An Interview with Price is Right Producer Roger Dobkowitz

It's only been a matter of a few weeks since legendary host Bob Barker stepped down from his 35-year tenure with "Price is Right." I spoke to "Price" producer Roger Dobkowitz and asked how Bob is handling his retirement after all these years.

Roger on Barker's Retirement

"He's handling retirement surprisingly well," he answered. "I talk to Bob almost every day, and he's quite happy. He's busy every day with interviews and busy giving money to pet clinics that provide low-cost spaying and neutering. Every day he gets money request letters from clinics all over the country. He reads every letter and personally double-checks each clinic, making sure that they're legitimate. He says that this keeps him very busy."

I asked if he's seen Barker in person since he's retired.

"Yes, we (Roger and his wife) have gone out to dinner with him a few times."

The Drew Carey Question

Although I was told before the interview to stay away from all Drew Carey questions, I knew that I had to ask the inevitable: "If the new version of the show fails, will Bob Barker come back to the show?"

Roger's immediate answer: "Of course, he would! But Drew Carey will do just fine."

One of Roger's Favorite Bob Barker Anecdotes

When I asked him for a good Bob Barker anecdote, I knew right away that this was a lousy interview question.

"Like what?" he asked.

I scrambled for a focus. "Roger, you've mentioned a couple of times how amazingly unflappable Barker was, considering how long he has reigned as host of the show. Have you ever seen him 'unflap' onstage?"

"Only once. There's only one thing that bugs him. It's when a contestant takes too long with an answer ("Price is Right" bid). We were taping a show in Las Vegas and he was dealing with a difficult contestant. The contestant took too long to answer. She refused to give a bid.

Bob suddenly turned and waved to the audience and said, 'Well, I'm out of here.' Then he walked offstage. I had never seen him do that. We thought he was going home. But, after a minute, he came back onstage. The contestant was so shocked that she immediately gave her bid."

About Roger Dobkowitz

Roger Dobkowitz has been with the Bob Barker version of "Price is Right" since its beginnings in 1972. He became a producer in 1984.

When Roger was hired as a "Price is Right" production assistant at Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in '72, he wasn't a silver spoon Hollywood show biz legacy kid. He was hired strictly on the strength of his San Francisco State University graduate thesis, "A Historical Study of Prime-Time Network Audience Participation Games 1948-1968."