February 2, 2009
After 50 years in television, recently retired game show host Barker (The Price Is Right
) recalls peak moments of his long career in this engaging memoir. Born in 1923 of Native American heritage (he is one-eighth Sioux), Barker grew up in South Dakota. When WWII interrupted his college education, he became a naval fighter pilot, but the war ended before he got a seagoing squadron assignment: “When the enemy heard that I was headed for the Pacific, they surrendered.” In the postwar years, as he made a smooth transition from radio to television, audience participation shows became his specialty, and fame followed after an invitation from Ralph Edwards to host Truth or Consequences
. Giving away millions, Barker stayed with The Price Is Right
for 6,500 shows: “The first time I interviewed an attractive young lady and I realized that her tongue was pierced, I knew that time had passed me by.” He also writes at length about how his concern for animal rights created professional career problems, notably in hosting beauty pageants where furs were worn. The team of Barker and Diehl doesn't measure up to Diehl's memorable high-dive collaboration with Esther Williams (The Million Dollar Mermaid
). However, there are plenty of backstage anecdotes, so Barker's fans are certain to grab this from bookstore shelves. Two 16-page color photo inserts.
March 23, 2009
Verdict: For Barker's legion of fans-"Come on down!"-this memoir is a schmooze-fest. Background: In his affable style, Barker, a television fixture for 50 years and recipient of 19 Emmys, spins entertaining yarns from his Truth of Consequences and The Price Is Right days. From his childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota to his experiences as a World War II naval aviator and his lifelong partnership with his wife, Barker continues to play the consummate host as he shares his stories. Given his preternatural sunny-side-up manner, it is not surprising but still disappointing that Barker avoids discussing the multiple sexual harassment and wrongful termination suits brought against him in the 1990s by various models and employees.-Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2009
For TV mainstay Barker, it's all been fun and games.
A more-than-familiar face after some five decades on national television, including an astounding 35-year stint hosting The Price Is Right, the author delivers an unfailingly pleasant and breezy memoir…which is a problem. The supremely affable Barker's account of his 85 years is mild to the point of nullity. The only dark notes are the premature death of his father and the loss of his beloved wife to lung cancer after 36 years of marriage. The author doesn't mention the controversy and lawsuits (which included claims of sexual harassment) attending the firings of several glamorous on-set models for the show, nor his romantic relationship with one such model, Dian Parkinson, which also ended in legal action. Barker instead waxes nostalgic about his childhood on a South Dakota reservation (he is one-eighth Sioux), his training as a naval aviator in the last days of World War II (peace was declared before he saw combat) and his epic tenure as host of the longest-running game show in TV history. Stubbornly upbeat, he gives no indication that circumstances were ever less than hunky-dory for his neighbors on the reservation, paints his military service as a lark-filled romp and rhapsodizes endlessly about the fun and high spirits of his game-show days. Barker drops the names of many celebrity acquaintances—bizarrely, he studied karate with Chuck Norris—but his observations are limited to bromides like this characterization of fellow tanning enthusiast Julio Iglesias:"He was a really good guy. He was a lot of fun." Even on the subject of animal-rights activism, a cause the author has tirelessly promoted for decades, he musters only generalities about the issue, along with a few cute stories concerning personal successes with rescued critters.
Hard-core fans will undoubtedly enjoy their hero's happy reminiscences, but nothing here will entice less starry-eyed readers.
(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
Starred review from June 29, 2009
This stunning memoir by the former Price Is Right
host moves from his childhood on a Native American reservation through his service in the air force during WWII to his long career in show business. Barker reads his story with an earnest and professional tone; his familiar voice is warm and welcoming. Offering hilarious tales of his favorite contestants and most memorable moments, the Price Is Right
anecdotes are, in fact, priceless. With the stellar material and a polished delivery, this audio book will win Barker more fans. A Hachette/Center Street hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 2).