It was an ordinary day. Got home from work earlier than I usually do and turned on the TV to watch "The Price Is Right." I have been watching that show for years and years and on today's episode they actually showed a clip from the 1950's when Bill Cullen was the host of the show. Game shows actually began on the radio in the 1940s and for many, they were hooked on the excitement and thrill of competition, even while listening on radio. My mom and dad bought our first black and white TV in the early 1950s and I had the chance to watch my favorite cowboy shows on television instead of listening to them on the radio. I was still a young boy, but was fascinated with television. One day I watched a game/quiz show with my parents and once again, I was hooked! By the late 1950's, game/quiz shows boasted some of the highest rated programs on television. Games that I can remember from back then were "Jeopardy," "The Newlywed Game" and "The Price Is Right." I can also remember the game show "Twenty-One" which was eventually found to be rigged. It did produce one of the most popular contestants in game show history when a college professor by the name of Charles Van Doren won almost $130,000. His photograph even made it on the cover of Time magazine in February of 1957. But, it seems that he was the one who was getting the answers to game show questions from the show's producers. I can also remember "What's My Line" and "Password." In "Password" a celebrity and regular contestant would take turns prompting each other with one-word clues to say the "Password." Perhaps my all-time favorite game show, "The Price is Right," began in 1956. Today it is the longest running daytime game show in North America television history. Seems like Bob Barker was the host since he was a teenager, but it only seems that long. And then, today I saw Bill Cullen in front of a table of contestants with a sign behind them that read "The Price is Right." That's the first time I had ever heard that Bill Cullen had been the host. Also hard to believe that Drew Carey has been the host since 2007. Other shows I remember are: "I've Got A Secret", What's My Line", "Name That Tune", "Stop The Music", "To Tell The Truth", and another of my all-time favorites..."Wheel of Fortune." While writing this story I tried to "Google" Quiz/Game shows and found they are organized by the letter of the alphabet, by 10-year intervals, by black/white and color and by State in which you live. Also found that someone has listed "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time". Games on that list that I haven't already mentioned but may match my favorite shows would be "Truth or Consequences", "Whammy!", " The All-New Press Your Luck", "Card Sharks", "Deal or No Deal", "Name That Tune", "Hollywood Squares", "The Dating Game", "Pyramid", "Wheel of Fortune", "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", and "Family Feud". My daily TV Quiz/Game shows that I now watch each day are: 11:00 AM - "The Price is Right with Drew Carey", 7:00 PM - "Wheel of Fortune" with Pat Sajak, and 7:30 - "Jeopardy" with the recently departed Alex Trebek. Do you watch any of these shows? I'm sure if you live in a different state or country, you have your own favorites that if I watched them a few times may like them also. Sure beats some of the night-time shows that are now on the air. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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