The multi-generational host of TV game shows died August 20, 2023.
He grew up on the Redbud Reservation in Washington as he was one-eighth Sioux. He spent some high school years in Missouri and attended Drury College in Springfield, MO on a basketball scholarship. Following his military experience during WWII he graduated from Drury summa cum laude in Economics. Sounds like the perfect fit for someone who would become famous for The Price is Right, don't you think?
RIP Bob. He definitely took his work to the limit. TPIR's current host Drew Carey continues Barker's tradition and tells his audience to "spay and neuter your pets".
Might be a good time to also tip our hats to Hugh Downs, another early TV game show host. Downs was two years older than Barker and died two years ago, also at the age of 99.
I went to a taping of the Price is right with my girlfriend about 1987. As we filed into the venue, this fellow would look us over one by one and maybe ask a few questions, making a selection of who he though would make a good contestant. The Lady who sat beside us was selected to "come on down" by Rod Roddy and won her way up on the stage. As I recall she won a washing machine.
He got close to $1.00 without going over!
He grew up on the Redbud Reservation in Washington
There is no Redbud reservation in Washington. from another source:
Barker was born in Darrington, Washington, and spent most of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Mission, South Dakota.
Thanks for correcting me. You are absolutley correct. Have no idea where I grabbed Redbud.
He was born in Washington. He later lived in South Dakota on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Somehow made it to Missouri at age 13 and attended high school and college in Springfield.
My wife has been donating to the Rosebud group for over 30 years. I have been put in charge of addressing the packages too many times.
I heard a story about Barker that shouldn’t get lost to time. When I started working in 1972 there was an old bald guy I’ll call Max there who had worked as a broadcast engineer at the time Barker was getting his start in radio.
Barker apparently remarked on Max’s baldness and Max told hm that was from working around all those radio waves. Barker was really worried about losing his fine head of hair and asked if there wasn’t something to be done about it.
Max fixed him up with a tin bowl hat and ground wire that Barker wore for several days while on the air before he got suspicious and gave it up.