Bob Eubanks
Encyclopedia
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is an American
television
/radio
personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game
on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee". It was Eubanks who coined the term from the song of the same name, in an attempt to keep parents with young children from the need to explain the facts of life because of a television show. While his network was comfortable with the term "making love", they did not allow the use of the word "panties". Eubanks received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
for his television work in 2000. The star is in front of Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
, where Eubanks worked during the first years of his broadcasting career. In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement Emmy award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
.
, but was raised primarily in Pasadena, California
, where he grew up listening to music, most notably favorites like Frank Sinatra
and Doc Watson
. His parents, John and Gertrude (nee McClure), were originally from Missouri
. They moved to Flint during the Great Depression
, where their only child was born, before moving on to California. The young boy became a child model, doing photo shoots for ads and meeting his idol, Gene Autry
, when he was scheduled to do an ad photo shoot with him.
He watched popular classic television and quiz game shows. Also growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he was influenced by Cary Grant
, Howard Hughes
, Buddy Hackett
and Bill Cullen
. He attended Pasadena High School
, where he graduated in 1955. After graduation from high school, he would become one of California's most popular disc jockey
s. In 1956, his first radio exposure was at KACY Radio in Oxnard, California
. For most of the 1960s, while working the midday shift at KRLA
in Pasadena, he was also a producer of concerts, such as The Beatles
1964 and 1965 Hollywood Bowl
performances, The Rolling Stones
, during the first two years of the American tour. While still in Los Angeles
, he also produced such artists as Barry Manilow
, The Supremes
, Dolly Parton
, Bob Dylan
, Elton John
and Merle Haggard
, among others.
At some point after 2001, Bob married Deborah James. She is a wedding/events coordinator in Ventura, California. She has her own company called Bella Vita Events. The couple has a young son, Noah. In October 2010, Eubanks and his wife put their Westlake Village, CA home on the market.
to host a new game show, The Newlywed Game
, which premiered on ABC
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 run on the air for five years. Only 28 years old when he started hosting, Eubanks became widely popular for bringing a youthful energy to daytime television, pressing contestants into giving embarrassing and hilarious answers. The Newlywed Game was also ranked as one of the top three daytime game shows, for five consecutive years, between 1968 and 1973, and was ranked in the top three 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 as 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 1977–80, 1985–88 and 1997-99. For Series Two of the 2009 GSN
revival, Bob hosted a celebrity charity episode with first host Carnie Wilson
and her husband Rob Bonfiglio playing against Carnie's sister Wendy
and her husband Daniel Knutson, and their mother Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford and her current husband Daniel Rutherford. In spring 2010, Eubanks hosted another episode of The Newlywed Game, subtitled the "Game Show Kings" episode. This episode featured Monty Hall
and his wife Marilyn Hall, Peter Marshall and his wife Laurie Stewart, and Wink Martindale
with his wife Sandy Martindale. This makes him the only person to host the same game show in six different consecutive decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s).
In 1988, Eubanks left the Newlywed Game to pursue other things (even though he was still hosting Card Sharks
on CBS for another 7 months) and was replaced by Paul Rodriguez
and The Newlywed Game began using the 1958 hit Record Book Of Love
by The Monotones
as it's theme song.
, Dream House, The Diamond Head Game
, Trivia Trap
, and Powerball: The Game Show
.
In 1985, Mark Goodson
hired Eubanks, a second time (the first being the aforementioned Trivia Trap), to host a revamped version of the show Card Sharks
for CBS
. Eubanks hosted Card Sharks throughout its CBS run from 1986 until its demise in 1989. Prior to hosting Card Sharks, he appeared as a special guest on the original NBC
version alongside Jim Perry, promoting his 1979 game show All Star Secrets
, which he also produced.
His final network game show was Family Secrets
. In recent years, he has hosted or co-hosted all five of NBC's Most Outrageous Game Show Moments
specials. Eubanks was one of three rotating hosts (along with Chuck Woolery
and Jamie Farr
) of the "$250,000 Game Show Spectacular" at the Las Vegas Hilton
until the show closed in April 2008.
Besides producing Hill-Eubanks's All Star Secrets, the company also produced Guinness Game in 1979-80, Toni Tennille Show in 1980, Buddy Hackett's You Bet Your Life revival in 1980, and Infatuation (which Eubanks also hosted) in 1992. Between 1994 and 1995 Eubanks also travelled to Britain
to host a British version of this series, Infatuation UK, (produced by Thames TV) for UK cable station, Living TV. Eubanks tried acting, but found he was not good at doing lines; he also learned the game show business was far more lucrative and less confining.
at station KRLA 1110 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 and 1965 (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 on Ventura Boulevard
in Studio City, California.
He stood in for Casey Kasem
twice on radio's American Top 40
: January 9–10, 1982 (that year's first regular episode), and April 16–17, 1983.
in the episode "Eyes on the Prize" hosting the game show "Double Trouble." That same year, he also made a cameo in the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
hosting the game show "Ding-Dang-Dong", where he mentioned that the show's contestants stayed at the Plaza Hotel
in New York City
, and also gave the phone number for reservations (which allowed Kevin McCallister
, played by Macaulay Culkin
, to check in).
He has also hosted the Tournament of Roses Parade
on Los Angeles television channel KTLA
since 1976 and with Stephanie Edwards
from 1978–2005. In 2006, Eubanks continued to host with Edwards' replacement, KTLA Morning Show
anchor Michaela Pereira
. Edwards returned to her co-hosting position alongside Eubanks in 2009.
On July 6, 2007, Eubanks sat in as a celebrity "Mob Member" on the NBC game show
1 vs. 100.
His autobiography
, It's in the Book, Bob (ISBN 1-932100-28-8), was published in 2004.
He also appeared on the TV sitcom Kenan & Kel
in the episode "The Honeymoon's Over" in August 1999.
He also appeared on the TV sitcom That '70s Show
in the episode "Eric's Stash" in 2000.
Bob appeared as a guest on GSN Live
on April 4, 2008 and returned on May 18, 2010.
He also appeared on The Amazing Race 17
on December 12, 2010 in the season finale.
'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
anti-Semitic joke about AIDS.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
/radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game is an American television game show that pits newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know each other. The program, originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir The Newlywed Game is an American...
on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee". It was Eubanks who coined the term from the song of the same name, in an attempt to keep parents with young children from the need to explain the facts of life because of a television show. While his network was comfortable with the term "making love", they did not allow the use of the word "panties". Eubanks received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
for his television work in 2000. The star is in front of Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.- History :...
, where Eubanks worked during the first years of his broadcasting career. In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement Emmy award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
.
Early life
Eubanks was born in Flint, MichiganFlint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, but was raised primarily in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, where he grew up listening to music, most notably favorites like Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
. His parents, John and Gertrude (nee McClure), were originally from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. They moved to Flint during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, where their only child was born, before moving on to California. The young boy became a child model, doing photo shoots for ads and meeting his idol, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, when he was scheduled to do an ad photo shoot with him.
He watched popular classic television and quiz game shows. Also growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he was influenced by Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
, Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103...
and Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
. He attended Pasadena High School
Pasadena High School (Pasadena, California)
-History:The school was first established as a district school in 1884 and became Pasadena High School in 1891. In 1928, the school merged into Pasadena Junior College and operated as a four-year school, grades 11, 12, 13 and 14. Pasadena realigned its 6-4-4 school system in 1954 with Pasadena High...
, where he graduated in 1955. After graduation from high school, he would become one of California's most popular disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s. In 1956, his first radio exposure was at KACY Radio in Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
. For most of the 1960s, while working the midday shift at KRLA
KRLA
KRLA is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Glendale, California, USA, it serves the Southern California area. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications.- KIEV :...
in Pasadena, he was also a producer of concerts, such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
1964 and 1965 Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
performances, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, during the first two years of the American tour. While still in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, he also produced such artists as Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, among others.
Personal life
Eubanks married Irma Brown, an avid athlete, ranch forewoman and artist, on September 10, 1969. They had three children: Trace, a retired firefighter; Corey, a stuntman; and Theresa. In 1970, Bob & Irma purchased a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) portion of a working cattle ranch, and later expanded it to 26 acres (105,218.4 m²). The entire family enjoyed roping and riding, with Eubanks participating in rodeos during his spare time. Eubanks is a gold card member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys association. Irma handled interior decorating, landscaping, and mounting one to two equestrian shows a year. Irma died in 2001 after a prolonged illness.At some point after 2001, Bob married Deborah James. She is a wedding/events coordinator in Ventura, California. She has her own company called Bella Vita Events. The couple has a young son, Noah. In October 2010, Eubanks and his wife put their Westlake Village, CA home on the market.
The Newlywed Game and Country Music business
In 1966, he received a phone call from Chuck BarrisChuck Barris
Charles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
to host a new game show, The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game is an American television game show that pits newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know each other. The program, originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir The Newlywed Game is an American...
, which premiered on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
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 run on the air for five years. Only 28 years old when he started hosting, Eubanks became widely popular for bringing a youthful energy to daytime television, pressing contestants into giving embarrassing and hilarious answers. The Newlywed Game was also ranked as one of the top three daytime game shows, for five consecutive years, between 1968 and 1973, and was ranked in the top three 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 as Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
and Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
. 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
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
hosts to date. He also hosted various editions in syndication, from 1977–80, 1985–88 and 1997-99. For Series Two of the 2009 GSN
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
revival, Bob hosted a celebrity charity episode with first host Carnie Wilson
Carnie Wilson
Carnie Wilson is an American singer and television hostess, perhaps best known as a member of the pop music group Wilson Phillips.-Early life and musical career:...
and her husband Rob Bonfiglio playing against Carnie's sister Wendy
Wendy Wilson
Wendy Wilson is an American singer and member of the pop singing trio Wilson Phillips. She is the daughter of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson and his first wife Marilyn, who was a member of girl group The Honeys; and she is the younger sister of Carnie Wilson.Wilson was born in Los Angeles,...
and her husband Daniel Knutson, and their mother Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford and her current husband Daniel Rutherford. In spring 2010, Eubanks hosted another episode of The Newlywed Game, subtitled the "Game Show Kings" episode. This episode featured Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
and his wife Marilyn Hall, Peter Marshall and his wife Laurie Stewart, and Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
with his wife Sandy Martindale. This makes him the only person to host the same game show in six different consecutive decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s).
In 1988, Eubanks left the Newlywed Game to pursue other things (even though he was still hosting Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
on CBS for another 7 months) and was replaced by Paul Rodriguez
Paul Rodríguez
Paul Rodriguez is a Mexican-American stand-up comedian and actor.-Personal life:Rodriguez was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México to Mexican agriculture ranchers.. His family migrated to East Los Angeles, where he enlisted in the military; he was stationed in Iceland and Duluth, Minnesota...
and The Newlywed Game began using the 1958 hit Record Book Of Love
Book of Love
Book of Love was, from 1984 to 1993, a popular synth pop and dance music band, alongside Sire Records labelmates Depeche Mode and Erasure. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also included Ted Ottaviano , Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee.-History:The band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
by The Monotones
The Monotones
The Monotones were a six-member African American doo-wop vocal group in the 1950s. They are considered a one-hit wonder, as their only hit single was "The Book of Love", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1958....
as it's theme song.
Other game shows
After Newlywed Game, he hosted a number of other game shows in his career, including Rhyme and ReasonRhyme and Reason
Rhyme and Reason is an American television game show that aired on ABC from July 7, 1975 through July 9, 1976. Bob Eubanks hosted the show, with Johnny Jacobs serving as announcer.-Gameplay:...
, Dream House, The Diamond Head Game
The Diamond Head Game
The Diamond Head Game is an American game show that aired from January 6 to July 4, 1975 in five-day-a-week syndication. Borrowing its name from a long dormant volcano on the island of Oahu, the series was hosted by Bob Eubanks and assistant Jane Nelson, and is the only game show that was taped...
, Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap
Trivia Trap is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on ABC. The game featured two teams of three contestants each who competed against each other to answer trivia questions in various...
, and Powerball: The Game Show
Powerball: The Game Show
Powerball: The Game Show was a lottery-based game show that aired from October 2000 to September 2002 in some of the jurisdictions that offered the Powerball game...
.
In 1985, Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
hired Eubanks, a second time (the first being the aforementioned Trivia Trap), to host a revamped version of the show Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. Eubanks hosted Card Sharks throughout its CBS run from 1986 until its demise in 1989. Prior to hosting Card Sharks, he appeared as a special guest on the original NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
version alongside Jim Perry, promoting his 1979 game show All Star Secrets
All Star Secrets
All Star Secrets was an NBC daytime game show that aired from January 8 to August 10, 1979. A Hill-Eubanks Production, the show was hosted by co-creator Bob Eubanks and announced first by Charlie O'Donnell, but due to conflicts with his announcing duties on Wheel Of Fortune, he was later replaced...
, which he also produced.
His final network game show was Family Secrets
Family Secrets (game show)
Family Secrets was a daytime game show, running on NBC from March 22 to June 11, 1993. Bob Eubanks hosted, and Orlando-area disc jockey Dean Miuccio announced...
. In recent years, he has hosted or co-hosted all five of NBC's Most Outrageous Game Show Moments
Most Outrageous Moments
Most Outrageous Moments is an NBC clip show showcasing video bloopers and mishaps, and commonly used as a backup program by NBC to fill any timeslots where regular programming did not get any traction in the ratings, or to fill in timeslots between seasons of reality programming...
specials. Eubanks was one of three rotating hosts (along with Chuck Woolery
Chuck Woolery
Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery is an American game show host. He has had long-running tenures hosting several different game shows. He was the original host of Wheel of Fortune from 1975–81, the original incarnation of Love Connection from 1983–94, and Scrabble from 1984–90...
and Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr is an American television, film, and theater actor. He is best known for having played the role of cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in the television sitcom M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
) of the "$250,000 Game Show Spectacular" at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
until the show closed in April 2008.
Besides producing Hill-Eubanks's All Star Secrets, the company also produced Guinness Game in 1979-80, Toni Tennille Show in 1980, Buddy Hackett's You Bet Your Life revival in 1980, and Infatuation (which Eubanks also hosted) in 1992. Between 1994 and 1995 Eubanks also travelled to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to host a British version of this series, Infatuation UK, (produced by Thames TV) for UK cable station, Living TV. Eubanks tried acting, but found he was not good at doing lines; he also learned the game show business was far more lucrative and less confining.
Radio
Prior to entering game shows, Eubanks was a popular radio DJDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at station KRLA 1110 in Los Angeles as well as a music promoter and manager, between 1960 and 1968. He was responsible for bringing The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for their first West Coast performances in 1964 and 1965 (mortgaging his house to do so), all of which took place at the famed Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
, with fellow KRLA DJs Dave Hull
Dave Hull
Dave Hull, aka "The Hullabalooer", is a Los Angeles radio personality voted one of the top ten LA radio personalities of all time. Born Jan. 20, 1934, he admits to being 77 with his personal addition herewith dated Mar. 3, 2011....
and Reb Foster joining Eubanks in introducing them. He also operated the Cinnamon Cinder Club on Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard
Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley, USA; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real , Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S...
in Studio City, California.
He stood in for Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
twice on radio's American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
: January 9–10, 1982 (that year's first regular episode), and April 16–17, 1983.
Other appearances
In 1992, Bob appeared on the TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
in the episode "Eyes on the Prize" hosting the game show "Double Trouble." That same year, he also made a cameo in the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while...
hosting the game show "Ding-Dang-Dong", where he mentioned that the show's contestants stayed at the Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and also gave the phone number for reservations (which allowed Kevin McCallister
Kevin McCallister
Kevin McCallister is the main protagonist from the films Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Home Alone 4 in the Home Alone franchise. Kevin is played by Macaulay Culkin in the first two films, but in Home Alone 4, Kevin is played by Mike Weinberg. Kevin is not featured in Home Alone 3,...
, played by Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
, to check in).
He has also hosted the Tournament of Roses Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
on Los Angeles television channel KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
since 1976 and with Stephanie Edwards
Stephanie Edwards (TV personality)
Stephanie Ann Edwards is an American actress and television personality.-Career:Born in Kenyon, Minnesota, Edwards began her career as an actress, but became widely known as an on-air personality in the 1970s. She co-hosted ABC-TV's AM America jointly with Bill Beutel, the program was the...
from 1978–2005. In 2006, Eubanks continued to host with Edwards' replacement, KTLA Morning Show
KTLA Morning Show
The KTLA Morning News is a morning television newscast airing on CW affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles, California. The program is broadcast weekday mornings from 4:30-10 a.m. The 4:30-7 a.m. portion is a general news/traffic/weather format; the 7-10 a.m. portion also features news, traffic and...
anchor Michaela Pereira
Michaela Pereira
Michaela Pereira is a Canadian television personality best known as being an anchor for KTLA in Los Angeles.- Biography :...
. Edwards returned to her co-hosting position alongside Eubanks in 2009.
On July 6, 2007, Eubanks sat in as a celebrity "Mob Member" on the NBC game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
1 vs. 100.
His autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, It's in the Book, Bob (ISBN 1-932100-28-8), was published in 2004.
He also appeared on the TV sitcom Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel is an American teen sitcom produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-two episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four...
in the episode "The Honeymoon's Over" in August 1999.
He also appeared on the TV sitcom That '70s Show
That '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
in the episode "Eric's Stash" in 2000.
Bob appeared as a guest on GSN Live
GSN Live
GSN Live is an American live interactive show on Game Show Network that premiered on February 25, 2008 at noon ET and officially ended its 3 year run on July 29, 2011. The last "live" edition aired May 13, 2011...
on April 4, 2008 and returned on May 18, 2010.
He also appeared on The Amazing Race 17
The Amazing Race 17
The Amazing Race 17 is the seventeenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 17 features 11 teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
on December 12, 2010 in the season finale.
Controversy
He appeared in Michael MooreMichael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
's 1989 documentary Roger & Me
Roger & Me
Roger & Me is a 1989 American documentary film directed by Michael Moore. Moore portrays the regional negative economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's summary action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan, costing 30,000 people their jobs at the time and economically...
. The film documented Moore's attempts to track General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Roger Smith
Roger Bonham Smith
Roger Bonham Smith was the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation from 1981 to 1990, and is widely known as the main subject of Michael Moore's 1989 documentary film Roger & Me....
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
Off-color humor
The term off-color humor is an Americanism used to describe jokes, prose, poems, black comedy, blue comedy, insult comedy, cringe comedy and skits that deal with topics that are considered to be in poor taste or overly vulgar by the prevailing morality of a culture...
anti-Semitic joke about AIDS.