A major account of the behind-the-scenes drama during the Barker years of “The Price is Right” came out today. Former model (known on the show at the time as “Barker’s Beauties”) Holly Hallstrom spoke to Business Insider.
Well, as some of you know, today is Bob Barker’s last day on “The Price is Right”, and on television as he is now retiring.
I now offer my thoughts about today in TV history.
Bob has proven himself to be a good host over the course of his career, recognized by his peers with awards and accolades too numerous to count. You have to respect a tad bit a man who has been famous for only two game shows in 50 years. He knew how to get the reactions out of contestants to make the show interesting.
That being said, I can only give good words to his character in front of the camera. Based on what has been said about how he is off-camera, I would have to say that he is very unprofessional and very uncourteous to the people who have tried to work with him. If I were host, I would be nothing but a friend to each and every person who worked hard on the show. I would never show the level of attitude that he has shown to certain individuals, and I never will. It would violate my principles as not only a producer/director but as a human being. It’s just my human nature to enjoy each and every person’s unique talents and what they have to contribute, not to find petty reasons to try to get them off the show or be jealous of someone grabbing the spotlight.
That’s about all I have to say on this matter. All I can say is, have a good retirement, Bob, you’ve been ready for it for a long time.
Those feelings from 17 years ago have not changed one iota. As a matter of fact, they are even more amplified. After hearing what everyone went through and what this man tried to do for the sake of this show really sticks in my craw.
At this point in time, I don’t know if I can ever watch the show the same way ever again. I am sure many other people will feel the same way. This doesn’t mean that I will stop watching Price, but it certainly casts the show in a new light for me.
By the way, in case you’re curious, I have come to respect the current run of the show with Drew Carey much more in the last few months. Certain things still irk me about it but it’s a lot better than when I tried to watch it back in 2007 when he first took over as host.
If there is one thing I can say for sure – it’s to please, please, PLEASE be kind to others. Be welcoming of everyone no matter who they are or any other reason. In this day and age everyone deserves mutual respect. That is a lesson that is far too prevalent in current society.
10 Years ago on January 1, 2014, me and Greg put online a little bit of research we had done that culminated in a website that was never known for it’s graphic sleekness.
Behold, The Daytime TV Schedule Archive was born.
We have made adjustments to it over the years… mostly correcting erroneous data. Most of that information has come from contributors. All of that information is and always has been greatly appreciated. We welcome it as always.
To show the greatness of it all, the site has a special logo now commemorating 10 years of the site being online.
The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it until I sat down to update the copyright year at the bottom of the page as one does with their website around the end of the year. That got me thinking about when it was put online. I remember posting about the site on The Game Show Forum and a quick search reminded me of our 2014 launch of the site.
The first thought of course was, “Geez, has it been that long!?”
It’s funny what you think when you see that that length of time has passed and it only felt like yesterday that you put something like that online for the world to see.
Time grows short. Time is also the fire in which we burn.
……..
Whoa, I had better really lay off the philosophy references at this hour! TTFN.
Last night, we finally got to see the final two episodes of Stranger Things 4. It seemed like an eternity between the May 27 release of the first seven episodes and the July 1 release of the final two installments.
About those final two installments, it felt more like five episodes than two because of how long they were. That made it all the more exciting, that’s for sure.
I am not going to go into plot details here because, well, you know, spoilers! Again, this is not a review, mainly just exuding how I feel about what I saw.
I do have one hope for the final season. There has been a lot of debate about the sexuality of Will Byers. Is he gay? Is he longing for Mike? I think he is. Will the writers go there? I don’t know. I hope they do, it feels like that’s the way it should be going.
Oh and my wallet when it comes to the Soundtrack to come from Lakeshore Records. Two, that’s right, TWO2-LP sets of music to be released later in the year.
When I wrote my journal entry last night on the typewriter (yeah, at just short of 2:00am, I’m sure our neighbors love the electric typewriter action at that late hour,) I ended the entry with one word that sums it all up:
There are lots of things in the world that need to be preserved. My focus happens to be old TV shows, specifically (and unsurprisingly to the reader) game/quiz shows.
I recently started streaming hand-picked old game shows on my Twitch channel. It’s a weekly affair on Monday nights for the moment and it seems to have a very sparse, devoted following for the moment. So far I have had a good time showcasing some of the rarer stuff in my collection.
I sometimes ask myself, “How important is it to preserve and showcase these things?” The best answer I can come up with is that these items are solid entertainment from a time when TV was an easier thing on the eye.
In my opinion, the modern way shows are done is too polished. The rise of non-linear editing has taken some of the charm of a live-to-tape show away that was a drawing factor in some of these shows. This is exactly why I sparsely used non-linear editing tools when doing Clue Me In in college. Polishing the show to a perfect thing kind of makes it a non-organic thing that doesn’t quite seem like what it should be.
Bringing a show in on time and rolling with the punches while the show is in performance was an innate skill. That is what should have been preserved.
It’s been 3 years since I started this crazy journey to becoming an ATL-ien.
3 years since I started sending job applications out and then ultimately getting hired and starting the whirlwind that brought me and my husband to where we are now.
3 years.
While that amount of time is not so notable in and of itself, what is notable is that I have at this moment regained something which I regretted giving up to come here.
In my old job, I had weekends off. I have worked every weekend since early November 2018. Starting this week, I have Sundays and Mondays off. While it’s not the entire weekend, at least I have one weekend day off.
Someday, Saturday, Someday.
Meanwhile, I will certainly enjoy being off the exact same days as Greg again. We already have these last two days. There are many, many more ahead. Just you wait! 😊
In the last post, I talked about how the Dark Shadows Episode Guide I ran looked dated. That remains true
I had an eleventh hour epiphany so to speak after a wonderful article about Dark Shadows appeared in the New York Times a few days ago.
I am fortunate to have befriended Wallace McBride and the excellent people who have curated The Collinsport Historical Society, an awesome blog dedicated to the show. I have even contributed an article over there previously.
When that article appeared a few days ago it got me to thinking… people really did love that episode guide. I did actually get a couple of emails about it. They were nice and cordial.
Long story short. I am giving the guide an overhaul and bringing it back. It’ll take a few days but it’ll get there. I have already started work.
Recently I decided it was time to close down the Dark Shadows Episode Guide I had curated on the internet for almost two decades. At the time I was a member of the alt.tv.dark_shadows newsgroup after just discovering the reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel.
There posted just about every day were summaries of the episodes as well as the tape date and air date of the shows. I expanded on this slightly adding in the ABC numbering of the episodes (which is a very weird-ass system to this day) and, where applicable, the Worldvision rerun numbers used when the show was in syndication from 1975-1990.
It never needed updating as pretty much all of the information was there.
So, why did I take it down?
It was feeling really outdated to me. I may bring it back in the future in another form. Who knows. It was just that I didn’t want something online to appear so dated and I don’t have the time currently to give it the makeover it deserves. After all, there are some exciting times ahead in life for me and Greg.
So, the guide is gone from my website for now. It’s in the internet archive preserved for those who want to see it. Just go to nickbrobeck.com/darkshadows and it’ll redirect you there after a few seconds.
As we continue this journey into this dark mystery we actually start to get some really good performances this week. Here are my very brief thoughts on this week’s episodes. Remember of course that we are still one episode behind due to the unplanned preemption back on November 24th.
Episode 894/895 – Monday 12/1/69
David is still mucking around with that book, hiding it in a puzzle box that has been spray painted to remove the brand names. Evil Barnabas somehow finds out… or rather is clued in to the fact that David has the book.
Also, the baby is now ill. I know these are evil spirits and all but it astounds me that a being who was just created out of thin air can also be just as susceptible to normal human ailments. Greg offered a thought whilst I was writing this that the fever was related to the book being missing, however it was very poorly explained in the plot. I think this a very good explanation as to why I am confused… probably along with the majority of the audience in 1969.
Barnabas takes Philip to the Leviathan altar to try to knock sense into him, more or less.
Marie Wallace excels at characters who are very unnerved, and poor Megan Todd is just getting started. Behold some great acting!
Episode 896 – Tuesday 12/2/69
Dr. Hoffman to the rescue — maybe. One important thing that she is meant to see here is a strange birthmark on the baby. Megan of course doesn’t want her to see the baby. It’s like the evil spirits know who she is all too well, don’t they?
David wants to burn the book. Amy Jennings tries to talk him out of it… but the book, or someone, has other plans. It just happens to open to that freaking Naga symbol!
He reads the book and understands it. He’s come a long way from that crystal ball he had back in the early days of the show, hasn’t he?
Now we come to a scene that I thought was good and bad all at the same time. Julia is supposed to meet a Mr. Corey. To her surprise, it’s not a Mr., but a lady, Olivia Corey. After a few awkward lines back and forth about each other’s interest in Tate paintings I think the viewer is convinced that this should really be the modern version of Amanda Harris from the 1897 storyline. (If you didn’t add 2+2 to equal 4 immediately, you probably shouldn’t be watching this show at all.)
My apologies if the end of that last paragraph seemed a bit condescending, please don’t think it too harsh.
So, David is a Leviathan now. I am not shocked the writers are doing this with his character. I mean, a kid who took a bleeder valve off his car trying to off his own father of course is going to become a Leviathan!
Episode 897 – Wednesday 12/3/69
Now, this episode has it all for me. Multiple characters and that great level of spooky that only Dark Shadows could do well.
Let’s start with Chris being visited by Crazy Jenny. Marie Wallace is on record as having said that Jenny was her favorite character that she played on the show. You can tell here that she was loving every scene-chewing moment.
To that fact, the Chris Jennings story, continued from before the 1897 flashback, is still the best thing the show has going right now. Admittedly it’s being treated as a kind of B plot with the Leviathans around, but still…
Barnabas has Philip in the secret room brainwashing him with a Barnabas speech on tape. This is the best tape recorder gimmick since Dr. Lang!
The end of the show is a testament to the creepy factor that Dark Shadows could only do so well. Just go and watch the whole end of Act III with Megan constantly being frightened by things in the antique shop. The lack of music, or any regular sounds for that matter, is what makes this scene. I know, there is a studio light visible here and there, but that is always the charming and endearing this about this show.
Oh, and watch out for the stagehand at the beginning of the credits pouring more dry ice into the cauldron.
Episode 898 – Thursday 12/4/69
Before I summarize this episode it is important to point out that we are one day behind on the intended airdates. The unplanned preemption on Monday November 24th will not be made up until January. The reason I point that out will become very obvious.
Julia decides to hold a seance to try and contact Quentin. I don’t understand why she asks David to be a part of it. I know that David had his beef with the ghost of Quentin months ago, but why would Dr. Hoffman want to put him in that kind of danger again? It just doesn’t click with me.
Now, here is why I pointed out that date above. Paul Stoddard inexplicably picks up a pen and circles a day on the calendar…
That’s right, December 4th! Keep in mind that this episode was originally supposed to air on December 3rd. OK, back to the seance.
Jamison Collins speaks through David at the seance and tells everyone that Quentin cannot be reached. It’s one of the shorter seances on the show and definitely the calmest.
Paul gets a letter from Megan at the antique store…
Great, another reminder of the airdate that should have been, lol. Maybe Paul should have paid? (I know, obvious statement.) But, look, he’s got a new tattoo!
That damn Naga symbol again! Curses!
Episode 899 – Friday 12/5/69
The inevitable confrontation between Paul and Elizabeth finally happens in this show. It’s time to play the Family Feud… 7 years before it debuted on ABC! The scene here was very well written. However, the dialouge and the emotions were so hot and heavy that we have quite a few line flubs and desperate looks for a teleprompter. Again, that is the charming aspect of the production method of live-to-tape that I love so much.
Later, we are at the Blue Whale with a tune of varying pitch on the jukebox. Paul meets this day player Sailor. Greg instantly recognized the actor, Ken McMillan. He is more well known for playing the minister in the famous Chuckles the Clown episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” However, this plot is no laughing matter at all.
So this sailor has told Paul to draw a huge pentagram on the floor of his room and sit in it to be protected from the Leviathans. We’ll see if this will work… or will Dark Shadows not play by the rules of evil doings. Anything is possible! We end with a knock on the door and a turn of the doorknob. This Thursday cliffhanger sure makes a good Friday cliffhanger as well!
Overall, I think we are moving very good with some good elements of the storyline. However, I can’t help thinking that the viewer is still confused as heck over just who and what the Leviathans are and what they mean to do.
Dark Shadows was preempted for ABC coverage of the Apollo 12 splashdown. Coverage was slated to run from 3:30-5:30pm Eastern time. The splashdown occurred at 3:58pm Eastern Time. I am guessing that this preemption was not planned for because for the next several weeks the episode numbers will be off by one. More on this in a later article.
Episode 891 – Tuesday 11/25/69
Are we surprised that the Todds were at the door? I wasn’t the first time I saw this plot in the late 90’s on the SciFi Channel. And oh my, what a charming locket indeed.
So if the audience paid attention to the closing credits last week they already know this mysterious guy hanging around Collinsport is Paul Stoddard. Guess nobody thought to keep the surprise a secret, did they? He calls Collinwood, asks Maggie Evans for Elizabeth, then hangs up. Looks like a standard soap plot to me at this point.
Barnabas decides to give the Leviathan box to the Todds. Just you wait until you see what you bargained for!
Paul Stoddard shows up at an empty Evans cottage and talks to Maggie about what is going on at Collinwood. This is a really creepy scene to me because he keeps dodging questions about who he is. It’s also sad because this is the last time we see the Evans cottage set in the whole series. It’s one of the original sets from the earliest days of the show’s life (it first appeared way back in Episode 3.)
Back to the Antique Shop and everybody is stepping over each other’s lines! That is part of the charm of this show.
So would you do what the Todds do at the end of this episode? Want to open a mysterious box so badly that you just happen to find the key in an envelope? Neither would I.
Episode 892 – Wednesday 11/27/69
So there is a scroll inside the box with a mysterious message. The Todds naturally think its weird but then have a debate about having spaghetti for dinner for like the umpteenth night in a row. Such unusual dialogue for Dark Shadows!
Then Barnabas shows up in a dream of Megan Todd and says that the room she’s in must be prepared for something. I can just see all the Barnabas fans in the audience throwing things at their TV sets in protest of our favorite vampire being 150% evil now. Oh, and Phillip had the same dream and walks in with lumber to board up the windows.
Let’s be clear here, both Greg and me are sitting here watching this unfolding and thinking that the audience needs a lot more of a clear explanation as to why Barnabas has turned so so so evil. I think the plot background of the mysterious happenings at that altar are insufficient. Remember when I said miss an episode miss a lot? Oh people who haven’t been watching are way way behind now!
So there’s this cradle…
If I’m not mistaken, this was the same cradle one of Quentin’s children was in back in 1897. But now it will be the recipient of a child you don’t want to mess with.
So Maggie is in the Blue Whale with Carolyn trying to pressure her to have another drink and Paul Stoddard shows up again and decides to properly introduce himself at long last. If only his name wasn’t in the credits five episodes ago it might have been a bigger surprise!
Thursday 11/27/69 – Thanksgiving Day
Dark Shadows was again preempted, this time it was planned for the Thanksgiving holiday. Starting at 2pm that afternoon, ABC Sports carried coverage of a College Football game: Texas Tech at Arkansas. A very big matchup indeed since Arkansas was ranked #2 in the coaches poll at this time. Arkansas won the game 33-0.
Friday 11/28/69 – Episode 893
So we end up with a really soapy scene in which we get lots of plot recap from way back in the summer of 1967. I don’t think a majority of the audience would have remembered the Jason McGuire blackmail plot going on during the early Barnabas days. It’s not a bad idea to get the audience up to speed on it.
I must say, why is Carolyn skeptical for only a brief second then all too trusting?
Unseen baby alert! The Todds have some kind of child now.
Another soapy scene at the front door of Collinwood. Who should be skulking about but David Collins himself, listening at the door. Guess his new lease on life is full of his usual garbage.
So the baby has a name now, Joseph, pulled out of thin air! And who else should come in but Amy Jennings and David and then Paul shows up. Paul is acting mighty weird and now it starts to connect a bit to all the other weird stuff going on already. On a side note, I am loving all of the mysterious cues from the first music cue package that haven’t been heard for a while on the show.
So David in his usual bumbling ways accidentally tore a page in the Leviathan book and then has to steal it. Only he didn’t have it in his hands in the previous scene when he was shooed out of the antique shop. I know, reader, I know, suspend your disbelief. But it is an egregious continuity error.
Megan goes evil/shocked/evil and vows to kill whomever stole the book. This leaves us with a Wednesday cliffhanger pushed back to Friday. I guess it works!?
So, we are one-ish weeks into the story. It’s moving pretty fast, but like I said, I feel some fans are left behind if they didn’t catch the first few episodes. I hate to be in ABC’s network correspondence during the month of December 1969.
