Backstage at The Price Is Right: Memoirs of A Barker Beauty (18 page)

My daughter, Cheyenne, was fourteen years old and in the ninth grade at St. Bernard’s High School in Playa Del Rey at the time of the movie release. Everyone was aware that Cheyenne’s mother was a Barker Beauty on
TPIR,
and now, Mrs. Parker in
Friday
. All the kids at school started calling her, “Little Miss Parker.” Some students embraced her and treated her with a high level of respect because of who her mother was; a few others were just plain haters. Of course, the haters were the little Catholic school girls, walking around with their uniform skirts rolled up so high you could see their asses when they sneezed. It wasn’t Cheyenne’s fault that the whole varsity football team was lusting after her—and her mother. Cheyenne shared with me that it bothered her to know that they were whispering and talking about her behind her back. So I reiterated the pearls of wisdom that my mother had given to me, as I had repeatedly told Cheyenne while she was growing up: “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you. And beauty is as beauty does. Honey, let them talk all they want about you, but you should remain calm and keep your inner beauty and spirit peacefully intact.”

Cheyenne said, “Okay, Mommy. I will try my best not to go off on them.”

Believe me, Cheyenne could hold her own and was not easily intimidated by anyone. But as time went on, Cheyenne got fed up with the old adages and words of wisdom and decided to dish out a little rough justice one by one when she could get them alone! Cheyenne had her own little crew that would back her up and come to her defense if and when she needed them. I was constantly getting calls from the principal’s office regarding her confrontations with these girls. I knew it was time to sit her down again for another heart to heart.
“Cheyenne,” I asked, “what part of ‘don’t let those girls bother you’ didn’t you understand?”

“Mom,” she said, “I was okay with them talking behind
my
back, calling me ‘Little Miss Parker who thinks she’s all that ’cause her mother is in a movie.’ But when they started talking about
you
, that’s where I had to draw the line and put those bitches in check.”

I was speechless and tried not to chuckle as it would appear that I was condoning her actions, so I merely said, “Okay, honey, but just don’t get caught.”

That whole phase died out eventually at her school, and things returned to somewhat normal.

The men loved and lusted after Mrs. Parker and many women aspired to be like her. My husband caught a lot of flak from some of his friends that ribbed him about his hot-ass wife’s famous sensuous poses as Mrs. Parker. Terrence knew that it was just a character in a movie and tolerated their lascivious and snide remarks.

Terrence accompanied me to Las Vegas where I was hired to make a presentation at a weigh-in prior to one of the big heavyweight main event fights. The weigh-in was very informal and took place in one of the ballrooms at the Mandarin Hotel. People where walking around with drinks, chatting away and not paying attention to the master of ceremonies or anything that was happening on stage. When it came time to introduce me, the announcer started off by saying, “Please help me welcome our next presenter, she is the first African-American model to join ranks on
The Price Is Right
as one of the Barker Beauties…” People still milled around nonchalantly, loud as hell as the announcer continued to introduce me by saying, “How many of you out there saw the movie
Friday
?” Many hands went up. “How many of you remember Mrs. Parker?” At that point, he had just about everybody’s attention in the room. They began putting it together and realized that I was one in

the same and proceeded to rush to the stage to get a closer view. My husband was damn near knocked off his feet.

He later commented, “Well honey, I guess I should be flattered that half of the men in Las Vegas want to screw my wife, but can’t.” Terrence had always been supportive of my career and never complained, especially when those residual checks from
Friday
started rolling in.

Chapter 29

Meeting Oliver Stone

O
ne evening, while at the famed House of Blues in Hollywood, I was approached by an English woman, named Lucia G., who was familiar with me from
TPIR
and
Friday.
Lucia admitted that she was impressed with my talent and beauty.

She asked, “Are you represented by a manager?”

“No, I am not,” I replied.

“Good. I have a company that manages actors, and I would love to represent you,” said Lucia.

In the entertainment industry, a manager is sort of like an agent, but not really. An agency’s job is to get as many of their actors in the door for auditions as possible. A manager’s job is to focus on a few actors’ careers to help manage their time and ensure that the agents or other organizations aren’t taking advantage of them. They also handle the detailed negotiations between the actors and the person they’re working for. Generally, managers are needed by big-named stars who have busy lives, publicity and finances to manage, and who can afford them. I needed someone other than my agent, who didn’t have twenty other female actors in my same category who would get out and fight for me and seek other acting jobs, special appearances, and speaking engagements. Lucia and I exchanged numbers that evening. We talked on the phone several times to get a feel for each other, to see if we were both on the same page regarding the advancement of my career. After meeting a few times and giving it some serious thought, I agreed to sign the artist/manager agreement with her. Lucia set up a number of interviews with agents and casting directors and tried to get me more acting gigs, but my schedule on the show caused a lot of conflicts when it came time to go out on auditions.

Some time, in late 1996, about a year and a half after the release of
Friday
, I received a phone call from Lucia who asked, “Are you sitting down?”

“Why?” I replied.

“I just got a call from the office of a well-known movie director who saw
Friday
and was very taken and impressed with your character. He has requested a general meeting with you for potential work in one of his upcoming films,” Lucia said excitingly.

My interest was at an all-time high. “Who might this famous director be?” I asked.

“I’ll give you a few hints,” she said. “He directed,
Platoon, Wall Street, JFK
…”

“Oliver Stone!” I exclaimed. “No way. Are you serious?”

“Give me a few dates and times that work for you, so I can have his assistant try to arrange a meeting while he is in his Los Angeles office,” said Lucia.

Because of our busy schedules, both Oliver and I had a difficult time hooking up, but finally, about a month after the initial call from his office, my meeting of a lifetime was about to take place. I was a bit nervous, but mostly excited to imagine where this meeting could conceivably lead. Just the thought of possibly being able to work with Oliver Stone blew my mind. Stone is a man whom I had respected and admired for years—a giant among directors in the film industry, and here I was, meeting with him face to face, per his request.

I thought long and hard about what I was going to wear to make my first impression a lasting one. I decided to wear my mid-calf, sexy, sophisticated, body-hugging Sophia Loren dress. This dress had a history and had proven to be a head-turner among men and women as I would make my entrance into various venues or restaurants of distinction.

When I arrived at Oliver’s office, I was greeted by one of his assistants and told, “Mr. Stone is running a little late.”

“No problem,” I replied. I took a seat in the lobby and waited. I would have waited all day if I had to; fortunately, it was only about ten minutes before he arrived. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t have hoped for better timing. As Mr. Stone’s assistant guided me down the long, narrow hall toward his office, Oliver just happened to be standing at the other end, preparing to open the door to his office. He watched me as I slowly sashayed toward him with my sultry Jessica Rabbit stride. Through my peripheral, I could see heads looking up and turning my way as I passed the open doorways of the row of offices on the way to Oliver. When I got about twenty feet from him, I had the audacity to softly say his name with my sexiest Italian accent. “Oliver, oh Oliver, buongiorno, come stai!”

He took a beat, looked at me in total amazement and replied, “Good morning, Ms. Bradley. I’m fine, thank you. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

We shook hands and walked into his office. My photo and résumé that my manager had sent per his request lay on his desk. We sat down, and as he perused my résumé, he asked me to tell him a little about myself. I proceeded to do so with great pleasure. After I had told him about my credits and achievements, I thought it would be the ideal time to bring a bit of irony to his attention.

“I was working in Antigua about two months ago, hosting a BET special TV event for Antigua’s annual Classic Yacht Regatta, and I happened to meet a woman from New York named Linda, who is the general manager at the St. James’s Club Resort and Hotel where I was staying. She just happened to mention that she was a good friend of Oliver Stone’s mother, Jacqueline. She said that she would make an effort to see if she could talk to Jacqueline and try to arrange a meeting for you and me to meet. Isn’t it interesting that Linda never made the effort to make that call to your mother, but as if by an act of fate, here we meet anyway?”

Oliver was floored to know that I had actually come in contact with someone who knew his mother. We talked briefly about this coincidence and about my work in Antigua.

I had always felt a strong connection with Oliver Stone and his historical views regarding the Vietnam War as conveyed through his award-winning movies. I told Oliver that I was a Baby Boomer and that I had an affinity for John F. Kennedy; the Kennedy assassination had always had a profound effect on me. I was grateful that someone had finally gone against the grain and was willing to put it all out on the line with the
real
truth behind JFK’s assassination and not settle for the bureaucratic bullshit from the convenient conclusion of the Warren Report. I mentioned that I had seen his movie
JFK
more than ten times and that it was my all-time favorite Oliver Stone movie. Each time I saw it I would get angry and go through a box of tissues. He said that he was flattered and thanked me for the praise and accolades.

It was now Oliver’s turn to let me know why he was interested in meeting with me. “How would you like to play the role of Coretta Scott King,” he asked.

I think my mouth dropped at that point. I took a few beats of silence before I replied. “I don’t know.”

“After telling the true story of the assassination of JFK, I think it is now time to tell the real story surrounding the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Obviously, there is a role for Coretta, and I am beginning the auditioning process,” said Oliver.

I thought about it again and replied, “I can’t really envision myself playing Coretta Scott King. I think I may not be convincing to the audience because I would appear too attractive, which might prove to be overshadowing, and quite frankly, it might be too much of a stretch for me in terms of my acting ability.” I think that was the kiss of death, admitting that this role was too big for me. And here I was thinking he was preparing to shoot the Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge story, which I would have jumped at in a heartbeat.

“I tell you what,” said Oliver, “have your agent or manager send in a video reel of your work so I can take a look and be the judge. I may see some qualities in you that you never knew existed; if not this film, perhaps something else more fitting for your character.”

I got up and shook his hand and thanked him profusely for taking time out to meet with me.

Several weeks went by before my manager sent my video to Oliver’s office. It wasn’t really her fault for not following up right away, but mine. I was taking too long to piece together a video reel that would be impressive and would best represent my body of work. I had to meticulously examine a lot of footage from my past performances, and I must admit that many of them lacked substance, with scenes that weren’t more than fifteen seconds long, when I had no more than five lines. I imagine that by the time his office received my video, it got shuffled under the other hundreds of submissions that came through his office every day.

Lucia called Oliver’s office numerous times but was never able to get a satisfactory answer as to whether he had viewed my video. Perhaps it was an opportunity missed due to bad timing, not getting the video in while I was still fresh on Oliver’s mind!

In reality, I had to re-examine my true desire for acting. After all, the models on the show had longevity, security, great benefits, and steady paychecks with
The Price Is Right
family. I wasn’t ready to give all that up and take a gamble on a potential hit-or-miss movie career.

Lucia was becoming a little irritated and frustrated that so many opportunities were passing us by because I was so restricted by working on
TPIR
. Our manager-client relationship lasted about two years before we amicably decided to go our separate ways.

Chapter 30

25
th
Anniversary Special

T
he excitement was brewing backstage in anticipation of the taping for “
The Price Is Right
25
th
Anniversary Special,” scheduled to air on a Friday night, which was prime-time television viewing.

The stage was transformed into a gala festive façade. The panels of the big doors were modified with the show’s logo, which had drawings of confetti, balloons, and a blue streamer. The big blue balloon had the CBS eye logo on it, and the left side of the streamer boasted the words “25 Years on CBS.” The famous Door Number Two, through which Barker had made his dynamic entrance for over twenty-four years, was flanked by gigantic Emmy statues. The multicolored curtains that normally draped the entire back wall of the audience were now silver, with a “25
th
Anniversary Special” sign in the middle and two “Outstanding Game Show 1995-1996” signs on either side. The models were fitted with lavish couture gowns to wear throughout the entire show from our favorite designers, Jerry Skeels and Randy McLaughlin—better known as Jeran Designs. Jeran’s gowns had been showcased as prizes on
TPIR
for more than twenty years. In 1983, Jeran designed the famous and stunning fire engine red beaded strapless gown worn by actress, Joan Collins, who was featured on the cover of the Christmas issue of
Playboy
. The dress was so hot and extraordinarily designed that it landed the designers on ninety-seven talk shows. Six years later, it became Jessica Rabbit’s dress in the highly acclaimed fantasy-comedy movie,
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The special began with Barker dressed in a tuxedo, standing behind Door Number Two, and he whispers to the viewers, “I’m waiting to make my entrance for the ‘25
th
Anniversary Special,’ so stick around.”

Numerous retrospective clips were shown before we heard Rod’s opening spiel. “It’s a special! It’s
very
special! It’s very,
very
special! It’s ‘
The Price Is Right
25
th
Anniversary Special!’” As the crowd roared, Rod began to call out the names of the first four lucky contestants. After they arrived at their respective spots on Contestants’ Row, he said, “You are the first four contestants on ‘
The Price Is Right
25
th
Anniversary Special!’ And now, here is the star of
The Price Is Right
… Bawwwwb Barker.” The audience went wild; the sound in the studio was like a sonic boom that wouldn’t end.

The hour-long show was cut down to six segments of game play, instead of the normal twelve segments, in order to interject more clips from the past and to pay a small tribute to the former
TPIR
voiceover announcer, the late Johnny Olson.

Barker paused for a moment during the show after Janice had made a prize presentation and walked over to congratulate her. He said to the viewers, “Let me remind you, though many of you may know, the lovely Janice Pennington has been with us for all twenty-four years on CBS.”

Barker went on to say, “Janice has encountered many a catastrophe over the years, but this one takes the cake. Take a look.” The clip revealed one of Janice’s old follies during a prize presentation in the mid-1970s. When she opened the door of a standard upright Amana freezer, it began to tilt forward, and it almost fell on her. She made a mad dash away from the falling freezer; she then quickly recovered with a wave of the hand and leaned against it while it still tilted forward. The audience was amused and applauded her recovery.

After the clip, Barker commented, “You handled that beautifully” and kissed Janice on the cheek.

As Barker greeted the next contestant on stage, he said, “We will be doing a lot of reminiscing on this special show tonight. But first, take a look at the very first car that was ever given away on
The Price Is Right
.”
The clip revealed Janice showing a 1972 aqua blue Chevrolet Vega, priced at only $2,746. Barker interjected, “But tonight, on our CBS special, we want to give you this!”

Rod announced,
“A new carrrr!”

All three models rode out on stage in a beautiful red Chevrolet Corvette convertible. Janice drove, I rode shotgun, and Chantel sat on top of the back roof, waving to the audience. After Rod gave the description of the car, Barker walked over and said, “I’ve introduced Janice. Now, this is the lovely Kathleen Bradley, who has been with us … how long?”

“Six wonderful, fun-filled years, Bob,” I replied.

“And the baby of
The Price Is Right
family, Chantel Dubay,” said Barker.

“Thanks Bob. It is so good to be here,” Chantel replied.

One of the highlights of the special was a chance to win $50,000 on America’s favorite game, Plinko. Plinko is the no-brainer game that everybody loves to play. The game involves guessing the prices of four prizes to win and winning a Plinko chip for each right answer. One chip is given free at the start. Thereafter, the maximum number of chips is five. The contestant walks up a small flight of stairs and stands behind a slanted board and drops a 3” x 3” round disk down the board. It wiggles through the maze of openings and lands in a slot for cash prizes. Plinko was my game; I was permanently assigned to the Plinko board after Dian had left. I would always receive a lot of hugs and kisses, standing at the bottom of the stairs when the contestants ran down with excitement after winning. Unfortunately, there was no big winner that night, but just the mere thought and opportunity to walk away with that much cash got everybody hyped up.

The press and media were all over the studio and backstage from the beginning of the rehearsal until the end of the show. They were all invited to interview Barker, Rod, the models, and some of the staff. When the show ended, I went to my dressing room to spruce up for the big party that was to take place on stage after the audience cleared in celebration for this monumental occasion. Much to my surprise, there was a huge array of gorgeous Hawaiian tropical flowers in my room. They were from one of the merchant suppliers for the Showcase Showdowns. The card read, “
Congratulations on the 25
th
anniversary show of
The Price Is Right
… You are a true Beauty, Sincerely, Alex Williams and Gino Thomas, Big Island Tropical Flower Farms.”
All of the models had the same type of floral arrangement waiting for them in their dressing rooms. Alex and Gino flew in from Hawaii to join in the big celebration. I absolutely adored these guys. They had been life partners for over twenty years and going strong. They had supplied their beautiful Hawaiian floral arrangements on the show for about six years. Alex and Gino had invited my husband and me to stay at their guest house on the Island of Hawaii any time we wanted. We actually took them up on their offer during the upcoming summer vacation and spent a week on the Big Island. Even though I had to beat off a few of their gay friends from my strong, handsome husband, we had a blast!