SLATE: Usual view…the clapboard in front of Johnny’s corner of the stage…in fact you can see John running to the podium to read out the slate: “This is The Price is Right, production number 0701-D, air date to be announced, VTR 12-10-73, and it’s…take one.” The clapboard turned up in a number of different places over the course of the DVD episodes.
“A fortune in fabulous prizes may go to these people today if they know when the price is right”
First four, come on down!:
Alice Reinoso- lady with glasses, hair in bun, white sweater, yellow blouse
Marsha Antony- brunette, shoulder-length hair with a white and red shirt
Hilda Rippee -matronly middle-aged blonde in white shirt and grey vest/pants.
Molly Shorey- brunette with red jacket over white turtleneck
“You are the first four contestants on The Price is Right!…oh, my! Hey-hey-heyy!”
We can’t see what made John let out those exclamations, unfortunately.
“And now here’s the star of the Price is Right, Bob Barker!”
Bob bounds out of the doors and jogs to his normal spot on the stage, as he usually did in those days. He’s wearing a brownish-red suit, a light blue shirt, and a multi-colored tie. Janice, wearing a light blue outfit that looks almost like a nurse’s uniform, passes him the mic.
Intro patter: “Thank you very much, welcome to The Price is Right, I tell you we have big plans for today. Those plans include giving away a stageful of big, big prizes, so let’s get down to business ; here’s the first item up for bids on The Price is Right!”
1. Carnegie electronics stereo (in the clam, with Anitra, who’s in a yellow outfit.)
Bob, aside from the normal rules, reminds contestants to bid only in dollars “alllll day long”.
ALICE 550
MARSHA 475
HILDA 375 350
MOLLY 400
Actual Retail Price: $350! Too bad Hilda can’t get a bonus for that.
Now try to follow along as Hilda starts free-associating on stage with Bob.
HILDA: “This is what London does for you, you know that, don‘t you?” (Incidentally, she’s very English.)
BOB: ??
HILDA: “Well, I just thought of the things I had to get, and that was it. The number. Thinking of my things from London, you know what I mean.”
The thing is, she looks totally sane.
BOB: “Hilda, what are you saying?”
HILDA: “You’ve got your garter belt on!”
BOB: “Hilda, stop right now…What did you feel that you thought was my garter belt?”
The audience goes nuts at this, of course. And Hilda is somewhat out of view, so we can’t see where her hands are.
BOB: “Now you know what’ll happen. Somebody’ll see this show, they’ll tell their next door neighbor- sooner or later, people are gonna say ’Yeah, he wears a girdle’…Now, I want you to feel again, Hilda. THAT’S BARKER.”
Hilda obliges, gleefully.
“Now, careful, Hilda, that’s enough…before CBS invites us off the air, let’s go along here, Hilda.”
“I want you to know, London or no London, I have something for you to win you’ll never forget. I want you to win THAT!”
“A NEW CAR!”
A bold blue Vega (Jan‘s with it), an inexpensive compact, but fairly well-loaded with options today.
Our game is Temptation, funnily enough, and as Bob explains how the game board works, the camera suddenly cuts to Hilda, who is bent over double trying to look around behind the game to see the car again. Bob: “Yes, the car’s still there, what’s the matter, Hilda…I’ll bet they’re getting an interesting shot of her as she looks around there.”
Hilda is shaking hands with Barker as Anitra brings out the first prize.
1. Queen-sized “American Mood Sheets” from Thomaston Hills: $29. Hilda selects 2.
2. Vignette jewelry from Monet Jewelers: $71.
Hilda can’t choose a number because “They shout too much.”, and she can’t understand them. Barker says he’s not allowed to tell her what they’re saying. Eventually audience members take turns yelling 7, and that’s what Hilda picks.
3. Kiddie weather forecasting kit, including compass, barometer, and what my granddad often described as a “Whirly-gig”. $13. Hilda opts for 3.
4. “Just what Hilda needs!” A Hodaka Wombat motorcycle. Hilda looks pretty enthusiastic about it. $660. She rounds it off with a zero, making a final bid of $2730, to audience approval.
The non-car prizes total $770, and Bob explains the deal. When Bob says “But if you make one itty-bitty mistake”, Hilda says “bitty mistake” along with him. Bob goes on, “You’ll lose the motorcycle, you’ll lose the jewelry, you won’t know what the weather’s gonna be-”
HILDA: “And I’ll go back to London.”
Hilda goes for the car. Things looks good, and she gets the first three numbers right. Hilda makes as if to kneel and pray for the last number, and she almost topples on her way down. “Watch it, Hilda!!”
And the last number is a…
SIX!!! (BUZZZ!!!)
Oh, Jay, Jay Jay: that was just plain mean, especially with Hilda, who by now has garnered all kinds of audience goodwill.
BOB: “That’s the biggest disappointment I’ve had in weeks!”
Hilda comes back with the perfect comment: “Never mind, dear- we’ve had fun.” What a stiff upper lip.
2. Johnny-in-a-circle calls Audrey Zacariah, come on down!
Next up for bids we have yellow La-Z-Boy swivel rockers, with Janice and a really funky, 70’s-sexy cue.
AUDREY (Startled: “AHH!”) 275
MOLLY 250
ALICE 175
MARSHA 165
ARP: $319; Audrey’s out again!
HI-LO comes rolling out, and the swivel chairs are still sitting out there as it does. You get the feeling Price was a looser operation back in those days? Me too.
The groceries, to a very wacky electric piano cue:
Seasoned Ry-Crisp Crackers
Arm & Hammer baking soda
Seven Seas Thousand Island dressing
Nestle’s Sugar Cookie Mix
Morton prefilled salt and pepper shakers
Party Tyme margarita mix
Audrey and her husband hail from Kansas City, MO. Bob hopes to send her back with this:
An economical Coleman Somerset camping trailer, worth $1395.
Audrey picks out the margarita mix first, and it’s priced at 68...no, 89 cents. It was loaded wrong. “Just a little something in there to give you a thrill, upside-down.”
Next, the salad dressing, which is 46 cents. The audience moans. Bob tells Audrey. “Don’t give up the ship.”
And then finally, she goes for the rye crackers, worth a discouraging 41 cents.
So the high row threshhold is $0.41 and nothing left must be higher than that.
Baking soda is $0.28. Bob can’t quite slide it into the holder, so he leaves it all askew, which is the most willy-nilly thing I’ve ever seen Mr. Barker do.
Cookie mix is $0.39.
No way pre-filler salt and pepper shakers could be that low…is there?
Salt and pepper…23 cents! She wins the trailer in the cheapest Hi-Lo game I’ve ever seen!
3. Suzanne Johnson comes on down.
Our last IUFB is a Maytag washer/dryer.
SUZANNE 465
MOLLY 400
ALICE 500
MARSHA 425
ARP: $560...Alice escapes! They proceed to the big doors.
BOB: Now, you’ve won a nice prize. I’m gonna give you a chance to win not one more, not two more, but three more prizes.” What game is it, everybody?
Yes, it’s Most Expensive. A very mellow piano and guitar cue plays for these prizes:
1) An Etagiere (Janice)
2) A Tappan compactor (Anitra)
3) His and Hers Motobecane bicycles. (Anitra)
Well, you have your clearance sales, and then you have your clearance sales. Although in those days, quickie games almost always seemed to be played for extraordinarily cheap prizes. We’re playing with the 5 Price Tags props, in case you were wondering.
The audience applauds number 3, and Alice agrees, so Bob declares it “a frozen prize” for the moment.
When the Beauties reveal the prices, they stick one arm way out and just flip the price tag in one hand.
#1) $235 (Audience moans.)
#2) $229
#3) $338 WINNER! However, that unfortunately knocks Hilda out of the game. All 3 blue tags flash simultaneously.
Contestants not appearing on stage win a Ronson electric shaver outfit.
SHOWCASE TIME!:
Audrey is the top winner; Alice is the runner up.
Audrey is “mostly a housewife”…it turns out she’s a part-time secretary.
Alice is a housewife. “Good for you!”, says Bob.
Bob explains the rules. No double showcase win available yet.
So on to Showcase #1:
This showcase is for kids:
TV Time popcorn (J)
Turco (A “Matt-tell” company) Monkey Bars
FAO Schwartz Wood Fort
Muskin 18’ Above-ground pool
…and for the Parents: a Volkswagen THING!(J)
I won’t go into too much of a description of the Thing; it’s a weird sort of Jeep-y contraption, but all you need to know is, when Audrey passes the Thing showcase to Alice, you can just hear her whisper “I’m sorry.”
Alice says “That’s OK.” and bids $3300.
Showcase 2: It’s a Jet-setter’s Showcase!
Bottle of Chateau LaFite-Rothschild 1961, which Johnny notes, was a very good year. (A)
Slazenger tennis equipment and outfits
Trip to Monte Carlo (Audrey holds her head and groans in turmoil)
A blue Triumph Spitfire Convertible
Hugs all around! They’re both excited! “Oh, I hope you win!” says Alice.
Audrey bids $3300, to stiff disapproval from the audience.
After the break, Bob says Audrey is afraid she bid too low, so he starts with her.
She bid: $3300
ARP: $5630
Difference: $2330. I would have overbid by a sight, and so, I wager, would the audience.
“Yes, Audrey, you did bid too low.”
On to Alice:
She bid: $3300
ARP: $3799
Difference: $499, she wins!
Alice has apparently recovered from the disappointment of The Thing; she screams, jumps around. Bob lists all the things that comprise her $5161 haul today, and both contestants remain with him on the turntable (when’d you last see that happen) as he tells us that tomorrow he and June Lockhart will be hosting the Rose parade, “just about the greatest parade in the whole world”.
And then he says “Good-bye, everybody!”
(And the turntable turns during the credits. Johnny invites us to stay tuned for Match Game ‘73. That‘ll be nice. Everyone waves ‘bye from the beige thing.)
More recaps to come, I hope.
--Tice.
