Frank Wayne (born Rocco Francis Rossi Jr.; July 9, 1917 – March 18, 1988) was an American game show producer and host. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was also associated with

Mark Goodson Productions Mark Leo Goodson (January 14, 1915 – December 18, 1992) was an American television producer who specialized in game shows, most frequently with his business partner Bill Todman, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions. Early life and ea ...

Biography

Wayne was the original executive producer of the current incarnation of ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...

'' from its 1972 premiere until his death in 1988. He created the show's most popular pricing game,

Plinko __NOTOC__ Pricing games are featured on the current version of the American game show ''The Price Is Right''. The contestant from Contestants' Row who bids closest to the price of a prize without going over wins the prize and has the chance to w ...

, and many others. Both of his sons, Philip Wayne Rossi and Mark Wayne, also worked on ''Price''. Wayne is also credited with creating '' The Match Game'' in 1962 and '' Now You See It'' in 1974 for

Mark Goodson Mark Leo Goodson (January 14, 1915 – December 18, 1992) was an American television producer who specialized in game shows, most frequently with his business partner Bill Todman, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions. Early life and e ...

–

Bill Todman William Selden Todman (July 31, 1916 – July 29, 1979) was an American television producer and personality born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest-running shows with business partner Mark Goodson, with whom he created ...

Productions. He filled in for

Bud Collyer Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., June 18, 1908 – September 8, 1969) was an American radio actor and announcer and game show host who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars. He is best remembered for ...

on ''

Beat the Clock ''Beat the Clock'' is an American television game show that involves people trying to complete challenges to win prizes while faced with a time limit. The show was a creation of Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The show began on radio as ' ...

'' in Summer 1953 while a writer/stunt creator on the show, then later became the show's producer. As an independent producer, Wayne created and produced ''Laugh Line'', a game show hosted by Dick Van Dyke. On March 18, 1988, Wayne died in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. After Wayne's death, former longtime host Bob Barker became the executive producer of ''

'', holding the title until his 2007 retirement. According to producer Roger Dobkowitz, "When Frank Wayne passed on, Bob became the official Executive Producer of the show. However, in reality, Bob was the de facto executive producer since the '70s... he just didn't have the title. In other words, Bob basically went along with what the producers wanted... but he had veto power. If Bob wanted something done, the show would do it. Please don't get the wrong impression... Bob was not interested in taking over the show... he just wanted some things done a certain way that he felt important to make the show better and his performance better. During the years after Frank died, he let Phil Wayne and me run the show. Then after Phil left, I was the sole producer. I had much leeway in doing things... I just had to check them out with Bob first (new games, set changes, etc.). Bob's office was his dressing room... we would confer there either before or after the show." Upon his death, a short tribute was recorded by Barker, which aired after an episode of ''The Price is Right'' as an attached segment that followed the end credits: Following is a message saying "Frank Wayne July 9, 1917-March 18, 1988."

Notes

1917 births 1988 deaths American game show hosts Television producers from Massachusetts Businesspeople from Boston 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-tv-bio-stub