When my older sister Pam took our parents to Las Vegas last summer, they were thrilled to attend a television taping of the resurrected classic game show "Let's Make a Deal."
This latest incarnation of the iconic favorite is hosted by Wayne Brady and taped in the showroom of the Tropicana Hotel and Casino.
Like so many people, my family grew-up watching "Let's Make a Deal" hosted by Monty Hall.
Alas, this updated version doesn't include Hall, who's now 83. But he is helping out "behind the scenes" as a consultant for the new show.
In fact, I'm told he personally hand-picked Brady for the hosting duties. Brady is joined by announcer Jonathan Mangum and model Alison Fiori.
And if you tune in tomorrow, you might just recognize a familiar face from our readership area.
Co-Juan Bradley from Munster is featured as a contestant on Wednesday's one-hour episode, which airs at 9 a.m. on Chicago's WBBM-Channel 2.
The latest "Let's Make a Deal" was given the time slot previously occupied by the daytime soap opera "Guiding Light," which was cancelled by CBS last fall after a 50-plus year run.
The game show premise remains basically the same as it has for 45 years, with audience members dressing in outlandish costumes to win cash and prizes by making deals with the host.
The original "Let's Make a Deal" hosted by Hall first aired in December 1963 on NBC, and following its success, by 1967 it moved to the evening primetime line-up.
Of course the real fun for me and my siblings during our childhood was to watch the wacky homemade costumes contestants would wear to the studio taping, all in hopes of catching the eye of Hall, who randomly selected contestants to compete in his "Deals of the Day."
(Since my sister and parents were vacationing during their last summer audience taping, they were among the "boring people" in plain clothes seated toward the back behind the costume gallery of characters).
Once picked to stand side-by-side with Hall, contestants then had to wrestle with whether they should "exchange" current smaller prizes, which might be anything from a wad of rolled up cash courtesy of Hall's blazer pocket to furniture, for the possibility of something even bigger. Those expensive and seemingly more enticing items were behind the infamous "Door #1" or maybe "Curtain #3" (which was always made of free-flowing fabric and accompanied by dramatic harp music as it was whisked open) or sometimes even a large mysterious "Box."
Sometimes, the trade paid off.
Other times, the dramatic reveal framed by ever-present hooting and hollering from the audience, did not pay off and the contestant would get "ZONKED" by seeing a mule or a man dressed as a hillbilly or a mining prospector, or my personal favorite: 1,000 cans of canned squid.
And then at the end of the episode my mom Peggy's favorite part was when Hall would stroll through the audience with a big roll of money and offer to pay for everyday items which might be tucked away in a purse, wallet or pocket. Suddenly, a thimble, paper clip or pet's photo, if on person and handy at the moment, could be worth instant cash.
As the show has aired on and off in various forms during the past four decades, Hall has always been involved at some level. In 1990, the show became syndicated, taped in Orlando at Disney's MGM Studios Theme Park. But this time, Hall served only as a producer, turning over hosting duties to young TV personality Bob Hilton. However, low ratings prompted Hall to return to his on-air hosting duties. NBC then attempted to revive the show again in March 2003 for a short time, with Hall once again producing it and Billy Bush serving as host.
If any readers are planning a trip to Las Vegas and would like to attend a taping of "Let's Make a Deal," free tickets for the show are available at cbs.com/daytime/lets_make_a_deal/ with details about tape dates also available at the site. One out of every 18 audience members end up as a contestant on the show!
Or you can call the Tropicana Ticket Office at (888)-706-8767.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.
Today's Celebrity Birthdays
Actress Kathryn Grayson is 88. News correspondent Roger Mudd is 82. Actress Janet Suzman is 71. Actress-turned-politician Sheila James Kuehl ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") is 69. Singer Carole King is 68. Singer Barbara Lewis and actor Joe Pesci are 67. Author Alice Walker ("The Color Purple") is 66. Actress Mia Farrow is 65. Singer Joe Ely is 63. Actress Judith Light is 61. Saxophonist Dennis "DT" Thomas of Kool and the Gang is 59. Actor Charles Shaughnessy ("The Nanny") is 55. Country singer Travis Tritt is 47. Actress Julie Warner ("Family Law") is 45. Singer Chad Wolf of Carolina Liar is 34. Actor A.J. Buckley ("CSI: NY") is 33. Guitarist Richard On of O.A.R. is 31. Actor David Gallagher ("Seventh Heaven") is 25. Actress Camille Winbush ("The Bernie Mac Show") is 20.
