Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Leland Eubanks |
| Years active | Gameshow Host (1966-2002) |
| Website | http://www.bobeubanks.com |
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks (born January 8, 1938), is a well-known American radio, game show host and television personality best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off from 1966 to 2000, where he was known for using the catch-phrase, "Makin' Whoopee".
Early life
Eubanks was born in Flint, Michigan, but was raised primarily in Pasadena, California, where he grew up listening to music, mostly notably of favorites like Frank Sinatra and Doc Watson, while watching popular classic television and even watched quiz game shows, when television was first established at that time. Also growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he was heavily influenced by television greats such as: Cary Grant, Howard Hughes, Buddy Hackett and his mentor/fellow game show host, Bill Cullen (who later appeared with Eubanks on Dawson's Family Feud, Rhyme and Reason and Liar's Club), just to name a few. As a happy-go-lucky person, he also attended Pasadena High School, where he graduated in 1955 (at age 17). After graduation from high school, he would become one of California's most popular & recognizable disc jockeys. In 1956 (at age 18), his first radio exposure was that at KACY Radio in Oxnard, California. For most of the 1960s, he was also a producer of concerts, such as The Beatles 1964 Hollywood Bowl performance, The Rolling Stones, during the first two years of the American tour, giving out never-before-stories of the Grammy Award-winning groups of the British Invasion. While still in Los Angeles, he also produced and had funny anecdotes on such artists like Barry Manilow, The Supremes, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Merle Haggard, among many others.
Personal life
He married staunch athlete, a ranch forewoman and a gifted artist, Irma Brown on September 10, 1969. Bob & Irma were the proud parents of three children --- Trace, Corey (who's a stuntman) and Theresa. In 1970, both Bob & Irma, purchased a 20-acre portion of a working cattle ranch, and later expanded 26 acres by 1972, where the family had a lot of space for the riding and roping they enjoyed. In addition to the decorating plants and renovating the barn, she also mounted up two shows a year. She continued doing this until Irma was in bad health, hence the show was reduced to only once a year, beginning in 1998. Irma died in 2001, after a prolonged illness.
The Newlywed Game and Country Music business
In 1966, he received a phone call from Chuck Barris to host a new game show, The Newlywed Game which premiered on ABC of that same year. During its debut, it was an immediate hit, and the show's popularity led the network to expand the prime-time lineup, where it had ran on the air for five years. The Newlywed Game was also ranked as one of the Top 3 daytime game shows, for five consecutive years, between 1968 and 1973, and was ranked the Top 3 prime-time game shows, also for five years, between 1966 and 1971. While not taping, he also pursued a career in the country music business, where he served as manager of such artists like: Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell and Marty Robbins. The same year, he also signed Merle Haggard to an exclusive live-performance contract, producing more than 100 dates per year with the performer for almost a decade. His first ending of his first-run network TV show, The Newlywed Game, ended in 1974, after 2,195 episodes, making Eubanks one of the most beloved and bankable game show hosts to date. He also hosted various editions in syndication, from 1985-88 and for the last time in 1997-99.
Other game shows
After Eubanks' long-stint of Newlywed Game, he has also hosted a number of short-lived game shows in his career, including Rhyme and Reason, Dream House, The Diamond Head Game, and Trivia Trap.
In 1985, while original Card Sharks host Jim Perry was under contract to NBC and Reg Grundy Productions for hosting Sale of the Century, Mark Goodson hired Eubanks as the last minute replacement to host a revamped version of the show for CBS, (Bill Rafferty hosted the nighttime version), where it became an average hit game show on daytime television, therefore, making his second successful game show for the first time in 11 1/2 years. Eubanks hosted Card Sharks throughout its CBS run until its demise in 1989. Prior to hosting Card Sharks, he appeared as a special guest on the original version alongside Jim Perry, promoting his short-lived 1979 game show All Star Secrets, which he also produced. Perry and Eubanks later were teammates during "Game Show Host Week" on Family Feud, along with Betty White, Nipsey Russell and Bill Cullen.
His final network game show he hosted was, Family Secrets, which proved to be very unsuccessful. In recent years, he has hosted or co-hosted all five of NBC's Most Outrageous Game Show Moments specials. Currently, Eubanks is one of three rotating hosts (along with Chuck Woolery and Jamie Farr) of the "$250,000 Game Show Spectacular" at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Radio
Prior to entering game shows, Eubanks was a popular radio DJ at station KRLA in Los Angeles as well as a music promoter and manager, between 1960 and 1968. He was responsible for bringing The Beatles to Los Angeles for their first West Coast performances in 1964 (mortgaging his house to do so), all of which took place at the famed Hollywood Bowl, with fellow KRLA DJs Dave Hull and Reb Foster joining Eubanks in introducing them. He also operated the Cinnamon Cinder Club ([1]) on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, California.
He stood in for fellow DJ Casey Kasem twice on radio's American Top 40: January 9-10, 1982 (that year's first regular episode), and April 16-17, 1983.
Other appearances
He has also hosted the Tournament of Roses Parade on Los Angeles television channel KTLA since 1976 and with Stephanie Edwards from 1978–2006. In 2007, Eubanks continued to host with Edwards' replacement, KTLA Morning Show anchor Michaela Pereira.
On July 6, 2007, Eubanks sat in as a celebrity "Mob Member" on the NBC game show 1 vs. 100 along with fellow game show host Wink Martindale.
His autobiography, It's in the Book, Bob (ISBN 1-932100-28-8), was published in 2004.
Bob appeared as a guest on GSN Live on April 4th, 2008.
Controversy
He appeared in Michael Moore's 1989 documentary Roger & Me. The film documented Moore's attempts to track General Motors CEO Roger Smith to confront him about the harm he did to Flint, Michigan with his massive downsizing. Eubanks, a native of Flint, was interviewed about his views on the downsizing, and was filmed reciting an off-color joke about AIDS. He said "You know why Jewish girls don't get AIDS? They only marry assholes, they don't screw 'em!" [1]
References
- ^ "Roger & Me Memorable Quotes". Retrieved 2007-12-31.