Rare…’Price Is Right’ Color Photo And NYC Studio Locations
Since we are on the ‘Price Is Right’ path today, I think we’ll stay there for a while with this, and more PIR stories to follow. The daytime version of ‘The Price Is Right’ began in black and white from NBC’s Hudson Theater (which was never a color facility) in 1956. In the fall of ’57, the show moved to The Century Theater for a while, but then returned to the Hudson, where it stayed till moving to The Colonial Theater in 1959. The daytime show made it’s final move to The Ziegfeld Theater in 1960.
The primetime version of the show was always at The Colonial and always in color and ran from 1957 till 1963. Information on the color broadcast of the daytime show is sketchy as best, but I think ’59 may have been the first daytime color from The Colonial. I think this photo is from The Ziegfeld Theater days. Thanks to David Schwartz for help on the timeline and locations. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
If you watch reruns of “I’ve Got a Secret”, you’ll notice they cut away from Bill Cullen as much as possible when he has to walk away from his desk. Here is Mel Brooks talking about when he met Bill Cullen. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bAJSoehFdz8
He would walk in during introductions on “To Tell The Truth” and to a limited extent on “Blockbusters”
Great TV-Show. Here in Germany it was called “Der Preis ist heiß”
Mr Cullen was always my favorite TV host. His personality seemed to ‘come across’ to the home viewer. People felt like he would be a welcome addition in their homes. Nobody cared that he had a disability. I was saddened when I learned of his death. It felt like a family member had passed.
The cameraman is Vinnie DiPietro.
From Sept. 16, 1959 TV Guide. Daytime Price is Right is still in B&W
Same date. Primetime Price is Right is in color,
That’s good guy Bill Cullin
the MC
According to the NYTimes TV listings, daytime Price’s first color episode was December 14, 1959.
Bill Cullen TV Guide cover
isn’t that Bill Cullen in this picture????
I have every reason to believe that “TPIR” was also the first game show (period) to be broadcast in color. ..At the very least; the first Goodson-Todman game show.
Love that TK-41!
Cullen was an absolute scream. Naughty sense of humor, my kinda guy.
The blue-and-orange swirls look strange ( must’ve been freaky to early color TV viewers!! )