Backstage at The Price Is Right: Memoirs of A Barker Beauty (14 page)

Chapter 23

CBS Affiliates Parties

I
n June 1995, Barker, his Beauties, and the flamboyant Rod Roddy were all invited to attend the annual CBS Affiliates Party in full force to represent
The Price Is Right
in all its fame and glory. We were all expected to hobnob and rub elbows with CBS’s crème de la crème, but most importantly, to make an impression and suck up to the affiliates and the owned-and-operated stations (also referred to as the O&Os), to ensure they would include us in their programming the following year. The event took place at the famed Century Plaza Hotel, a short drive from Beverly Hills.

I remember the first time I stepped foot into the Century Plaza Hotel, three years after my arrival in Los Angeles. I was awestruck as my date and I rode up to this immense, majestic hotel. I was fixated by the stunning water fountains in front. We were greeted by an exuberant valet attendant and instructed to follow the procession amid the other luxurious cars until we reached the front entrance. I felt like a Hollywood starlet. I finally exhaled as I reached the front door. When I stepped inside the lobby, I became further mesmerized by the exquisite ambiance and elegance of the interior. I realized my mouth was still open as I gazed around in awe. I slowly began to regroup while walking into the grand ballroom, holding on to my date, Bubba Smith, defensive end for the Baltimore Colts, where I displayed a more nonchalant attitude among the guests.

We were seated at our table near the front of the stage. Everywhere I turned, I was surrounded by A-list celebrities. It was the 1973 Golden Apple Awards, sponsored by the Hollywood Women’s Press Club, to present awards to our favorite performers and, uniquely, to those regarded as most obnoxious. That year’s recipient for Female Star of the Year was none other than Ms. Lucille Ball. Everyone rose to their feet and gave a moving round of applause for the iconic, beloved, redhead actress/comedian extraordinaire as she approached the stage to receive her Golden Apple Award.

The recipient for the Male Star of the Year was the handsome, talented Robert Redford. I was the last one standing and applauding for each recipient like a fanatic. Bubba became a little annoyed and embarrassed and had to tug on my dress to sit me down and bring me back to reality. The entire evening was like an out-of-body experience. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was present.

At the annual CBS Affiliates Party, Janice came with her husband Carlos, Gena’s date was her husband Greg, and a longtime male friend escorted Holly. Of course, my wonderful, handsome, husband, Terrence, was by my side and tolerating my child-like excitement as I worked the room while he took photos of me with every star in the area.

The O&Os and 200 affiliates came from all over the United States to attend this extravagant gala and to be wooed and patronized by the CBS big muckety-mucks and the active daytime and nighttime television personalities. Over the years, I have gone to the Century Plaza Hotel on many occasions. The opulence and splendor remain overwhelmingly apparent with each visit. It begins from the drive up the Avenue of the Stars right up to entering the front door of the hotel. It was an incredibly rewarding feeling to know that twenty-two years after I had first attended a major event at this landmark hotel, I would be an invited celebrity guest along with some of Hollywood’s most popular, highest-paid professionals in the television entertainment industry.

It was a star-studded affair, with many famous notables, including Dick Van Dyke, along with his fellow
Diagnosis Murder
cast members, son Barry Van Dyke, Victoria Rowell (also a cast member on
The Young and the Restless
) and Charlie Schlatter. The cast from
The Young and the Restless
and
The Bold and the Beautiful
, as well as CBS newscasters, sportscasters, anchors, and talk show hosts were all in attendance. Some of my favorites were the dashing, debonair Pat O’Brien, sportscaster of CBS Sports and host of
Access Hollywood
, talk show host Montel Williams, and Harry Smith, co-anchor for the CBS News morning show,
The Early Show,
who began his career as part of the CBS News family in 1986.

It was exciting to meet and have photo ops with seasoned actors like Jane Seymour of
Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman,
Mark Harmon, Ted Danson
,
Rita Pearlman, Cybil Shepherd, and Clair Huxtable herself, Phylicia Rashad. After
The Cosby Show
had ended in 1992, Phylicia worked in several CBS made-for-television movies and guest starred on numerous primetime shows. In 1996, she joined forces once again with Bill Cosby to play Ruth Lucas, Cosby’s character wife in the CBS TV sitcom
Cosby
.

The highlight of the evening for me was meeting former Detective Sonny Crockett from
Miami Vice,
the fine-ass Mr. Don Johnson. In the words of Grandma Klump from the movie,
Nutty Professor,
“That man used to make me moist.” Don was representing his new hit show on CBS,
Nash Bridges
. Thank goodness my husband was at the other end of the camera, taking the photo of Don and me as we tightly embraced, because I felt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the
Wizard of OZ
: “I’m melting, I’m melting.”

It was a joy reuniting with
Touched by an Angel’s
own angel, Della Reese, whom I had the pleasure of working with in the 1989, comedy-drama crime film
Harlem Nights
. The film was directed by and starred Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx and Danny Aiello. I played the part of the lady in the elevator with actor Thomas Mikal Ford. My memorable, one-liner, unforgettable scene was as follows:

INTERIOR NIGHT: ELEVATOR

The elevator descends. We catch a glimpse through the elevator glass window of world heavy weight boxer Tommy Smalls with a beautiful lady, engaged in playful kissing and flirting. We see Detective Phil Cantone [Danny Aiello] waiting as the elevator doors open. He knocks Smalls out with one punch to the head and looks sternly at the lady.

DETECTIVE CANTONE:

Miss, are you with this gentleman?

LADY:

No, I’m not!

The lady exits elevator in a hurry, leaving Tommy knocked out cold.

My family and friends still get excited when they see me in
Harlem Nights.
They make it a point to call me every time it is on television. As small as the role was, I still get residual checks to this day every time it shows. I love this business. It is true what they say: “There are no small roles in Hollywood.”

**

When we returned to the CBS Affiliates Party the following year, in 1996, we were down to three models. Janice and I were back for another year; however, my dear Holly had been given the ax. The lovely Chantel Dubay was introduced, as she had joined ranks with the Barker Beauties when she replaced Gena. Also that year, this significant gala was hosted by the president of entertainment for CBS, the illustrious Mr. Leslie Moonves. Les Moonves joined CBS in July 1995. The cast of
TPIR
had previously made acquaintance with Mr. Moonves at a private reception in the CBS VIP Green Room, when he initially began his post. He was a charming, good-looking man, who exuded the same fine quality and affluence as did the late Mark Goodson. Mr. Moonves presently holds the title of chairman and chief executive officer of CBS Corporation. He and the lovely Julie Chen, host of
Big Brother
and
The Talk
(both on CBS), were married in 2004.

Over the next two years, when we attended the CBS Affiliates Party, there was still a lot of excitement in the air, although many shows had been canceled or replaced by the new shows in the CBS fall lineup. There were a number of fresh, new, up-and-coming actors who would be attending for the first time. Many of the seasoned actors, whose long-running series had been canceled, were obviously left out of the mix.

The biggest disappointment that I encountered at the 1998 CBS Affiliates Party was the absence of Don Johnson. Lord knows I searched high and low for him when we first arrived, and as the evening went on, it was apparent that he was a no-show.

I am not certain whether that was the last year for the CBS Affiliates Party as we knew it, or if it was just a sign of what was about to take place for the once popular Barker Beauties. Everything was slowly changing at Studio 33. We were being excluded from certain CBS studio events that we
all
had attended in the past, special parties to which Barker and his Beauties would normally show up in grand fashion. At some point, Barker had decided that he alone would represent
TPIR
and attend all special parties and events solo. No Rod, no Beauties—just Barker and his big ego.

Chapter 24

Downsizing

B
efore I became a Barker Beauty, Holly Hallstrom was my favorite model on the show. Her longtime devoted fans grew up watching the funny, klutzy Holly, dating back to 1977, when she first appeared as the newest Barker Beauty and took the place of Anitra Ford. I enjoyed watching her happy-go-lucky approach to showcasing the prizes and her immense sense of humor. She was like a breath of fresh air, the spark that ignited the other two models—the perky redhead. I could relate to Holly for all of those reasons, but mainly because she was not blonde—not that I have anything against blondes.

The models on
TPIR
were expected to maintain a certain dress size and have weight control and overall impeccable grooming. However, it was hard to resist the craft services table overflowing with all kinds of decadent goodies, which was conveniently in our pathway as we traveled back and forth to the stage. All of the models had struggled over the years with a little weight gain of five to seven pounds, give or take. Just five additional pounds on TV appear as ten extra pounds. The craft services table was eventually removed because of budget cuts, and the producers felt it was too accessible and contributed to our weight gain. I hate to admit it, but they were probably right.

When a model’s weight gain became noticeable, either Barker or Sherrell would politely suggest that we drop the extra pounds during the scheduled four or ten days off before we resumed taping. It was seldom, though not uncommon, that Barker alone visited the models dressing rooms when he wanted to convey a personal invitation for an upcoming event to which we were all invited—or to bring to our attention that our slight weight gain was becoming noticeable on the air. Of course, he was always professional and courteous, but he made his point clear. It is never easy to tell someone they need to lose weight, nor is it easy to hear. Barker would tell us about the importance of weighing ourselves daily, that he had done that for years to help maintain his weight. “Once you allow one or two pounds to slide on,” he’d say, “there will generally be more pounds to follow. So weigh yourself daily.”

Okay, “Skeletor,” try being a female with PMS, craving sugar and salt right before the red river begins to flow and you’re experiencing belly bloat. With the exception of putting on a girdle (now Spanx), there is not much you can do to conceal the extra five pounds of water weight … grrrrr!

One day, during the break between shows, Barker knocked on my dressing room door and politely asked me to follow him into Holly’s dressing room, stating that there was something he wanted to discuss with both Holly and me. I thought this was a little odd and had no idea what it was about, but I would soon find out. Holly’s dressing room was also upstairs, close to my dressing room, down the short hallway around the corner. I followed Barker to Holly’s very small dressing room and sat down behind her door. Barker stood next to the entrance of the room and Holly was standing about six feet from Barker in front of her makeup mirror.

Barker opened the meeting by stating that both Holly and I were noticeably up in weight and we needed to lose a few pounds. I sat there and nodded in agreement, although in my case, I couldn’t agree with him less. Holly’s weight gain had gradually become more noticeable to everyone on the set over the last few months. Sherrell had made numerous comments to me about how frustrating it had become to continually make alterations for Holly’s clothes, which caused the wardrobe stylist to be more selective and restricted with the other models’ wardrobe choices. Gena and I were the official swimsuit babes, but on occasion, they put Holly in a swimsuit, even though she was up in weight. Perhaps, they were trying to make a point that she was actually too big to wear a swimsuit, which could be used against her in the future. It was evident that Holly was very uncomfortable wearing a swimsuit, as we all had experienced when we were up in weight.

“The upcoming week off will give you time to work it off,” said Barker.

“Barker, you know I’m taking prescription medication for a hormonal condition and it causes me to gain weight,” said Holly. “I started working out immediately when I noticed I was gaining a little weight. I’m also under the care of a certified nutritionist. She’s placed me on a special diet that will help offset the medication and hopefully balance out my weight.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem to be working,” remarked Barker.

“The only way I can lose the weight is to go off my medication,” Holly said.

As the conversation was becoming a little more intense between Barker and Holly, I continued to sit there in silence. I thought to myself
, Oh Lord. Where is all of this heading?
I felt insignificant at that point, as if I were just a part of the décor in Holly’s dressing room.

Holly asked, “Do you want me to go off of my medication?”

Barker responded, “Do whatever is necessary to lose the weight.”

“Are you suggesting that I go off my medication?” Holly repeated.

“Whatever it takes. Just lose the weight,” said Barker as he exited the room.

Though Barker did not verbally tell her to stop taking her medication in order to lose the weight, it was surely implied. I left the room shortly after Barker because it was time for our next rehearsal, and Holly and I needed to be on stage.

Holly shared this heated meeting between Barker with Janice during rehearsal. I didn’t feel the need to jump in with my comments and continued to rehearse, but nodded my head in agreement as Janice listened in shock. I figured I was just there as a pawn in Barker and Holly’s game of chess.

I told my husband about the uncomfortable meeting in Holly’s dressing room when I got home. Terrence asked, “Why do you think he called you in the room if it was mainly directed towards Holly?”

“I think he used me as a buffer and didn’t want it to appear as if he was singling Holly out. After they started going at it, not another word was directed toward me from Barker before he left her room.”

“Well, you better get your fat ass on a diet right away if you want to keep your day job.” He started laughing, and I gave him the evil eye. He grabbed me, hugged and kissed me and gently caressed my behind. “My baby is fine just the way you are.”

The following day, after Barker’s visit upstairs, Jonathan Goodson, son of Mark and CEO of TPIR Production Company, came upstairs. I ran into him as I was going into my dressing room. That was a first and a surprise to see Jonathon upstairs. He acknowledged me and said, “Good afternoon, Kathleen.”

I returned the greeting as I watched him head down the hallway and turn the corner, thinking,
What in the world is he doing up here?
I left my dressing room door cracked just wide enough to see him go by on his way back downstairs. About five minutes later, he passed my door and headed downstairs. I immediately went around the corner. When I saw Holly’s dressing room door open, I asked, “What was Jonathan doing up here?”

Holly was distressed. “Can you believe Barker asked him to follow up on the discussion of my so-called, ‘weight problem’?”

“What did you say?”

“The same thing I told Barker; it was difficult to control my weight while on the medication, but that I was going to get it under control,” Holly said.

“Damn, that is ridiculous
and
overkill,” I said.

“That’s nothing. Last week, when Jeremy Shamos (president of The Price Is Right Production Company and Barker’s close friend) was in the building visiting Barker, he looked me straight in the face and said, ‘How are you doing, Pillsbury dough girl?’ He just chuckled and kept on walking.”

When we resumed shooting after the ten-day down period, during the production meeting, we were handed the staging sheets as usual. The staging sheets are diagrams of the stage that show where the games and prizes will be displayed. The director assigns each model to a given prize or game, and based on where it is on the sheet, we highlight it. Throughout the meeting, our director, Paul, frequently called Gena’s, Janice’s, and my name to various designated assignments. It was rather odd, however, that Holly’s name was only called to make presentations for about three or four items, whereas the average is eight to ten presentations per model. Everyone in the production meeting thought it was strange as well. Perhaps there was a reason for limiting Holly’s airtime, maybe to allow Gena more visibility because her popularity was on the rise and it was good for the ratings. But that wasn’t the case, because this went on all week during the three-day taping of two shows a day. It became a little uncomfortable for everyone in the Green Room to sit through the production meetings, knowing that Holly was being disrespected and becoming insignificant.

The harsh reality that Holly was becoming obsolete was painful and embarrassing for her. Though it gave me more on-air time, I felt Holly’s discomfort and would have gladly given her some of my time if it were possible. I began to resent the way she was being treated, chiefly by order of our executive producer, Mr. Barker, in an attempt to put Holly in her place, let her know who the boss was and that her insubordination would not be tolerated. Barker had instructed the director and producers to cut Holly out of fifty percent of the show and have her concealed behind the larger prizes because of her perceived weight gain. In fact, Holly had dropped a considerable amount of weight and looked great. But the damage had been done and that warm, fuzzy relationship between Holly and Barker would never be the same.

Holly knew there was more to her being slighted than just the so-called “weight gain.” Tension had been brewing between her and Barker, dating back to the previous year when she had refused to give a deposition regarding his affair with Dian when she had filed her sexual harassment suit. The CBS public relations department had set up interviews, TV talk shows, and special events for Barker and the models to make sure that everyone knew that the Barker Beauties were behind him 100 percent to defend his truth and honor and essentially say that Dian was a liar. Of course, what came out of Holly’s mouth was clearly up to her, and no one could make her say anything she didn’t support or condone. She was just exercising her rights and had opted to remain neutral. I figured that she felt she didn’t owe anybody any explanation as to why she chose not to testify or side with Barker. She’s very independent, and I think it was Holly’s stubborn, defensive Virgo side that dominated her decisions.

Holly was strongly opposed to doing interviews related to the subject, but had little choice when it actually came time to participate on a special show with the rest of the cast. We were all invited to join Barker on the newly created Suzanne Somers Show in October 1994. Suzanne’s show was a one-hour daytime talk show, formatted to bring on celebrity guests, chat chummily about the biz for a segment or two, and then engage in talks of a more serious nature like the personal interests of the guests, which in this case, was Dian Parkinson. Barker wanted to have his say in his defense to emphasize the fact that Dian’s allegations were all lies. Suzanne was trying to get the models to dish the dirt on Dian, past and present. Holly decided to bypass the Dian dishing when asked by Suzanne, and elected to talk about the fun times and the excitement from the earlier days on the show. Janice and I took a similar stand and stayed within a safety zone, as not to blatantly smear Dian’s name. However, we concurred with Barker that Dian’s suit was fallacious and talked about how we were disappointed that she found the need to slander the “most loved and respected TV personality in the world” (Janice’s words). Holly’s refusal to trash Dian made Barker furious, and he was clearly angry with her after we’d taped Suzanne’s show.

The following month, the models and
TPIR
producers were all in attendance to support Barker as the Oral Lindquist Society presented him with the distinguished Man of the Year Award. This event was at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Hotel. Everyone was instructed not to discuss anything about Dian and Barker’s case, not a word, which was fine with us because we were worn out from being bombarded by the press and tabloids behind this latest scandal. If asked about it, we would politely respond, “No comment,” followed by, “We are so happy and proud of Barker tonight. Doesn’t he look great?” On the other hand, Holly made a disparaging comment to the contrary, saying, “Barker and Dian both knew what they were getting into.” This comment was overheard by Roger Dobkowitz and later reported to Barker.

Holly’s mistreatment and her intermittent appearances during the taping of the shows continued until we took our summer break.