The Gong Show
| The Gong Show | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Chris Bearde |
| Directed by | John "The Fox" Dorsey Terry Kyne |
| Presented by |
Chuck Barris (1976–80) John Barbour (1976) Gary Owens (1976–77, nighttime) Don Bleu (1988–89) |
| Narrated by |
Johnny Jacobs (1976–80) Charlie O'Donnell (1988–89) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 501 (NBC) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Gene Banks Diane Fell Linda Howard |
| Location(s) |
NBC Studios Burbank, California (1976–80) CBS Television City Hollywood, California (1988–89) |
| Running time | 18 minutes (early NBC episodes) 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Chuck Barris Productions (1976–80) Chris Bearde Productions (1976–78, 1988–89) Barris Productions (1988–89) Barris Industries (1988–89) |
| Distributor | Firestone Program Syndication Co. (1976–80) Barris Advertising Sales (1988–89) (ad-sales) Barris Program Sales (1988–89) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
NBC Syndicated |
| Original release | June 14, 1976 – September 15, 1989 |
The Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to 1980 and 1988 to 1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served as host for the NBC run and from 1977 to 1980 in syndication. The show is best remembered for its absurdist humor and style, often awarding participants ridiculous and worthless prizes.
Each show presented a contest between amateur performers of often dubious talent, with a panel of three celebrity judges. The program's frequent judges included Jaye P. Morgan, Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson, Rip Taylor, Phyllis Diller, Anson Williams, Steve Garvey and Rex Reed. If any judge considered an act to be particularly bad, he or she could force it to stop by striking a large gong, a trope adapted from the durable radio show Major Bowes Amateur Hour. Most of the performers took the gong with sheepish good grace, but there were exceptions. Barris would then ask the judge(s) in question why they gonged the act.
Originally, panelists had to wait 20 seconds before they could gong an act; in short order this was extended to 30 seconds and then 45. Some performers deliberately ended their acts before the minimum time had elapsed, but Barris would immediately disqualify them. In other cases, a judge would gong an act before its minimum time was up; Barris would overrule the gong, and the act would be obliged to continue with its fate already sealed.
When an act was on the verge of being gonged, the laughter and anticipation built as the judges patiently waited to deliver the strike. They would stand up slowly and heft their mallets deliberately, letting everyone know what was coming. Sometimes, pantomimed disputes would erupt between judges, as one would attempt to physically obstruct another from gonging the act. The camera would cut back and forth between the performers onstage, and the mock struggle over their fate. Some acts were so bad that they were "Gang-Gonged", with two or even all three judges striking the gong at once. On rare occasions, judges found an act so terrible that they would go onstage, hand a mallet to the performer, and lead him/her back to the table to gong him/herself out.
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