Can't find the Perfect Spelling Bee full episode yet. I'll find it one of these days. But for now, I found another episode that isn't anywhere. This one is from the 75/76 season, the first full-hour season.
I accidentally hit post while writing up the second pricing game, and a mod deleted the short post before I finished. I'll just type it up in Notepad to start off next time.
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"And here it comes, the first big hour-long game show in television, the fabulous new sixty-minute Price is Right!"
"Nancy Stoudamire, come on down!" (Nancy has a brown long-sleeve button-up blouse and brunette weave.)
"Diane Skidmore, come on down!" (Diane is right up front, right of Contestant's Row, and has a black dress with broad white collar and flower motif.)
"Florence *indecipherable*-Gibb, come on down! (Florence has a beige button-up top. There was a tape garble right at her name.)
"And Linda Weathers, come on down!" (Linda is a blond, and has a whitish top and green pants.)
"You are the first four contestants on The Price is Right! And now here is the star of The Price is Right... Bob Barker!" (Linda had difficulty getting through her audience row, and the title card waited to zoom in until she was at Contestant's Row, at least 10 seconds while the title music rolled.)
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1st IUFB: Vanity (brand not mentioned; closeable, mirror, lights, two extra power outlets)
NANCY+ 125
DIANE+ 235
FLORENCE+ 250
LINDA+ 275
ARP: $345! Linda's difficulty getting up to Contestant's Row pays off as she gets on the stage with Bob. What kind of stupendous prize does Bob bid Linda watch enter? Out rolls A NEW CAR!!! The camera shows a gentleman in a blue blazer going nuts in his seat, presumably Linda's husband. The car is a 1976 Buick Skylark (V6, turbo hydromatic transmission, body guards, tilt steering wheel), and Linda will play
"Lucky Seven".
Bob gives her seven $1 bills, and the objective is to guess each digit in the car's price (four digits, so no digits given away). For each dollar she is off, she has to pay a dollar. If she has at least $1 left at the end, she can buy the car for $1, hence winning the car.
Bob asks for the first digit in the price of the car, and Linda says 4. The first door reveals a 4! She keeps all seven dollar bills. For now. Her husband, Kevin, breathes a sigh of relief in the audience.
Bob asks for the second digit, and Linda says 6, which she probably got from Kevin. The door reveals a 2. Ouch. She has to pay $4, and has $3 left. Not much wiggle room.
Bob asks for the third digit, and Linda says 0. Bob is very concerned. (Kevin was offering 4 himself.) The door reveals a 2. A bad hit, but Linda is still alive after paying $2 and having just $1 left. She has to get the last digit exactly right.
Bob asks for the final digit, and Linda says 7, going with Kevin again. The door reveals a 1.
*LOSE*That $4,221 car will go without an owner for now, and Linda will go to the Showdown with just a $345 vanity to show for her efforts.
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"Theotis Mitchell, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right." (Theotis, up front just left of Contestant's Row, has an afro, thin mustache, glasses, and a light blue and white suit. This gentlemen is the epitome of 70's disco style without looking overly tacky.)
Bob reveals that Theotis gave Linda her winning bid, but he downplays his bidding prowess. Smart man, not getting the karma gods angry.
2nd IUFB: Dishwasher (Roper; Super Wash, push-button control, sparkle rinse, sanitize cycle; winner gets a supply of Jet Dry rinse agent)
Nancy+ 359
Diane+ 425
Florence+ 360
THEOTIS 250
ARP: $260! Theotis is as good as Bob advertised, and the three remaining ladies of the First Four stew while the gentleman joins Bob on-stage. Bob tells Theotis to never be modest about his bidding again. Theotis reveals his secret: His wife helped him. xD
Bob presents Theotis a menagerie of prizes behine one of the set's doors: a chrome-and-velvet rocker (no brand, imported from Denmark), a portable TV (Hitachi; 9" color, dial control), a microwave oven (Amana; defrost setting, dial controls) and an organ (Hammond). A curtain pulls back and reveals
"Poker Game". Theotis will select two of the prizes, whose prices will be revealed. He will select five numbers from the selected prizes, and then make a poker hand those numbers. If his hand is better than the hand he leaves the House, then he wins all four prizes.
Theotis starts with the chair. Its price is $499! His second choice is the organ. Its price is $525. Obviously Theotis wants a pair of nines, but when Bob calls for it, they don't appear. The Poker Game board has malfunctioned!
After trying to sweet-talk the board, Bob just confirms verbally what hand Theotis wants: 9-9-5-5-4, two pair with a 4 kicker.
Bob offers Theotis to trade the hand to the House, and build a hand with the other two prizes. Theotis decides to keep his hand.
The price of the TV set is $350. The price of the microwave is $480! The House's lights work, and reveal a best hand of 0-0-8-5-4!
*WIN*Theotis has won $1,854 worth of prizes!
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"Frances Holman, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Frances has a white blouse and a dark blue jacket, and glasses, plus a dark blue cloth tied behind her hair. She's in no hurry to get to Contestant's Row. I guess the universal excitement doesn't arrive until later. Bob refers to her for the rest of the show as "Sister Frances", suggesting she may be a woman of the cloth.)
3rd IUFB: Luggage (Invicta; Opt-A-Wheels snap-on wheels, gold trim)
Nancy+ 589
Diane+ 400
Florence+ 200
FRANCES 375
ARP: $299! The low bid pays off for Florence, who escapes Contestant's Row and joins Bob up on stage.
The models roll out
"Hi-Lo", which Florence has seen before, so Bob goes straight into the reveal of the six products she will choose from:
- Borateem Plus bleach substitute
- Fast Glue epoxy (pack of two small tubes)
- Frostie root beer (six-pack 12-oz cans, sugar-free)
- Alba 66 hot cocoa mix (10-envelope box)
- Knott's Berry Farm Strawberry preserves
- Hefty Small Waste Bags (30-count, 10.4-gallon size)
But the question remains: What will Florence be playing for? A door opens to reveal a bedroom set. (Morris; Two day beds with built in below-mattress shelving, nightstand, corner table, hutch, two lamps; ARP $999)
Florence chooses the three items she believes have the higher prices: Borateem ($2.49), Frosty ($1.25) and Waste Bags (75¢!). Everything must be below 75 cents.
The price of the epoxy is $1.15.
*LOSE*The cocoa mix was 99¢ and the preserves were $1.05. Tough luck for Florence, but the Showcase Showdown is next!
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Before the first Showcase Showdown, Bob asks Theotis what he does. He is a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, and is a counselor at Long Beach Naval Correctional Center. Bob jokes that they've needed someone of his expertise at TPIR for a long time. This comes before the bonus spin rule, so there are no green spots on the wheel.
1st SCSD
Florence $299: .90 STAY
*SHOWCASE*Linda $345: .70 + .50 = $1.20
*OVER*Theotis $2,114: .35 + .45 = .80
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"Holly Davis, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Holly has a bigger 'fro than Theotis, with a green blouse and light pink skirt and neck wrap, and glasses.)
4th IUFB: a freezer (Amana; stand-up, "Amanamatic" contact freezing; winner gets supply of hand-packed Baskin Robbins ice cream, by the quart)
Nancy+ 399
Diane+ 400
HOLLY 450
Frances 480
ARP: $400! Diane leaves fellow Final Four contestant Nancy behind with her one-dollar outbid and PERFECT BID! Unfortunately for her, this pre-dates the IUFB perfect bid bonus.
Bob goes quickly into revealing what she may win in her pricing game: a modular sofa. (B.P. John; lime green velvet upholstery; ARP $1,571) The turntable reveals
"The Shell Game". [Personal note: This is the
very first time I have ever seen the Shell Game in action.] All Diane has to do is tell Bob which of four shells is concealing a ball. She can mark shells with chips that are won by guessing whether prizes are higher or lower than the price given for them. Janice Pennington is doing the modeling for the prizes.
The first prize is a Crock Pot slow cooker (Rival), and the price is $26. Diane says the price is Higher. The price is $30! She wins one chip, which she puts by the third shell.
The second prize is a tabletop clock radio (Westclox; green, can convert to portable), and the price is $70. Diane says Lower. The price is $68! She wins another chip, and places it by the first shell.
The third prize is stationery (Montag; assorted notebooks and greeting cards), and the price is $21. Diane says Higher. The price is $25! She wins the third chip, and places it by the fourth shell. One more right prize, and she wins the sofa by default!
The last prize is a coffee maker and coffee mill (Braun), and the price is $105. Diane says Lower. The price is $102!
*WIN*Bob reveals $500 cash. Since Diane won the game outright, Bob will give her the cash as a bonus if she guesses which shell has the ball under it. She guesses the third. Bob moves the other chips away and lifts the the third shell: Nothing but air and table. It was under the first shell.
But Diane isn't too disappointed. She did win the sofa, after all.
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"Dorothy Baxter, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Dorothy has a two-tone perm, glasses and a yellow pantsuit. The hair reminds me vaguely of Mrs. Rosen in
The Poseidon Adventure. She apologizes to Bob: In her nervousness out in the queue, she told the attendants she'd been waiting to see the Bob
Hope show by mistake. She says she thinks Bob Barker is better than Hope.)
5th IUFB: a desk and chair set (Pulaski; solid oak, parquet tabletop)
Nancy+ 300
DOROTHY 625
Holly 450
Frances 425
The buzzer comes on. Everybody overbid! A redo, with everybody choosing an amount under $300.
Nancy+ 150
DOROTHY 250
Holly 280
Frances 230
ARP: $258! Dorothy's flattery gets her at least so far as on-stage with Bob, while Nancy must sweat a potential walk of shame...
Bob leads Dorothy to the second door, and reveals a washer-dryer set (Frigidaire; side-by-side, top-load washer, front-load dryer), a cocktail table (Sid Winter; oak veneer base with glass top, ship's wheel shape for base) and a sewing machine (Pfaff; push-button controls). The game is
"Most Expensive". Dorothy only needs to say which prize she believes is most expensive, and she will win all three prizes.
Dorothy chooses the table as the most expensive. Naturally, the other two are revealed first. The washer and dryer are $555. The sewing machine is $857. The table is $429.
*LOSE*If the game were "Least Expensive", Dorothy would have won $1,841 worth of prizes. But it's not, so she'll have to take her underpriced desk set to the Showcase Showdown.
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Nancy's in the hot seat. The First Four Breakfast Club awaits her if she fails this last pricing game. The show hasn't been all that bad. Theotis did yeoman's work choosing his hand in Poker Game, and Diane hit an exacta on her bid before getting the perfecto in Shell Game. A win here will make a split show.
"Mary Hibbing, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!" (Mary has a huge bleach-blond weave and wears a shiny silver jacket.)
6th IUFB: a range with stove (Sun Ray; electric, calculates roasting time by weight, converts metric measures to standard; winner gets supply of Smuckers grape jelly and strawberry preserves)
Nancy+ 576
MARY 550
Holly 575
Frances 500
Everybody's overbid again! Two items in a row! Rebids no higher than $500.
Nancy+ 476
MARY 399
Holly 435
Frances 475
The buzzers go off AGAIN!!! Now the bids must not go higher than $399.
Nancy+ 336
MARY 299
Holly 335
Frances 325
ARP: $380! Nancy escapes the FFBC and makes it up to the stage! Having the last bid gives you that advantage.
Nancy has the patience of Job, and Bob and Johnny are going to try to reward her. A door opens to reveal A NEW CAR!!! It is a Chevrolet Vega Station Wagon (deluxe bumper, whitewall, hydromatic transmission, roof rack). The game is
"Card Game".
Nancy pulls a $300 margin of error: she can come within $300 of the price of the car without going over. Unlike today, there is no automatic opening bid. (
C = Club, S = Spade, D = Diamond, H = Heart; K = King, Q = Queen, J = Jack, A = Ace)
$1,000 (
JS) + $1,000 (
10S) + $600 (
6S) + $300 (
3D) + $800 (
8H) + $1,000 (
JD) = $4,700
There was a great amount of disappointment with that last card. She figured $3,700 wasn't enough with the small margin, and was hoping for a 3.
ARP: $3,941!
*LOSE* OUCH!!! That 3 she wanted would've put her over anyway. So Nancy trudges on to the Showcase Showdown without that sought-after Chevy Vega.
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2nd SCSD:
Dorothy fails to go around once on her first spin, then almost gets $1.00 on the second go-round on her second try at a first spin!
Dorothy $258: .05 + .65 = .70 (Ironically, the spin that failed to go around hit .70. The display malfunctioned, erasing the 0.)
Nancy $380: .35 + .35 = .70
Diane $1971: .45 + .05 = .50
A spinoff will determine the winner! The bonus rule still applies.
Dorothy $258: .45
*SHOWCASE*Nancy $380: .20 (It drifted right past .60!)
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SHOWCASE TIME!!! Florence barely has the honor in the showcase with $299 in winnings. Dorothy's $258 doesn't quite measure up.
1st Showcase
- A NEW BOAT! (Rio Hondo Marine; Johnson 55HP 2-cylinder outboard engine; Spartan trailer)
- A dining room set (Alpha Woods; Table, hutch, 4 chairs; Poppytrail china set; 30 sq. yds. Jorges nylon carpet)
Florence decides to PASS. Dorothy bids $5,200, while Florence sees what will be her showcase...
2nd Showcase
Theme: Bicentennial Salute to Mack Sennett (I looked it up: according to Wikipedia,
Mack Sennett, 1880-1960, was a comedian from the Vaudeville, silent film and early talkie film eras. He was famous for innovating slapstick comedy. Although he worked in America, he was actually
Canadian!)
- A movie studio tour (Universal Studios Hollywood, VIP tour for six)
- A screening room! (Brancusi director's chairs, lime green, six count; Bill & Howell Super 8 video/sound camera and projector; Knox 40" lenticular screen with tripod stand)
- A NEW CAR!!! Chevrolet Nova Sedan (deluxe bumpers and guards, turbo hydromatic transmission, striped tires, body moulding)
During the skit, the models all acted like silent-era comedians in old police outfit. The first model carried the tickets, and received a pie in the face from the second, who opened the portrait of Mack Sennett to reveal a greenscreen, which turned into video of the screening room. The first model also shows the screening room, and is again pied in the video by the second model. Back to the live stage, the title portrait pulls away to reveal the car. At the end of the car spiel, the first model comes back and drops a pie on the second model's face. The portrait and pulled over, and the first model pies Mack Sennett's portrait, too.
Florence bids $4,000 even.
In this era, we go straight to the showcase bid reveals without a commercial break before.
Dorothy's bid is $5,200. The ARP for her showcase is: $6,202. Her difference is $1,202. (Display malfunctions, briefly garbling final digit.)
Florence's bid is $4,000. The ARP for her showcase is: $5,468. Her difference is $1,468.
Dorothy is the big showcase winner! Her winnings total $6,460.
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2 out of 6 on the pricing games. Three IUFB overbids. A spinoff. A variety of lightboard malfunctions. And in the end, nary a car given away. Not even to tow the boat Dorothy won.
Total winnings: $11,569. Not including Wheel bonuses, a total of $28,539 in prizes was available, for a win percentage of 40.5%.
