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Bob Barker

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Bob Barker guest hosting WWE Raw on September 7, 2009 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois

Born Robert William Barker

December 12, 1923 (age 89)

Darrington, Washington, U.S.

Occupation Game show host

Years active 1950–2007

Spouse(s) Dorothy Jo Gideon

(m.1945-1981; her death)

Robert William "Bob" Barker (born December 12, 1923) is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.[1]

Born in Washington state to modest circumstances, Barker enlisted in the United States Navy on the outbreak of World War II. Barker worked part-time in radio while he attended college. In 1950, Barker moved to California in order to pursue a career in broadcasting. He was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for the next six years out of Burbank.[2] Barker began his game show career in 1956, hosting Truth or Consequences. From there, he hosted various game shows as well as the Miss Universe pageants. Eventually, he hosted The Price Is Right, beginning in 1972. When his wife Dorothy Jo died, Barker became an advocate for animal rights. Since then, Barker has been a long-time supporter of animal rights, and of animal-rights activism, including groups such as the United Activists for Animal Rights and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In 2007, Barker retired from hosting The Price Is Right after celebrating his 50-year career on television.

Born as Robert Barker in the Indian Census Roll, 1930

Barker was born in Darrington, Washington, and spent most of his youth on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885–1940, list Barker as an official member of the Sioux tribe.[3][4][5] His mother, Matilda ("Tillie") Valandra (née Matilda Kent Tarleton), was a school teacher; his father, Byron John Barker, was the foreman on the electrical high line through the state of Washington. Barker is 1/8 Sioux.[6] While in Washington, his father fell from a tower and sustained an injury which resulted in his death in 1929. Barker has a half-brother, Kent Valandra, from Matilda's subsequent re-marriage. In 1931, the family moved to Springfield, Missouri, where Barker graduated from Central High School in 1941.

Barker attended Drury College (now Drury University) in Springfield, on a basketball scholarship. He was a member of the Epsilon Beta Chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity at Drury. On the outbreak of World War II, Barker served in the United States Navy as a fighter pilot. However, the war ended before he was assigned to a seagoing squadron. After the war, he returned to Drury to finish his education, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in economics.

Broadcasting Career

While attending college in Drury, Barker worked his first "media job", at KTTS-FM Radio, in Springfield. He left Springfield and worked at a radio station in Florida.[where?] In 1950, Barker moved to California in order to pursue a career in broadcasting. He was given his own radio show, The Bob Barker Show, which ran for the next six years out of Burbank.[2] He was hosting an audience-participation radio show on KNX (AM) in Los Angeles when game show producer Ralph Edwards happened to be listening and liked Barker's voice and style.

Game show career

Truth or Consequences (1956–1975)

Bob Barker in Truth or Consequences, circa 1958

Barker started hosting Truth or Consequences on December 31, 1956 and would continue with the program until 1975. The idea was to mix the original quiz element of game shows with wacky stunts. On the show, people had to answer a trivia question correctly (usually an off-the-wall question that no one would be able to answer correctly) before "Beulah the Buzzer" was sounded. If the contestant could not complete the "Truth" portion, there would be "Consequences", usually a zany and embarrassing stunt. If the contestant could answer the question, invariably, the question had a second part. In addition, during Barker's run as host, "Barker's Box" was played. Barker's Box was a box with four drawers in it. If a contestant was able to pick all three drawers with money inside before picking the empty drawer, he or she won a bonus prize.

In various broadcasts, the stunts on the program included a popular, but emotional, heart-rending surprise for a contestant, that being the reunion with a long-lost relative or with an enlisted son or daughter returning from military duty overseas, particularly Vietnam.

It was on Truth or Consequences that the salute became his trademark sign-off; he ended each episode with "Bob Barker saying goodbye, and hoping all your consequences are happy ones!"

End of the Rainbow (1957–1958)

On December 4, 1957, Barker began hosting a new Ralph Edwards creation, the short-lived End of the Rainbow for NBC. On this show (similar to Barker's Truth or Consequences and Edwards' This Is Your Life), he and co-host Art Baker went out to various places in America and surprised the less-fortunate who helped others when they could barely help themselves.

For example, the first episode featured a Minneapolis grocer who, in return for his community service, was given a complete makeover to his store plus new furniture and appliances for his home. In addition, his landlord (who was in on the surprise) announced that the current month's rent was free and that the grocer's rent would never increase.

The Family Game (1967)

In 1967, Barker hosted the short-lived game show The Family Game for Chuck Barris, where he would ask children contestants questions about their families' lives, and the parents had to guess how they answered, similar in fashion to The Newlywed Game.

Simon Says (1971)

In 1971, Barker was tapped to host a pilot for NBC entitled Simon Says, which required him to interact with a giant computer called "Simon" in Let's Make A Deal-style "trades". The pilot was produced by Wesley J. Cox of DUNDAS Productions, and its theme was "The Savers" (the theme used on The Joker's Wild, which has led some to believe that Cox or DUNDAS was an alias for Jack Barry or Dan Enright, since Joker used the theme in its original 1968 pilot). There is at least one (somewhat low-quality) clip of the pilot on the video sharing website YouTube.[7]

That's My Line (1980–1981)

In 1980, Barker hosted a series called That's My Line for Goodson-Todman. The series was not a game show, but rather a program along the lines of Real People and That's Incredible! The show's second season in 1981 focused more on unusual stunts, and was cancelled in September.

The Price Is Right (1972–2007)

Bob Barker in 1975

On September 4, 1972, Barker began hosting the CBS revival of The Price Is Right. In the 35 years of the CBS version, he has become far more associated with the series than first host Bill Cullen was with the 1956–1965 original. In September 1977, he hosted the last three seasons of the syndicated nighttime version, originally hosted by Dennis James.

On October 15, 1987, Barker did what other MCs almost never did: renounced hair dye and allowed his hair to turn gray. Fellow hosts Monty Hall, Alex Trebek, and Richard Dawson would do the same in the late 1980s.

Barker took over the role of executive producer for the show in 1988, following the death of the original executive producer, Frank Wayne. In this capacity, Barker created several pricing games, instituted a prohibition on foreign cars and animal-based products (see "Animal rights" below), and launched a prime-time series of specials known as The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular.

In 2006, The Price Is Right marked its 35th consecutive year on the air. It is the longest-running game show of all time in North America, and at the time was the last surviving show in the daytime game show genre, having survived (at the time) twelve years after its last competitor had been canceled. (CBS would later revive daytime game shows in 2009). Overall, in daytime programming (excluding Saturday and Sunday), The Price Is Right is ranked sixth among the longest-continuing daytime television programs (NBC's Today ranks the longest, followed by four daytime soap operas: Guiding Light, As the World Turns, General Hospital, and Days of our Lives), and moved into fifth in September 2009 after Guiding Light aired its final episode on CBS. It has won its time slot (11:00 a.m. Eastern) for the past 25 years with its closest competitor (currently ABC's The View) normally getting about half of TPIR's ratings.

Wikinews has related news: Bob Barker to retire as host of U.S. gameshow The Price Is Right

On October 31, 2006, Barker made his announcement that he would retire from The Price Is Right in June 2007.[8] However, Barker has revealed that FremantleMedia, the company that owns the show, had been looking for a successor in the last two to three years, and also that he had considered retirement for a while, but he had so much fun that he continued to do the show. He taped his final episode on June 6, 2007, with the show airing twice on June 15. The first airing was in the show's normal daytime slot and the second airing was in primetime as the lead-in to the Daytime Emmy Awards. Repeat episodes from Barker's final season continued to air until October 12, 2007, ending with a repeat of his final episode. On July 23 it was announced that comedian Drew Carey would take Barker's place as the new host for the show beginning on October 15, 2007.

During Barker's tenure as host, three pricing games were introduced that used his name: Barker's Bargain Bar, Barker's Markers and Trader Bob. Of the three, none are actively played on the show – Trader Bob was retired from the show in 1985, Barker's Marker$ was renamed Make Your Mark following Barker's retirement, and subsequently retired, and Barker's Bargain Bar has been retooled as the Bargain Game after a four-year hiatus between 2008 and 2012.

Barker made a guest appearance on the show for an episode that aired on April 16, 2009 to promote his new autobiography, Priceless Memories. He appeared in the Showcase round at the end of the show.[9]

Personal life

Barker married his high-school sweetheart Dorothy Jo Gideon on January 12, 1945. They remained married for 36 years until her death on October 19, 1981 of lung cancer. They had no children, and Barker has not remarried. However, he was involved in a relationship with Price model Dian Parkinson from 1989 to 1991, which ended in legal action.

Animal rights

Barker became a vegetarian in 1979. That same year, he began promoting animal rights. He was named national spokesman for "Be Kind to Animals Week" in May 1985. On A&E's Biography program, he credited his wife, Dorothy Jo, with causing him to become more aware of animal rights and becoming a vegetarian, because she had done so. Bob remarked that Dorothy Jo was way ahead of her time as far as animal rights were concerned and that shortly after her death in October, 1981, he took up animal rights in order to keep doing something that she had done.

Barker began ending some episodes (later every episode) of The Price Is Right with the phrase: "Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered." After he retired, Drew Carey continued his signature sign-off advocating neutering. Fellow game show hosts Jack Barry and Bert Convy eventually followed Barker's lead in promoting animal rights on the air.[10]

Barker hosted the Miss USA/Universe Pageants from 1967 to 1987. In 1987, he requested the removal of fur prizes and stepped down as host when those in charge of the pageant refused.[10]

Bob Barker's DJ&T Foundation, founded in 1994 and named after his wife and mother, has contributed millions of dollars for animal neutering programs[11] and to fund animal rescue and park facilities all over the United States. He worked closely with Betty White as an advocate for animal rights.[10][12] However in 2009, reports indicated that Barker threatened to not attend the 2009 Game Show Awards (but was seen in the audience), where he was to receive a lifetime achievement award, because White would be attending. The reason for the conflict, according to the report, was over the proper treatment of an elephant at the Los Angeles Zoo. White instead did not attend and pre-recorded her comments that she was scheduled to make about Mark Goodson.[13]

In 2004, Barker donated $1 million to Columbia University School of Law to support the study of animal rights.[14] The gift has funded an adjunct professorship in animal rights law at Columbia and helped fund a student clinic in environmental law.

Barker also supported United Activists for Animal Rights, and together with the group, publicly accused several media projects and the American Humane Association of animal mistreatment or the condoning of animal mistreatment, a tactic which resulted in a major lawsuit against him and the group, accusing him of spurious allegations.[15]

In June 2009, Barker wrote Chief Michell Hicks of the Cherokee asking that their reservation's bear exhibit be closed.[16] On July 28, 2009, he visited the reservation and saw one of the three zoos, calling the bears' living situation "inhumane". PETA set up the visit after Barker heard from Florida congressman Bill Young, whose wife had been "appalled" by what she saw. Annette Tarnowski, the tribe's attorney general, said a federal inspector had found nothing wrong in May 2009 at two of the zoos, and that the tribe had dealt with the few violations at the third. Hicks made no promises and threatened to ban PETA if they made more trouble.[17]

In January 2010, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society announced that it had secretly purchased and outfitted a ship to interdict Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean using $5,000,000 provided by Barker. The ship was then named the MY Bob Barker, and its existence was first revealed when it helped discover the location of the Japanese whaling fleet.[18] In 2010, Barker began funding the cost of a helicopter, named the Nancy Burnet (after the president of United Activists for Animal Rights); the helicopter accompanies the society's fleet.[19]

In March 2010, PETA announced that it received a $2.5 million donation from Barker to help establish a new office in Los Angeles.[20] PETA officially opened the Bob Barker Building on Sunset Boulevard in 2012.[21]

TV longevity records

Barker set a longevity record as holding a weekday TV job continuously for 51 years, which included his years on Truth or Consequences. Only sportscaster Vin Scully, who is four years younger than Barker, and farm broadcaster Orion Samuelson, who is ten years younger, have held a job longer than Barker in the American entertainment industry.

Barker has also had the second-longest run as the host of a single entertainment broadcast show (sports excluded), a few months short of Don McNeill, who spent 35½ years as host of Don McNeill's Breakfast Club.

Barker, who was 83½ years old at the time of his retirement, holds the record of being the oldest man ever to host a regularly scheduled television game show and the oldest man ever to host a weekday television program since the inception of American network television. Barker also hosted or appeared on a five-day-a-week television program longer than anyone else in the history of television.

Film and other TV appearances

In 1996, Barker played himself in the Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore. In one scene, Barker beats up Gilmore after an altercation arising from their teaming up in a Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Barker reportedly took the role after learning that he would win the fight.[22] In 2007, during a CBS prime-time special commemorating Barker's career, the entire, unedited fight scene from Happy Gilmore was played during the show, and afterward, Adam Sandler made a surprise appearance to thank Barker and read a poem in his honor.

In the late 1990s, Barker played the father of Mel Harris' character on a few episodes of the NBC sitcom Something So Right. He appeared in two animated television series as himself: in the Futurama episode "The Lesser of Two Evils" in 2000, followed by the Family Guy episodes "Screwed the Pooch" in 2001, "The Fat Guy Strangler" in 2005, and "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" in 2008.

Barker was a semi-regular panelist on the game shows Tattletales (with wife Dorothy Jo) and Match Game. Barker sat in Richard Dawson's former place during the first week of Dawson's permanent absence from Match Game.[23] Barker also played on The Price Is Right team against The Young and the Restless on Family Feud in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Barker co-hosted CBS' coverage of the Rose Parade from Pasadena, California for several years during the 1970s and 1980s.[23]

He created and hosted The Bob Barker Fun and Games Show from 1978–1986 which was a combination of stunt participation in the style of Truth or Consequences and pricing games such as The Price Is Right in which he traveled throughout the United States and Canada in various arenas and venues.

In the 1970s, he was the host of the annual/biennial Pillsbury Bake-Off (the bake-off occurred every two years starting in 1976). In 1978, he was the first host to have a male category champ.[23]

He was a guest host on The Tonight Show in 1966, when he was a regular on NBC hosting Truth or Consequences.

He appeared on Bonanza, playing a character named Mort in the 1960 episode "Denver McKee".[23]

He has appeared on various talk shows such as: Dinah!, Larry King Live, The Arsenio Hall Show, Crook & Chase, Donny & Marie, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Wayne Brady Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[23]

Barker also made cameo appearances on The Nanny, The Bold and the Beautiful in 2002,[23] Yes, Dear, and How I Met Your Mother with announcer Rich Fields in 2007.

About one year after retirement, Barker appeared in a public service announcement promoting the transition to Digital Television in the United States. The advertisement was produced under the first proposed date of February 16, 2009 for the transition.[24][25]

On September 7, 2009, Barker was a special guest host for WWE Raw (called "The Price is Raw") in Rosemont, Illinois.[26]

Barker has reportedly agreed to a semi-regular position as a rotating guest co-host on The Huckabee Show, a daily TV talk show hosted by Mike Huckabee. Barker first appeared on the show July 29, 2010.[27]

Barker appeared in a commercial for State Farm Insurance's "Magic Jingle" campaign, where he made "a new car" appear for a woman whose previous car was totaled by a giant concrete cylinder.[28]

Awards and recognition

Barker has won 19 Emmy Awards in total. Fourteen were for Outstanding Game Show Host, more than any other performer. He has also won four for Executive Producer of The Price Is Right and received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Daytime Television in 1999.[29]

On April 9, 1998, on the occasion of the ceremonial five thousandth episode of The Price Is Right,[30] CBS dedicated the sound stage where the show has been produced since 1972 in honor of Barker.[31]

In 2004, Barker was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.[32]

In 2007, Barker was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians, and a bronze bust depicting him is on permanent display in the rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol.

On April 14, 2008, Barker was inducted to the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.[33][34]

On June 6, 2009, during GSN's 2009 Game Show Awards, Barker was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by Tom Bergeron. However, prior to the taping of the awards, Barker and Betty White were involved in a feud between the two of them over a plan to relocate an elephant to a sanctuary in San Andreas. In response, Barker threatened that he would not show up at the ceremony if White was there.[35] White did not appear at the ceremony, however taped a dedication to Mark Goodson.

On December 14, 2009, Barker won the 2009 WWE Slammy Award for Best Raw Guest Host.

 

Film Chest Proudly Presents
Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp

Complete, Authorized Classic TV Series Available for the First Time on DVD May 29th

Proceeds From Sales of Special 3-Disc Release to Benefit
Lancelot’s Retirement Home, Los Angeles’ Wildlife Waystation

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — May 1, 2012 — For Immediate Release  — Monkey business takes on a whole new meaning in the live-action classic television series Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp, swinging onto DVD in a special, three-disc collector’s set, May 29 from Film Chest.

In the spirit of Get Smart, ABC’s action-adventure/comedy spy series (1970-72) aired Saturday mornings, starring a cast of chimpanzees whose performances were dubbed with human voices, including those of Dayton Allen, Joan Gerber, Steven Hoffman and The Love Boat’s Bernie Kopell, among others. All 17 episodes have been transferred from the original studio ABC masters.

In a world inhabited by chimps instead of humans, Lancelot Link (Allen), along with partner Mata Hairi (Gerber), is one of the top agents of the Agency to Prevent Evil (APE), a secret organization led by Commander Darwin (Allen) that protects the world from wrongdoers. 

Their chief nemesis is Baron Von Butcher (Kopell), who leads the Criminal Headquarters for Underworld Master Plan (CHUMP), an evil league bent on world conquest. Assisting the Baron is a band of bad apes including Creto, Wang Fu, the Duchess, Dragon Lady, Ali Assa Seen and Dr. Strangemind.

Episodes also included musical segments featuring the psychedelic music group Evolution Revolution (even spawning the release of a soundtrack album).

Now in retirement, Lancelot has been enjoying his days at Los Angeles’ Wildlife Waystation (WWS), which will receive part of the proceeds from DVD sales. A famed institution that has been assisting wild animals in need for 36 years, WWS has been hit hard by the recession and is now desperately in need of funds.

“It was very exciting to find that Lance was still around after all these years and being well cared for in his retirement at the Wildlife Waystation,” commented Allan Sandler, producer of the original series and of the DVD collector’s set.  “Bringing back all the memories of filming the series is a highlight for me and I am happy another generation of viewers will have the opportunity to enjoy the show.”

Added Martine Colette, founder and matriarch of WWS, “The Wildlife Waystation is very pleased and grateful to receive these proceeds to help us with the ongoing costs of maintaining the care of our chimpanzees.”

The only approved digital and DVD elements protected by copyright from the original producers and owners (SBM, LLC) with the approval of ABC, Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 4 x 3 and original mono sound. Special features include interviews with Sandler and musical director Bob Emenegger; live video footage of Sandler with Lancelot at the Waystation in 2011; the 1999 documentary short I Created Lancelot Link by Diane Bernard and Jeff Krulik; picture slideshow of real-life Lancelot Link (provided by Sandler and Life magazine); and complete Evolution Revolution vignettes from all 17 original episodes.

For more information, visit: www.lancelotlinksecretchimp.com See a clip on YouTube at: http://ow.ly/9SFKz
Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/officiallancelotlink and Twitter www.twitter.com/LancelotLink70 

Episode Guide

Episode #1: There’s No Business Like Snow Business
While undercover as ski instructors, Lance and Mata protect the valuable Star of Karachi diamond.

Episode #2: The Lone APE / Missile Beach Party
Lance foils a chicken rustling plot. / Lance stops Baron and Dr. Strangemind from blowing up missiles.

Episode #3: The Mysterious Motorcycle Menace / The Great Beauty Contest
Baron’s motorcycle gang steals APE’s payroll. / A Soviet beauty queen from Siberia wants to defect.

Episode #4: CHUMP Takes a Holiday / To Tell the Tooth
Lance steals CHUMP’s secret codes while they hold a convention. / A dentist working for CHUMP is putting secret radio transmitters into the teeth of military officials.

Episode #5: The Great Brain Drain / The Great Double Double Cross
Dr. Strangemind creates a potion that makes the drinker … including Lance … act like a child. / Lance and
Mata are impersonated by Baron and Dragon Lady, who infiltrate APE.

Episode #6: Lance of Arabia / The Doctor Goes APE
Lance and Mata set out to rescue an archaeologist who knows where CHUMP hides its gold. / Then they must steal back microfilm from CHUMP that contains photos of APE’s agents.

Episode #7: The Surfin’ Spy / The Missing Link
Lance poses as a lifeguard but his cover is blown. / Lance awaits his Uncle Mortimer, who seems to be missing.

Episode #8: Bonana / The Greatest Chase in the World
Lance and Mata go undercover at a dude ranch. / The agents then go on a race around the world to catch Baron and his cohorts.

Episode #9: The Reluctant Robot / The Royal Foil
Dr. Strangemind creates a robot to kill Lance. / Lance and Mata protect a visiting king.

Episode #10: The Great Great Race / The Great Plane Plot
APE challenges CHUMP to an auto race. / Mata goes undercover as an airline stewardess.

Episode #11: Landlubber Lance / The Temporary Thanksgiving Turkey Truce
Lance goes undercover as a sailor on Dragon Lady’s boat. / On Thanksgiving, Lance searches for secret microfilm.

Episode #12: The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze / The Great Bank Robbery
Baron plans to infect the world with an Asian virus. / Lance decides to steal money back from bank robbers.

Episode #13: The Sour Taste of Success / The Baron’s Birthday Ball
Lance discovers microfilm has been hidden in a lemon. / Lance unwittingly becomes part of a birthday present for Baron.

Episode #14: The Golden Sword / The Chilling CHUMP Chase
CHUMP plans to steal a sword that’s an Arabian country’s symbol of authority. / Lance and Mata sneak into CHUMP   
HQ to retrieve nuclear power pills stolen by the Baron.

Episode #15: The Spy Who Went Out in the Cold / Too Many CHUMPs
Lance goes undercover as a defector to CHUMP. / Lance and Mata must stop a new wave of CHUMP agents being formed.

Episode #16: The CHUMP Code Caper / Weather or Not
CHUMP agents discover Lance and Mata transmit coded messages through their rock band. / Dr. Strangemind creates a weather-control machine.

Episode #17: The Evolution Revolution / The Great Water Robbery
CHUMP deciphers APE’s coded messages. / CHUMP holds city’s water supply hostage.

About Film Chest:
Founded in 2001, Film Chest offers high-quality content for a wide variety of production and distribution needs, boasting one of the world’s largest libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio—much of it restored and digitized in HD. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., with offices in New York City, the company also produces collector’s DVD sets, released on three labels. HD Cinema Classics are films painstakingly restored in HD – utilizing state-of-the art digital technology – from original film assets. American Pop Classics features classic American film and TV shows from the ’30-70s. CULTRA showcases the best (and worst) of cult cinema. Film Chest releases theatrically, on DVD (through its Synergy Entertainment distribution arm) and digitally on iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon FIOS and more. Visit us online at www.filmchestmediagroup.com

Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp (3 Discs)
Film Chest
Genre: Television/Comedy/Family
Original Release: 1970 (Color)
Not Rated
Running Time: Approx. 600 Minutes

Disneynature’s Newest True Life Adventure

Celebrates its $10.6 Million Opening-Weekend

Box Office by Extending Benefit to Jane Goodall Institute

BURBANK, Calif. (April 25, 2012) – Swinging into theaters April 20 with a $10.6 million opening-weekend performance, “Chimpanzee” proved so popular among audiences that Disneynature is extending the “See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees” conservation initiative for a second week. For every moviegoer who sees “Chimpanzee” through May 3, 2012, Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to protect chimpanzees today and tomorrow.

“In theaters just five days, ‘Chimpanzee’ has already given us a lot to celebrate,” said Alan Bergman, president, The Walt Disney Studios. “Led by a young chimpanzee named Oscar, ‘Chimpanzee’ has won the hearts of audiences nationwide. It’s because of that success that we decided to extend our program with the Jane Goodall Institute.”

“See ‘Chimpanzee,’ Save Chimpanzees”—initially slated for the film’s opening week through April 26—will continue through the film’s second week till May 3—a first-ever extension to a Disneynature conservation program.

The news was well received by Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace. “We couldn’t be happier to extend this collaboration to help the Jane Goodall Institute better protect chimpanzees and the places they call home,” she said. “A film like ‘Chimpanzee’ helps spread the passion we have for these extraordinary beings, sharing the truly relatable moments experienced by Oscar and his fellow chimpanzees in a way that will hopefully inspire audiences to continue their support long after the movie ends.”

Rated G by the MPAA, “Chimpanzee” is in theaters now.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Disneynature takes moviegoers deep into the forests of Africa with “Chimpanzee,” a new True Life Adventure introducing an adorable young chimpanzee named Oscar and his entertaining approach to life in a remarkable story of family bonds and individual triumph. Oscar’s playful curiosity and zest for discovery showcase the intelligence and ingenuity of some of the most extraordinary personalities in the animal kingdom. Working together, Oscar’s chimpanzee family—including his mom, Isha, and the group’s savvy leader, Freddy — navigates the complex territory of the forest. The world is a playground for little Oscar and his fellow young chimpanzees, who’d rather make mayhem than join their parents for an afternoon nap. But when Oscar’s family is confronted by a rival band of chimpanzees, he is left to fend for himself until a surprising ally steps in and changes his life forever. Directed by Alastair Fothergill (“African Cats” and “Earth”) and Mark Linfield (“Earth”), and narrated by Tim Allen (Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” ABC’s “Last Man Standing”), “Chimpanzee” is in theaters now. For more information about “Chimpanzee,” visit Disney.com/Chimpanzee, like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/Disneynature or follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature.

ABOUT THE JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior started more than 50 years ago—research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian program for youth of all ages, which has groups in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

ABOUT THE DISNEY WORLDWIDE CONSERVATION FUND (DWCF)

The Walt Disney Company has since its beginnings demonstrated a commitment to the environment that continues to this day. Since its inception in 1995, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has carried this legacy forward through connections made to inspire people and partnerships to protect the world’s wildlife. The DWCF annual grants program has made a global impact on efforts to expand scientific knowledge, influence leaders to take conservation action and engage communities through education and sustainable approaches to conservation. To date, the DWCF has granted more than $14 million to more than 800 projects in 110 countries, including funding to support lions, cheetahs and chimpanzee conservation. The DWCF also maintains the Rapid Response Fund, which has provided emergency funding to more than 100 relief efforts. To learn more about Disney’s focus on nature visit

www.disney.com/conservation

ABOUT DISNEYNATURE

Disneynature was launched in April 2008. Its mission is to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife stories on the big screen in order to engage, inspire, and educate theatrical audiences everywhere. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, which earned eight Academy Awards®. The first three Disneynature films, “Earth,” “Oceans” and “African Cats” are three of the top four highest overall grossing feature-length nature films to date, with “Earth” garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre. Conservation has been a key pillar of the label, and Disneynature films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening week attendance for all three films, Disneynature has planted. 3 million trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, established 40,000 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas and protected 65,000 acres of savanna in Kenya.

For more information about Disneynature, check out Disney.com/chimpanzee, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/Disneynature, and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Disneynature. For more information about the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, please visit www.disney.com/conservation.