Well, I'm glad you asked. The year is 1956, and television is still something new to the American landscape. The show has not been done since 1943, when Drew Johnson was forced to suspend operations to serve active duty. Drew tried to get things going again when he came home two years later, but the public lost interest in it.
Enter Frank Barker, who is having lunch with a promising young host named Bill Cullen. Frank pitches around an idea to bring TPIR to television for the first time, and Bill likes it so much that he wants them to present it to Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, who are looking to start their burgeoning television empire. While Cullen is selected as the host, Frank works behind the scenes to make sure everything ran smoothly. He's in charge of writing the Showcases, coordinating the IUFBs, and rounding all retail prices off to the nearest dollar. Finally, The Price is Right goes on the air for the first time as a TV show, and the public loves it! From 1956 to 1965, Frank Barker and Bill Cullen are the stars of the show. At the same time, Frank is helping his brother Bob break into show business with Truth or Consequences.
Fast-forward to 1972, and Frank is still a little shaken up by the cancellation of the first TV Price seven years earlier. Goodson and Todman are conducting searches for a new host for their revival, and Frank decides to nominate Bob for the position. At first, Bob is reluctant to do the show, since he still has Truth or Consequences, but Frank convinces him to come to CBS for an audition. In the end, the judges have a hard time deciding between Bob and Dennis James, so they flip a coin to decide who gets the daytime and nighttime version. Frank calls Heads, and wins the coin toss, and that's how Bob got the daytime show. Again, Frank works behind the scenes, devising many new ideas through the years. He takes a young unknown from San Francisco named Roger Dobkowitz under his wings, and teaches him all the tricks of the trade. Frank's many contributions to the show include the idea of having to spin a giant wheel in an attempt to get into the Showcase, the idea of giving away a $100 bonus to anyone who gets bids the price of an IUFB right on the nose, the splitscreen arrow for the Showcase Showdown, and, of course, the designing and unveiling of the show's best-known pricing games. Barker's Bargain Bar is Frank's magnum opus, taking its name from a family-run business whose roots go back to the Ezekiel Barker days. The sign used for the game is the very same sign that served as the store's logo at the time of its debut. (Ezekiel, Jebediah and Frank have each helped run the store successfully, turning out huge profits while selling lots of stuff at discount prices.) Since Frank is also a noted historian, he often draws inspiration from his ancestors to come up with new ideas, like Check Game (although he accidentally calls it Blank Check upon presentation, and gets sued for copyright infringement); he even suggests using a quill pen to write the check. Everyone loves it, and the game is a hit success. Frank has an affinity for classic movie themes, and his favorite happens to be the Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini. In fact, he suggests using this song for Safe Crackers when the game is still in its development stage. Frank is well-liked around the studio, but threatens to quit the show after seeing the Hollywood mural on the Turntable, which he absolutely despises so much. But Bob talks him out of it, saying: "Without you, there's no Price is Right. I tell you, Frank, you're the real star of the show, a genius with some of the best ideas!" Today, Frank is retired and living in Florida, where he still watches the show from the comfort of his luxury condo. His resignation comes after Season 36, the show's first with Drew Carey as host, but he says he has no big regrets. As Frank says: "I hope Drew knows what he's doing."