.
Even Rod was dressed to the nines!
A great shot of the art card for the 1986 Prime time special logo. This was used as a bumper during the show.
This contestant really was a handful! His chip got stuck on the board this time, and here is a photo of Bob using the trustly ol’ Plinko stick to get things moving again.
If Bob looks confused, it’s because he is. He has mixed up the rules of the “Second Chance” in Punch-A-Bunch, mistakenly assuming that the contestant gets to keep the amount on the “Second Chance” slip regardless of whether they go on or stop. A producer is trying to set the record straight.
Janice decides to have a seat while they sort things out. She knows this is going to take a while to explain.
This episode was actually taped on Barker’s birthday. With producers yelling at him, Janice sitting down on the job, the audience screaming, Bob asks, “Is this a little birthday joke you’re playing on me?”
Bob to Janice: “You’re no help at all! You stand here holding this thing…put it down and help me out here!”
Finally, Bob reaches the breaking point! He grabs the $10,000 bill from Janice’s hands and slams it on the floor!
Everyone in the audience was given a button to wear to commemorate the first show of ‘Price’s’ 15th season.
The on-stage artwork for the first show of the 15th season. There were two of these, one between each door.
Bob introduced the first item up for bids, but in walked show owner Mark Goodson with Barker’s Beauties in tow.
A cute bit during an item up for bids: Gardener Holly adds a little water to her flower…
…and realizes her thumb was greener than she thought!
Not to be upstaged by a plant, Holly pulls out a pistol and shoots the poor flower…
…which falls to a heap at her feet! Similar bits with the “growing flower” have been used over the years.
“This is a moment that had to occur, did it not?” joked Bob, after Patricia Bernard is called to “Come on Down.” A man jumped to his feet and disappeared out the back door. Soon, Patricia made her way to Contestants’ Row straight from the ladies room. What was the first prize she had to bid on? A waterbed!!
Contestants’ Row as it appeared on the first episode. Note that the displays were originally the eggcrate design, and that the winning bidder was noted not only by a flashing bid but by a Goodson-Todman asterisk (seen on the fourth display).
The original showcase podiums. Note that the missing panel above the eggcrate display was added after the showcases had been chosen. (See next picture.) The original version of the showcase podiums had no Goodson-Todman asterisk.
Well, that’s a LITTLE better…but what’s with the black space between the showcase title and the bid display? This was a short-lived manual showcase reveal. Bob pressed a button and the top flap would flip down to reveal the actual retail price of the showcase. (See next photo.)
Connie bid $1750 on her showcase. The actual retail price of her showcase is $2307…a difference of $557. Even in this early version of the showcase podiums, the difference would appear in place of the bid just as it does today.
During a chat with the Beauties, Bob asks Dian what she’s looking for in a man. She says someone who’s nice and unpretentious. She then notices a volunteer.
Veteran CBS cameraman Marty Wagner eagerly volunteers to date Dian. (Note the light box behind him.)
The open from the first permanent hour-long show in 1975: The “One Hour” appeared in a nice script typeface, to stress the new change.
The image quality isn’t great, but if you look closely, you can see something missing here: Bob’s right shoe! Actually, he’s wearing a white tennis shoe on one foot and a normal dress shoe on the other because he broke his toe! He explained that he had been walking around the house barefooted and snagged his toe on a chair.
A close-up of Bob’s footwear during several shows taped after he broke his toe. Asked why he didn’t just wear two tennis shoes, he explained that he didn’t like the look of tennis shoes with a nice suit. No wonder he’s won awards for being the “Best Dressed Host!”
Janice has a surprise for Bob, who’s still sporting a tennis shoe over a broken little toe: she (along with the rest of the staff) are wearing one tennis shoe with him! Note that Bob is pointing to her tennis shoe.
It’s time to play “Bump,” and Janice and Dian are ready to play, and picking on ol’ Barker with their tennis shoes!
Bob became concerned about the guest pet up for adoption when he spotted a bandage on its paw. Of course, once he realized that the dog was going along with the gag about Bob’s broken toe, he got a big laugh out of it. They were having too much fun on this episode!!
Bob was in the middle of explaining the rules to ‘Barker’s Bargain Bar’ when he noticed that the neon sign was missing. He joked that he just couldn’t go on and then sat down on the green border of the big door, breaking a bulb! He then joked that he felt like he was on ‘Truth or Consequences!’ It’s assumed that the neon sign was being repaired, but its absence was never explained.
The absence of the sign was not explained.
Bob: “It’s supposed to say ‘Barker’s Bargain Bar’ up there.”
Janice tried to prevent disaster, but Bob didn’t listen.
Bob joked that he couldn’t go on and started to sit on the border of the big doors saying, “I just can’t go on!”
Bob realizes his mistake a little too late: “Now I know I can’t go on…I sat on a bulb!”
The bulb didn’t shatter; it broke cleanly from the socket.
Bob and Janice nearly get zapped when she tries to push the bulb back together, causing a giant spark!
Bob introduces some special guests in the audience. From right to left, that’s Bob’s brother, Kent; and Bob’s nephews, Chip and Bob.
At the end of a 1988 show, Bob thanks the Academy for three Emmy® Awards the show received: one for Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/Video Control, one for Outstanding Game Show Host, and one for Outstanding Game Show.
Oops! Dian and Holly were given the assignment of revealing the $15,000 top prize for the “Phone Home Game.” Unfortunately, for this playing, they were holding the banner backwards, so when they pulled the two retractable scrolls away from each other to reveal the banner, this is what we saw!
During this playing of Trader Bob, Janice collided with another prize causing the price tag to reveal itself. Bob suggests to the producers that they would have more winners if they played all the pricing games this way!
Notice something odd about the sliding door to the van? Janice was driving it out onto the stage for a playing of ‘Lucky Seven’ on the 26th season premiere, when the door got caught on the side of the turntable. As Barker made fun of the situation — and Janice’s driving — she explained that in rehearsals, the door had been closed! Wonder if the California Highway Patrol would have accepted that as an excuse?
Not even your luggage is safe with Holly.
Your bid is what??? Actually, this was a graphic used for a showcase skit all about “area codes.” An area code would be shown and then a trip to that location was offered as part of the prize package.
A strike! Holly knocks down her bike and just about takes Janice out with it as well.
In Season 25, the first and only time in Price history, someone rolled all 4 correct numbers in the price of the car (the first being given free, naturally).
Walter, from Rockford Illinois, got on stage winning an $800 camcorder. He picked up a Mercury Tracer and a spot in Price history!
One of the neater reveals to come out of 80s Price. While Janice modeled these two monitors offered as an item up for bids, a shot of Rod was shown in monitor 1 while monitor 2 showed a pan of the four contestants!

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