Current:Home > MarketsRemembering Bob Barker: Why this game show fan thought 'The Price is Right' host was aces-LoTradeCoin
Remembering Bob Barker: Why this game show fan thought 'The Price is Right' host was aces
View Date:2024-12-24 11:12:13
As a kid too young to fully comprehend the horrors of the ongoing Vietnam War, I became misty-eyed when Bob Barker, then the host of a game show called "Truth or Consequences," surprised families of military service members by reuniting them with their uniformed relatives onstage as the studio audience cheered.
Whenever I stayed home sick from school, I religiously watched "The Price is Right," and got a gleeful kick out of correctly guessing the value of a prize package — without going over.
It’s fair to say that Barker, who died at 99 on Saturday, was a major part of my childhood as an inveterate TV fan and game show watcher. The South Dakotan's silken voice, smooth demeanor and gentle humor — never mean or caustic — made him the absolutely perfect game show host.
And while he retired from an impressive 35-year run on "Price" in 2007, save for a handful of appearances with his successor, Drew Carey, his death also coincides with the end of an era for such classic hosts — from Dick Clark ("Pyramid"), Jim Lange ("The Dating Game"), Monty Hall ("Let's Make a Deal"), Gene Rayburn ("The Match Game") and the subversive Bob Eubanks ("The Newlywed Game") — to beloved "Jeopardy" emcee Alex Trebek, who died of cancer in 2020 at 80, and, with his retirement from "Wheel of Fortune" next spring at age 77, Pat Sajak.
A look back:Game show icon Bob Barker, tanned and charming host of 'The Price is Right,' dies at 99
Barker’s unique secret? His commanding (but never intimidating) presence, warm (but never unctuous) smile, an aversion to the leering double entendres of so many colleagues of the era, and most of all, his ease in conveying the feeling that he was just as excited as you were about knowing how much an avocado-green Amana refrigerator might cost. May he forever “come on down” in our memories.
veryGood! (3361)
Related
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Son Archie Turns 4 Amid King Charles III's Coronation
- Lawsuits Accuse Fracking Companies of Triggering Oklahoma’s Earthquake Surge
- See King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Golden Arrival at His Coronation
- Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
- Microsoft to pay $20 million over FTC charges surrounding kids' data collection
- Trump Administration Deserts Science Advisory Boards Across Agencies
- We Can Pull CO2 from Air, But It’s No Silver Bullet for Climate Change, Scientists Warn
- College Football Playoff bracket: Complete playoff picture after latest rankings
- Prince Louis Yawning at King Charles III's Coronation Is a Total Mood
Ranking
- New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
- Remember that looming recession? Not happening, some economists say
- COVID Risk May Be Falling, But It's Still Claiming Hundreds Of Lives A Day
- Polar Bears Wearing Cameras and Fitbits Reveal an Arctic Struggle for Survival
- Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
- Bernie Sanders’ Climate Plan: Huge Emissions Cuts, Emphasis on Environmental Justice
- Montana health officials call for more oversight of nonprofit hospitals
- Today’s Climate: June 11, 2010
Recommendation
-
Kalen DeBoer, Jalen Milroe save Alabama football season, as LSU's Brian Kelly goes splat
-
Bow Down to These Dazzling Facts About the Crown Jewels
-
What are your chances of catching monkeypox?
-
Need a push to save for retirement? This 401(k) gives you up to $250 cash back
-
Charles Hanover: A Summary of the UK Stock Market in 2023
-
Prince George Looks All Grown-Up at King Charles III's Coronation
-
Florida arranged migrant flights to California, where officials are considering legal action
-
The number of hungry people has doubled in 10 countries. A new report explains why