Questions about the Nighttime Price is Right

[TPIR75]

I have been listening to the audio of the  Dennis James Nighttime eps. and I have some questions that hopefully someone can answer.

1.  On J-shea's site there is one episode that had a $22,000 showcase.  Did the Nighttime show have a larger budget than the daytime show?

2.  Was the Dennis James version more popular?  On the audio files, when Dennis makes his entrance the audience seems to be ecstatic.  Were they that excited to see Bob as well?

3. Due to the succes of Deal or No Deal, and 1 vs. 100 (another game show) premiering soon (both on NBC), do you think CBS should take this time to bring Price into Primetime, not as a special, but as a Nighttime show?  Do you think it would bring in the success and ratings it does on the daytime show?

[Nick]

TPIR75 wrote:
Did the Nighttime show have a larger budget than the daytime show?

Very much so, and right from the beginning of the run too.  The Showcases in particular were huge on the '70s nighttime run.  It was not uncommon for a Showcase to have over five prizes.

TPIR75 wrote:
Due to the succes of Deal or No Deal, and 1 vs. 100 (another game show) premiering soon (both on NBC), do you think CBS should take this time to bring Price into Primetime, not as a special, but as a Nighttime show?  Do you think it would bring in the success and ratings it does on the daytime show?

You can't really say 1 vs. 100 has been a "success" when it hasn't even begun airing yet.

But in regards to your question, I think there hasn't been a better time to bring TPIR back into half hour, nighttime syndication, (whether once a week or weeknights), and particularily, without Bob as host.  Not that Bob doesn't do a splendid job, but this could be the chance for viewers to see a different host of the show again, in additon to the daytime version.

[OldPrice75]

TPIR75 wrote:

Did the Nighttime show have a larger budget than the daytime show?

Yeah, the showcases were often $10-15K and the prize packages were often upwards of $3000.  The cars were often $6,000.

Nick wrote:
The Showcases in particular were huge on the '70s nighttime run. It was not uncommon for a Showcase to have over five prizes.

Yes, that was my favorite part of the nighttime show.  
And the showcases often were more creative and had little items like the Turtle Wax.  

Nick wrote:

But in regards to your question, I think there hasn't been a better time to bring TPIR back into half hour, nighttime syndication, (whether once a week or weeknights), and particularily, without Bob as host. Not that Bob doesn't do a splendid job, but this could be the chance for viewers to see a different host of the show again, in additon to the daytime version.

I'd like to see that again too, but I wish that Dennis James (and the airtime for those big showcases) was still here.  He was a great host.

[Aaron A. Camp]

Personally, I would like to see something I like to call "Saturday Night's Price is Right". It would essentally combine the Doug Davidson version's set with the Dennis James version's format and budget. It would air on Saturday nights on CBS.

Some of the pricing games would have to be staged differently because of a video wall replacing the turntable. For example: Grocery Game and Shell Game would be staged Hi-Lo style, car games meant to be played on the turntable would be staged Lucky Seven style, with the gameboard placed in front of Door #3 and concealed by a small curtain until it is time to play the game, and other games meant to be played on the turntable would be concealed by the Giant Price Tag until it is time to play the game. Bonus Game and Clock Game would get new sets. Plinko and Punch-A-Bunch would use a flashing graphic on the video wall for their prize reveal.

[ClockGameJohn]

CampDaddy90 wrote:
Some of the pricing games would have to be staged differently because of a video wall replacing the turntable. For example: Grocery Game and Shell Game would be staged Hi-Lo style, car games meant to be played on the turntable would be staged Lucky Seven style, with the gameboard placed in front of Door #3 and concealed by a small curtain until it is time to play the game, and other games meant to be played on the turntable would be concealed by the Giant Price Tag until it is time to play the game. Bonus Game and Clock Game would get new sets. Plinko and Punch-A-Bunch would use a flashing graphic on the video wall for their prize reveal.

NO!

[tpirfan28]

CampDaddy90 wrote:
Personally, I would like to see something I like to call "Saturday Night's Price is Right". It would essentally combine the Doug Davidson version's set with the Dennis James version's format and budget. It would air on Saturday nights on CBS.

Some of the pricing games would have to be staged differently because of a video wall replacing the turntable. For example: Grocery Game and Shell Game would be staged Hi-Lo style, car games meant to be played on the turntable would be staged Lucky Seven style, with the gameboard placed in front of Door #3 and concealed by a small curtain until it is time to play the game, and other games meant to be played on the turntable would be concealed by the Giant Price Tag until it is time to play the game. Bonus Game and Clock Game would get new sets. Plinko and Punch-A-Bunch would use a flashing graphic on the video wall for their prize reveal.

The only thing I would change is add the black flooring.  NOTHING ELSE.  No video walls, no crazy switches of prize reveals, just the black floor.

[Nick]

tpirfan28 wrote:
The only thing I would change is add the black flooring.  NOTHING ELSE.  No video walls, no crazy switches of prize reveals, just the black floor.

And that's just as bad of an idea as all those other ones.

How about just a nighttime, syndicated version, done under the half hour format with someone other than Bob hosting?

[catdogwheel]

Personally I would just do a format that is the same as the MDS style. Everything about the set would stay the same except for a different look on the big doors. I would also do it as a once-a-week program that way the popularity isn't killed easily. And the last thing would be to make the big wheel bonus worth $100,000 since it wouldn't be considered an MDS.

[gottabemark9]

I think that this would be a great thing that CBS could do. With Deal or No Deal and the new game show premiring on NBC, this would give CBS a chance to have a great nighttime show in which people who DVR TPIR during the day now can watch at the right time. I also agree that Bob should not be the host because it would give us a chance to see how another MC would be. Eventhough I want this to happen, it will never!!!!!!!

[JohnHolder]

In 1994, Bob turned down the chance to host a nightly show because, first, he didn't want to host ten shows a week, and second, he thought TPiR would get overexposed being on twice a day.  Once they knew they'd have to find a different host, they decided on a total revamp, and the result was the show that Doug Davidson hosted (which I actually liked, but there's a big difference of opinion there).

I doubt Bob would have changed his mind about that in the ensuing 12 years, so a new nightly version would have to have a different host.  He might be more willing to do a once-a-week CBS prime time version, though, but that's just speculation on my part.

If they do launch a show with a new host, it should be the person they've identified as Bob's heir apparent on the daytime show.  Jay Leno to Bob's Johnny Carson, as it were.  I don't think they've found that person yet, based on the interview with Bob (posted here recently) where he said Fremantle's been looking for a new host for three years.  Of course, if the new nighttime host doesn't work out (like Rolf Benirschke on Wheel), they've figured that out without damaging the version that's the real cash cow.

Given that a nighttime syndicated version hasn't been successful since the late '70's, I think they'd probably go for a weekly prime-time show rather than one like Tom Kennedy's.  If they do a bigger-bucks prime time network version, I'd like to see them bring back some of the biggest winners or best players from the daytime show, since they've never had returning champions.  I'd prefer a "Million Dollar Tournament of Champions" to just having, for example, a regular contestant who randomly gets to play Plinko for $100K rather than $50K.

John