{"id":2013986,"date":"2023-08-28T07:18:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T11:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-legendary-bob-barker-epitomized-game-show-cool\/"},"modified":"2023-08-28T07:26:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T11:26:04","slug":"the-legendary-bob-barker-epitomized-game-show-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-legendary-bob-barker-epitomized-game-show-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Barker was the epitome of &#8216;game show cool&#8217;."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-legendary-bob-barker-epitomized-game-show-cool%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2013986&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Television \u2063Lost a Legend: Remembering Bob Barker<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Television lost one of its leading lights over the\u2063 weekend when legendary game show host Bob\u200d Barker died Saturday, less than four months short of his 100th birthday. (At least one pundit on Twitter\u200c wryly observed that,\u2064 in true Showcase Showdown fashion, Barker\u2064 apparently tried to come as\u2062 close to 100 as possible \u2014 without going over.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The former \u201cThe Price Is\u2063 Right\u201d emcee stood as one\u200d of the last living members of his generation of\u2064 TV hosts (not\u2063 to mention one of the last of the Greatest Generation). For that reason, he cut \u200ba different profile than many \u200bcurrent hosts, including his successor at \u201cThe Price Is\u2062 Right.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1723918691\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a64332de31598fd2dcc1d42afc50e2d5 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a64332de31598fd2dcc1d42afc50e2d5\"><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Professional Game Show Host<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At the time of the cancer diagnosis that would ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/11\/08\/with-alex-trebek-we-say-goodbye-to-an-era-in-television\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">take his life<\/a>, these pages \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2019\/03\/08\/icon-entire-genre-alex-trebek-last-tv-game-host\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> Alex Trebek the \u2064last true game show host still active in television. Because the genre declined in popularity in recent \u200dyears, most\u2064 game \u200dshows need to find emcees from other forms of entertainment, often including \u2063stand-up comedy (Steve Harvey,\u2063 Howie Mandel) or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-5-different-mask-policies-held-by-dr-fauci-in-11-months\/\" title=\"The 5 Different Mask Policies Held By Dr. Fauci In 11 Months\">talk shows<\/a> (Regis Philbin, \u200cMichael Strahan).<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, people \u2062like Barker and Trebek \u2063made a living by hosting\u2062 a variety of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espn-caught-in-controversy-after-leaked-recording-shows-reporter-complaining-about-diversity-promotions\/\" title=\"ESPN Caught In Controversy After Leaked Recording Shows Reporter Complaining About \u2018Diversity\u2019 Promotions\">game shows<\/a>; when \u200done failed and was canceled, they would find work hosting another. For \u2063instance, \u200bBill Cullen \u200bhosted <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bill_Cullen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">23 different game shows<\/a> on television and radio, in addition to appearing \u2063as a panelist on \u2064several others.\u200d Cullen, \u2064who hosted the original version of \u201cThe Price Is Right\u201d from 1956 to \u200b1965, joked that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-legendary-bob-barker-epitomized-game-show-cool\/\" title=\"Bob Barker was the epitome of 'game show cool'.\">network executives invariably gave hosting \u200bduties<\/a> to him by default\u2064 when production companies pitched the networks on new shows.<\/p>\n<p>With more than half \u2064a\u2062 century hosting game shows, Barker falls into this category\u200c as a professional host. Few remember it now, but for nearly 20 years Barker also hosted the television show \u200b\u201cTruth or Consequences,\u201d which was \u2062so popular in its heyday that \u2064a\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Truth_or_Consequences,_New_Mexico\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">city in New \u200dMexico<\/a> \u2063renamed \u200ditself in 1950 after the radio\u2063 version of the program. Barker also appeared as a panelist on other game shows, including \u2064\u201cTattletales\u201d and \u201cMatch \u200cGame,\u201d\u2063 in the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>Put another way, the elements of his game\u2064 show biography that most people have forgotten about Barker are greater \u200dthan those of virtually \u200call current\u200d television\u2063 emcees. That doesn\u2019t \u200bbegin to cover the 35-year stint as host \u2064of \u201cThe Price Is \u200bRight\u201d\u200d that made him a legend to multiple generations of \u2063Americans.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Different Hosting Style<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Because he hosted game shows for so long, and because he came \u2062from an\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-signs-american-churches-are-going-woke\/\" title=\"5 Signs American Churches Are Going Woke\">earlier generation<\/a>, Barker exhibited a different on-camera persona than most modern\u200d hosts. The comparison with his successor as host of \u201cThe Price Is Right\u201d demonstrates the contrast.<\/p>\n<p>Watching the modern \u201cPrice\u201d during pandemic-era\u200d lockdowns, one could readily observe Drew Carey\u2019s earnestness toward the game and the contestants. His enthusiasm might seem off-putting to more reserved\u200b members of an\u200d older \u2062generation:\u200c \u201cYou won the car! \u200b <em>You won the car!!!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, Barker often appeared\u2063 to be playing \u200cthe \u2064part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-barker-beloved-host-of-the-price-is-right-dead-at-99\/\" title=\"Bob Barker, adored 'The Price Is Right' host, passes away at 99.\">game show\u2063 host<\/a>. Heck, he <em>looked<\/em> \u2064 the part \u200dof a stereotypical game show host. When Galoob released \u200ca \u201cMr. Game Show Host\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/115888509504?hash=item1afb7e5240:g:ZgUAAOSwv5pkSnlZ&#038;amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4HzYdgA%2FaJ%2BzDe1x3lAXPkJ8F6EU1BJ9xrFPXLm4RF5f7A2uXKi1%2FWKQ2T%2B7qzpUaGNwXCdlnvdB4ghmyUZTqyxe%2FKEYSKX7NMZqOV88J15guzfhH2D3jrjBJTrbnEncCK9wcEjZ1U57eWj0YQ7ZAia61n0lPgP%2BND1%2F6ngQHSuKkqwU8W%2Bh6BN89hSIcJKAQh9QvFZBUSaf6xgGGHokp9Gntjz4FSzTVFuBu0IyKwUT%2Bpc8qCbhgrxl8e5AabPXpXA4cPmf92f2YWAf8od3mGxMbe%2BzdbOq9pCSHTipouhM%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3obKlMdi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electronic game<\/a> in the 1980s, the toy\u2019s title character \u2064echoed a mash-up of Barker \u200band\u200d Wink Martindale, the sole difference being that \u2064Barker stopped dyeing his hair and \u2063let it go \u2064gray \u2064around that time.<\/p>\n<p>While gliding effortlessly through the mechanics of hosting an episode, Barker often showed a level of detachment not found in\u2064 Carey.\u200d He\u2062 seemed bemused by all the crazy things people would do on the show, \u2062particularly after winning. His demeanor suggested, \u201c<em>Don\u2019t get too close to me \u2014 this suit is rented<\/em>,\u201d and he only seemed half-concerned when <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/58FQKSwuj9A?list=PLeNcSxZY7RB46NfAcAPIQcRTsB5bJOdA7&#038;t=230\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Samoans<\/a> \u200b(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yvBLbO9m9No\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>always<\/em> the \u2062Samoans<\/a>) picked him up and carried him around.<\/p>\n<p>While on stage, Barker\u2019s pretensions were both calculated and in good fun. He often insisted on silence from the roaring studio\u2064 audience \u2014 \u201cJust a moment. \u2063 <em>Just a moment!!!<\/em>\u201d \u2014 only to deliver\u200c some deadpan wisecrack. He delighted \u200cin \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_jZRmRSVNLI?t=283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">playing up the drama of a prize reveal<\/a>, often stopping to banter \u2062with\u2062 the contestants, \u201c<em>Isn\u2019t this exciting! What will you do \u2063if you win the\u200b car?<\/em>\u201d He heightened the suspense while also drawing big laughs. And his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/6NN2W386IJs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Inspiration\u2064 Putt<\/a> prior to the start of the game \u201cHole in One (or Two)\u201d took on a \u2062life\u2063 of its own, as viewers dissected the strength of Barker\u2019s putting game.<\/p>\n<p>It seemed no surprise that\u200c Barker\u2063 could cut his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Hwz8vlZUL4E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legendary fight scene in \u201cHappy Gilmore\u201d<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N-TACwM1QhU\">deliver a Top Ten list<\/a> on \u201cThe \u2062Late Show\u201d with pitch-perfect \u200btiming. In both cases, the gigs seemed entirely consistent with \u200bhis personality.<\/p>\n<p>Though born six decades earlier, Barker in some ways seems to epitomize Generation X\u200d culture: not trying too hard, with a wry smile and wink that let the audience at home in \u200con the joke, but without \u200cinsulting or mocking the contestants in the studio.\u2062 For this reason, \u2064millions of fans of\u200d my generation\u2063 loved \u200dschool holidays or sick days (real\u2063 or imagined), when we could stay home and watch \u2064Barker on daytime TV.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Icon for Generations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Of course, Barker had a life outside the studio that now bears his name. He served in the Navy Reserve during World War \u2062II and proved a passionate lover of\u200b animals, such that Carey still uses Barker\u2019s famous sign-off:  \u201cHelp control the pet population \u2014 have your pets spayed or neutered!\u201d On a less \u2063flattering note, the sexual\u200d harassment alleged by one \u201cThe Price Is Right\u201d model during their affair proved damaging to Barker\u2019s reputation and legacy.<\/p>\n<p>I went to \u2063a taping\u200c of \u201cThe\u2062 Price Is Right\u201d two decades ago and kept my price tag for a reason,\u200c which has everything to do with \u200bhow Barker\u2019s combination of warmth and wit endeared \u200bhimself to generations of viewers. We value that \u200blegacy as much as we miss his presence.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Television mourns the loss of game show icon Bob Barker, who passed away Saturday, just shy of his 100th birthday. Some Twitter users humorously noted that Barker, in a Showcase Showdown style, aimed to reach the closest possible to 100.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2013987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2013986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2013986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2013987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2013986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2013986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2013986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}