User:Daniel Benfield/Price Is Right Half-Hour Daytime Video Archive

CBS Daytime: September 4, 1972 - September 5/September 15 - October 31, 1975, with occasional shows between then and February 22, 1994 (800 episodes total)

Not many seem to know this nowadays, but following its 1972 return The Price Is Right was a half-hour show for the first three years. Given how many episodes GSN aired from this period, combined with the plethora of master copies that escaped from the vaults some years ago, this...well, it's a massive undertaking, let's be honest here.

Big thanks to Golden-Road.net and The Price Is Right Summaries for much of the info below. Note that the airdates shown are per the episode numbers; any reschedulings done by CBS are noted.

I should note that the "800" figure above counts the replaced #0013D (aka #0101-2). On the other hand, technically there were 801 since the pilot was taped 8/15/72, but said recording appears to have been lost to time.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which (barring two exceptions) were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1972-75 (plus all applicable years afterward) Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions/FremantleMedia and associated entities.

Season 1 (1972-73)
September 4, 1972 - September 21, 1973 (taped August 19, 1972 - August 19, 1973)

The beginning, called The New Price Is Right through June 12 (25, counting repeats and reschedulings), with the shortened name debuting on the 26th. The last show with the old name was #0412D (taped 5/6/73), and the first with the title changes was #0432D (taped 6/2/73).

The New Price Is Right (September 4-June 12 [25])

1972
 * September 4, 1972 (#0101-1/0011D {PREMIERE!}: Any Number, Bonus Game, Double Prices {taped 8/19/72}, with the infamous first Item Up For Bids that doomed this to never seeing the light of repeats; studio master with slate, commercials, and perfect quality! {alternate copy, first ten seconds or so missing, average quality})
 * September 5, 1972 (#0101-4/0012D: Grocery Game, Bullseye '72, Double Prices {taped 8/21/72, aired 9/6}; taped from GSN, video is a bit blurry {alternate copy from a later GSN airing, quality seems to be closer to average})
 * September 6, 1972 (#0013D{R}: Grocery Game, Bullseye '72, Double Prices {taped 8/26/72, aired 9/8}; studio master with slate and commercials!)
 * September 7, 1972 (#0101-3/0014D: Any Number, Bonus Game, Double Prices {taped 8/20/72}, with an odd event in the Showcase that I'm pretty sure never happened again {Part 4}; studio master with slate and commercials, average quality)
 * September 8, 1972 (#0101-5/0015D: Grocery Game {BOO-BOO COOPER!}, Bullseye '72, Double Prices {taped 8/21/72, aired 9/5}; studio master with slate and commercials!)


 * September 15, 1972 (#0025D: Grocery Game, Any Number, Clock Game {taped 9/3/72}; studio master with slate!)
 * September 18, 1972 (#0031D: Bonus Game, Any Number, Clock Game {4th playing}, with the audience shouting "higher" and "lower" in Clock Game! {taped 9/9/72}; taped from GSN, Clock Game playing only)
 * September 19, 1972 (#0032D: Grocery Game, DOUBLE BULLSEYE {debut!}, Double Prices {taped 9/9/72}; studio master?, Double Bullseye segment only)
 * September 28, 1972 (#0044D: Grocery Game, DOUBLE BULLSEYE {3rd playing}, Double Prices {taped 9/17/72}; studio master with slate! {alternate copy, taped from GSN})


 * October 2, 1972 (#0051D: Five Price Tags {2nd playing}, Grocery Game, Double Prices {taped 9/23/72}; taped from GSN, first segment only)


 * November 6, 1972 (#0101D: Five Price Tags, Grocery Game {for a FUR COAT!}, Clock Game {taped 10/23/72}, with Anitra's daughter helping to present a Showcase! {Part 4, Part 5}; studio master with commercials!)
 * November 14, 1972 (#0112D: Grocery Game, Five Price Tags, Double Prices {taped 11/6/72}, the second episode taped during a technicians' strike – hence, the sucky camera work...and it's really bad here; studio master with slate!)
 * November 16, 1972 (#0114D: Any Number, Bonus Game {for a FUR COAT!}, Most Expensive {taped 11/9/72}; taped from GSN!)
 * November 17, 1972 (#0115D: Grocery Game, Five Price Tags, Double Prices {taped 11/10/72}; CBS repeat from 2/29/00, albeit slightly edited)

1973
 * January 22, 1973 (#0211D: Any Number {amazing playing!}, Bonus Game, Clock Game {taped 1/13/73}; taped from GSN)
 * January 25, 1973 (#0214D: Bonus Game, Money Game, Clock Game {taped 1/14/73, aired 1/26}; taped from GSN, first segment only)
 * January 29, 1973 (#0221D: Five Price Tags, Grocery Game, Double Prices {taped 1/20/73, aired 1/30}, with the first known use of Double Prices at Door #3!; taped from GSN {uploaded by me})


 * February 14, 1973 (#0243D: Give or Keep, Any Number, Most Expensive {taped 1/27/73}, with only ladies as contestants {all of whom get a rose from Bob}; taped from GSN)


 * April 9, 1973 (#0321D: Hi-Lo {debut!}, Money Game, Clock Game {taped 3/10/73}, with Hi-Lo having some pretty different rules; taped from GSN) Range2.JPG
 * April 17, 1973 (#0332D: Grocery Game, Five Price Tags, Range Game {taped 3/17/73}; studio master with slate, timecode, and commercials!)
 * [Range Game still has its original $50 rangefinder.]


 * May 8, 1973 (#0362D: Hi-Lo, DOUBLE DIGITS {4th playing}, Range Game {taped 4/1/73}; taped from GSN)
 * [By this point, Range Game now has its $100 rangefinder; it increased to the normal $150 by June 8 (#0405D).]

The Price Is Right (June 26-September 21)
 * July 13, 1973 (#0455D: Five Price Tags, Hi-Lo, Clock Game {taped 6/17/73}; studio master with slate!)
 * September 19, 1973 (#0553D: Money Game, Give or Keep, Range Game {taped 8/19/73}; taped from GSN)

Season 2 (1973-74)
September 24, 1973 - August 29, 1974 (taped August 19, 1973 - August 1974)

The show continued on its way, introducing a few more games – some would stick around for the long haul (Race Game, Shell Game), while others didn't (Mystery Price). Indeed, the debut of Shell Game sent Bonus Game away from daytime for the rest of this season and (minus two playings) nearly all of the next.

The Double Showcase Rule debuts sometime between March 8 (#0795D) and April 18 (#0854D).

1973
 * September 26, 1973 (#0563D: Mystery Price {debut!}, Any Number, Clock Game {taped 8/20/73, aired 11/29}; taped from GSN, Mystery Price playing only)


 * October 5, 1973 (#0575D: Mystery Price, Money Game, Clock Game {taped 9/9/73}, with the possible debut of Every Room In The House; taped from GSN, with commercials)
 * October 9, 1973 (#0582D: Lucky Seven, Mystery Price {with some weird overdubbing of music}, Most Expensive {taped 9/9/73}; taped from GSN)
 * October 26, 1973 (#0605D: Five Price Tags, Hi-Lo, Range Game {taped 9/23/73}, with a "Halloween Party" Showcase; taped from GSN)
 * [Not sure why a Halloween Showcase was done here, since a new episode did air on Halloween itself (#0613D).]


 * November 14, 1973 (#0633D: Temptation, Grocery Game, Most Expensive {taped 10/21/73}; taped from GSN, "MRC" logo in bottom-right corner nearly throughout, slightly blurry video)

1974
 * May 28, 1974 (#0912D: Any Number, Bonus Game, Double Prices {taped 4/28/74}, with some really weird contestants!; taped from GSN)
 * [First episode with Any Number's name on its board, and the first known with Bonus Game's name on its board.]
 * May 29, 1974 (#0913D: Temptation, Hi-Lo, Range Game {taped 4/28/74}; taped from GSN)
 * [By this point, Temptation now has the option to change number guesses; this was still not the case on March 8.]


 * July 12, 1974 (#0975D: Temptation, Hi-Lo, Double Prices {taped 6/23/74}; taped from GSN)
 * August 15, 1974 (#1024D: Hi-Lo, Money Game, Double Prices {taped 8/5/74}, with a rather negative contestant; studio master with slate!)

Season 3 (1974-75)
September 2, 1974 - August 29, 1975 (taped August 1974 - August 1975)

The season where things began to truly fall into place, with some color changes to the set and games that were relatively minor...until August 19, at which point the show debuted not only the look that would keep them going for the long haul, but one of its most popular games.

One oddity of this season was the Do-It-Yourself Showcase, where the player picked envelopes containing prize names; said prizes were then revealed and described, with the total of said three prizes being placed into the side of that player's Showcase podium. Given this required nine prizes to be ready to go all at once along with 27 different price combinations based on what was picked, it's not really surprising that it didn't get used before or since.

1974
 * October 21, 1974 (#1121D: Any Number, Hi-Lo, Race Game {taped 9/74}; taped from GSN)
 * [Any Number's displays appear to still be gray; they became black by November 26 (#1172D).]


 * November 15, 1974 (#1155D: Lucky Seven, Shell Game, Race Game {taped 10/74}, with Race Game timed on a stopwatch?!; taped from GSN, bit of open clipped)
 * [Oddly, Bob doesn't note that the "jukebox" is broken, suggesting that this isn't the first time this has happened.]
 * November 27, 1974 (#1173D: Clock Game, Five Price Tags, Range Game {taped 11/74}, with a Thanksgiving Showcase!; taped from GSN)
 * [Bob notes a few times that it's the day before Thanksgiving.]


 * December 25, 1974 (#1213D: Grocery Game, Any Number, Most Expensive {taped 12/2/74}, Dennis James' second show filling in for Bob!; taped from GSN!)
 * [By this point, Grocery Game's "WIN!/OVER" display has changed again: curves are now around the corners of the lights, and the white border is extended to separate the words.]

1975
 * January 24, 1975 (#1255D: Give or Keep, Any Number, Most Expensive {taped 12/22/74}, with a Marx Brothers Showcase!; studio master, slate and aforementioned Showcase only)


 * March 13, 1975 (#1324D: Shell Game, Double Prices, Any Number {taped 2/75}, with some Showcase reveals that are a bit uncomfortable due to how Bob treats it; taped from GSN {uploaded by me}, first 10 seconds or so missing)
 * March 24, 1975 (#1341D: Any Number, Give or Keep, Race Game {taped 3/75}, with some pretty close Showcase results {Part 3}; taped from GSN {alternate copy of Showcase reveals from the Decades video game, with far better quality})
 * [At this point, Any Number's base is still brown and Race Game still uses magnets. After walking out, Bob notes "On our show Friday, we had a winner in every game we played. Not only that, the winner of the Showcase ended up with not one but two automobiles."]

Turntable carpet becomes green (debuted 3/26/75)
 * April 1, 1975 (#1352D: Some order of Hi-Lo, Any Number, Clock Game {taped 3/75}; Showcase #2 only)

Turntable wall borders become green (debuted 4/2/75)
 * April 15, 1975 (#1372D: Lucky Seven, Hi-Lo, Range Game {taped 3/24/75}, with Bob making up a "historic moment" in the Showcase that GSN actually called him out on in a promo!; taped from GSN)
 * [At this point, the opening logo still uses the same colors as Summer '73 and Range Game still has no logo. Also, the Top Winner still has the orange Showcase podium and the bases are still brown.]

Opening logo becomes yellow and white (began by 5/13/75)
 * May 13, 1975 (#1412D: Hi-Lo, Any Number, Double Prices {taped 4/75}, with a great player and the "Do It Yourself" Showcase! {Part 3}; taped from GSN)
 * [By this point, Any Number's base is now green, as are the Showcase podiums. Presumably at this point, the Top Winner now uses the yellow Showcase podium.]
 * May 23, 1975 (#1425D: Clock Game, Give or Keep, Any Number {Parts 3, 4, and 5}; CBS repeat from 2/27/02, "shaky-cam" upload)
 * [At this point, Clock Game still has no logo; one was added by July 4 (#1485D). It should be noted that this was the last "classic" episode to be reran, and the only one after GSN's lease expired in 2000.]


 * July 8, 1975 (#1492D: Shell Game, Card Game, Most Expensive {taped 6/16/75}; studio master with slate!)

Rainbow set debuts (began 8/19/75)
 * August 19, 1975 (#1552D: Hi-Lo, Most Expensive, GOLDEN ROAD {taped 8/2/75}, with the debut of...well, guess; studio master with slate!)
 * [Also at this point, for reasons I can't fathom, Dian begins wearing a brunette wig to try and fool viewers into thinking she's Anitra. O...kay, then...]
 * August 21, 1975 (#1554D: Give or Keep, Money Game, Clock Game {taped 8/2/75}, with an odd Showcase that I'm gonna take a wild guess and say was Jay Wolpert's idea; studio master, slate and Showcase #2 only)
 * [At this point, Clock Game and Give or Keep still have their original color schemes; the latter became green by September 8 (#1581D).]


 * August 25, 1975 (#1561D: Temptation, Grocery Game, Race Game {a somewhat unusual playing}, with a Showcase being "Chapter 2 of Nellie Nebish's Nemesis" {taped 8/3/75}; studio master with slate!)
 * [By this point, Race Game now has its hooks and holes, replacing the magnets.]
 * August 28, 1975 (#1564D: Five Price Tags, Range Game, Race Game {taped 8/75}, with a long third One-Bid round; taped from GSN)
 * [At this point, Range Game's base is still brown (it became green by September 8).]
 * August 29, 1975 (#1565D/Season Finale: Shell Game, Ten Chances, Most Expensive {taped 8/75}; taped from GSN in 1997, video is a bit bright, no audio for most of first upload, ends during credits)
 * [At this point, the audience curtains are still yellow; this changed to a red-blue-green-yellow-red-blue-green-yellow pattern of vertical stripes by September 8.]

Post-Season 3
It was after Season 3 that the show saw its biggest change: for the second week of Season 4, Price experimented with an hour-long version, adding a Showcase Showdown after the third and sixth games and using a Rainbow Wheel during the experimental shows that would pave the way for the current Big Wheel; the staff didn't think this would work (indeed, the slate for the first episode has someone holding up a sign reading "Welcome aboard the Titanic. Enjoy the trip!")...but it did, and after another seven weeks of half-hour shows Price permanently expanded to an hour on November 3.

The exception was now the rule, with the former rule being an exception used only 16 times between Seasons 4-7, and then only to accommodate CBS' monthly Magazine series; after that, the half-hour format essentially became a special, done every other year between 1984-94 in an hour block with the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Note that this doesn't count the 25th-Anniversary Special (1996) and "A Celebration of Bob Barker’s 50 Years in Television" (2007), as each were an hour long with a whole bunch of clips.

1970s
 * October 27, 1975 (#1651D: Any Number, POKER GAME, Most Expensive {taped 10/11/75}, with Bert Convy appearing to congratulate the show on expanding to an hour; studio master with slate!)

1980s
 * February 21, 1984 (#5212D: Money Game, Cliff Hangers, Clock Game)
 * February 16, 1988 (#6762D: Give or Keep, Lucky $even, Danger Price; reception issues, "ghosts" in picture)

1990s
 * February 20, 1990 (#7552D: Lucky $even, Punch-A-Bunch, 1 Right Price)
 * February 25, 1992 (#8322D: Lucky $even, Cliff Hangers, Pick-A-Number {for a car!})
 * February 22, 1994 (#9092D: Lucky $even, Plinko, 2 For the Price of 1; Rod messes up the intro spiel!)