It’s 1978 and emcee Bob Barker shows America the newest (and short-lived) way to win a brand new car.
First, a digression. I watched the April Fool’s Day edition of The Price Is Right where Craig Ferguson of the Late Late Show and his buddies switched places with Drew Carey. The show’s tolerable, especially with an easy Lucky Seven win. On the other hand, Craig was awkward with contestants and got unnaturally shrill win contestants won big prizes.
I like him as a talk show host, but whatever talents he has chatting it up with celebs doesn’t translate well with regular folk. That April 1st one-off novelty won’t be held against him.
Wink Martindale’s YouTube account has posted a Price rarity, the first playing of Shower Game. I presume that this episode which contains Shower Game has never aired on Game Show Network back when they had the rights to rerun TPIR. This clip features a prime Bob Barker smoothly going through the rules and forming some repartee with the contestant even while contestant unbuttons his classic 1970s big collar checked shirt (???).
Check out the “cameo” of the Family Feud theme (really “The Feud,” the same music with the banjos taken out) when announcer Johnny Olson speaks of the features of the Buick Skyhawk.
Shower Game features such a large set just to have a player pick prices. The contestant chooses from one of six shower stalls representing the car’s price. One stall contained a fake key which wins the car, two showers will flow 100 $1 bills, and the rest just showers confetti but the contestant can pick another stall.
The pricing game has a big, gaudy setup and there’s nothing for the contestant to lose as he will end the game with no less than $100. There are better ways to craft a pricing game without a large set piece. For instance, Pass the Buck adds risk by adding higher stakes but having “Lose Everything” spaces.
According to Internet chatter/scuttlebutt, Shower Game was removed from the pricing game due to insensivity to Holocaust survivors. As far as I know, that’s unconfirmed.