I knelt down beside him and managed to get his attention. I told him I had some questions to ask him.
“OK,” he answered.
“How much did your mother pay for that jacket you’re wearing?” I asked.
“One thousand dollars,” he shouted.
The audience exploded into laughter. And they didn’t stop. It was one of our biggest laughs ever.
His mother picked up her little hero and smothered him with kisses and the audience continued to laugh.
When sanity was finally restored sufficiently for me to be heard, I said, “I have no more questions.”
• • •
People often ask me how contestants have changed over the years. They have changed tremendously in appearance. By that, I mean years ago, most of the people in an audience would be reasonably well dressed. They were going to a television show, and they wanted to look nice. I’m thinking now mainly of Truth or Consequences. But even on Price, I had contestants wearing a suit or a sports coat. I had many well-dressed ladies and gentlemen in nice sweaters or shirts. Later on, I still had some well-dressed people, but I also began to see casually dressed people. I’d have people in shorts and a T-shirt or sandals and no socks. There were people in jeans and tank tops.
Then, of course, we had the long hair during the hippie period. There were times I would point over to someone in the audience and say, “What about this girl?”
And a man would stand up, with his long hair, and say, “What do you mean, girl?”
And, of course, in the last few years of Price, I had contestants with pierced noses and ears, even pierced tongues. When I first started on T or C, there probably wasn’t a pierced tongue in the entire country.
So audiences and contestants definitely changed in that respect, but I don’t find that they have changed a great deal so far as having an interesting or amusing conversation with them. I worked with audiences in the 1950s on T or C, and I worked with them in 2007 on Price, and I was able to create a fun atmosphere in the same way I did all those decades before. We always had a cross section of all kinds of people on the show, so our appeal was wholesome but widespread. Our audiences and contestants reflected that throughout the years. I think it’s a tribute to people and their basic good taste.
• • •
Price was always the more consistent show. We had the games in place, the basic structure was constant, and the audience knew what to expect. We didn’t get stagnant, though. We were always fine-tuning, adding new and different games to the mix. But Truth, by its very nature, was more of a freewheeling, unpredictable show, and things could go wrong more often. For example, one year we had a national contest involving college football. In those days, the big year-end games were the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl. The contest was to pick the winners and the scores of those four games. The person who came nearest to the right winners and scores would win $10,000. This was a lot of money in those days, and we were live.
People sent in their predictions, and we went through all the entries to find the winner after the games. The day arrived when it was time to pay off, and our producer was ill, so Bill Burch, who was the head writer, had the job of tallying the final entries and picking the winner. Don’t ask me how it all happened—it was so many years ago—but he had only a short time to name the winner from the final entries. He came in and gave me the name of the winner. I called the winner at home and congratulated him or her and said, “Your $10,000 check will be on the way.” It was a big prize and a big deal, and everybody in the audience was cheering and celebrating when I spoke with the winner on the phone. Then I came off the stage, and Burch was sitting there with his head in his hands, and I said, “What’s the matter?”
“I gave you the wrong name,” he admitted. He got mixed up trying to figure it out at the last moment and gave me the wrong name.
Now we had a staff meeting. What were we going to do?
Someone suggested, “Why don’t you, Bob, call the person we gave it to by mistake and tell him you’re sorry there was a mistake made and he won’t get $10,000, but we’ll send him a refrigerator.”
“Bob’s not going to do that,” I said. “Bob gives people prizes. Bob doesn’t take prizes back.”
But Ralph Edwards saved the day in his own way. He said, “We’ll give the mistake winner $10,000, and we’ll give the real winner $10,000.”
So Bill’s error cost Ralph $10,000. That was just an example of what kinds of things could happen on T or C, and, it is also a fine example of Ralph Edwards’ good judgment and integrity.
• • •
We always had great prizes on our shows. When we first started on Truth or Consequences, we gave away cars occasionally. In those days, a brand-new car was a really big deal. Later on, on Price, we would give away whole living-room sets, dining-room sets, incredible vacations, and state-of-the-art appliances, and offered at least two cars on every show. Our ratings were so good that we were coveted by advertisers and prize donors were lining up to place prizes on our show.
On the subject of cars, we eventually made a decision on Price to give away only American-manufactured cars on the show. Roger Dobkowitz, the producer of the show, and I were sitting in my dressing room in the early 1980s talking about all sorts of things, and we got to talking about how the American automobile manufacturers were having a tough time. The foreign cars were doing more and more business in the states, so we decided as a gesture to help out the U.S. manufacturers and to support our automobile industry and economy, we would start giving away only American cars. I called Mark Goodson and suggested the change. He liked the idea, and we made the change right away.
Some years later, after Mark Goodson died, there was an executive at Price who thought it would be a good idea to start giving away foreign cars as well on the show.
“You could have more of a variety of cars to give away, and they’d be easier to get,” he said.
“No, I don’t think it is a good idea,” I replied. I preferred to stay with what we had been doing.
A little time passed, and he continued to push for the idea. I think he sent me literature and explained that some of the foreign cars were being built in the United States. After he called me a few more times, I continued to stand firm and said, “No, let’s stick with what we’re doing.”
Finally, Roger Dobkowitz came in one day and said he’d been getting calls from the executive suggesting that we start giving away foreign cars.
Then I had an idea. I picked up the phone and called the West Coast branch of the United Automobile Workers, the UAW, and got the top man. Believe it or not, his name was Bruce Lee. I thought, “This is perfect—if I need help, Bruce Lee is the man I want to get.”
I said, “We’re giving away American-made cars on Price, and we are getting pressure to add foreign-made automobiles.” I explained the situation to him, and I gave him the executive’s name. I asked him if he would give the gentleman a call and let him know that he strongly supported our idea of featuring only American-made cars on Price. Mr. Lee said he’d be happy to talk to him, and he would let me know how the conversation went.
Within an hour Mr. Lee called me back and said, “I had a long talk with this fellow, and I don’t think he’s going to be bothering you anymore. But if he does, you call me again.”
I never heard from that executive again. And Price is still giving away American cars.
• • •
I could not begin to list all of the celebrities that we had on shows I’ve hosted, especially Truth or Consequences, but we definitely had many legendary entertainers and superstars. Sometimes the celebrities made brief guest appearances or performed, and sometimes they were participants in games and pranks. Certainly, celebrities were always wildly popular with the audience, and it was a privilege and a pleasure to meet so many of Hollywood’s giants, as well as sports heroes, record holders, and various other high achievers in assorted fields. Since we were always in the busin
ess of getting laughs, we had more than our share of comedians on Truth or Consequences. Not surprisingly, they were consistently funny and quick on their feet.
I’m thinking of people like Bob Hope. He was a class act, a marvelous man. We had him on the show. In fact, at one time I had the same agent as Bob Hope. His name was Jimmy Saphier, and he was a well-known, well-respected Hollywood figure. I figured that if he was good enough for Bob Hope, he was good enough for me. And he was. He’s the one who signed me for the syndicated Truth or Consequences. That was a very profitable deal for all of us.
We had Rowan and Martin on several times when they were first starting out. They were hilarious. They went out and performed in clubs all over the United States, and they let us know when they came back into town because they loved the national television exposure. We put together consequences in which they could be featured and had them on frequently.
One time Dan Rowan played a surgeon. We had an operating-room set, and Dick Martin was his assistant, his nurse, and you can imagine how he assisted. He dropped the scalpel, then picked it up and wiped it on his coat, then gave it to Dan Rowan. The contestant was the patient. Rowan examined him, and he said, “Well, you have…” and he made up a long medical term that no one could pronounce. Then Rowan asked, “Have you ever had it before?” and of course he thought the guy was going to say no. The guy said yes!
At that point, you might think the whole joke was blown, but there was a pregnant pause, and then Martin says, “Well, you’ve got it again.” We had a lot of fun with them. They went on to be very successful, but we had them on first.
We had Joan Rivers on a lot. She was doing clubs in those days, and she was great. She was very funny, and everybody loved her. We had Tony Bennett on the show early in his career. In fact, I used to say we had Tony Bennett on Truth before he’d even been to San Francisco. We had Wayne Newton on when he was just starting. He was just a boy, and he was still working with his brothers—they were all musicians.
When he was doing T or C on radio, Ralph Edwards came up with the idea to get a town named after the show, and after several cities expressed interest, he settled on a town in New Mexico that had been called Hot Springs. It became Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and we went down every year for a fiesta. We took lots of Hollywood celebrities because the people down there loved it. We took Wayne Newton down there one year. Nobody knew him in those days, but he was a hit in the fiesta show. He could play any and every instrument you put in his hands. He was a pro then and has been a pro ever since. We took Jayne Mansfield to the fiesta one year. She was lovely. Her husband, Mickey Hargitay, came down as well. He was a great-looking guy, a bodybuilder, and they made a beautiful couple. What impressed me most about Jayne Mansfield was that she had her daughter Mariska with her, and she was such an attentive, loving mother. She may have spent a lot of time being a glamour girl, but she was a great mother, too.
I remember we had Jack Palance on Truth in 1953. It wasn’t long after he had been a big hit and had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Jack Wilson, the villain in the movie Shane. He was such a great heavy, such a great villain. After the show, Ed Bailey and I went to the Brown Derby and had a drink with him. He was soft-spoken and very gentle. Years later, I remember watching him on television at the Academy Awards as he astounded everyone by doing one-armed pushups. I sat there and said, “Go, Jack, go.” We had Bobby Darin on the show in 1958, right after the release of “Splish Splash,” his first million-selling hit. The kids in the audience went crazy.
Some of the stars had reputations for being difficult, but when they came on our show, they were absolutely charming. We had Robert Mitchum on Truth when he was right at the peak of his career. I was warned that he could be a problem, but he was a perfect gentleman. He could not have been nicer or kinder. He was a great-looking guy, of course, and he impressed everyone on the show with his sense of humor.
Wilt Chamberlain was another excellent guest. In addition to his professional basketball stardom, he was a splendid volleyball player, and for a while he coached the old pro team the Conquistadors in San Diego. I remember when I interviewed him, I was talking to his navel. He was so tall, really amazing. I was quite impressed with him. He came across as very bright, very dignified, and he was quite talkative and very outgoing, a great conversationalist.
I never had Cary Grant on the show, but I had his secretary as a guest along with some secretaries of other famous people. She said, “Mr. Grant asked me to compliment you on your clothes.” I thought of all the people I’d like to have compliment me on my clothes, Cary Grant is the man. Later I did have the pleasure of meeting him. One of our writers on Truth, Milt Larsen, established the Magic Castle, a popular magic club and restaurant in Hollywood. Cary Grant was always interested in magic. I emceed the annual Academy of Magical Arts awards banquet at the Beverly Wilshire hotel for twenty years. I did it every year for Milt, mainly because I’d do it for free. It was supposed to be a nonprofit organization, and they were charging $20 for a bowl of chili. Milt and his brother Bill ran the organization. I used to get a laugh by saying it’s a real pleasure for me to be back again this year doing the Academy of Magical Arts awards banquet for the Larsen brothers, Jesse and Frank.
One year I was doing this magic awards show, and Cary Grant was going to be a presenter. He didn’t arrive before I had to go onstage, but I did my introduction for him, and there he was. He came on and did his bit as a presenter. After the show, I was out in the foyer with Dorothy Jo and Irene Lyon, wife of Charlie Lyon, the associate producer and announcer for Truth for all those years. We called her Shrimp—everyone called her Shrimp. Shrimp was one of Dorothy Jo’s best friends. I went looking for Milt to say good night, and when I walked into a room, there was Cary Grant over in a corner surrounded by people and cameras and newspaper reporters.
He looked over the crowd and shouted out to me, “Hey, Bob! Bob!” He came over and started chatting with me and telling me how well he thought I had done as emcee of the magic awards.
The conversation was going so well that I had the nerve to say, “My wife and a friend are out in the foyer. Could I bring them in to meet you?”
He said, “Bob, we’ll go to meet them.”
So we went out, and Dorothy Jo was seated on a little love seat with Shrimp next to her. I came up from behind with Cary Grant and said, “Honey, look who’s come to say hello.”
Dorothy Jo turned around first and said, “Oh, my goodness.”
Then Shrimp turned around, looked up at Cary, and said, “It is… it really is!”
Cary was utterly charming. He made it an evening to remember.
A year later, there was this big dinner before the show, a banquet, and I was at a table with some guests in the giant ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire. Cary Grant comes walking in, and, of course, every eye in the house is on him. And what did he do? He walked right over to my table and said hello to me. I stood up and said, “Good evening, Cary,” and we talked for a few minutes. He knew that every eye in the ballroom was on him, and I think that he walked to my table and chatted with me for a few minutes to allow me to share the attention. He was a kind and thoughtful gentleman.
• • •
I’ll tell you about another very smooth star, who was also great at comedy, and that was Cesar Romero. We had him on as a guest on Truth or Consequences, and he loved comedy, especially slapstick. Here was this suave, well-dressed Latin lover type, but he was always up for any and all kinds of gags we did. He came on the show, sat around with all of us and talked before rehearsal, and he really seemed to enjoy himself. He always said, “Oh, that’s great, that’s great. Let’s do it.” One time we were going to fake a hot seat with him, an electrically charged hot seat, and we asked whether he could fake it like he really got jolted. And he said, “Just watch me.” When he did it, he came flying out of that seat. He could have won an Academy Award. He was a great guest.
Speaking of Latin lovers, Julio
Iglesias was another star with whom I had the good fortune of working. One year, when I was hosting the Miss Universe pageant in New York, Julio sang on the pageant, and he and I ended up staying at the same hotel. As it turned out, our suites were side by side, and we both had balconies. I finally met a man who wanted to be tan as much as I did. Every day before we went to rehearsal, we had enough time to get out there and get sun for a while. As the day wore on and the sun moved, we moved closer and closer to the railing. Eventually we were leaning over backwards off these thick balcony railings, talking to each other. We’d lie there hanging over the edge of the balconies, saying, “What do you think of so and so, Julio?” and, “Yes, that’s right, Bob.” I wonder if he’s still as tan as he was then, or if he’s had as many skin cancers as I’ve had. He was such a romantic singer. And he was a really good guy. He was a lot of fun.
• • •
I’ve talked about some of the people in the industry who’ve had a great influence on my career and on my life, people like Ralph Edwards, Mark Goodson, and my agent Sol Leon, but there’s another fellow who I worked with for thirty-five plus years, and he’s a good friend of mine to this day. That would be Roger Dobkowitz. At the University of San Francisco, Roger wrote the thesis for his master’s degree in communications on game shows. He sent it to Mark Goodson, and Mark was so impressed that he hired Roger to work on Price as a production assistant. Over the years, Roger worked his way all the way up to become the producer of the show. As an adult, he’s never done anything except work on Price. He knows Price inside and out. He knows every little nuance of every game, and he’s the most creative person on the show. He’s developed more games than anyone else. Our original executive producer was Frank Wayne. And when Frank Wayne died, I became executive producer. But I would not have been able to be both host and executive producer if I had not had Roger working with me. He’s a fine producer and a good friend.
Priceless Memories Page 6