Review The Gong Show (1976-)

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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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, with outlandish losing acts being more memorable than the winners, and often awarding ridiculous and worthless prizes.





Format

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.


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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.

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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.

Any act that survived without being gonged was given a score by each of the three judges on a scale of 0 to 10, for a maximum possible score of 30.

On the NBC series, the contestant who achieved the highest combined score won the grand prize: a check for $516.32 (a "highly unusual amount", in Barris's words; reportedly the Screen Actors Guild's minimum pay for a day's work at the time) and a "Golden Gong" trophy.

The syndicated series' top prize was originally $712.05 (the first episode was $996.83) and later increased to $716.32.

In the event of a tie, three different tiebreakers were used at various times during the show's run.

Originally the studio audience determined the winner by applause, but this was later changed to a decision by the producers and (later still) the celebrity judges.

When Barris announced the final score, a midget in formal wear (former Munchkin Jerry Maren) would run onstage, throwing confetti while balloons dropped from overhead.

On rare occasions, two acts that tied for highest score would each receive the check and trophy.

No prize was awarded if all of the acts on a particular episode were gonged.

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The daily Gong Show also gave out a "Worst Act of the Week" Award (later changed to the "Most Outrageous Act of the Week" Award), where the producers and that week's judges decided which of the show's bad acts for the week stood out the most.

The winner of this award was announced following the trophy presentation on the Friday show, and the performer received a dirty tube sock and a check for $516.32.

Originally, the show was advertised as having each day's winning contestants come back after a few weeks (this is also mentioned in the pilot episode) to compete in a "tournament of champions", with the winner being given the chance to appear in an unspecified nightclub act.

However, only one of these tournaments was ever held.

The winners on the NBC version became eligible to appear on the syndicated version for a chance to earn that show's prize.


ABC and Sony Pictures announced on October 3, 2016, that Will Arnett will produce a Summer 2017 revival of The Gong Show.



THURSDAY, JUNE 22
10 pm The Gong Show (series premiere)


See also..............


https://www.imdforums.com/threads/the-100-000-pyramid-1973.2592/


https://www.imdforums.com/threads/steve-harvey’s-funderdome-2016.2580/


https://www.imdforums.com/threads/celebrity-family-feud-2008.2579/
 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Broadcast history

NBC

NBC decided to take the chance on Chris Bearde's talent show to fix a scheduling problem at 12:30 PM (11:30 AM, Central).

This was NBC's least important time slot, as whatever program that ran in the slot at the time had to share the half-hour with a five-minute newscast anchored by Edwin Newman.

As a result, the first six-plus months of Gong featured approximately twenty minutes of program content in a twenty-five-minute episode.

Many NBC affiliates in larger Eastern Time Zone markets opted not to run network programming during the Noon hour at all, preferring to broadcast local news and talk shows instead.

Thus Gong made its debut mainly on medium-market and smaller stations or on large-market rival stations that picked up the program from the NBC affiliate that had rejected it, such as in Boston, where then-affiliate WBZ did not run the series; instead, local UHF independent outlet WSBK-TV aired it.

Gong's timeslot was given to a new soap opera, Lovers and Friends, on January 3, 1977, and the show was relocated to replace the cancelled Another World spinoff Somerset at 4:00 PM.

The timeslot change allowed Gong to expand to a half-hour.

However, Gong moved from one problem timeslot to another as the 4:00 PM network slot was also prone to preemptions (in fact, NBC was not far away from handing the slot back to its affiliates).

This left Gong unable to gain a ratings advantage over CBS' hit game show Tattletales and ABC's struggling but still popular soap opera The Edge of Night, as well as the popular syndicated programming on other stations.

By early December the network decided to return Gong to 12:30/11:30, but this time the show was able to run for a half-hour as NBC ended the five-minute newscast at 12:55.

NBC aired a one-hour primetime special on April 26, 1977, featuring in-studio special guests Tony Randall, Alice Cooper, and Harry James and his Orchestra.

The winning act on this primetime special was The Bait Brothers. The panelists for the special were Jaye P. Morgan, Jamie Farr and Arte Johnson.

Popsicle Twins incident


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Barris was well known for his run-ins with the censors, bringing in risque acts as bait to allow some of the less risque acts to slip by.

In 1978, one of these bait acts, two teenage girls referring to themselves as "Have You Got a Nickel", made it onto the show.

Their act consisted of the girls sitting cross-legged on the stage floor and they began silently eating popsicles in a manner that suggested they were performing fellatio on the frozen treats.

The nature of the act led to the two girls being known as the "Popsicle twins".

While they were able to complete their act without being gonged, two of the judges gave them low marks (Phyllis Diller gave them a zero, while Jamie Farr awarded them a marginally better 2).

The third judge, Jaye P. Morgan, would award them a 10, quipping, "Do you know? That's how I started." (She was rewarded with a popsicle from one of the girls before they left the stage.)

The girls' act was let through by the censors, who did not see anything wrong with it in rehearsals.

However, once the episode aired in Eastern time zone markets NBC pulled the act from the Central, Mountain, and Pacific airings of the day's episode immediately after it ended.

The act was not cut from all the tapes, and the Popsicle Twins incident has aired in reruns.

Barris said in a 2001 interview with Salon.com that this particular act began making him reconsider his career.

Cancellation

Despite fairly respectable ratings for a non-soap-opera midday show, NBC cancelled Gong, with its final episode to air on July 21, 1978.

Much speculation occurred as to the network's true motivations for dumping the show.

Barris himself has commented that the official reason he heard was that NBC acted in response to both "lower than expected ratings" and a desire by the network to "re-tailor the morning shows to fit the standard morning demographics" (the move coincided with the arrival of new NBC president Fred Silverman, who was well known for such programming overhauls).

America Alive
, a magazine-style variety program hosted by Art Linkletter's son Jack, replaced Gong.

Following the cancellation, many critics and industry analysts – including Gene Shalit and Rona Barrett – reported having heard comments from within NBC's programming department from "sources preferring anonymity" that the true reason behind the cancellation was Barris's refusal to tone down the racy nature of the show.

According to the sources, after the "Popsicle Twins" incident (see above)[5] and an incident where Morgan did a striptease and bared her breasts on-air during a Gene Gene the Dancing Machine performance, Barris had been given an ultimatum by NBC's Standards and Practices department to deliver cleaner shows, with a particular eye to the potential children and youth watching the show.

Barris, however, continued to deliver shows with the same amount of supposedly questionable content, apparently in an effort to call the network's bluff.

Finale

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NBC allowed Barris to continue the show for the rest of the contract, and Barris made no perceptible change in preparation for the finale.

On the finale, staff member Larry Gotterer appeared as "Fenwick Gotterer" to host the show, after Barris started the show doing a "Chuckie's Fables" sketch.

The rest of the show was done in sort of a way to explain the life of the show, and its cancellation.

Barris managed to have the last word on the show's demise, appearing as a contestant.

Playing in a country music band called "The Hollywood Cowboys" with the house band's rhythm section, Barris sang a slightly modified version of Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It", giving NBC the finger during the song to accentuate his point.

NBC censored the gesture, with the word "OOPS!" superimposed over a still shot of the set.

Barris was gonged by Jamie Farr, who quipped, "Because that little fella's been saying that I've been a long a nose, I'm also long a gong, fella."

The group "Lobster Repair" (who sang Harry Belafonte's song "Day-O") won the last $516.32 and trophy for the NBC era.

Gene Gene the Dancing Machine then came out after a few more skits, and said that the moral to the episode-long "Chuckie's Fable" was "Never bet against the Minnesota Vikings, at home, in the wintertime!"

Following that, he did his famous dance.

The rest of the cast, including staff members, people who participated, and even Jaye P. Morgan (who had been banned from the NBC series some time earlier over the breast-baring incident) all joined in at the end to dance with him.

The decision to cancel The Gong Show was a two-pronged one by NBC. In addition to the removal of the show from its schedule, the network evicted the show from its Burbank studio.


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ABC and Sony Pictures announced on October 3, 2016, that Will Arnett will produce a Summer 2017 revival of The Gong Show.



THURSDAY, JUNE 22
10 pm The Gong Show (series premiere)


See also..............


https://www.imdforums.com/threads/the-100-000-pyramid-1973.2592/


https://www.imdforums.com/threads/steve-harvey’s-funderdome-2016.2580/


https://www.imdforums.com/threads/celebrity-family-feud-2008.2579/



 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Comedic Legend Tommy Maitland (Mike Myers) to Host The Gong Show


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Comedic legend Tommy Maitland (Mike Myers) to host The Gong Show
British comedic legend Tommy Maitland (played by Mike Myers in disguise) has been announced to host ABC’s irreverent talent show competition The Gong Show, which premieres on Thursday, June 22 at 10:00 p.m. EDT. The show is executive produced by actor/comedian Will Arnett. Every episode will celebrate unusually talented and unique performers on a primetime stage. A revolving panel of judges featuring Hollywood’s hottest stars praise, critique and gong contestants in one of TV’s all-time great variety shows.

“When Will Arnett came to me and asked me to host ‘The Gong Show,’ I said, ‘I’m honoured at the request, but I’m retired,’” said Tommy Maitland. “Then he told me how much I was being paid, in U.S. dollars, and I said, ‘I’m still honoured, but no longer retired.’”

“I have been a fan of Tommy Maitland for years, and I think he is one of the most iconic British comics out there, along the lines of Benny Hill and Ricky Gervais,” said Robert Mills, senior vice president, Alternative Series, Specials & Late-Night Programming, ABC Entertainment. “I think this show is a great vehicle to introduce Tommy to an American audience, and those who are familiar with the original ‘The Gong Show’ and its host Chuck Barris will be pleased with Tommy, who will bring the show into the 21st century with a bang!”

“When Will Arnett brought Tommy Maitland to Sony, we immediately understood why he felt Tommy would be the perfect host for our beloved ‘Gong Show,’” said Holly Jacobs, executive vice president, Reality and Syndication Programming for Sony Pictures Television. “He’s oozing with charm, wit and charisma, and I am certain that viewers will fall madly in love with him!”

“I’ve been a huge fan of Tommy since I first saw his stand-up in the U.K. while traveling as a teenager. He was so funny and original. I had the good fortune to cross paths with Tommy a few years ago and ever since we’ve talked about working together,” said Will Arnett. “I tried for years to come up with a vehicle that was suitable to expose his immense talent on a bigger stage, and ‘The Gong Show’ is the perfect fit.”

Born on July 7, 1944, Thomas Winston Maitland (his middle name is a tribute to Winston Churchill) grew up in Neasden, GLC, Borough of Brent, where his father was an actuary and in the Merchant Marine and his mother was in the RAF. After a failed stint as a pipe fitter’s apprentice, Tommy joined the British Army at the tender age of 15. He later joined the Entertainment National Service Association (ENSA), where he got to know some of the U.K.’s biggest comedians. He played the ukulele, told jokes and drummed (though he drummed badly), and he ended up hosting the show – a talent he would later be known for. He was voted ENSA Entertainer of the Year, for which he was given a guarantee to appear on British radio. He later worked as an announcer for the British radio show, “The Whosey Whats,” and got small roles in the Carry On films – either as the over-anxious compart at a men’s club or the strict union pipe fitter. He also appeared in the TV series, The Lord Mayor, as the cheeky mayor of a mythical town in East Anglia who struck it rich because they sat atop an oil field.

In 1973, Tommy wrote a book about his time in the British Army fighting the Mau Maus called The Mau Maus are Revolting, and he also worked at a Butlin’s Holiday Camp at the same time, for two seasons, in Anglesea, Wales and Brighton.

Hugely popular in Italy, he made four of his 11 films there. Two of the four were Spaghetti Westerns, where he played the fastidious banker, and the other two were James Bond knockoffs – You Only Live Once, To Be Honest and From Russia, Luv. At the same time, Tommy continued to work the working men’s clubs across England, where he received top dollar as an emcee.

In 1976, Tommy starred in He Wore a Dustman’s Hat, about an upper-class London gent who discovers that his dad (Tommy Maitland) is a garbage worker for the council in Hackney. This show played on Canadian TV at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Will Arnett saw this show in syndication on Canadian TV in 1980 and thought that Tommy was a comedic genius. Later that year, Tommy bought an estate in Kent called Serendipity, which he found by accident. Serendipity was a mega-celebrity hangout where people could escape, party, do or be anything they wanted to be, free from judgment and the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

In the ‘80s, Tommy hosted the British game show Tell You What, a charades-based adventure game. He later hosted an Australian game show called Dingo’s Got the Baby, in which one contestant would be the dingo and another the baby, and a chase would ensue. In 1990 he returned to England for a series of one-hour specials, called You’ve Still Got No Proof.

Tommy retired at the age of 55 but was still doing ENSA gigs. He loves comedy, so he often went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to watch young comics. Will Arnett, who was doing stand-up at one of the festivals, approached and befriended him. Desperately wanting to work with Tommy, Arnett tried for years to come up with a gig that was suitable for his immense talent and The Gong Show was the perfect match.

To follow Tommy on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, go to @MrTommyMaitland.

The Gong Show will be produced by Den of Thieves, Electric Avenue Productions and Principato Young Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television and will be taped in front of a live audience. The Gong Show is executive produced by Will Arnett, Evan Prager, Jesse Ignjatovic, Conrad Green, Peter Principato and Marc Forman. Jared Morell, Jordan Barrow and David Bohnert will co-executive produce.



THURSDAY, JUNE 22
10 pm The Gong Show (series premiere)



 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
“The Gong Show” Revival Gets A Trailer


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Sony Pictures Television has premiered a trailer for “The Gong Show,” the revival of the iconic variety series which gets a twist in its newest incarnation – it’s hosted by comedian Mike Meyers in character as British host ‘Tommy Maitland’.

Neither the trailer or official press releases for the show make any mention of Meyers. Actor/comedian Will Arnett executive produces the series which celebrates unusually talented and unique amateur performers on a primetime stage.

A revolving panel of judges featuring Hollywood stars praise, critique and gong contestants. The trailer confirms such judges as Ed Helms, Elizabeth Banks and Ken Jeong in the new episodes.

“The Gong Show” premieres June 22nd on ABC.



 
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