Backstage at the Price Is Right, Memoirs of a Barker Beauty - Paperback

by Kathleen Bradley (Author)

Backstage at The Price Is Right is a jaw-dropping, firsthand account of the often salacious and always fascinating behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the #1 game show in television history. As the groundbreaking first black model to join the legendary Barker's Beauties, Kathleen Bradley has written a humorous, entertaining, yet gritty revelation of what really happened before the familiar theme music filled the air and Rod Roddy announced Bob Barker's name over the roaring audience and called out "Come on down!" to the names of the first four lucky contestants to bid. At last, after 17 years on the air, the black/minority television audience had a role model, someone to relate to as they sat and watched their favorite game show. And America's male population had a more exotic Beauty on which to feast their eyes and feed their fantasies. Every weekday for 10 years, over 16 million viewers watched the glamorous model/hostess Kathleen Bradley on The Price Is Right. Women envied her, girls aspired to be her, and Bradley was living her dream, but it all came at a Price. As a pioneer in television game show history, Bradley takes readers on a first-class tour from the parking lot at CBS Television Studio City in Hollywood, through the artists' entrance, to the production meetings, rehearsals, wardrobe, and straight to the "lights, camera, and action!" She reveals the cat fights, the betrayals, dirty little secrets, the depositions and law suits, the ugly truth, and the reality of what really went on behind the scenes before and after the cameras rolled. Often heartwarming, Ms. Bradley presents an expose of the hypocrisy, sexism, and racism behind the scenes. This is Kathleen's story, leading from the excitement and jubilation of embarking upon "The Golden Road," to a rude awakening-an unjustifiable dismissal from her dream job after ten years of devoted service. This is not a Bob Barker-bashing book, but rather an enlightening journey of a woman's introduction to Hollywood, her groundbreaking induction into an exclusive and highly coveted club: the Barker's Beauties, and her bright-eyed awe at meeting a television icon. Unfortunately, the dark side of this "club" and the power that its leader possessed led to the inevitable question: why did Bob Barker treat four-legged animals better than many of his two-legged employees?