The Cast of Press Your Luck

Peter Tomarken

Press Your Luck was by far the role that made Peter Tomarken most famous, but it was not his first hosting job.  Peter got his break in early 1983 as the host of the kooky but well-loved Jay Wolpert production Hit Man, in which contestants watched films and then answered questions about them.  Following Press Your Luck's cancellation in 1986, Peter went on to host the abysmal Bargain Hunters, which he was once quoted as calling (quite correctly) "a piece of ****."  Bargain Hunters was a Price is Right rip-off, featuring price guessing games as well as boring home shopping segments.  Following that disaster, Peter hosted the unique game Wipeout in 1988, which, although lasting only one year in the U.S., enjoyed successful, longer runs in Germany, Spain, England, and Australia. 

Peter was absent from the game show scene again until 1994's launch of the Game Show Network.  Peter hosted a live game nightly called Decades, in which home players phoned in to the network to win prizes.  Decades was interspersed between classic game show reruns such as Family Feud and What's My Line.  Peter left GSN in 1997, and his last hosting job was in Spring, 2000 on Fox Family Channel's Paranoia.  Paranoia was yet another in a line of "big money" game show failures, but was unique in the fact that it aired live and allowed home players to win in their own living rooms, on the phone, and on the Internet.  In addition to his hosting roles, Peter was involved in an ad campaign for Ameritrade, an online stock brokerage. 

In 2003, Peter hosted the popular GSN documentary "Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal", dealing with Michael Larsen's amazing run at the Press Your Luck board.  He also hosted a round of "Whammy: The All New Press Your Luck" during the second season of that show.

Sadly, Peter died in plane crash on March, 2006, an accident which also claimed the life of his wife.  View a tribute to Peter here.

Rod Roddy

Rod Roddy has been a successful television announcer for over 25 years.  Following a career in radio, Rod got his break on television as the announcer for the hilarious satire Soap, seen on ABC from 1977-1981.  Rod's first announcing job came on Whew! in 1979, followed by Battlestars in 1981.  Soon after he teamed up with Peter for Hit Man in 1983.  While he was announcing Press Your Luck, he could also be heard as the voice of Dream House (1983-1984) and a test week of Newlywed Game hosted (poorly) by Jim Lange (1984). 

However, the role that made Roddy a household name was as the announcer on Price is Right.  Following the passing of Johnny Olsen in 1985, Price is Right held on-air auditions for new announcers.  Greats such as Bob Hilton, Gene Wood, and Charlie Tuna all tried out, but Roddy became the permanent yeller of "C'mon Down!" in 1986.  Soon after he started on Price is Right, Roddy became famous for wearing outlandish outfits from Thailand that were huge hits with the audience. 

Rod passed away in 2003 and left behind a legacy of over 25 years in television.