TV Guided: The Gong Show

Chuck Barris, Gongmaster

Redartz:  Today we look at one of the high (?) points of Bronze Age television, certainly one that ranked high on my "must watch" list : "The Gong Show". Hosted (and produced) by the positively manic Chuck Barris, "Gong" ran for several years in the latter 70's. Sort of a game show, sort of a talent contest, the show featured an array of performers competing for a prize of $516.32. The acts were judged by a panel of three celebrities (many years before "American Idol", I might add). If the judges liked the performance, they would award a numeric score between 1 and 10. If not (as was frequently the case), one or more of the judges would strike the giant gong with a huge mallet, and the performer would be dispatched. 

 The quality of the talent varied widely. Very widely. Indeed, much of the appeal of the show stemmed from the painfully amusing performances of some of those contestants. However, perhaps the greatest source of entertainment on the Gong Show arose from the interplay between host Barris and the panel of celebrity judges. Barris himself was hilarious, cracking wise throughout the show; dancing, mimicking, throwing asides to the audience. He would banter back and forth with the judges, and with the band- "Milton DeLugg and his Band with a Thug", as Barris put it ( I always wondered which one was the thug). 

 
The panel of judges was changeable, but had several regulars. These included Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, Arte Johnson and Rex Reed. The judges were also part of the action- sometimes getting into 'fights' over who would or wouldn't strike the gong, or teaming up to jointly gong a particularly awful act. As often as Jaye P. appeared, she must have had ownership of her seat; she and Barris had a great time mugging. 

The Unknown Comic

Among the competing acts, there were several who became regular repeat performers themselves. Probably the most famous was "The Unknown Comic" , whose shtick was appearing onstage with a paper bag over his head while delivering his jokes. My favorite, though, was "Gene, Gene, the Dancing Machine". He would come onstage and start his shuffle to the music, and Barris would go absolutely wild, parroting Gene's moves and throwing fist pumps into the air. 

Our local tv station was thoughtful enough to schedule "The Gong Show" in the latter afternoons, giving me time to get home from school to catch it. Watching the show was almost like watching a live show, as you never could tell whether the performer, or the show, would actually finish; or simply be permanently interrupted by a patented Chuck Barris meltdown. It all seemed to be done off-the-cuff, with add-libbing (and a fair amount of borderline off-color humor) aplenty. At any rate, it sure was more fun to watch than "Password"...