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Janice Maurine Pennington (born July 8, 1942 in Seattle, Washington) is a former American model, actress and author. She is best known for being one of the original and the longest-serving Barker's Beauty on The Price is Right up to date: September 4, 1972 (series premiere)-December 13, 2000,

Early life and career[]

A native of Seattle, Washington, at the age of 19, Pennington landed her first job as a dancer was at the Seattle World's Fair. From there, she traveled to Las Vegas, where she worked as a dancer and showgirl with such show-business legends as Jimmy Durante and the late Eddie Fisher.

At just 23 years of age, she flew to New York to pursue a modeling career. There, she had signed with the famous Eileen Ford Agency and fashion photography and television commercials ensued. Pennington has appeared in over seventy commercials for such products as Dove, Chrysler, Max Factor, Whirlpool and Anacin.

Also while in New York, she formed a rock group called "The Models", which traveled to Europe with Liza Minnelli and performed at the Olympia Theater as one of Minnelli's opening acts. She was signed to the MGM Records label and recorded the famous song "Bend Me, Shape Me". Industrial films and small budget movies became a part of her growing career. For two years, she worked as an actress and a cast-mate of Orson Welles in his last film, The Other Side Of The Wind, with such notables as Dennis Hopper, John Huston, Peter Bogdanavich and other famous stars.

Pennington likewise appeared in many such episodic TV series as Ironside, The Courtship Of Eddie's Father, starring Bill Bixby and Lucas Tanner, in addition to appearing in cameo roles on other television series. She likewise acted alongside Elliot Gould in the film I Love My Wife. Moreover, she performed as an entertainer on variety shows like Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, the Bob Hope television specials and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. During her tenures on those shows, she worked with Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett, among others.

In 1969, she became one of the regulars on the hit variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, as mentioned above, after actress Goldie Hawn decided to leave and part ways with the series.

The Price Is Right[]

In late August 1972, Pennington was hired to shoot the pilot for a planned revival of the CBS television game show The Price is Right (previously hosted by Bill Cullen from 1956-1965 on NBC and then ABC) which Bob Barker, who had been hosting Truth or Consequences since late 1956, was slated to be the new host.

On (airdate) September 4, 1972, The Price is Right made its nationwide debut at 10:30am on CBS, and the show immediately became ratings gold. At the start of more than 6,000 shows, Pennington handed Barker his microphone in the show's intro (Anitra Ford handed Barker the microphone on the series premiere episode in 1972, as she was partially seen on-camera while Pennington modeled the very first item up for bids which was a Fur Coat). She also handed off the microphone to Dennis James during his tenure on the syndicated nighttime version show from 1972 until his dismissal in 1977 (with Barker taking over until its end and cancellation in September of 1980), and also Tom Kennedy on the 1985-1986 syndicated version (Dian Parkinson handed Kennedy the mic on one show from 1985 while Pennington modeled the first item up for bids which was an Evening Gown) for the entire run.

On the (airdate) May 14, 1976, daytime episode, a special showcase was presented titled Janice Pennington, This is Your Strife. The showcase featured prizes (and clips) with which Pennington had had some mishaps: the Pop-Up bar that had refused to pop up, the overstuffed refrigerator that had nearly fallen on her, and a convertible whose bumper she had nearly crashed when driving it out on stage for the Lucky Seven game (Dian Parkinson drove the car out on stage during the actual showcase). During the rehearsal of that show, the staff actually rehearsed a fake showcase so that Pennington would have no clue on what was happening.

On a syndicated episode of The Price is Right that same year, during the Cliff Hangers Game, host Dennis James, had referred to the mountain climber as "Fritz." He was not aware of Pennington's heartbreaking personal crisis (detailed below) as her then second husband, Fritz Stammberger, had disappeared while mountain climbing in Afghanistan in the mid 1970’s. The contestant who had played Cliff Hangers had lost the game as the mountain climber tumbled off the cliff and James shouted, "There goes Fritz!" which sent an upset Pennington running backstage in tears. She did not appear on-camera or on air for the remainder of that show. (Dennis was actually referring to famous mountain climber Fritz Wiessner.) Dennis felt terrible about the incident and apologized to Janice and both put the incident behind them. This unfortunate incident marked first time Cliff Hangers would be played on the syndicated version during James' tenure (the game would be played many times through out its run and up until the series finale episode in September of 1980 with Bob Barker). This incident is also to be believed as to why Pennington was never present onstage with the game, modeling the three smaller prizes on the daytime version, with the exception of one time in November 1993.

The serious injury on The Price Is Right set and litigation[]

In June 1988 (airdate: October 7th), Pennington suffered a serious injury after a cameraman swung his camera in the wrong direction during the opening sequence. The camera struck Pennington, knocking her off the stage and into the audience area, leaving her unconscious in front of horrified audience members. She was badly injured and was immediately rushed to the hospital for surgery.

The production of this taping was stopped for almost an hour, until the staff was assured that Pennington would survive. The taping finally resumed with only Holly Hallstrom and Dian Parkinson modeling (with Hallstrom passing the microphone to Bob Barker in the intro). Over the next several weeks while Pennington recovered from her injuries, substitute model Kyle Aletter filled in for her until she was well enough to return to the series.

Pennington made her much-awaited return to the show come mid-November and although she made a full recovery, she could no longer wear swimsuits as her surgeries left some damaging scars and one shoulder shorter than the other. Later come February 1989, Pennington filed suit against CBS, citing negligence.

The case went to trial, and in March 1992, a jury awarded her $1.3 million for injuries she sustained on the set of The Price is Right.

Her talk show and Husband, Lover, Spy[]

During the 1991-1992 TV season, Pennington hosted a weekly half-hour talk show called Breaking In where she revealed the real Hollywood, the stars and the stars behind the stars. She taped and broadcasted 45 shows.

In May 1992, Pennington took a leave of absence from The Price is Right and it was during this time period that she flew to Russia to investigate more into the disappearance of her second husband, Fritz Stammberger and it was there she learned that he was helping the CIA establish mountain bases along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and in 1984, Fritz died during a battle with ISSR (Information Systems Security Representative) forces. Finally able to find closure, Pennington returned to the United States and to the set of Price as well (airdate: May 27th).

In her spare time, Pennington was hard at work writing a book detailing her struggles and her determination to find out what happened to her missing husband. The book was titled Husband, Lover, Spy: A True Story which she publicly released in early January of 1994. She has discussed the book with Bob Barker several times on The Price is Right and also, copies of the book were offered as a prize on the show.

Other TV appearances[]

In 1968, Pennington appeared on an episode of To Tell the Truth hosted by the late Bud Collyer (along with her former first husband Glenn Jacobson) where she was the subject while her husband acted as a central character. In the same year, she appeared in a commercial for the tortilla chips brand Doritos where she was on the beach.

In 1970, Pennington played as a wife on an episode of the crime drama series Ironside called "Noel's Gonna Fly".

In 1971, Pennington appeared as a guest performer on the sketch comedy series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

In 1972, the same year The New Price is Right debuted on CBS, Pennington appeared on an episode of the revival of I've Got a Secret hosted by Steve Allen, where she was getting her body painted by future late Match Game panelist Charles Nelson Reilly.

In 1974, Pennington appeared in an episode of the drama series Lucas Tanner titled "Merry Gentlemen" as Lottie Garland.

In the mid-1970s, Pennington once appeared as a celebrity panelist on Match Game, hosted by Gene Rayburn and announced by Johnny Olson, appearing the same week with original Price is Right host Bill Cullen (Anitra Ford has also appeared on the series that same year while Bob Barker and Holly Hallstrom have appeared occasionally as panelists).

In 1977, Pennington appeared in a made-for-TV movie Playboy's Playmate Party.

In 1980 (Originally December 2nd), Pennington appeared on an episode of the entertainment news magazine show Hour Magazine.

In 1985, Pennington appeared in a made-for-TV movie Playboy Mid Summer Night's Dream Party.

In 1986, Pennington appeared as a guest on the local talk show People Are Talking where she discusses about doing films, posing for Playboy and writing her book Husband, Lover, Spy: A True Story.

In January, April & May of 1987, Pennington, along with Dian Parkinson & Bob Barker, appeared as panelists on The New Hollywood Squares hosted by John Davidson (Pennington & Parkinson shared a square while Barker had his own square. Pennington & Parkinson would appear together two more times but without Barker. additionally, a video clip of Barker appeared as himself wearing a 10-gallon hat in order to deliver a question in a later episode).

In 1989, Pennington appeared on an episode of the short-lived syndicated game show Couch Potatoes hosted by Marc Summers in order to deliver a question.

In 1990, Pennington appeared as a Stooges Infomercial host in a TV special Disorder in the court: A 60th Anniversary Tribute to the Stooges.

In 1991, and again in 1993, Pennington appeared with Barker and the cast of The Price is Right, with Bob serving as team captain as they faced off against the cast of the CBS soap The Young and The Restless, with future Price host Doug Davidson serving as their team captain in a Soap Stars vs Barker's Beauties special on Family Feud during the hosting tenure of the late Ray Combs (on one show in 1993, Pennington herself scored four out of the five top answers in the Fast Money Round which resulted in her scoring 200 points for the Price team winning $7,000 for charity).

In 1994, Pennington appeared as a guest on the short-lived syndicated talk show The Suzanne Somers Show.

In May 1996, Pennington and announcer Rod Roddy appeared as guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in a special game show-themed episode titled "Oprah's Wild World of Game Shows." They appeared on the show alongside fellow game show greats Wink Martindale, Peter Marshall, Chuck Barris, and Peter Tomarken (Prior to his Price is Right debut, Roddy was the announcer of the original Press Your Luck which the late Tomarken had hosted from 1983 until 1986).

In September 1996, Pennington appeared on an episode of the short-lived syndicated talk show called Gordon (The Gordon Elliott Show) as a paid tribute to the former host of Price Bob Barker along with clips of his co-star of the classic sports comedy film Happy Gilmore Adam Sandler (comedic actor) and the former late creator/host of the classic game show Let's Make a Deal Monty Hall.

On January 18, 1997, Pennington appeared on an episode of the entertainment news magazine show Access Hollywood in a segment called "daytime television". In the same year, Pennington and announcer Rod Roddy appeared as guests on a episode of the short-lived game show on The Family Channel (Formerly CBN/Christian Broadcasting Network, then FOX Family, later ABC Family and now Freeform) called It Takes Two (a reboot of the short-lived 1969-70 NBC daytime game show formerly hosted by the late Vin Scully) hosted by the late Dick Clark and was announced by fellow substitute & Davidson-era Price announcer Burton Richardson. Additionally, a prop from the pricing game One Right Price was used for the segment to reveal the correct answer along with a final "Brainteaser" question that was also related to Price where only Pennington herself appears solo this time around.

In 1998, Pennington appeared on an episode of the CBS action-adventure comedy series Martial Law titled "Shanghai Express" alongside fellow Barker's Beauties, Kathleen Bradley and Chantel Dubay (a year prior to her leaving the show), host Bob Barker and announcer Rod Roddy (this was a brief appearance). It originally aired on September 26th, serving as the very first episode of the series.

In 1999, she was interviewed for A&E's Biography about Bob Barker called Bob Barker: Master of Ceremonies (producers Roger Dobkowitz & Phillip Wayne Rossi also took part of this documentary).

In March 2001, a few months after she was abruptly dismissed from The Price is Right, Pennington resurfaced as she co-hosted a special Green Ball Awards show ceremony alongside famed Game Show Host Todd Newton, known for his hosting duties on the PAX/GSN trivia game show Hollywood Showdown, the GSN original series Whammy: The All-New Press Your Luck (later shortened to Whammy! in 2003) as well as being the voice-over host of the 2005 Price is Right DVD Game and The Price is Right Live! stage shows. The special aired on the Game Show Network (or GSN) as it showcase clips and handing out awards to some of the most memorable and wackiest moments in all of game show history.

Ironically, the special did not include any clips or memorable and wacky moments from The Price is Right. This was believed to have been Pennington's last televised appearance.

In 2002, Pennington appeared in the The E! True Hollywood Story episode about The Price is Right where she was being interviewed about her time on the show.

After 23 years, in 2023, Pennington appeared on Entertainment Tonight (ET) for an interview in order to give her thoughts about Bob Barker's passing (who has died on August 26, 2023 due to "natural causes").

Other Appearances[]

In 1970, Pennington played Nurse Cynthia in the comedy movie I Love My Wife.

In 1992, Pennington appeared in the VHS documentary Playboy Playmates: The Early Years.

In 2020, Pennington appeared in the documentary film Hopper/Wells about two legendary film actors Dennis Hopper & Orson Wells.

Price is Right Departure & Lawsuit[]

In 2000, Pennington's world was rocked by some devastating and heart-shattering news.

After having been with The Price is Right for 28 years and over 6,300 shows, she was abruptly and unjustifiably dismissed from the series. Fellow model Kathleen Bradley (since December 1990 officially) and several of the show's staffers (Linda Riegert, Sherrill Paris, Sharon Friem and director Paul Alter) were also terminated that day. Though no reason was ever given for their dismissal, it was believed that both Pennington and Bradley refused to testify against ex-Barker's Beauty Holly Hallstrom, who was abruptly dismissed back in October 1995 in her wrongful termination suit against Bob Barker and as a result, both ladies were dismissed from their modeling duties.

Neither Pennington nor Bradley were given a proper formal send-off from the show as their unannounced final appearances aired on December 13th (the next day until sometime in 2002, Nikki Ziering assumed the duties of handing Barker his microphone at the start of each show) which left die-hard fans of the show angry and outraged. There was more hurt and anger over Pennington's abrupt dismissal, due to her longevity with the series, dating back to its September 4, 1972 premiere. Shortly after their firings, Pennington and Bradley both sued for wrongful termination but later settled out of court for undisclosed amounts.

Pennington's settlement contained a hush clause in which she was prohibited from publicly out speaking against Bob Barker for possibly legal reasons (However, she later stated in a Myspace post in 2002 that she & Bradley were let go by CBS, rather than Barker himself). Bradley's settlement on the other hand, did NOT contain a hush clause and has gone on record stating that her termination was "abrupt" and unjustifiable, "unexpected" and as an event that she wasn't prepared for. As for former production assistant (and one-time substitute model) Sharon Friem, she too filed suit against for wrongful termination and in addition to her court claims, she also sued for sexual harassment, revealing that she became a target of many inappropriate sexual remarks and gestures.

Barker's former staff assistant Sherrill Paris also sued for wrongful termination against him but both she and Friem later received financial settlements to drop theirs cases against. Linda Riegert's case was rumored to have come out the same as Paris' and Friem's but for Paul Alter however, he was able to briefly regain his position and employment on The Price is Right in early 2001, remaining until his retirement.

Personal life[]

Pennington has married three times. She was first married to a man named Glen Jacobson in 1964, they divorced in 1973.

The following year, she married her second husband, Fritz Stammberger on May 12, 1974. The very next year, as stated above, Fritz disappeared while mountain climbing in Afghanistan in 1975. He was declared legally dead in the early 1980s.

Today, Pennington is married to famed writer Carlos De Abreu, since April 20, 1984 (36 years of wedded bliss).

Trivia[]

Pennington posed nude for the cameras of Playboy magazine, appearing in the May 1971 issue (several other Barker's Beauties have also posed nude for the popular men's magazine including Dian Parkinson, Nikki Ziering, Cynthia Brimhall, Heather Kozar, Teri Harrison and Gena Lee Nolin).

Her younger sister, Ann, occasionally appeared as a substitute model on the syndicated version of Price (most likely during Dennis James' tenure on the show) and later went on to appear as one of the two card dealers on the 1978-1981 version of Card Sharks, in its first year on NBC, the series was hosted by the late Jim Perry.

Pennington also jointly founded the Hollywood Film Festival with her most recent husband, Carlos De Abreu, in which they are still actively involved in to this present day.

Gallery[]

(Pennington on The Price is Right, during her 28 years as the longest-running model to date in the years of 1972-2000).

Pennington on To Tell the Truth (1968)[]

Pennington on I've Got a Secret (1972)[]

Pennington on Match Game (1976)[]

Pennington on Family Feud (Combs)[]

1991[]

1993[]

Pennington at the Green Ball Awards (2001)[]

Link[]

Janice Pennington picture site

YouTube Videos[]

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