 This is the SF Productions Podcast Network. I'm Turner Wax and Rice Aroni, the San Francisco treat. From the Pop Culture Bunker, I'm Mindy. And I'm Mark. You can check out our audio podcast, How I Got My Wife to Read Comics on iTunes, or on our website SFPodcastNetwork.com. I'm going to say up front that I'm a huge game show fan. Our recent failed attempt to see the prices right, thanks coronavirus, inspired me to look at long running game show hosts. Like most classic TV formats, game shows came from radio. In fact, on the first day of commercial TV programming, July 2nd, 1941, you could watch radios Truth or Consequences with Ralph Edwards. Edwards went from radio announcing to directing, then created and hosted radios Truth or Consequences, and did a couple of stints on TV. Edwards went on to produce or create This Is Your Life and The People's Court. He passed in 2005. Truth was an audience participation show, where a contestant would be asked a question, and if they got it wrong, it was always a crazy question. They would then be forced to do foolish stunts for cash. He ran in various forms from 1950 to 1988. Edwards actually continued a radio version of the show until 1957. I remember watching the show. It was popular enough that a small town in New Mexico would make themselves Truth or Consequences. Edwards brought in a new truth host in 1956 who would run the show for years before becoming the greatest host of all time, Bob Barker. Barker was a Navy fighter pilot in World War II, then worked as an announcer, that's where most game show hosts come from, before running an eponymous local show in LA, where Edwards discovered him. Barker would go on to host shows continuously from 1956 to 2007, with The Price's Right being 35 years of that. The CBS Studio, where The Price's Right is taped, is named the Bob Barker Studio in his honor. Barker was controversial. There were lawsuits involving Barker's beauties, protests against animal cruelty, and a decision to drop out of hosting the Miss USA Miss Universe when they refused to stop using furers. He also caused a ruckus when he stopped dying his hair in 1987, shocking the audience with his natural gray. Bob handed off The Price's Right to Drew Carey, who still runs it today. Now, Bob was not the first host of The Price's Right. That would be longtime host and eventual substitute teacher of game shows, Bill Cullen. Cullen survived a childhood bout of polio. If you pay attention, you rarely see him walking around on air, otherwise sitting or leaning. He went from disc jockey to sports commentator to announcing to hosting. His first hosting gig was Goodman Todman's first game show, Radio's Winner Take All. Goodman Todman produced many of the classic shows, including The Price's Right. Cullen served in the Army Air Corps as an instructor in World War II, then returned to do a number of hosting and announcing duties. He also became a familiar face on panel shows, where a group of celebrities would play essentially parlor games. This included long runs on I've Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth. He was given the initial reigns on Price's Right from 1956 to 65. If you haven't seen it, it's basically contestants' row as a separate show. If you get a chance, give it a look on buzzer or YouTube. It had ridiculous prizes, like new towels every week for a year, or an actual house in Florida. Later, Cullen would host more shows, 23 of them, as well as come in to handle temporary duties if a host became ill. His final run was on the $10,000 pyramid in 1987. There were other TPR hosts that came with a long pedigree doing syndicated versions of the show alongside Barker's Run. Dennis James hosted what is considered the first original game show for television, Dumont's Cash and Carry in 1946. James spent the 50s and 60s hosting various shows, Chance of a Lifetime, Stop the Music, The Name's the Same, while acting as host of the first TV telethon on behalf of United Cerebral Palsy. He did this for decades and hosting an eponymous variety show. His catchphrase and name of one of his shows, OK Mother, came from his time as an early boxing commentator. Now, boxing was perfect for early TV, small well-lit space, ready-made audience, segmented into quick rounds for more commercials. When he explained a particular wrestling rule, he didn't want to insult male viewers as if they didn't know those rules, so he said OK Mother to infer he was explaining to the female audience. James retired after his Price's Rights syndicated run he passed in 1997. Tom Kennedy was the younger brother of Jack Nars, who we will get to in a moment, and changed his name to avoid perceived issues with them promoting competing products. Hosts at the time were expected to do live commercials during their shows. By the way, Bill Cullen was their brother-in-law having married their sister. Kennedy hosted long-running shows you don't say, split second and named that tune, along with a number of lesser-known shows. He hosted the syndicated Price's Right in the 80s, and like Cullen, would step in as needed to other shows. He took over Password Plus in 1980 following the illness and death of Alan Ludden. Ludden was in charge of U.S. Army Entertainment in World War II's Pacific Theater and received a bronze star for his efforts. He then worked for a time as an advisor to youth in team magazines and radio, then hosting GE's College Bowl before going on to his best-known role, the host of Password which ran from 1961 to 1980 in various versions until he was too old to continue as host. There's also a great episode of the Odd Couple where Felix and Oscar get on the show. Ludden was husband to Game Show and TV royalty Betty White, who was the first female game show host on Just Men. Ludden passed in 1981. Now we mentioned Jack Nars earlier. He started as an announcer for Radio Superman Serial as well as TV's Space Patrol. He became well known as the announcer for the first sitcom of Betty White. See it all ties together. That was called Life with Elizabeth. He continued announcing four game shows, acted as sidekick to Bob Crosby's radio show before hosting in 1958. Unfortunately he began hosting just as the quiz show scandal hit. You can watch the 1994 film about that. His show was implicated, but he managed to get out of it mostly unscathed. Nars went on to host Concentration, guest hosted on The Syndicated Price is Right, and would end up co-hosting an episode of Password Plus with his brother Tom Kennedy. Nars passed in 2008. We did want to mention two other Jacks, Barry and Bailey. Unlike Nars, Jack Barry did not escape the quiz show scandal. Barry was a radio host who moved over to TV with partner Dan Enright to produce Winky Dink and You. This is considered the first interactive TV program. An animated character would need something drawn on screen like a car or stairsay, and youngsters weren't instructed to draw it on the screen using a special plastic panel that would attach to the TV. Unfortunately, lots of kids just drew directly on the screen. Barry and Enright went on to produce shows such as Juvenile Jerry and The Big Surprise, prior to their big hits Tic Tac Do and 21. According to a documentary, 21's sponsor Gerritol complained that it was boring because people kept repeatedly missing answers, and so a scheme was set up to feed answers to popular contestants. When this was discovered, government hearings were held with discussions of nationalizing TV as many nations do. Instead, producers such as Barry were crucified, and he couldn't get a national gig for years doing local shows in L.A. Finally he returned as host and producer of The Joker's Wild, which premiered on the same day as Barker's Price is Right. It was a hit on Network Incindication for Years. Barry passed away in 1984. Jack Bailey was a Vodvillian and Carnival Barker, which led to announcing and hosting. He was Truth or Consequences host prior to Bob Barker and would go on to appear in guest roles on series as well as Mr. Ed and Police Story with a cameo in It's a Wonderful Life, but is best known as the long-running host of Queen for a Day. This audience participation show even at the time was considered grotesque, but that's what sells. Someone would be pulled from the mostly female audience and be given a chance to tell their tale of woe. The illness, poverty, emotional issues, the more horrific the better the woman with the best sob story judged by an applause meter would then win a prize of their choice. A refrigerator, a hearing aid, medical care. The winner would also be placed on a fake throne with a crown. Barry's smarmy introduction. What you like to be Queen for a day is hard to watch, especially in today's culture. Now there's a lot more to cover. I'm actually mulling over separate podcasts about game shows at some point, but that's all for now. Yes. Mark's research can be a little bit intimidating. I always listen to our audio podcast, how I got my wife to read comics on iTunes when Mark is researching. You can check us out on iTunes or on our website sfpodcastnetwork.com From the Pop Culture Bunker, I'm Mindy. And I'm Mark. Thanks for watching. He doesn't start appearing on stage. We'll receive.