Bob Barker, Legendary Price Is Right Host, Dead at 99
BY DAVE NEMETZ
Bob Barker, the longtime host of CBS’ daytime game show The Price Is Right, died on Saturday. He was 99.
Barker died of natural causes at his home, his representative confirmed to TMZ.
For 35 years, Barker served as host of The Price Is Right, starting with the current version’s premiere in 1972. Wielding his signature skinny microphone while taking bids from contestants, Barker was a beloved staple of daytime TV, helping make The Price Is Right a consistent ratings winner and the longest-running game show in TV history. He retired in 2007, handing the skinny mic over to current host Drew Carey.
After serving in World War II as a Navy fighter pilot, Barker kicked off his broadcasting career in radio in the 1950s. He hosted the stunt-heavy TV game show Truth or Consequences for nearly two decades, along with several other short-lived game shows, before taking the hosting job at The Price Is Right. He went on to win a total of 17 Emmys, including a lifetime-achievement award in 1999.
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Barker’s tenure as The Price Is Right host was marred by a number of lawsuits filed against him, including an infamous 1994 sexual harassment suit filed by TPIR model Dian Parkinson, alleging a three-year affair with Barker. Several other models and employees sued Barker for wrongful termination and gender discrimination, and were awarded financial settlements out of court.
A passionate animal-rights activist, Barker became a vegetarian in 1979 and donated millions to animal-advocacy charities. After the 1981 death of his wife Dorothy Jo, who inspired his love of animals, he ended each Price Is Right broadcast with the sign-off line: “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” He hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from 1967 to 1987, but stepped down when organizers refused to remove fur prizes from the pageants.
Along with his work on The Price Is Right, Barker appeared as himself on a number of TV shows, including How I Met Your Mother, The Nanny and Family Guy. He also had a memorable cameo in Adam Sandler’s 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore, getting into a fistfight with Sandler’s character on the golf course.
Joined: 14 Apr 2001 Posts: 143635 Location: The Gold Coast
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:22 am Post subject:
lakersken80 wrote:
MookieBetts50 wrote:
Damn, another part of my childhood dies.....show ain't been "Right" since Bob retired.
Like Betty White, fell just shy of the century mark.
Thanks Bob for keeping the pet population in check for all your years and also for that unforgettable cameo in Happy Gilmore.
Nope just ain't the same like Jeopardy w/o Alex Trebek.
Not the same but Drew does a good job. Bob was Bob, no one else can be. Just as Jeopardy isn’t the same without Art Fleming. Alex, Ken and Mayam do a great job. _________________ RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.
Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 64894 Location: In a world where admitting to not knowing something is considered a great way to learn.
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 10:26 am Post subject:
I've watched TPIR since the Bill Cullen days. Bob was born to host TPIR. The show, as Jeopardy, is not the same. Bob and Alex can't be replaced. RIP silver-haired icon. _________________ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Joined: 15 Sep 2012 Posts: 28191 Location: La La Land
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 10:57 am Post subject:
Rest in peace Bob.
In a just world. Your estate would get millions of dollars in unpaid afternoon daycare services. _________________ "I knew I was fly when I was just a caterpillar."
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
1) everyone loved, people drawn to both, generations loved them, all races loved them, figureheads of their respective organizations, fans grew up with them.
2) natural charisma
3) amusing, good comedic timing
4) debonair lads in their day
5) both fooled people re: age for a long time, especially before Bob stopped dying his hair brown
6) old school guys who worked for eons w/o missing
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
8) both had exacting standards at their jobs regardless of whether they weren't of great import in a general sense. You can see that now w/ Drew Carey who is garbage as host. He doesn't care to do it like Bob, still sounds like he wants to get episodes over with. No charisma, not even funny as a supposed comedian. Chick of course got angry when he made the slightest hiccup. Old school standards. They don't make em like those gents any longer. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL SEDALE TRIBUTE EDDIE DONX!
I've watched TPIR since the Bill Cullen days. Bob was born to host TPIR. The show, as Jeopardy, is not the same. Bob and Alex can't be replaced. RIP silver-haired icon.
Again, big part of the reason is that he and Alex took their jobs seriously and did them with precision no matter if easy entertainment or not. NOT an attribute all hosts have. Dick Clark was that guy on Pyramid, too. They've tried to reboot that show, but it was dog poo. Lot of people had misgivings about Richard Dawson, but he was largely that guy on FF. The letchery overshadowed it, but all subsequent hosts haven't cut the muster. Harvey is the Drew of Feud. Turrible, both of em. I liked Ray Combs, the short lived, host post Dawson in the late 80s. Tragic end, committed suicide. He reminded me of Joe Fowler, our former KCAL Laker road pregame show host circa 91 and infomercial guy. Not so much in terms of a work comparison, but I guess the high-pitched short uncool white guy thing. Combs got a raw deal, however. They got rid of him supposedly because some high-up thought he was doing too much of a comedy schtick. Even Dawson himself couldn't salvage ratings in a mid90s comeback, but I don't put him quite on the Bob/Alex/Dick echelon. Never liked Pat Sajak. Interestingly Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel. Both MAGA morons. I remember Sajak on Maher's ABC "PI" appearances, he was always a Republican d-head. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL SEDALE TRIBUTE EDDIE DONX!
Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 7859 Location: Santa Monica
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2023 7:44 pm Post subject:
non-player zealot wrote:
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
1) everyone loved, people drawn to both, generations loved them, all races loved them, figureheads of their respective organizations, fans grew up with them.
2) natural charisma
3) amusing, good comedic timing
4) debonair lads in their day
5) both fooled people re: age for a long time, especially before Bob stopped dying his hair brown
6) old school guys who worked for eons w/o missing
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
8) both had exacting standards at their jobs regardless of whether they weren't of great import in a general sense. You can see that now w/ Drew Carey who is garbage as host. He doesn't care to do it like Bob, still sounds like he wants to get episodes over with. No charisma, not even funny as a supposed comedian. Chick of course got angry when he made the slightest hiccup. Old school standards. They don't make em like those gents any longer.
Bob Barker had a "music" to his voice that was very similar to Chick Hearn. I was recently watching some Price is Right episodes from when he hosted, and I like how he would mess with contestants when they were about to win. _________________ Lakers 49ers Chargers Dodgers
Joined: 25 Apr 2015 Posts: 30404 Location: Anaheim, CA
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:07 pm Post subject:
non-player zealot wrote:
jodeke wrote:
I've watched TPIR since the Bill Cullen days. Bob was born to host TPIR. The show, as Jeopardy, is not the same. Bob and Alex can't be replaced. RIP silver-haired icon.
Again, big part of the reason is that he and Alex took their jobs seriously and did them with precision no matter if easy entertainment or not. NOT an attribute all hosts have. Dick Clark was that guy on Pyramid, too. They've tried to reboot that show, but it was dog poo. Lot of people had misgivings about Richard Dawson, but he was largely that guy on FF. The letchery overshadowed it, but all subsequent hosts haven't cut the muster. Harvey is the Drew of Feud. Turrible, both of em. I liked Ray Combs, the short lived, host post Dawson in the late 80s. Tragic end, committed suicide. He reminded me of Joe Fowler, our former KCAL Laker road pregame show host circa 91 and infomercial guy. Not so much in terms of a work comparison, but I guess the high-pitched short uncool white guy thing. Combs got a raw deal, however. They got rid of him supposedly because some high-up thought he was doing too much of a comedy schtick. Even Dawson himself couldn't salvage ratings in a mid90s comeback, but I don't put him quite on the Bob/Alex/Dick echelon. Never liked Pat Sajak. Interestingly Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel. Both MAGA morons. I remember Sajak on Maher's ABC "PI" appearances, he was always a Republican d-head.
I've appeared on two game shows in my life. One of them was hosted by Chuck Woolery, and no, it wasn't Love Connection, ha. Unfortunately, I didn't win on Woolery's game where a lot of dough was on the line, and on the show where I did win, it wasn't a windfall, relatively speaking. Oh well!
I've watched TPIR since the Bill Cullen days. Bob was born to host TPIR. The show, as Jeopardy, is not the same. Bob and Alex can't be replaced. RIP silver-haired icon.
Again, big part of the reason is that he and Alex took their jobs seriously and did them with precision no matter if easy entertainment or not. NOT an attribute all hosts have. Dick Clark was that guy on Pyramid, too. They've tried to reboot that show, but it was dog poo. Lot of people had misgivings about Richard Dawson, but he was largely that guy on FF. The letchery overshadowed it, but all subsequent hosts haven't cut the muster. Harvey is the Drew of Feud. Turrible, both of em. I liked Ray Combs, the short lived, host post Dawson in the late 80s. Tragic end, committed suicide. He reminded me of Joe Fowler, our former KCAL Laker road pregame show host circa 91 and infomercial guy. Not so much in terms of a work comparison, but I guess the high-pitched short uncool white guy thing. Combs got a raw deal, however. They got rid of him supposedly because some high-up thought he was doing too much of a comedy schtick. Even Dawson himself couldn't salvage ratings in a mid90s comeback, but I don't put him quite on the Bob/Alex/Dick echelon. Never liked Pat Sajak. Interestingly Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel. Both MAGA morons. I remember Sajak on Maher's ABC "PI" appearances, he was always a Republican d-head.
I've appeared on two game shows in my life. One of them was hosted by Chuck Woolery, and no, it wasn't Love Connection, ha. Unfortunately, I didn't win on Woolery's game where a lot of dough was on the line, and on the show where I did win, it wasn't a windfall, relatively speaking. Oh well!
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 51850 Location: Making a safety stop at 15 feet.
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:59 am Post subject:
An ode to what many fondly associate with Mr. Barker _________________ You thought God was an architect, now you know
He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow
And everything you built that’s all for show
goes up in flames
In 24 frames
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 19706 Location: Prarie & Manchester, high above the western sideline
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2023 12:45 pm Post subject:
non-player zealot wrote:
Bob was the silver fox who reminded me more of Chick than anyone else including other NBA announcers.
1) everyone loved, people drawn to both, generations loved them, all races loved them, figureheads of their respective organizations, fans grew up with them.
2) natural charisma
3) amusing, good comedic timing
4) debonair lads in their day
5) both fooled people re: age for a long time, especially before Bob stopped dying his hair brown
6) old school guys who worked for eons w/o missing
7) multi-talented, Chick was a game show host himself, both had small acting gigs occasionally (Chick was in an epi of Gilligan on screen and also was the radio's newsman voice in others)
8) both had exacting standards at their jobs regardless of whether they weren't of great import in a general sense. You can see that now w/ Drew Carey who is garbage as host. He doesn't care to do it like Bob, still sounds like he wants to get episodes over with. No charisma, not even funny as a supposed comedian. Chick of course got angry when he made the slightest hiccup. Old school standards. They don't make em like those gents any longer.
Posted this last year in another thread:
A few weeks ago I saw that we have a channel called "The Price is Right: The Barker Era" and at first I would just have it on for background noise while I prepped dinner or washed dishes. After dinner one night I sat down to watch a couple of episodes in their entirety. Immediately, I noted Barker's titanic charisma. His command of the stage alone was most of what kept me watching, and I found myself remarking out loud at his pure class.
The man had so much god-given magnetism and polish that I now feel like TPIR was a bit beneath him, taking hugs from midwestern marms who were jazzed to help him shill commercial goods. The way old timers used to laud Sinatra or Johnny Carson...that's how I feel about Barker today. I did note the similarities to Chick wrt charisma and vocal presence. These guys were just born for these gigs, and the broadcasters with this gift throughout TV history can be counted on one hand. I wasn't cognizant of such things, but his verve is probably what made watching the show as kid in the 80s such a treat. Drew Carey as Bob's replacement is a joke. If all the VHS porn that was ever fast forwarded had its entertainment value personified, the result would be Drew Carey. _________________ http://chickhearn.ytmnd.com/
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