The debut of the Tom Kennedy version of "The Price Is Right". Announcer Johnny Olson appears in one of the showcases, and during the closing credits. From the original WNBC-TV New York broadcast, 9/9/85.
Tom was a marvelous host, but he was nearing the end of his 30-year career in television. He only did one more game show, Word Play, and then he retired. But he's still among us. Thank you for all the great shows, Tom.
This is the first time I've seen a Tom Kennedy show since I was a little kid. He did a fantastic job! I'm not saying Bob Barker was better, but there's a different chemistry, a different feel to this. It's a different entity, not necessarily a bad one.
I enjoy watching the early price is right episodes. Tom Kennedy was a great Host. I still miss Janice, Dianne Parkinson and of course Holly. They were great models. Still a great game show today 👍.
According to Tom Kennedy, he was selected to do nighttime TPIR because it was right near Body Language. Also keep in mind that Bill Cullen and Dennis James were both Name That Tune and TPIR hosts and it was probably assumed that Tom Kennedy would translate into the same success.
I think Tom should've gotten one more season, Tom did a great job, and he seemed to enjoy himself, they should've give it a better slot then 2:00AM, 7:30PM, would've worked.
Both versions aired on the CBS affiliate here in Houston (KHOU 11). Kennedy's version aired at 3:30pm, just before Body Language, giving us a double dose of Tom.
Yes, I remember this airing in New York on WNBC-TV (Channel 4), which buried it airing following the old version of Letterman at 1:30 AM locally (as they did with "Jeopardy!" when that returned a year earlier before moving New Year's Eve of 1984 to WABC-TV (Channel 7), where it's been in NYC ever since). This version of TPIR was well noted for the severely inflated showcase prices as opposed to the daytime version. Tom Kennedy I believe hosted this version was because it was five nights a week. It should be noted that Bob Barker never hosted the earlier, once-a-week nighttime version that aired in the '70s either. That version (which debuted the same week as the current CBS version in 1972 in syndication) was hosted by Dennis James.
The reason why the nighttime PIR only lasted that one season (170 episodes in all) was because of competition. By 1985, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune both dominated the prime time syndication market making other shows like The Price Is Right big, rich targets which is unfortunate because they really needed a nighttime version of this because those that are 18 or younger are at school when the hour long daytime version's on (which is always the case with virtually every pre 1990 daytime game show). Tom Kennedy was chosen since Dennis James had long since retired and was contracted with Mark Goodson for another show he was working on, Body Language. Still, after 170 episodes, he got robbed. Tom was excellent in filling in Bob's show as they were tough ones to fill. This goes down in history as one of the most underrated 170 Price Is Right episodes of all time along with Dennis James' 195 episodes.
Never saw the Tom Kennedy version of this show. Bob Barker was in the daytime version, but this was not that bad, no "Showcase Showdown" where you can spin the big wheel for big money, but that's only for daytime version. And also, I remember that clip from the Tom Kennedy version which was used in the Disney film "Flight of the Navigator" from 1986. Disney would get credit for using some clip from the Tom Kennedy's "Price Is Right" episode for the movie during a scene where they boy was lost in the spaceship, so he tried to grabbed some fireworks to set it off where you can save the kid. That was a pretty good scene from a movie.
Since Fremantle Media took over The Price is Right, it just went to like a game show and celebrity comical show.I used to never miss The Price is Right.Always recorded it and watch the nightime show as well.Now I just don't even watch it if its on while I'm at home.I usually watch something else.I like Drew Carey but its the producer that changed the show so much.
Tom Kennedy really did an excellent job, and this is not an easy job to host. Didn’t care for the dyed hair, though - he was gray when hosting Password a few years earlier.
I do remember watching The Nighttime Price Is Right hosted by Tom Kennedy, because it aired every weeknight at 7:30pm on WTVN-TV Channel 6 (now WSYX-TV) here in Columbus, Ohio. It replaced Family Feud but Nighttime TPIR only aired from September 1985 until November 29, 1985.
Thanks for this! I almost didn't bother because I thought I'd seen the first episode before, but this was new to me. That must've been some trip to Venice.
I can tell you why this isn't the first taped show. The seats in the audience are red. When the Kennedy shows began taping in March 1985, they still had the old seats. April 1985 was when the red seats were being put into contestants row.
This episode WAS the first aired episode. I remember the lady's yellow-and-white striped outfit and the Diner Showcase. I watched it on NewsChannel 12, WXII-TV (Winston-Salem, NC) at 5:00pm. 'The Best of The Dating Game' and the late-70s 'The Newlywed Game' came on at 4:00 and 4:30, respectively.
"It should be noted that Bob Barker never hosted the earlier, once-a-week nighttime version that aired in the '70s either. That version (which debuted the same week as the current CBS version in 1972 in syndication) was hosted by Dennis James. " Dennis James was the original host of the 70's nighttime version, but he was replaced by Barker after the first 4 or 5 seasons. I believe that happened when Truth or Consequences ended, and Bob was then available for the network and syndicated versions of TPIR.
I LOVE The Price is Right w/Tom Kennedy, despite being on for 1 season, I like him a WHOLE LOT BETTER than Bob Barker I stopped watchin' the Barker Years of TPIR after he FIRED Janice & Kathleen I miss Janice & Holly and God Bless the Souls of Johnny Olsen and Rod Roddy Tom Kennedy had some great moments and he even had some historic moments on the show as well Plus, Tom Kennedy is a Class Act on the show, he made the contestants feel welcome @ home and he even treated Janice like a Queen I use to watch this version @ 4:30 P.M. CST on KATC-TV 3 Lafayette, LA right after JEOPARDY! with Alex Trebek who began his 2nd season on this Legendary Quiz Show
@jaywilliams0910 that's kind of like here in the LA area. KNBC ran nighttime TPIR at 7:30 PM, which was the spot previously held by syndie Family Feud.
Tom kennedy did a great job hosting The nighttime price is right, it should've went on more than a year.Nobody is going to be better than Bob Barker hosting this show, but I rather watch the nighttime version with Kennedy than today's daytime show.The new style of today's Tpir just not the same show anymore. I like Drew Carey but for some reason I just not interested in watching it anymore.Tom Kennedy in my opinion is the best alternative to Bob Barker.
In 1985, May, I was on the nighttime price is right with Tom Kennedy. It was syndicated. The show aired but was preempted by some national emergency that fall. I never got a copy of it, although a friend videotaped a portion of it. The snippets that my friend had were poor quality and we were able to convert some to digital. I was the first contestant they called, GREGORY. The show # N0081 scheduled to air 10/14/85, but it didn’t air due to preemption. Does anyone have this by chance?
Aired on KYW-TV Channel 3 at 7:30 p.m. after "Evening Magazine," when the Group W-owned station was still a NBC affiliate. (Now it's a CBS O&O, and as such, carried TPIR at 11:00 am Eastern Time since "The Switch" with WCAU-TV in 1995.)
Awwww, 5:06 Tom got a nice hug from his first winning contestant! $45057 (car + van) seems like quite a haul in 1985! LMAO at the very random interruption of the nighttime TPIR logo at 19:30. "We interrupt this showcase win to bring you 'Contestants not appearing on stage!'" Sure love and miss the those extended closing credits!
So the nighttime show aired on WNBC and not WCBS? I thought the main reason this nighttime version failed was because it aired opposite "The Cosby Show" at 8 pm which aired on NBC.
Adam Smith It may have been bad timeslots. This was syndicated. In Atlanta it aired on the ABC affiliate on Sat and Sunday mornings. My understanding is Mark Goodson wanted to put it in primetime. CBS said no. He put it in syndication where the failure rate is 90%.
+Tubewings Yes, It was that. My guess it this aired like around 7:30 pm? I know that the syndicated Family Feud aired on WNBC, did the nighttime TPIR replace it?
Could you help me find this: I was on Episode @, taped 5/14/85 and aired that Fall. I won the first IUFB with a perfect bid of $1200, and played 3 Strikes for a 1985 Buick Sky Hawk (Skylark) but lost the car. I got three strikes in a row! Showcase #2 had the theme of "Red Hot", with a diamond/ruby cocktail ring I bid $7777 on the Showcase #1 after Wanda passing it to me and WON!
After Barker fired Janice, they should have brought back the nighttime version with Kennedy, Rod, Janice, Holly and Kathleen. And blown the daytime Barker version out of the water in the ratings.
Checking old listings on the web, I found out Kennedy TPIR was on KGO in San Francisco-- would've thought KPIX had it. Neighboring Sacramento had it on KOVR.
Plus, the original half-hour format of the daytime era (nor even the special half-hour daytime episodes from the 80's and 90's) never had the Showcase Showdown.
Does anyone know where I can find a list of all the PIR music cues and the titles to them all? I'm trying to figure out what car cue was played during the Safecrackers game and I don't want to be a bother to anyone by asking all the time, unless someone wants to answer anyway, I'm okay with that. Thanks in advance!!
Dennis Fodor Neither. It was a syndicated program, meaning any TV station regardless of network affiliation can buy it and broadcast it on whatever nighttime slot they have available.
