Thousands of years ago, I had one of those strange, "guilty pleasure" interests in The Price Is Right. This evening, after watching its prime-time, 30th anniversary special, I am at a loss to explain why I ever found Bob Barker particularly charming — and this was before I ran into the man in a car wash on Highland Avenue. We were waiting for our respective autos to be laundered and I made some ha-ha hilarious joke about how I hoped he wasn't going to tip the attendant in Plinko chips. It was a silly remark but from his reaction, you'd have thought I'd just spit up on his Guccis.
That encounter did not sour my interest in his show. Rather, I think it was its endless repetition, coupled with that occasional moment when a certain contempt for its audience would leak out around the edges. Some of the stories about Mr. Barker offstage — rumored and reported — also made it harder to view his "I'm so wonderful" act as performed with a twinkle. (A recent episode of the E! True Hollywood Story obsesses on some of the uglier escapades.) He reminded me of another performer of whom it was once said, "He does nothing but he's so successful at it, he's convinced himself he's brilliant."
Tonight's Price Is Right special bored me and got me to wondering why I ever tuned in. Part of it, I know, was the sheer professional expertise on display. Once upon a time, if you'd gone to a network and pitched the 60-minute Price Is Right, describing the prizes you'd be dispensing and how you'd be getting them on and off the stage, they'd have told you it was impossible. That show could not be done five times a week — too ambitious, too costly, too complicated. Some very brilliant producers and directors figured out how to make it work. (An even more interesting show than the one they tape is the one that goes on backstage, watching stagehands juggle refrigerators and Buicks.) I also liked the original announcer, Johnny Olson, and the earlier "Barker's Beauties," who performed seemingly trivial on-camera duties with amazing skill.
Most of all, I think I liked the pure spirit of fun that permeated the show — just ordinarily folks enjoying themselves, having perhaps the greatest thrill of their lives without enduring the embarrassment on which so many game shows thrive. Those other programs feature contestants who have endured a lengthy pre-screening procedure that somehow makes them behave like professional contestants. The Price Is Right has only a minimal selection process and plucks its competitors right out of the studio audience. It all seemed so spontaneous back then. Somehow, tonight, it seemed like both host and players were performing stale rituals. Bob basked in the radiance of the applause and trotted out the hoary clip of the lady whose top fell down on camera. (There are episodes of I Love Lucy that have been rerun less often.) But he didn't utter one witty, original remark…or anything that sounded the least sincere.
Over at CBS, I'm told, a frequent topic is who, if anyone, will replace the 79-year-old host when he steps down or drops in his tracks. I don't know that anyone will but, after tonight, I suspect that almost anyone could.