Television lost one of its leading lights over the weekend when legendary game show host Bob Barker died Saturday, less than four months short of his 100th birthday. (At least one pundit on Twitter wryly observed that, in true Showcase Showdown fashion, Barker apparently tried to come as close to 100 as possible — without going over.)
The former “The Price Is Right” emcee stood as one of the last living members of his generation of TV hosts (not to mention one of the last of the Greatest Generation). For that reason, he cut a different profile than many current hosts, including his successor at “The Price Is Right.”
Professional Game Show Host
At the time of the cancer diagnosis that would ultimately take his life, these pages called Alex Trebek the last true game show host still active in television. Because the genre declined in popularity in recent years, most game shows need to find emcees from other forms of entertainment, often including stand-up comedy (Steve Harvey, Howie Mandel) or talk shows (Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan).
By contrast, people like Barker and Trebek made a living by hosting a variety of game shows; when one failed and was canceled, they would find work hosting another. For instance, Bill Cullen hosted 23 different game shows on television and radio, in addition to appearing as a panelist on several others. Cullen, who hosted the original version of “The Price Is Right” from 1956 to 1965, joked that network executives invariably gave
