Bob Barker is the former co-host of the TV game show “The Price is Right.” His passing at 99 years old was recently announced by his publicist, Roger Neal, who said, “It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker, has left us.”
But Mr. Barker wasn’t just on the one TV show. Later in life, he also appeared for a great guest cameo alongside comedy giant Adam Sandler in “Happy Gilmore,” the still-liked sports comedy starring Sandler from the 1990s.
In the scene, Sandler and Barker are playing together in a tournament and, when the game goes downhill, they eventually come to blows and engage in an all-out brawl started when Gilmore throws a punch. Barker says, “I don’t want a piece of you. I want the whole thing,” and the fight is on. Eventually, Sandler gets the upper hand and jokes “The price is wrong, b–ch.” Barker then manages to kick him in the face and soon wins the fight.
Here’s that great scene:
In his emotional post about Mr, Barker’s passing, Sandler said, “The man. The myth. The best. Such a sweet funny guy to hang out with. Loved talking to him. Loved laughing with him. Loved him kicking the crap out of me. He will be missed by everyone I know! Heartbreaking day. Love to Bob always and his family! Thanks for all you gave us!“
— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) August 26, 2023
Outside of entertainment, Mr. Barker was a well-known animal rights activist. After his passing, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said, “Bob’s influence on the entertainment industry is indisputable, but what mattered to him most was using his voice and prominent position to protect animals. Of course, everyone is familiar with his “spay and neuter your pets” sign-off on The Price Is Right—a show where he refused to allow fur prizes—but he was also one of the first stars to go vegetarian, more than 30 years ago. He joined PETA in urging families to stay away from SeaWorld, demanded the closure of cruel bear pits masquerading as tourist attractions, implored Hollywood to take action to protect animals used in film and TV, and, as a Navy veteran, called for the end of military medical drills on live animals.”
Joining her was Mr. Barker’s longtime friend, caretaker, and co-executor of his estate, Nancy Burnet. She said, “I am so proud of the trailblazing work Barker and I did together to expose the cruelty to animals in the entertainment industry and including working to improve the plight of abused and exploited animals in the United States and internationally. We were great friends over these 40 years, and he will be missed.”
Similarly, Adam Sharp, president and CEO of the National Academy of Television Art and Sciences, said, “Bob Barker was a Daytime television mainstay for generations [who] helped to define the game show genre, cementing the ‘Price is Right’ as a powerhouse format that has remained essentially unchanged for more than half a century. You don’t mess with perfection. His championship of the craft and for animal welfare were equal in their exuberance. His presence will be missed greatly by the Emmy community.”
Adam Sandler image credit: By No machine-readable author provided. Nikita~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=392088; Bob Barker image credit: By Iaksge at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7975580
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