Telephone Game

Telephone Game was a pricing game on the American television game show, "The Price Is Right". Played from November 1 to November 29, 1978, it offered three prizes, only one of which could be won: a car or one of two small prizes (usually worth between $40 and $70). This game used grocery items.

Telephone Game was one of only two pricing games in which winning all of the announced prizes was not possible (not including small prizes or cash consolation prizes); the other is Any Number.

Gameplay

The contestant was given $1 credit and was shown four grocery items. They used the credit to select two of the items, and their prices were deducted from the dollar. The contestant had to retain a dime to use the game's pay telephone. If they spent more than 90 cents, the game ended and the contestant won nothing.

Otherwise, the contestant was given a dime and taken to the telephone. They were also shown a phone book showing three large, unlabeled four-digit phone numbers. Each number corresponded with one of the prizes: one was the price of the car in dollars; the other two numbers represented the prices of the two small prizes in dollars and cents (if a decimal were placed in the middle of the four digits).

The contestant selected one of the numbers and used the dime to call the number. Each prize had a telephone sitting next to it; the phone next to the prize whose price was dialed rang and was answered by a model, and the contestant won that prize.

Retirement

Telephone Game was retired after only three playings, making it the second-shortest-lived pricing game after Professor Price. According to former producer Roger Dobkowitz, the reason it was retired was because "It was lame!"