| The Price Is Right | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Presented by | Bruce Beeby (1957) Geoff Manion (1958) Keith Walshe (1959) Horrie Dargie (1963) Garry Meadows (1973–1974) Ian Turpie (1981–1986, 1989) Larry Emdur (1993–1998, 2003–2005) |
| Narrated by | Keith Livingston (1973–1974) John Deeks (1981–1986) Gavin Wood (1989) Shawn Cosgrove (1993–1998, 2003–2005) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 23 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | HSV-7 Melbourne, Victoria (1981–1986) ATV-10 Melbourne, Victoria (1989) GTV-9 Melbourne, Victoria (1993–1998, 2003–2005) |
| Running time | 30–60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Grundy Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ATN-7 (1957, 1959) GTV-9 (1958) Seven Network (1963, 1981–1986) Network Ten (1973–1974, 1989) Nine Network (1993–1998, 2003–2005) |
| Picture format | Black and White (1957–1974) PAL (576i) (1981–2005) 4:3 (1957–1974, 1981–1986, 1989, 1993–1998) 16:9 (2003–2005) |
| Original run | 1957–1974 (first run) 7 September 1981 – 24 November 2005 |
The Price is Right was a television game show that has been produced in a number of different formats in Australia.
Contents |
Two regional versions based on the original 1950s US format aired nearly concurrently - one aired on ATN-7 in Sydney, hosted by Bruce Beeby and Keith Walshe from 1957–1959 ; the other was on GTV-9 in Melbourne and hosted by Geoff Manion in 1958 .
In 1963, Seven Network aired a nationwide version hosted by Horrie Dargie.[1]
Price then aired in Australia on what is now Network Ten from 1973–1974; this version was hosted by Garry Meadows and announcer Keith Livingston. At this time, Reg Grundy Organisation was licensing many shows from Goodson-Todman Productions in the U.S.; they had a flair for making detailed copies of sets, and sets for The Price Is Right was no exception. Bill Mason went to the United States to research the show in detail.[2]
The show started in a daytime slot on 5 February 1973 (a mere four months after the original first aired in the States), and was later given a prime time slot on the network. This version established a completely different Showcase round. In it, the day's two top winners first bid on the price of one showcase in the "Showcase Playoff", played in the style of the short-lived US pricing game Double Bullseye. The winning contestant then attempted to place the prizes in order from least to most expensive on a pricing board in the Showcase itself, similar to the later US pricing game Easy as 123.
The New Price Is Right aired on Seven Network from 1981–1986 with host Ian Turpie and announcer John Deeks. In 1984, the show introduced a "carry-over" format with returning champions. Up to that point, the format of the show consisted of three pricing games, the Showcase Playoff, and the Showcase. The new format replaced the third game with the Showcase Showdown from the American version, with 100 earning a bonus prize. The winner faced the champion in the Showcase Playoff, whose winner advanced to the Showcase.
Price was revived in 1989 for an hour-long version, again hosted by Turpie airing Saturday nights on Network Ten as part of Network Ten's attempted revamp that year; however, it only lasted 12 episodes. The format resembled the US version, with three games, then a Showcase Showdown, then repeat. The two Showdown winners then competed in the Showcase Playoff, with the winner advancing to the Showcase.
Pricing Game Lineup
The following pricing games were played during Ian Turpie's tenure:
Any Number (Sometimes played for a car)
Bonus Game
Bullseye
Dice Game (never played for a car)
Grocery Game (sometimes played for a car)
Lucky $even (played for a car)
Race Game
Range Game
Switcheroo
Two Price Tags (Double Prices)
The Price Is Right was revived again from 1993–1998 on Nine Network, hosted by Larry Emdur with announcer Shawn Cosgrove . The show used the original format of the 1981-86 edition.
The show returned in mid-2003 on the Nine Network, again with Emdur (earlier news reports had speculated that former A*mazing host James Sherry would be the star, but it never happened). This show carried on the same format until 2004, when it was made a one-hour show to combat the Seven Network's hit Deal or No Deal, in the hopes that people would stay tuned to the channel for the news after watching the first half hour. This format involved four pricing games; after the second and fourth games, a Showcase Showdown was played, with a $1,000 bonus for achieving a total score of $1. The two Showdown winners then competed in the Showcase Playoff, with the winner advancing to the Showcase.
Cars given away on the mid-'90s version of the program were provided by Daihatsu and later SEAT. Early in the 2003 run, Suzuki cars were used for both the pricing games and the Showcase; once the Mega Showcase was introduced, Citroën cars were used for the pricing games, while Alfa Romeo cars were used for the Showcase. Holden replaced Citroen in 2005.
The show was replaced for a period of one week with a daily version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
The Showcase at this time also added a prize of a condominium on the Sunshine Coast, making the showcase worth between $500,000 and $600,000, and making it known as the "Mega Showcase". Before the last prize was revealed (or if the producers knew the contestant was going to lose by misplacing a prize) they were tempted with a "cash buyout" of between $1,000 and $50,000. Three people won the "Mega Showcase" - Marisa Tamboro (15 September 2004), Laurie Dennis (exactly one week after Marisa won it), and Joanne Segeviano (March 3, 2005). Another person did get the Mega Showcase prizes in correct order, but he took the cash buyout of $50,000.
After a few months the show returned to a half-hour, albeit with a new format. Only two pricing games were played each day, followed by a single Showcase Showdown whose winner advanced immediately to the prize-ordering part of the Showcase. The Showcase dropped the condominium as the top prize, but a cash jackpot was added to the boot of the car to entice the bidder. It was then renamed the "Monster Showcase".
The Mega Showcase win of $664,667 (about US$612,000 or S$850,000) won by Segeviano was a world record for the Price franchise that stood until exactly three years later, in February 2008, when Adam Rose won US$1,153,908 on the U.S. primetime version of the show.
The programme ended on 24 November 2005 and Larry Emdur then signed with the Seven Network to revive the ailing Wheel of Fortune, which was then cancelled after only a few months. Larry Emdur is now hosting The Morning Show on Seven Network.
The following pricing games were played during Larry Emdur's tenure:
The models of The Price is Right often drew as much interest as the show itself. Many of the models have become celebrities in their own right. Some of these models include:
Fictional scenes from The Price Is Right were featured in the 1997 comedy film The Castle, showing the narrator's sister appearing on the show, winning the amount of $4,321.
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