Backstage at The Price Is Right: Memoirs of A Barker Beauty (26 page)

Debbie testified at Linda Reigert’s trial that she had overheard a conversation between line producers Roger Dobkowitz and Stan Blitz, one of the persons in charge of selecting the contestants, in which Roger reprimanded Stan for choosing too many black contestants in one show. “You and I don’t have a problem with it, but Barker doesn’t like it. He is not pleased!” In September 2009, a judge tossed out Debbie’s lawsuit, but Alden stated that he planned to appeal.

It has been speculated that Barker was forced to retire because of the continuous stream of lawsuits against him, which was costing the network and show too much money. Beginning in 1994, with the Dian Parkinson lawsuit, up to the 2007, Debbie Curling allegations
, a
s executive producer and host
,
Bob Barker’s lawsuits from female employees, most accusing him of harassment, vindictive behavior, and racial discrimination, have cost the show millions of dollars in settlements and legal fees. But unlike previous claims, which for the most part were levied against
Price’s
various production companies, individual producers, or Barker himself, the latest accusation from Debbie Curling landed CBS squarely in the crossfire. “As soon as CBS was dragged into a Barker legal scandal, Barker’s time on the show was over,” said Holly during her Chris Mann interview. “The day that Debbie quit and CBS realized they were about to be pulled into an ugly racism lawsuit, I heard that Mr. Barker was immediately told he’d be taking early retirement. I find the irony of that so rich, because those are the exact words Barker used when he fired me in 1995.”

Holly also stated, “Because the ratings were good, Fremantle Media has been willing to spend a fortune, paying women huge sums to drop their suits against Barker.”

When presented with the rumors about Barker’s exit and other specific claims, CBS director of media relations Cindy Marshall offered the following statement: “These comments represent misguided speculation from misinformed sources in an article shamefully timed to Mr. Barker’s final episode
.
Any suggestion that CBS forced Mr. Barker to retire for any reason is flat out inaccurate.”

Barker’s longtime publicist, Henri Bollinger, also came to his defense. “Barker has been dragged into every one of these situations, not because he was responsible for the direct actions, but because he’s a big name,” he told CourtTV in 2004. “When lawyers just sue the production company, they get no attention.”

There is no doubt that Barker has acquired his fair share of bad press from over thirteen lawsuits brought forth against him as either executive producer and/or host of
TPIR—
be it true or false
—
and although Barker may not have lost a penny, I think the higher-ups deserved to foot the bills for simply ignoring the problem and sweeping it under the rug for so many years. In Barker’s
Priceless Memories
biography, not one of the four Barker Beauties was ever mentioned by name. As a matter of fact, Rod Roddy’s name was mentioned only once!

When asked in a
USA Today
interview about the four most famous
Beauties (Bradley, Hallstrom, Parkinson, and Pennington), Barker replied, “They’ve been such a problem. I don’t want to say anything about them. They’re disgusting; I don’t want to mention them.”

The feeling is mutual Bob!

When I look back and read through the 102 pages of my deposition, I regret not fully answering some of the questions with more honesty and detail in support of Holly. I was trying to protect my job for fear that too much of the truth was better left unsaid—but in the end, it didn’t matter. This was bound to happen, no matter what I’d said or done under oath. During my tenure on the show, it was never within my power to prevent the innocent from falling prey to Barker’s vindictive ways. Loyalty is one thing—selling your soul is another. And in the case of most of those whom Barker has wronged, even selling their souls wouldn’t have helped one iota. I am proud that I never did, and I walked away with my dignity and self-respect.

The Price Is Right
was a wonderful and enlightening experience and an immense stepping-stone in my career. It has afforded me many great opportunities. It was a dream deferred, but now, after many years of being away from the entertainment industry and caring for my ailing mother, who passed away in 2009 from complications from a massive stroke, I can honestly say, “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Oliver Stone!”

Acknowledgements

W
riting my first book was an adventure, a challenge, and a labor of love. The journey to making this book possible has been through a collaborative effort with the help of my family and dear friends. I have been blessed with good health from our Heavenly Father, who has enabled me to think with a clear mind and focus on the things that are most important to me in life.

There are no words I can say to express the way I feel about my mother and father. They were both amazing people, whom God blessed my brothers and me with. They nurtured us and prepared us for our life journeys—they did their jobs well.

Thank you to my wonderful husband, Terrence, for believing in me and for all of your support during our twenty-four years of marriage, throughout all of my
many
ventures. Thank you for loving me, no matter what!

There is no other love like that of mother and daughter. I am so grateful for my daughter Cheyenne. You have supported me and encouraged me to “get-ur
done
!” And thank you for bringing Kingyari into our lives. To my son Terrence, thank you for being my “Best Boy” and runner when I was velcroed to my computer chair. Nephew Narayana Ji Simmons, thanks for your high energy, laughter, and support, and for keeping the coffee brewing.

I must thank my lovely Aunt Betty Tibbs who is always optimistic, nurturing, and encouraging—long live the Queen.

Thanks to all of my first-string cousins for maintaining a close, loving relationship over the years. We share a common bond, and you have all touched my heart at one time or another in a special way while growing up—the Bradley’s, Clark’s, Tibbs’ and Dykes’—together forever.

Thank you to my editors for sharing your knowledge and ability to help refine my overall story and turning it into an enjoyable piece of art. Thank you to Dr. Roland Jefferson for referring me to Monique D. Mensah of Make Your Mark Editing Services, the best editor/author in the business, whose insight and thorough evaluation of my work has proved to be invaluable. And a special thanks to Durelle Ali, who has burned the midnight oil with me and has shared her unique flare and creativity to enhance the meaning of certain words that I would have never thought to use. Your research proved to be priceless. You came along at the eleventh hour to assist me in making my dream become a reality. Elyn Tibbs, thanks for hanging with me from the very beginning of the book and going the distance with your special editing skills and unique eye for details. Thank you to Heather Bates, Dolly Holiday, Kay Cato-Racey for your honest critiques and opinions of the chapters of my life.

My love and thanks to The Love Machine for many years of unconditional love and sisterhood: Sandra Sully, Mary Hopkins, Bernice Givens, “Miss Comic Relief” Paulette Gibson, and a special thanks to Reneé Gentry, the keeper of all knowledge, for helping me recapture days of yore with the group
.

Thank you, Bill Overton for keeping me pumped and headed in the right direction to get the book completed.

Thanks to Elaine Ligon for being a caring godmother to Cheyenne and for being an inspirational part of my life and for helping restore my faith when I needed it most. Dawn Redd-Howard, you were at the right place at the right time at the beginning of my journey on the show and have continued to be the glue that holds the Redd family together. To my play sister, Mommy Lynn, thanks for watching our precious, precocious, rambunctious grandson Kingyari when I needed time to think and be productive with my writing.

To my Bubba Scott family: sister/cousin Terrie, you’ve been there every step of the way, during the good times and the bad times. You’ve always been a pillar of strength whenever called upon and then some. I love you very much. Nicole Scott, I’ve gained awareness within the boundaries of the legal system from watching you overcome your adversities while standing your ground. The truth will set you free. Rena Scott-Hollstein, thanks for your expertise and motivation from across the seas. You helped me set a good pace and rhythm.

To my other mother Dorothy Christman Peyton, who has known me, loved me, and looked out for me as if I were your very own—from Ohio to Los Angeles, thanks for taking me in on numerous occasions. Thanks to Eli Goldstein for pushing me in the right direction and opening the doors to the people who could assist my project and take it to a higher level. To my Pisano Mike Scilingo, your knowledge of what makes the world go round has opened my eyes and my mind into another dimension and has broadened my approach to life. Happy Retirement!

Freeze Clark, thanks for helping me get my kick-start on my book cover design.

Tia Jai at SheTouched Graphic Designs, thank you for answering my beckoning call in the wee hours of the night when I was in tears about getting my book release fliers completed on time for my special Palm Springs golf event. And thank you for making my dust jacket cover look amazing. Thank you to Amanda Donnelly for setting up my social media network and supporting me always. Danielle Dykes, thanks for keeping tabs and looking out for the real Mrs. Parker.

To Karrine Steffans, who, without knowing, was a big inspiration to me while writing my memoirs, thank you for sharing your life so openly and candidly in your New York Times Bestseller,
Confessions of a Video Vixen
, so that other young girls could learn from your mistakes.

I would like to thank my friend, Vincent Rand Littlejohn, CEO of Ranimation, LLC for his time and stellar creative efforts on the interior graphic designs. Thank you, with profound gratitude, to The R Group Publishing and staff for your professional services and artistic interior photo layout and design. Thank you, Nakia Laushaul of A Reader’s Perspective, for your devotion to the interior layout of this project.

Finally, thank you to the many
The Price Is Right
and Barker Beauty fans and my Mrs. Parker fans for all your love and support.

Follow me at:
www.KathleenBradley.tv
; Twitter: @Kathleenbradle, Facebook: KathleenBradley, Instagram: @Kathleenbradley_Mrsparker