TPIR tapings cancelled this week. Barker has flu.

[Card Shark]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Feb 4 2004, 04:54 PM\'] Nowadays there is still no alternate emcee available to fill in on a moment's notice, so the only option is to cancel the taping. If Barker were out for an extended period they might be able to press Tom Kennedy into service, but I doubt they would. [/quote]
 Barker was out for an extended period in the fall of '99 and the only thing that they did was have at least one week of reruns each month through the rest of the season so they could have enough shows to last them for the rest of the season.

[byrd62]

[quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 01:10 PM\'] Hey, Randy hosting TPIR? Might work! Todd for announcer? Maybe! But I think the other way around might be the best! [/quote]
 Which begs the question....with Bob showing signs of failing health more and more, can the show work with an occasional guest host?

In a saying that goes back to Shakespeare, and repeated by people like Merv Griffin, "The play's the thing."

As long as people continue to enjoy The Price is Right's basic concept of guessing the costs of items [mostly without going over], and as long as whoever guest-hosts for Bob or takes over on Bob's retirement or passing understands all of the show's on-air details, I don't think it should matter who's hosting it.

After all, didn't Wheel survive when Chuck and Susan were, eventually, replaced by Pat and Vanna?

[chris319]

Everyone here is assuming the Reno emcees know only the pricing games they need to know for Reno. Perhaps there have been closed-door run-thrus we don't know about and Todd Newton can rattle off the Five Price Tags language in his sleep.

[Steve_Bier]

[quote name=\'passwordplus\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 01:10 PM\'] [Are we all forgetting the fact that Bob DID MISS six weeks of tapings in late 2002 after his prostate surgery. I, for one, had tickets to the show in July 2002, but didn't buy the airfare].


 [/quote]
 Which date(s) did you have tickets for? The same exact thing happened to me, too. I sent away for a ticket for the July 15th, 2002 taping (my birthday), recieved it a WEEK AND A HALF before I was supposed to fly out, only to see on golden-road.net that my taping was cancelled. I'm glad that I didn't purchase the airfare, either.

[Terry K]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 10:14 PM\'] Everyone here is assuming the Reno emcees know only the pricing games they need to know for Reno. Perhaps there have been closed-door run-thrus we don't know about and Todd Newton can rattle off the Five Price Tags language in his sleep. [/quote]
 Any host who would even be considered for TPIR would have to have at least seen the show.  Not only that, Tom Kennedy *is* available if they need someone to guide a new host on short notice (he's pretty familiar with most of the games they played in 1985, most of which are still played today)

The thing is that if they had to replace Bob on the short term, they'd keep the rotation greatly limited so that the person filling in wouldn't have to know every game from the start.  

Most of the games on TPIR are simple enough if you've seen the show a few times, the producers can make life easier.

The point also is that at the Reno show, yeah, they are likely also planning new and different games (because you can't play the same 6 over and over and over again) to rotate in as needed.

[chris319]

The point also is that at the Reno show, yeah, they are likely also planning new and different games (because you can't play the same 6 over and over and over again) to rotate in as needed.

Ah, but you can because you don't have a repeat audience every night. Also, if they take the stage show around outside of Reno, more games translate to more freight to haul around. No one knows this better than Barker himself who had his Fun and Games Show of which this is a replica.

[Craig Karlberg]

Speaking of which, I wonder if Bob's still doing his Fun & Games shows?  I haven't heard him mentioned that in recent years.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 10:13 AM\'] Maybe this is different because he should tough this flu out? [/quote]
 He should absolutely not work despite the flu. We certainly don't want Bob asking to see the next item up for bids only to have him barf all over the stage. But having an understudy on stand-by in the event of a last-minute cancellation isn't the worst idea.

[Jimmy Owen]

Maybe have no host at all and just cut in tapes of Barker in post for air.  An unseen stand-in could direct the procedings on stage when Bob's gone and Bob could reenact the show at his leisure.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 04:39 AM\'] Speaking of which, I wonder if Bob's still doing his Fun & Games shows?  I haven't heard him mentioned that in recent years. [/quote]
 He stopped doing those at some point in the 80s(don't recall when though)

[calliaume]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 09:16 AM\'] Maybe have no host at all and just cut in tapes of Barker in post for air.  An unseen stand-in could direct the procedings on stage when Bob's gone and Bob could reenact the show at his leisure. [/quote]
 Like baseball game reenactments of the 1930s and 1940s.

Ironically, this would work just fine with some shows where the host and players are rarely seen in the same camera shots (it would be a snap to do this on Jeopardy!, for example), but given how often Bob is shown with the contestants, I would think this would be next to impossible here.

[zachhoran]

Here's another name to throw out who has done his share of game shows as a guest and has 20 years of hosting experience(albeit not on game shows): Levar Burton. A lot of the college aged crowd will remember him for his hosting of PBS's Reading Rainbow(which I believe is still in production, but in danger of being cancelled due to lack of financial backing). Plus, he's only in his mid-to-late 40s I think. Anyone think he might work as a host or sub-host for TPIR(or anything else)?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 09:47 AM\'] Plus, he's only in his mid-to-late 40s I think. Anyone think he might work as a host or sub-host for TPIR(or anything else)? [/quote]
 Only if it meant we'd see Patrick Stewart on Pyramid, starting HIS OWN Winner's Circle.

"Engage."

In other words, no.

[drmusic_99]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 07:28 AM\'] [quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 10:13 AM\'] Maybe this is different because he should tough this flu out? [/quote]
He should absolutely not work despite the flu. We certainly don't want Bob asking to see the next item up for bids only to have him barf all over the stage. But having an understudy on stand-by in the event of a last-minute cancellation isn't the worst idea. [/quote]
 For an 80-year-old, the flu is FAR MORE SERIOUS than it is for you and me.  It can even result in fatal complications.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'drmusic_99\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 12:35 PM\'] [quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Feb 9 2004, 07:28 AM\'] [quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Feb 8 2004, 10:13 AM\'] Maybe this is different because he should tough this flu out? [/quote]
He should absolutely not work despite the flu. We certainly don't want Bob asking to see the next item up for bids only to have him barf all over the stage. But having an understudy on stand-by in the event of a last-minute cancellation isn't the worst idea. [/quote]
For an 80-year-old, the flu is FAR MORE SERIOUS than it is for you and me.  It can even result in fatal complications. [/quote]
Which is exactly why I agree that he should stay home and convalesce as I've said at least twice. What I was saying, as evidenced by the quoted material above, is that a sub should be on site for such an eventuality--not that Bob should show up no matter what.
By the way, LeVar did host Know Your Heritage on WGN-TV during the 1980s.