[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S3180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BOB BARKER

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a man 
who has brought joy and laughter to countless Americans during his 
nearly fifty years in entertainment, Bob Barker. Next week, Mr. Barker, 
who is the host and executive producer of the legendary game show CBS' 
``The Price is Right,'' celebrates airing the 5,000th episode of his 
series. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing his achievements.
  In his 26th season, ``The Price is Right'' is the longest running 
game show in American history and continues to be America's highest 
rated daytime game show. Beyond the fact that most Americans have 
watched the show at some point in their lives, more than 42,000 people 
have been contestants on the program, while an approximate 1.3 million 
have participated in the studio audience. Both the show's spontaneity 
and Mr. Barker's effortless rapport with contestants have given ``The 
Price is Right'' its unique popularity. Bob has repeatedly said over 
the years, ``The Price is Right'' is not just a television show, it is 
an event. Today I commend Mr. Barker not only for reaching this 
impressive milestone with the show, but also for his longstanding 
ability to entertain the American people.
  Mr. Barker was born in Darrington, Washington, and spent most of his 
youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where his 
mother was a school teacher. His family eventually moved to 
Springfield, Missouri, where he attended high school and Drury college 
on a basketball scholarship. When World War II intervened, he became a 
Navy fighter pilot, but the war ended before he was assigned to a 
seagoing squadron.
  Following his discharge, Mr. Barker returned to Drury College and 
took a job at a local radio station to help finance his studies. It was 
there that he discovered that what he did best was to host audience 
participation shows. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in 
economics, he went to work for a radio station in Palm Beach, Florida. 
A year later he moved to Los Angeles, and within a week, he was the 
host of his own radio program, ``The Bob Barker Show.''
  Bob Barker's career was forever transformed in 1956 when he debuted 
as the host of the television show, ``Truth or Consequences.'' It was 
his 3,524 consecutive performances on ``Truth or Consequences'' over 
its eighteen-year run that won him the title of ``Most Durable 
Performer'' in the Guiness Book of World Records. During his forty-one 
years on network television, he has taped more shows than any other 
individual for a network series. Between ``Truth and Consequences,'' 
``The Price is Right,'' and his 21 years as host of both the Miss USA 
and Miss Universe pageants, he has hosted more than 8,500 shows in the 
course of his career. According to CBS, he has made more appearances on 
television in general than anyone else in the entire history of the 
medium. Bob has won 12 Emmy Awards, ten of which were for his 
performances as a game show host and represent the largest number of 
Emmys given to a single television performer.
  Bob is an outspoken and eloquent supporter of animal rights, and has 
consistently used his celebrity to help to control the animal 
population, thereby reducing the number of needless animal deaths. Each 
day he closes ``The Price is Right'' with a reminder to spay and neuter 
your pets. He has established the DJ&T Foundation to provide funding 
for free spay and neuter clinics across the nation. In recognition of 
his efforts, he received the International Society for Animal Rights' 
highest honor, the Henry Salt Award, in 1995.
  Therefore, as Mr. Barker commemorates the 5,000th episode of ``The 
Price is Right,'' I thank him for his special lighthearted touch. As he 
told the Los Angeles Times in 1996, ``We don't solve the world's 
problems. But hopefully we help a lot of people to forget their 
problems for an hour * * * We're there to entertain, laugh, and have 
fun.'' On behalf of the people of the state of California, I 
congratulate you, Bob, and thank you for entertaining us and making us 
laugh.

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