A publicist says popular game show host Bob Barker, a household name for a half-century as host of B次元官网网址淭ruth or ConsequencesB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Price Is Right,B次元官网网址� has died at his home in Los Angeles. Barker was 99.
Barker B次元官网网址� also a longtime animal rights activist B次元官网网址� died Saturday morning (Aug. 26), according to publicist Roger Neal.
B次元官网网址淚 am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry and including working to improve the plight of abused and exploited animals in the United States and internationally,B次元官网网址� said Nancy Burnet, his longtime friend and caretaker, in a statement.
Barker retired in June 2007, telling his studio audience: B次元官网网址淚 thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me into your home for more than 50 years.B次元官网网址�
Barker was working in radio in 1956 when producer Ralph Edwards invited him to audition as the new host of B次元官网网址淭ruth or Consequences,B次元官网网址� a game show in which audience members had to do wacky stunts B次元官网网址� the B次元官网网址渃onsequenceB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� if they failed to answer a question B次元官网网址� the B次元官网网址渢ruth,B次元官网网址� which was always the silly punchline to a riddle no one was ever meant to furnish. (Q: What did one eye say to another? A: Just between us, something smells.)
In a 1996 interview with The Associated Press, Barker recalled receiving the news that he had been hired: B次元官网网址淚 know exactly where I was, I know exactly how I felt: I hung up the phone and said to my wife, B次元官网网址楧orothy Jo, I got it!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Barker stayed with B次元官网网址淭ruth or ConsequencesB次元官网网址� for 18 years B次元官网网址� including several years in a syndicated version.
Meanwhile, he began hosting a resurrected version of B次元官网网址淭he Price Is RightB次元官网网址� in 1972. (The original host in the 1950s and B次元官网网址�60s was Bill Cullen.) It would become TVB次元官网网址檚 longest-running game show and the last on a broadcast network of what in TVB次元官网网址檚 early days had numbered dozens.
B次元官网网址淚 have grown old in your service,B次元官网网址� the silver-haired, perennially tanned Barker joked on a prime-time television retrospective in the mid-B次元官网网址�90s.
In all, he taped more than 5,000 shows in his career. He said he was retiring because B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 just reaching the age where the constant effort to be there and do the show physically is a lot for me. B次元官网网址� Better (to leave) a year too soon than a year too late.B次元官网网址� Comedian Drew Carey was chosen to replace him.
Barker was back with Carey for one show broadcast in April 2009. He was there to promote the publication of his memoir, B次元官网网址淧riceless Memories,B次元官网网址� in which he summed up his joy from hosting the show as the opportunity B次元官网网址渢o watch people reveal themselves and to watch the excitement and humor unfold.B次元官网网址�
He well understood the attraction of B次元官网网址淭he Price Is Right,B次元官网网址� in which audience members B次元官网网址� invited to B次元官网网址淐ome on down!B次元官网网址� to the stage B次元官网网址� competed for prizes by trying to guess their retail value.
B次元官网网址淓veryone can identify with prices, even the president of the United States. Viewers at home become involved because they all have an opinion on the bids,B次元官网网址� Barker once said. His own appeal was clear: Barker played it straight B次元官网网址� warm, gracious and witty B次元官网网址� refusing to mock the game show format or his contestants.
B次元官网网址淚 want the contestants to feel as though theyB次元官网网址檙e guests in my home,B次元官网网址� he said in 1996. B次元官网网址淧erhaps my feeling of respect for them comes across to viewers, and that may be one of the reasons why IB次元官网网址檝e lasted.B次元官网网址�
As a TV personality, Barker retained a touch of the old school B次元官网网址� for instance, no wireless microphone for him. Like the mic itself, the mic cord served him well as a prop, insouciantly flicked and finessed.
His career longevity, he said, was the result of being content. B次元官网网址淚 had the opportunity to do this type of show and I discovered I enjoyed it B次元官网网址� People who do something that they thoroughly enjoy and they started doing it when theyB次元官网网址檙e very young, I donB次元官网网址檛 think they want to stop.B次元官网网址�
Barker also spent 20 years as host of the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Universe Pageant. A longtime animal rights activist who daily urged his viewers to B次元官网网址渉ave your pets spayed or neuteredB次元官网网址� and successfully lobbied to ban fur coats as prizes on B次元官网网址淭he Price Is Right,B次元官网网址� he quit the Miss USA Pageant in 1987 in protest over the presentation of fur coats to the winners.
B次元官网网址淚 am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry and including working to improve the plight of abused and exploited animals in the United States and internationally,B次元官网网址� said Nancy Burnet, his longtime friend and caretaker, in a statement. Burnet is now also the co-executor of BarkerB次元官网网址檚 estate.
In 1997, Barker declined to be a presenter at the Daytime Emmy awards ceremony because he said it snubbed game shows by not airing awards in the category. He called game shows B次元官网网址渢he pillars of daytime TV.B次元官网网址�
He had a memorable cameo appearance on the big screen in 1996, sparring with Adam Sandler in the movie B次元官网网址淗appy Gilmore.B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淚 did `The Price Is RightB次元官网网址� for 35 years, and theyB次元官网网址檙e asking me how it was to beat up Adam Sandler,B次元官网网址� Barker later joked.
In 1994, the widowed Barker was sued for sexual harassment by Dian Parkinson, a B次元官网网址淧rice is RightB次元官网网址� model for 18 years. Barker admitted engaging in B次元官网网址渉anky pankyB次元官网网址� with Parkinson from 1989-91 but said she initiated the relationship. Parkinson dropped the lawsuit in 1995, saying it was hurting her health.
Barker became embroiled in a dispute with another former B次元官网网址淧rice Is RightB次元官网网址� model, Holly Hallstrom, who claimed she was fired in 1995 because the showB次元官网网址檚 producers believed she was fat. Barker denied the allegations.
Neither uproar affected his goodwill from the audience.
Born in Darrington, Washington, in 1923, Barker spent part of his childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where his widowed mother had taken a teaching job. The family later moved to Springfield, Mo., where he attended high school. He served in the Navy in World War II.
He married Dorothy Jo Gideon, his high school sweetheart; she died in 1981 after 37 years of marriage. They had no children.
Barker was given a lifetime achievement award at the 26th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 1999. He closed his acceptance remarks with the signoff: B次元官网网址淗ave your pets spayed or neutered.B次元官网网址�
Frazier Moore, The Associated Press
