The Price is Right: The Barker Era on Pluto TV

[pannoni1]

A couple of notes to the timeline that should be added:

*The purple-red-orange turntable patterns made their debut with the start of soaps week.
*For a brief period beginning on 4944D (5/26/83), whenever a game has its total prize package announced, a graphic in the same font as the Showcase Showdown win graphic at the time would appear. This only lasted five episodes IIRC.
*The first playing or two of Give or Keep had the top portion of its SP podiums still with the previous style on them with the new design on the lower portions of them, by the third playing (4932D), the top portions had matched the side with the G-T asterisks on them.
*Sometime in April, Clock Game's border and base changes from a dark green to a lighter green to better match with the green edges of the turntable. That same tone would last up until the next revision in Season 31.

Hopefully April Fool's could air as a special one-off around April Fool's itself right before the next batch of episodes are dropped.

[pricefan18]

Hopefully April Fool's could air as a special one-off around April Fool's itself right before the next batch of episodes are dropped.

Maybe they learned from Christmas shows with that? Ie: Instead of airing it well before the day as they did with those initially, they realized it's better to hold it off till closer to/on it? Could see that.

[YouDangSkippy]

On the second showcase on the 11/3/82 episode, who knows the name of that song in the background?

[actual_retail_tice]

If it's the showcase I'm thinking of, it's Dolly Parton's "9 to 5".

Speaking of showcase music in this era, I love how Herb Alpert's "Route 101" had a short run as a regular cue for showcases.

[Chelsea]

I'm literally months behind but have them all saved and have been slowly going through, and something out of 4695D reallycaught my notice: After Card Game is a loss again because the contestant stopped way too soon, Bob goes on a rant about contestants stopping too early because cars are getting more expensive and his remarks are clearly directed to the show's brass.

Then he rants about it AGAIN before SCSD2 and throws in that they're about to have trouble with Dice Game too since the first digit can't start with more than a 6 and even some cheaper cars are creeping ever closer to $6000.

And it's only shortly after this that we start getting the phasing in of the changes to accommodate 5 digit/more expensive cars - starting with the exact two games Bob rants about in this episode. New Card Game happens in mid-March; Deluxe Dice Game happens in April.   Watching the season and this era in a megabinge, it's interesting how Bob's soapbox in this show foreshadows/suggests the very changes that happen within months - and at a time before he was even remotely as heavily involved in the show's production. 

[RatRace10]

In the older Pluto episodes, what was the song usually used during jukebox copies that was very saxophone heavy? I know they eventually switched to Hot Stuff by Donna Summer and We Are Family by Sister Sledge, but what was used before those songs, assuming that was also a "real" song?

[SuperSweeper]

In the older Pluto episodes, what was the song usually used during jukebox copies that was very saxophone heavy? I know they eventually switched to Hot Stuff by Donna Summer and We Are Family by Sister Sledge, but what was used before those songs, assuming that was also a "real" song?

Donna Summer’s “On the Radio”?

[RatRace10]

Thanks! I didn't know it was that song because I didn't remember it having such a long instrumental part. Just looked it up on Spotify. On the shorter version of the song, the portion heard on Price is around the 2:55 mark.

[actual_retail_tice]

Then he rants about it AGAIN before SCSD2 and throws in that they're about to have trouble with Dice Game too since the first digit can't start with more than a 6 and even some cheaper cars are creeping ever closer to $6000.

One thing I love about this rant, is Bob says words to the effect of “Car prices now start with 5s, and *some* 6s!” Forgetting that Card Game had just been lost for by a $7000 car, and the show had all but stopped offering cars worth less than $6000 since the beginning of the year.

[Briguy]

Herb Alpert's "Route 101" reached No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1982.

BTW: If your area has a radio station that plays "American Top 40: The 80s" – for those who don't know, that's reruns of the classic radio countdown program; they have a 1970s version, too – there's a chance that if a program anytime from July 31 through Aug. 21 (four different weeks) is rerun, you will hear this song introduced by Casey Kasem.

Sorry but I can't say if there's a story about "Route 101" being used on TPiR. (Although I would think it's highly unlikely they did.)

Brian

[Briguy]

I'm literally months behind but have them all saved and have been slowly going through, and something out of 4695D reallycaught my notice: After Card Game is a loss again because the contestant stopped way too soon, Bob goes on a rant about contestants stopping too early because cars are getting more expensive and his remarks are clearly directed to the show's brass.

Then he rants about it AGAIN before SCSD2 and throws in that they're about to have trouble with Dice Game too since the first digit can't start with more than a 6 and even some cheaper cars are creeping ever closer to $6000.

And it's only shortly after this that we start getting the phasing in of the changes to accommodate 5 digit/more expensive cars - starting with the exact two games Bob rants about in this episode. New Card Game happens in mid-March; Deluxe Dice Game happens in April.   Watching the season and this era in a megabinge, it's interesting how Bob's soapbox in this show foreshadows/suggests the very changes that happen within months - and at a time before he was even remotely as heavily involved in the show's production.

Question: I know some people go off about Drew Carey and alleged poor sportsmanship on his part, but – even though it could be argued Bob was siding with the contestants here – that his ranting on about car prices and the high loss rate of Dice Game, Card Game, etc., could also be considered "poor sportsmanship." Even though he is siding with the contestants and wants the game set for a reasonable chance to win.

To that end, it also seemed Barker was a poor sport when contestants lost the Race Game (and sometimes, Take Two) when sports tickets were offered, saying "they don't get it" ... referring to the price structure and that more games might logically mean higher prices and the contestants seeming to not catch on. That's just one example from shows now being seen on Pluto but there's I'm sure plenty of others.

Brian

[blozier2006]

Seeing these "rants" surprises me, since I didn't think "grumpy Barker" was a thing until the late 90s/early 00s.

[pricefan18]

To that end, it also seemed Barker was a poor sport when contestants lost the Race Game (and sometimes, Take Two) when sports tickets were offered, saying "they don't get it" ... referring to the price structure and that more games might logically mean higher prices and the contestants seeming to not catch on. That's just one example from shows now being seen on Pluto but there's I'm sure plenty of others.

Brian

There's a playing of Ten Chances somewhere in this period or before where he makes a comment as they go to break after a contestant loses a turn or two if I recall due to taking too much time, about how he hates when they go slow, or words to that effect. I'd need to find it to actually quote him verbatim, but it was something along those lines.

[SeaBreeze341]

Meh.  I never saw the season tickets loss as Bob being grumpy.  Maybe just saddened that a "nice" prize in season tickets being left on the table but pissed off.  Nope.  Not for me.


FWIW, Bob being mad at people losing Danger Price & Take Two for season tickets is a waste of time.  OTOH, I think it's fair enough if a player gets wiped out in Race Game.  That game shouldn't be lost outright at all, but that's just my opinion

[GuyWithFace]

Then he rants about it AGAIN before SCSD2 and throws in that they're about to have trouble with Dice Game too since the first digit can't start with more than a 6 and even some cheaper cars are creeping ever closer to $6000.

And yet, somehow, the show would manage to continue using the 4-digit version of Dice Game all the way through to the January 8, 1988 episode.