I cannot understand how anyone with GSN ever thought putting the video in a squeezeback and running stupid commentary on the side would make people want to watch a show.  Then again, this is also the channel that thought Faux Pause was a good idea.

But with that out of the way, this is my favourite era of the show; and the word I think best describes this time in the show's history electric.  The contestants go absolutely delirious when they are called.  The fast-paced camerawork conveys the intensity of the excitement in the atmosphere, and Barker's in fine form bringing out the best in the contestants without being a grump.

"I've been watching everyday, every night".  Always happy to see a reference to The Nighttime Price Is Right on the daytime show, and Brenda was a fantastic contestant.

"An exciting new concept in boating" might be one of the strangest prize introductions I've heard.

I can't remember the last time I saw Bullseye's original target, but I really wonder if they thought many contestants would choose above ten units of an item to win.  I suppose it did the trick in Grocery Game many times in this era, but it's easy to see why they switched the target.

I can only imagine how mad Marc Breslow must have gotten when the Turntable didn't spin for the second One Bid.

Ten-digit dice game with six-digit dice is just brutal.  Do we have the stats on just how many wins or losses occurred under this format?  Can't imagine it was won that many times.

It's appropriate to chide contestants who look to the audience during the Race Game, but I never recall Marc turning the camera to look on the audience during Race Game.  Doesn't really work when watching the race is the main part of the game.

On the other hand, the shot for the last prize description beginning with a shot in the mirror coming into focus and then pulling back was super nifty.

Genuinely surprised by the finish in Card Game.  I didn't think most cars were still that cheap in '76, but I guess we can only dream of affordable prices like that now.

Given that it started at the very beginning of the theme, I doubt it was a goof that the Family Feud theme was used a second time in Poker Game, though it felt awfully out of place.

Speaking of which, it's long been said that the Feud theme came first on Price before being used as the Family Feud theme.  This is the earliest yet I can recall seeing the theme used on Price, but it still doesn't pre-date Feud's debut.  Do we have a recorded instance of the Feud theme being used on Price before Feud's debut?

I was surprised Poker Game was won.  I figured a two pair of zeros and fives would be beat by three of a kind, but it was a bit wonky with the dinette plus the air conditioner being the combination for a full house and the air conditioner plus the waterbed being the best hand of four zeroes.

Did we suddenly end up on The Nighttime Price Is Right with the speed of the Showcase reveal?  The show had time to breath in this era, but there were so many great, chatty contestants this show that there was a "hurry up offence in effect" for much of the show.  It was still very enjoyable from start to finish.

Check out Give or Keep for a very goofy prize package: Dodgers season tickets and a baseball glove-shaped "sofa" (barely big enough to accommodate two people)!

Yes, it was goofy, but I think it was a great idea, novel and entertaining.

(Gosh, this whole post was a real throwback to the days of commenting in the daily recap thread, picking apart every little part of the day's episode.  What memories.)

One open space. I think the control room is between the two just covered by curtains and/or partitions.

There's no way they could tape both shows at the same time.

Interesting. I totally didn’t realize that even having been there. Thanks!

Dice Game was exciting and I sometimes wonder if Drew watches the Barker era on Pluto because he's been setting Dicey's final reveal up like Bob used to recently.

I can't recall if it was an interview Drew did himself or from an audience report, but I remember seeing relatively recently that he's been watching Bob-era shows.

Side by Side or Freeze Frame for a car. Obviously for Freeze, you’d have to replace half the cards with three digits - as it rotates, you’d always have a five digit price is the frame.

Might be hard to create a not obvious setup, though.

Unless the first number was just a given, then you were picking out the four (as usual) to complete the price.

Dabney Coleman, Emmy-award winning actor known for such films as 9 to 5, On Golden Pond, Tootsie, and WarGames, passed away yesterday at his home in Santa Monica, CA at the age of 92.

https://people.com/actor-dabney-coleman-dead-92-8613264