I want to preface this by saying that while I don't watch every single day, and while I don't take the time to tape the program presently, I have enjoyed the few episodes that I have seen with Drew Carey as host. I'm no doubt in the minority when I say I really like the way the set looks, it just has a "Drew" feel to it to me. I enjoy TPIR 2007-08, season #36, but there are elements of the program that I miss.
I miss the padded red/orange/purple turntable. I rather enjoyed that look, and I think most of us did.
I miss the look of the classic doors, the program name on the white doors and the funkadelic shape of the doors, and the funkadelic colors that bordered the doors.
I miss when the show doesn't have both a SP game and a grocery item game in the rotation every day. It seems due to lack of SP sponsors and/or lack of time, the show has to play 1 prize quicky games more, and whenever the show has 3 quicky games, or at times 4, it's a real disappointment. I know there has to be at least 2 scheduled per program, and that's not so bad.
I miss the snail-mail ticket plug (I know they do that sometimes, and that they have to include the website now too), and I really miss the mid-show bumper "Stay tuned for more pricing games, and the fabulous showcases, which are coming up on the second half of "The Price is Right"!"
While quite old and dated, I miss the original intro music used (1972-75), which was also used when players came on down, and came on up to play a pricing game.
I also miss the chats that were had with the beauties at the end of the 4th pricing game from time to time, and seeing the announcer during the 6th "come on down" segment. I miss the showcases being more fabulous. It seems there used to be nicer and more prizes with showcases, and the skits were longer, now it seems so darned rushed anymore. CBS has to plug crap like Survivor and Big Brother 35 times a day after all.
Surprisingly, I just reviewed the 26 retired pricing games that I have listed, and I don't really miss any of them. Penny Ante & Give or Keep are the two I probably miss most, although I really did love Super Saver too. I can see why the staff didn't like Give or Keep. Even though it was SP's, the player didn't get a chance to win all 6 of them, only the 3 they selected. It took a while to play that game, having 6 SP descriptions, plus the gameboard was visible during the one bid round. Still it lasted for 17 years, which is remarkable in this industry of television!
I was 5 years old and 2 days shy of starting Kindergarten when CBS debuted "The NEW Price is Right", so I'm old enough to remember both Johnny Olson and Rod Roddy as announcers. I like Rich well enough, but I certainly do get to missing Johnny & Rod both. Whenever I watch a PYL ep on GSN, I get to missing Rod more, and whenever I hear Johnny announce, be it on a GSN show, or on my Match Game DVDs, I realize how he was, is, and forever shall be second to none. I still miss those guys, and am so grateful that there are any shows at all that still are preserved. Kenny Williams was another superb announcer who I believe goes overlooked quite often. He too had a very sharp and golden voice to me.
I definitely got to missing Janice & Kathleen after they were released. I missed Dian when she left, I had a crush on her when I was growing up. I remember Anitra & there was the sweet Holly. It's really shameful how mistreated some of these models were. It's nice to see Drew being nice with the current models on the show. It's nice that he refers to them by name and not as "My Beauties". I always felt that was kind of a demeaning term, and this coming from a 41 year old man.
Thanks all, I've missed having chances to read and post on this board. I began posting circa 1995 on the old atgs boards, back when Randy Amasia was still among us. It's great to still see "Chuckie Baby", Matt Ottinger & fostergray on here. It's nice to be kind of "back" again.
Kindest regards,
Bill McD.