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The original version of The Price is Right was an American television game show where the contestants won prizes by giving the closest bid to merchandise items and other products.

This original version — hosted by Bill Cullen — aired from 1956 to 1963 on NBC, and from 1963 to 1965 on ABC. Versions aired in both daytime and (from 1957-1964) prime-time. It was the precursor to the current version of The Price Is Right, which has been running on CBS since 1972 with Bob Barker as host.

Bill Cullen hosted both the daytime and nighttime versions of the show. For two seasons (1959-1960 and 1960-1961), the show was eighth in the Nielsen ratings, making it by far the most watched game show on television at the time. Critics cited Cullen's easygoing personality as a key part of the show's success.

Gameplay

On the original version of The Price Is Right, four contestants – one a returning champion, the other three chosen from the studio audience – bid on items or ensembles of items in an auction-style format.

A prize was presented for the contestants to bid on. After a minimum bid was specified, the contestants gave a bid on the item, one at a time; usually, each successive bid had to be a certain amount higher than the previous bid. At any time when it was his turn to bid, if he believed his bid was correct enough to win, he could "freeze" (and thus, was not allowed to give further bids).

The bidding process continued until one of two things happened:

• A "time's up" buzzer sounded. Each contestant who had not yet "frozen" was given one final bid.
• At least three of the contestants had "frozen." The fourth contestant was allowed one final bid, unless he already had the high bid.

Cullen then read the actual retail price of the prize; the contestant whose bid was closest without going over won the item. If everyone overbid, the prize was not won; however, Cullen would sometimes have the overbids "wiped out" and instruct everyone to give a lower bid.

Frequently, a bell would ring after the winner was revealed, indicating a bonus prize was awarded along with the item up for bids. While this was frequently just an additional prize, there were often bonus games added (e.g., a tune-matching game, where a clip of a well-known song was played, and the contestant matched it with a face for a cash bonus).

Some rounds were one-bid rounds, which were like today's Contestants' Row bidding. Usually, the minimum bid and "bid higher" restrictions were waived. These prizes often had bonus surprises tied to them as well. The One-Bid round is the only aspect of the current version of The Price Is Right that is taken directly from this version.

After four rounds(on the nighttime version; six on the daytime) , the contestant who accumulated the most value in cash and prizes was the returning champion on the next show.

Home viewer "showcases"

Frequently, The Price is Right featured a home viewer "showcase," a multi-prize package for which home viewers were invited to submit their bids via postcard. The viewer who was closest to the actual retail price won everything in the showcase. Very often, home viewers were stunningly accurate with their bids.

The showcases remain in today's CBS version, as does the announcer phrase, "This showcase can be yours if the price is right."

Prizes

While many of the prizes on the original The Price is Right were normal, standard game show fare (e.g., furniture, appliances, home electronics, furs, trips and cars), there were many instances of outlandish prizes being offered. This was particularly true of the prime-time version, which had a larger prize budget.

Some examples:

• A 1926 Rolls-Royce with chauffeur
• A Ferris wheel
• Shares of corporate stock
• An island in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Sometimes, large amounts of food – such as a mile of hot dogs, along with buns and enough condiments (perhaps to go with a barbecue pit) – were offered as the bonus.

Some other examples of outlandish or "excptionally unique" bonus prizes:

• Accompanying a color TV, a live peacock to serve as a "color guide."
• Accompanying a barbecue pit and the usual accessories, a live Angus

 steer.

• Accompanying a prize package of items needed to throw a backyard

 party, legendary Big Band leader Woody Herman & his Orchestra.

• Accompanying a grand piano, some ivory-attached to an African

 elephant. The winning contestant, who was from Texas, insisted on 
 keeping it. This created a nightmare for producer Bob Stewart, who 
 had to locate an identical pachyderm, and arrange for transport  
 to the Lone Star State. 

• Accompanying a raccoon coat worth $29.95, a sable coat valued at

 $23,000. 

In the early 1960's, the dynamic of the national economy was such, that the nighttime show could offer homes in new subdivisions (sometimes fully furnished) as prizes, sometimes with truly suspenseful bidding among the contestants.

Towards the end of the show's run on NBC, the nighttime version gave away small business franchises (like a take-out fried chicken establishment, or a mobile drycleaning operation).

1963 ABC version

When The Price is Right moved to ABC in 1963, three studio contestants — including the returning champion — played. The fourth chair was filled by a guest celebrity, who played for either a studio audience member or home viewer. If the celebrity was the big winner of the day, the contestant who had the most winnings was considered the champion.

History

The Price Is Right was created and produced by Bob Stewart for Mark Goodson–Bill Todman Productions. Stewart already had created one hit series for Goodson-Todman, To Tell the Truth, and he would later create the enormously successful Password. After 1964, Stewart left Password and Goodson-Todman to strike out on his own. (Frank Wayne, who later produced the Barker version of Price, took over Stewart's Password spot.)

After the success of Price, To Tell the Truth, and Password, producer Stewart left Goodson-Todman in 1965. Stewart's follow-up to The Price Is Right, his first independent production, was Eye Guess, a sight-and-memory game with Bill Cullen as host (it was loosely based on a Price Is Right bonus game). Later, Stewart hit the jackpot with the popular The $10,000 Pyramid and its successors.

Mark Goodson's gameshow empire also grew in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with The New Price is Right, and continuing with Match Game and its spinoff Family Feud, Card Sharks, and others.

Bloopers and other memorable moments

The Price Is Right has a number of the most celebrated game show bloopers in history – including one on a live edition of the Cullen version in which the prize was a trip to the circus. The producers placed a live elephant in front of the circus backdrop. The camera cut to the elephant – which was moving its bowels. Cullen quipped: "Join us again on Monday when we'll have equal time for the Democratic Party!"

In another episode featuring an elephant, the elephant was offered as a "bonus prize" for a contestant who had won a grand piano (hence, for "extra ivory"). The real prize was $4,000; however, the contestant wanted the elephant and persisted with his demand. Eventually, the contestant got his wish, and a live elephant from Kenya was delivered to him. This incident was spoofed in The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets an Elephant" .

Other facts

Origin

The show originated from New York City in a Broadway theater converted for television.

Episode status

Although no color kinescopes or videotapes are known to exist from either NBC or ABC, The Price Is Right became the first regularly airing game show series to be aired in color in 1957. Black and white copies aired on Game Show Network from 1996 to 2000.

Theme songs

The first theme song used was an arrangement of Charles Strouse's "Sixth Finger Tune." The theme song was later changed in the early 1960s and was composed by Bob Cobert.

• 1950s TV shows in the United States
• 1960s TV shows in the United States
• ABC network shows
• Game shows
• Goodson-Todman game shows
• NBC network shows
• The Price is Right