Larrikin Larry and ‘The Price Is Right’
Since 1993, Larry Emdur has welcomed a multitude of over-excited contestants as they come on down to win fabulous prizes on ‘The Price Is Right’. Larry is the true star of the show. He is the consummate professional, ever so slightly camp, who is the master of suspense. Larry has been kissed, hugged and had successful contestants and their friends throw themselves at him yet he always emerges unruffled.
As a game show, ‘The Price Is Right’ has it all, prizes galore, incredible riches in the showcase and a plethora of silly games. As the show begins, the studio is filled with an air of anticipation as the audience members, who have travelled from drab, grey suburban Melbourne to the glitz and glamour of Channel 9, hope and pray that they are among the lucky few who have been deemed wacky and zany enough to join Larry on stage. Audience participation is encouraged and confused contestants have every member of the audience yelling (often contradictory) advice.
There is only one aim for the shows contestants; to win prizes and the bigger the better. The show holds the record for the highest money winner ever on Australian television. Just this year a lucky contestant won a ‘Mega Showcase’ worth over $660,000 in the hour long format of the show. This is more than the $500,000 won on ‘Millionaire’ by contestants with an exceptionally well rounded general knowledge.
Make no mistake, there is no need for skill or intellect on ‘The Price Is Right’. All that is needed is a little bit of luck and a superior knowledge of suburban Australia’s favourite pastime – shopping. Who can forget the excruciating moment when a hapless contestant repeatedly struggled to articulate a six digit number while bidding for the right to play for the showcase. To succeed on “The Price Is Right’, contestants need to have studied extensively in our suburban shopping centres. The games require detailed knowledge of the prices of a range of items from everyday supermarket items to cars.
There is the ‘Hole In One’ game where contestants are able to show off their supreme knowledge of supermarket prices by ordering products by price then needing only to sink a golf putt to win the big prize. One of the most popular games, the nerve racking ‘Cliff Hangers’ sees Cliff and his little dog yodel their way up the 25 steps of the mountain either stopping before the top or tipping over the edge to the unknown peril below. Cliff serves as a metaphor for our lives. He is the little Aussie battler struggling against the world. Whether he succeeds and achieves great riches or is forever resigned to being a shabbily painted wooden cut-out plodding through life depends on an ability to shop. In other simpler games such as ‘Switch’, ‘Two Price Tags’, ‘Side By Side’ and ‘Bump’ where there is a 50-50 chance of winning by guesswork alone, the odds of winning can be increased with a little shopping savvy.
The show builds to the excitement of the showcase. Whether it is a regular showcase or the ‘Super’, ‘Monster’ or ‘Mega’ variety, this is what we are here for. The premise is simple, correctly rank the prizes from cheapest to most expensive and they are yours. In recent times, there has been an added twist which incorporates suburban Australia’s other great love – gambling. While revealing the prices of the prizes in the showcase, Larry tempts contestants with a few thousand dollars asking them to choose between the money or the chance at winning the showcase. What should suburban Australia do? Take the money or a chance at winning the ultimate of prizes.
Sadly, the powers that be at Channel 9 have wielded the axe and soon Larry and “The Price Is Right’ will disappear from our TV screens. The final show will be a sad moment in the lives of many Australians.
Im+gunna+cry!+i+luv+dis+show
Bec, November 10, 2005 10:16
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