Today marks the 64th anniversary of everyone's favourite game show, The Price is Right.
While we all know it for what it is now, you might not know that it started life looking a little bit different. First airing on November 26th, 1956, it was originally a rather straightforward game show where contestants bid on a series of items and whoever had won the most would return the following episode as the returning champion.
This format proved to be underwhelming with the show hitting more than a few speed bumps. The pilot episode was barely enough for NBS to pick the show up and it nearly didn't even get picked up for one season. Luckily, producers convinced them to air the show for at least 13 weeks and it went on to become a top-10 prime time show. That wasn't the end of the show's hardships however and the show was cancelled twice over, once by NBC in 1963 and again in 1964 by ABC.
It wasn't until 1972 that the version we all know and love came to be. The New Price is Right would see pricing games and the showcase showdown make their debut, however, shows were only thirty minutes in length. The show would revert back to its original name the following year and in 1975 it would extend to the hour-long format. For 35 years, since its debut in 1972, Bob Barker would helm the show as host until finally passing the torch in 2007 to Drew Carey.
The Price is Right has since become a worldwide sensation, having been adapted into several international formats in places like the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and even Vietnam. It was also ranked number 5 in TV Guide's top 60 greatest game shows ever.
Featured image courtesy of Deadline via deadline.com
