Barker Looks At 25 Years Of ‘Price Is Right’
The first question some will ask about “The Price Is Right 25th Anniversary Special” (CBS at 8) is whether it shows the infamous moment when, as host Bob Barker says of the overexcited, tube-topped contestant, “She came on down and they came on out.”
It sure does. Show it, that is - with a little electronic camouflage, of course. But there are plenty of other outrageously fun moments in this hour that will entertain even those who aren’t big fans of the time-tested game show.
(“The Price is Right” is celebrating 25 years on CBS. It originated on NBC in 1956, 16 years before Barker joined the show.”)
This is actually a regular edition of the game show, with contestants competing for the chance to win the big “showcase” prize. But at the same time, Barker takes viewers down memory lane with a parade of clips that includes embarrassing moments as well as some of the most unlikely physical mishaps in game-show history. Also included is a young Vanna White as a contestant.
Fans of the show won’t want to miss it. But if you haven’t watched it in 10 or 20 years - I was in that category - you’ll find it to be a nostalgic good time.
Highlights
“Family Matters,” ABC at 8: This series wouldn’t begin to work without Reginald VelJohson as a comic foil, and he’s at his best when a director casts Carl in a movie. But he can’t bring himself to do a love scene with a younger actress (Garcelle Beauvais). Repeat.
“Unsolved Mysteries,” NBC at 8: The curious death of heiress Doris Duke is probed. Since this segment first aired, an official inquiry determined there was no foul play. Also included is a report on “a monstrous, kangaroolike creature with red eyes, long fangs and spikes” that has allegedly terrorized parts of Puerto Rico.
“Boy Meets World,” ABC at 8:30: In an imaginative half-hour, Cory (Ben Savage) is transported to 1957, where his knowledge of the future incriminates him as a suspected spy. Repeat.
“Dateline NBC,” NBC at 9: Lea Thompson reports on pet theft - who the thieves are, where the pets are taken and what happens to them. Also, the third installment on cancer focuses on the way the disease may be detected and treated in the future.
Cable Calls
“Darkness Before Dawn” (1993), LIFE at 9: This gritty morality tale about drug addiction works - as drama. But when it first aired, I showed it to the director of a drug treatment center who said its depiction of heroin withdrawal is pure Hollywood, and the way it slighted the psychological aspects of addiction makes it another in a long line of misinformed drug-addiction movies.
Meredith Baxter and Stephan Lang star as a husband and wife whose lives are devastated by drug use. It’s well-acted and engaging though overly melodramatic at times.
“True Crime” (1996), USA at 9: OK, Alicia Silverstone fans, here’s the “Clueless” (1995) star in a thriller. She and Kevin Dillon track a serial killer whose victims are teenage girls.