The Time Dad Was On 'The Price Is Right'

'Twas the summer of 1981 and Dad was part of a rare YD family vacation that didn't include a drive to Osawatomie, Kan.

Actually, Dad's Aunt Jean accompanied them on trip to Anaheim to check out Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. One afternoon, we tracked down tickets to "The Price is Right" to see what the show was like behind the scenes. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa YD did not want to be contestants. And unbeknownst to us until we arrived, you had to be 18 just to watch the taping of an episode. So Dad (who was 13 at the time but as tall as he is now - 6-foot-1) stood up extra tall and tried to act older.

Outside the studio, dozens of people were grouped into rows of three to meet the show producer, who would select possible contestants. From talking to a former contestant (and winner) who was standing with us, the producer would make a signal or hand gesture (patting someone on the shoulder, shaking their hand a particular way) to signal one of the two women standing next to him (with clipboard in hand) that a potential contestant should be flagged.

The former contestant also told us that once you were on the show, you could not be on again. She had won a couple prizes (a refrigerator is what I remember) and that the airing of the show was about three months after the taping. She received her prizes nine months after the airing. She also said potential contestants were told that they might be called to "come on down" in order to further determine their eligibility and have them fill out the necessary waivers. So when you see someone acting crazy and running down the aisle, know that they've been informed that they might be called up to be a contestant.

It wasn't long before we were at the show that we figured out why you had to be 18 years old to watch the taping. Not only was the producer cracking inappropriate jokes to "warm up" the crowd before the taping, but also Johnny Olson (the late announcer) was also as foul-mouthed as they come. I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa YD were embarrassed as much as Dad was.

The taping was rather uneventful with one exception: After revealing the first showcase and having a contestant bid on it. Bob Barker says, "So-and-so, here's your showcase!" At that moment, they stop taping, turn off all the lights and take a 30-minute break while the second showcase is put into place. Then, they tell the contestant to "look happy" as they resume the taping with a closeup of that person's face. They still do that to this day because the studio is just too small to have two showcases "loaded" for broadcast.

The taping of our show was June 6. The air date was Sept. 21 - Dad's birthday. Of course, he would be in school at 10 a.m. when the show was going to air and in that time, few were priviledged enough to own VCRs (or, more commonly, BETA machines). But he lucked out. Sept. 21 was a Monday - the day after the Mt. Michael festival. So, after the festival and grounds were cleaned up in record time (45 minutes!), Dad ran off to the TV room. Unfortunately, some of the upper classmen were determined to watch a soap opera. But Dad (only a freshman at the time) assured them that he was in the studio audience and proceeded to wow everyone with his winning bids and prize winning predictions. (There was one shot of him and Grandma and Grandpa YD in the entire show - when a contestant sitting near them was called down.)

So there you have it. The story of the time Dad was on "The Price is Right." And to think it all comes to an end for Barker tonight - 35 years after the first show.