“The Best Of The Price Is Right” is a collection of 26 episodes from the popular game show. The first four episodes are from the original B&W 1957 “Price Is Right” with Bill Cullen hosting. The remaining 22 episodes are from the Bob Barker years (from 1972-2007).

Having never seen any of the Bill Cullen episodes, it was certainly interesting to compare them to the vastly superior Bob Barker years. The problem with the original series is that there was zero excitement. Cullen and the contestants are firmly seated for virtually the entire show and they never seem remotely enthusiastic about anything. Naturally, the prizes are rather ridiculous as well such as the Trailer Rifles (don’t ask). Once the Bob Barker episodes pop up, however, the fun begins (Let’s face it, Barker is and always will be the ultimate host for this particular program).

As for the various Barker episodes, I was particularly fascinated by how the show had evolved, which games came and went, and even how the show changed in format (half-hour to hour long). It is sad, however, that the more recent episodes seem to have lost their magic. The contestants in the 2007 episodes all seem phony and overly excited. It’s no wonder game shows aren’t as beloved as they once were. Regardless, I have to give props to BCI for releasing some classic game show episodes. Now, could you please release “The Gong Show”?

The fullscreen picture varies in quality. The four B&W episodes are in bad shape, but the color episodes look decent enough considering some of them are over 30 years old. The audio track is also pretty solid.

The only extra is an informative Liner Notes booklet.

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