Let’s Make a Real-Good-Deal-o (Ruby)

Okay, so you got me remembering all the game shows that have inspired me over time…but first, I must inspire you regarding Parker and her gift for all-things-Jeopardy; I love that she has that focus…I saw it when I visited last fall…I think you and I were starting to snore and drool while Parker stayed alert, focused…ready to answer in the backwards “asking-style” answer that is unique to Jeopardy, as in “WHAT IS drooling and snoring?” Ahhhhh, such difficult questions to answer…so, GOOD LUCK to Parker – fingers X’d!!!

So, my very first “crush” on a boy/man was…are you sitting?…Bob Barker on “Truth or Consequences”, in the ‘60’s. Watching this show is among my very fave’ memories; while my Mom concerned herself with issues of younger sisters and their bedtimes, I would set myself up in the remodeled kitchen of our New York SUBurban home…and in the dark, with one very significant Jelly Sandwich on Wonder Bread – sans PB – I would slide my chair right up against the counter in front of the Black and White TV and snack while keeping my eye on The Bob…I loved that he was a smooth-talkin’ man, funny in a canned-laughter kind of way...packaged perfectly…and speaking of smooth…I would pull out the new smooth-rolling drawer which housed the likes of egg beaters and spatulas and place my feet into it, nestled into place, anchored in front of the TV. I’d stay put throughout Bob and then “The Patty Duke Show”, loving to believe in the duality of Patty and her British cousin Cathy! Never mattered that I was hip to the TV effects of the specific “twinnishness”…I was convinced by their unique personas and the fact that they parted their hair differently. But back to game shows, way beyond that crush on Mr.-Smooth-Talkin’-Barker, I loved the excitement, the fact that you could get good at this…second guess ‘em, feel like you knew the answers, feel like a fly-on-the-wall-winner, practically WIN-A-CAR!…if only vicariously…


The show that started it all for me, though, was “Let’s Make a Deal”; the hilarity of those people in costumes, acting like buffoons, hungry for recognition and a potential prize….a washer/dryer, a car, a his/hers motorcycle combo…a trip to Hawaii!!! Carol Merrill was iconic, gesturing as if to caress the goods…pumping us up as consumers, making us thirst for more. Our first stab at quasi-gambling, making the right choices on occasion, then the clapping, jumping up and down, squealing, planting an All-American kiss on the cheek of Monty Hall, showing our gratitude, our crazed, lusting appreciation of the magic which continues to be a reality in the world of game shows. The reality that tells us it can all work out in the end…with just a little luck.

And while never being one to excel at Jeopardy, Teen or otherwise, I do feel that the arena of my expertise these days might be “The Price is Right”, now that I have focused my efforts more than ever on saving money where I can. I have become crazy-aware of a Real-Good-Deal-O, as Zappa would say. The chance to buy 3 of something we may need at some time, because it makes SO MUCH GOOD SENSE, relative to the inflated price of a meager single unit, is a behavior that can get a little manic though, as you justify owning three jars of mayonnaise, as if it epitomizes wisdom and foresight. Anyway, I have – yes – developed a skill that rattles off comparative prices of all things relevant in our particular household, from soap to beer to #2 Pencils.

Anyhoo, those are the thoughts that come to mind as I think of Parker waiting to hear about her game show destiny. Let me know as soon as you hear!!!

Ruby