The Gong Show

I have mixed reviews about the Gong Show. On the one hand, IT'S HILARIOUS. The bad acts, the silly panel (Jamie Farr and Jaye P. Morgan were a riot), and of course Chucky baby himself made each episode a laugh out loud riot. When you look at an episode of tha Gong Show, it looks more like New Year's Eve at Times Square than an actual game show. This was THE show where anything, and everything can happen, from the host being tied up by the panel, to an entire marching band marching out in the middle of an act. This show didn't spare itself or its viewers by going over the top, especially when "Gene Gene the dancing machine" came out and the ensuing chaos takes over, but the show's claim to fame also proved to be it's downfall. The latter part of the show's run more resembles a drawn out SNL sketch gone horribly wrong then an actual game show. Granted it was still funny, it was a little too much, especially when you have everyone being censored out all the time. All this, plus the fact that you can only pie Chuck Barris so many times, led to the cancelation of the Gong Show. All in all, the Gong Show was um... interesting to say the least. But it's always good if you want to laugh till you cry.

I remember this show from my youth. Every once in a while there'd be a performer with some talent but most of the time this show belonged to some pretty weird contestants. They would be painfully bad but would still get upset when they were gonged. Of course "Chuckie baby" and his clapping would keep the show going. Then "Gene Gene the Dancing machine" would dance his classic dance. The judges were minor celebrities that didn't take their jobs too seriously. Like I said this was a pretty weird show that couldn't be taken at face value as a "talent" show but just a crazy show that eventually became stale. It made "Chuckie baby" a household name (and a ton of money), and it was a fun way to waste a half hour.

I was on the gong show 1978 I won with a guitar/ vocal for Loretta Lynns You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man

my parents passed away and could not find their VHS tape of it any info will help I am willing to pay for a copy if someone thinks they my have one I still have the paperwork and the trophy but not a copy of my performance

Thank you

Mary Lyn Dias.

What a little gem of a show this was. If my memory serves me correctly this aired in the UK on Channel 4 twice a week in the early eighties long after the series had finished in America. A bold move I must say on the part of Channel 4 at the time, considering the fact that apart from Jamie Farr (MASH), and Arte Johnson (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) none of the other members of the show were actually, house hold names with the British public.

Taking that and the show's formula, getting anyone off the street, with absolutely no talent what so ever to do a turn, then get marked for their efforts, (if they didn't get gonged first) it's amazing it ever got shown once a week, let alone twice! Thankfully it did and what wonderful 'Acts!!!' some of them were. The guy dressed in a dinner suit complete with Bowler hat and walking cane, coming to the front of the stage, then standing in a fixed position for one completely minute without saying a word. Then there was 'Granny Go Go'. A 70+ woman wearing a mini dress dancing wildly to a boogie on down sound of the time. How about the singing trio whose lyrics to their song contained just one line 'I don't know why?' Mind blowing stuff!

They did though have some class acts appearing on the show in between the dross. Willie Bo Bo, a panelist on the Gong Show from time to time, along with his band, gave an excellent up beat rendition of the '2001- A Space Odyssey' film theme, 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' that really went down well. A girl singer going by the name of 'Stony' did a very nice version of the song 'I Got the Music in Me' and The Valentine Brothers, a brilliant close harmony duo sang 'That's the Time I Feel Like Making Love to You'.

I guess we'll not see the like's of this on TV again? Thankful though I've managed to lifted off the seven episodes I have from VHS tape onto DVD, so I'll still be able to go back from time to time and relive them all over again!

Critics basically said this was the end of civilization when the Gong Show came out. Gary Owens was supposed to be the host, but Chuck Barris, the hand clapping, head-scratching creator of both The Gong Show AND The Dating Game, usurped that position at the last moment, as I understand it.

It was a simple premise. Basically, let anyone who thought they might have talent come out and do their thing, whatever it happened to be and have a panel of judges either give them the gong or rate their act. Some folks knew they were going to hear the tintinabulation of the gong because they went on just to get their mug on T.V. Others were serious about their "craft" and were hurt when they were the one for whom the gong tolled. I remember thinking, "Lardo the Clown," a kazoo-playing clown with horrible make-up was one of the most wretched.

Others were pretty darned good and I always wondered if any of them went on to have a career in the entertainment field. Jaye P. Morgan once cattily remarked regarding a sweet young lady with a beautiful voice, "I would have given her a higher score if her neckline would have been lower." Such was the tenor of the show. My favorite guest critics included Steve Martin, who usually just looked puzzled when a bad act was on, Artie Johnson, Jamie Farr and of course, Jaye P. Morgan. I understand, Ms. Morgan was asked to leave the show after flashing her bra to the camera. It is said the shot never aired, although, there are those who swear they saw it.

There were the usual gang of idiots who would show up without warning - Gene Gene, the Dancing Machine was my favorite interruption in the show. But, there were so many others - the Unknown Comic - a guy named Larry (?) who would come out and sing a song about, "I'm gonna play my tuba" (what are you going to do?). He usually ended up blowing a long sour note on whatever instrument he had walked out with, with Chuck saying, "Aw Larry, why did you DO that?" The Gong show was just plain fun, although some days were fairly dismal, with the acts all being bad and not much action from the guest critics.

All in all, I liked it. It was a fun party every time it aired... and, you could tell, even the the Dwarf enjoyed himself.