Author Topic: "Price is Right" new announcer auditions (Read 69288 times)

tvrandywest · « **on:** July 16, 2010, 03:58:40 PM »

Sorry I'm unable to reveal names, but apparently "Price" is moving forward with what is being categorized as a round of on-air auditions. I'm wishing luck to the old friend who will be testing starting Monday. I was at that podium for dozens of shows and know he's in for the adrenalin rush of his life!!

Don't sweat... names will be known as news is hard to keep secret in this world. But the value of my word to honor confidentiality is inviolate.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 16, 2010, 04:04:06 PM »

So they couldn't do this while a seven-week break was available to them?

/Please not Daniel Rosen

Joe Mello · « **Reply #2 on:** July 16, 2010, 05:09:39 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'244288\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 04:04 PM\']So they couldn't do this while a seven-week break was available to them?[/quote]
Why do extra work?

SRIV94 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 16, 2010, 05:14:59 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'244288\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 03:04 PM\']So they couldn't do this while a seven-week break was available to them?

/Please not Daniel Rosen[/quote]
Wasn't Drew in South Africa for the Copa Mundial? I'd think if you want to have an audition, at least some consideration has to be given for interaction with Drew.

/Which isn't to say that will be the deciding factor.

snowpeck · « **Reply #4 on:** July 16, 2010, 05:17:13 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'244288\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 03:04 PM\']So they couldn't do this while a seven-week break was available to them?

/Please not Daniel Rosen[/quote]

Because it was just that... a break. Are you ever expected to work during your vacation time?

whewfan · « **Reply #5 on:** July 16, 2010, 08:17:40 PM »

I think TPIR would benefit with an announcer that's funny, and could act in the showcases (but not be made to look like a stooge, as Rich Fields was in season 37) For me, Randy West fits that category. I met Randy a while ago and he's hysterical. He'd bounce off Drew very well. Randy also effectively captures the style and feel of Johnny Olson, and he also varies the inflections of COME ON DOWN as Rod Roddy tended to do.

Of course, they might go with a relative unknown, which was one of the strategies when Rich was originally hired. Let's just hope they don't hire a comedian trying to sound like an announcer. They can find someone that's an equal balance.

Johnny Olson was immensely talented, and had over 20 years experience before TPIR. He was also VERY funny.
Rod Roddy was also very talented and funny, and IMO was very effective participating in the showcases. It's a shame that Bob felt Rod was upstaging him and put a stop to his participation. Because Rod was no longer on camera or featured in the showcases, it made sense that when Rod died, they didn't need an announcer that could perform on camera and be funny. They just needed an announcer with a pleasant voice. As Stan mentions in his book, Rich doesn't sound like either Johnny or Rod, and Bob Barker only said that Rich had a "happy" feeling and that's what they felt the show needed.

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 16, 2010, 08:47:39 PM »

Whoops - didn't think that one all the way through. I guess it would be kinda important for the host/announcer to gel together. Just seems odd to start a season by trying out new announcers.

chris319 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 16, 2010, 09:07:07 PM »

Since when do you need to audition to be on The Price Is Right? :-P

I say ix-nay on the auditions, just hire Randy :-)

/Hey, Johnny Olson never auditioned for TPIR.
//Neither did Barker.

TLEberle · « **Reply #8 on:** July 16, 2010, 09:31:50 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'244313\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 06:07 PM\']Since when do you need to audition to be on The Price Is Right? :-P[/quote] Oh snap.

Quote

I say ix-nay on the auditions, just hire Randy :-)

I'll drink to that.

Quote

/Hey, Johnny Olson never auditioned for TPIR.
//Neither did Barker.

I would believe Johnny not having to audition; just back up a truckload of his announcing reels and say "here, that's my audition". Would TPTB have done the same thing with Barker back then?

BrandonFG · « **Reply #9 on:** July 16, 2010, 09:36:55 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'244314\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 09:31 PM\']I would believe Johnny not having to audition; just back up a truckload of his announcing reels and say "here, that's my audition". Would TPTB have done the same thing with Barker back then?[/quote]
Same here, since he did a few other shows for G-T. How hard was it getting him to do TPiR in LA?

chris319 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 16, 2010, 09:48:24 PM »

Johnny was a known quantity. No audition required.

CBS wanted Barker for daytime TPIR so it was a fait accompli.

We did have other less-established folks come in to emcee office run-thrus and of course they were being considered for the job. Pat Sajak, Bob Hilton and Dick Martin did run-thrus of various shows.

Bill Cullen was not required to audition for Blockbusters.

Steve_Bier · « **Reply #11 on:** July 16, 2010, 10:16:55 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'244316\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 09:48 PM\']Johnny was a known quantity. No audition required.

CBS wanted Barker for daytime TPIR so it was a fait accompli.

We did have other less-established folks come in to emcee office run-thrus and of course they were being considered for the job. Pat Sajak, Bob Hilton and Dick Martin did run-thrus of various shows.

Bill Cullen was not required to audition for Blockbusters.[/quote]

Was Bob Hilton auditioning for a host or announcer slot? If host - which show?

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #12 on:** July 16, 2010, 10:34:32 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'244316\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 09:48 PM\']Bill Cullen was not required to audition for Blockbusters.[/quote]
Damn straight. There's also the oft-told tale from the 1984 TV Guide cover story on game show hosts that the Hot Potato people were specifically looking to bring in some fresh, new talent, and when they couldn't find anybody, they just decided to have Bill do it.

More specifically to the issue at hand, I recently found a profile of Bill from early 1972. It is tied to Three on a Match, but there's also this:

Quote

Cullen is negotiating, he disclosed, to revive The Price Is Right in syndication. "We've hit a snag," he confided. "The price, so far, hasn't been right for me."

Apparently, it was for Dennis James instead. Still, all sorts of cool what-ifs in that little nugget, aren't there?

BrandonFG · « **Reply #13 on:** July 16, 2010, 10:57:16 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'244318\' date=\'Jul 16 2010, 10:34 PM\']More specifically to the issue at hand, I recently found a profile of Bill from early 1972. It is tied to Three on a Match, but there's also this:

Quote

Cullen is negotiating, he disclosed, to revive The Price Is Right in syndication. "We've hit a snag," he confided. "The price, so far, hasn't been right for me."

Apparently, it was for Dennis James instead. Still, all sorts of cool what-ifs in that little nugget, aren't there?
[/quote]
I'm guessing they would've had a chair and/or desk for him for Items Up for Bids. I'm more curious about the amount of walking Bill would've had to do for games, or if the set design would've been different...

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #14 on:** July 16, 2010, 10:58:24 PM »

If the price was to move from NYC in 72, that could have been the stumbling block. He would have had to give up Monitor, TTTT and ToaM.