Chuck Barris, Creator of The Gong Show, Master Showman (1929 – 2017)

The sometimes bizarre but always remarkable talent behind the creation some of television’s most popular game shows including The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show has died. Chuck Barris was 87.

Chuck Barris could be credited with being the man who invented reality television. His game shows were experiments in spontaneity. From the unexpected responses which were a staple of The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game to the “anything can happen” atmosphere of The Gong Show which he hosted like a ringmaster, Chuck Barris set the stage for a whole genre of TV to come.

Game shows were just part of Chuck Barris’ unique career. He was also a songwriter, penning the hit song recorded by Freddy Cannon in 1962, “Palisades Park,” which the native Philadelphian wrote in honor of the famed New Jersey amusement park.

One entry on his personal resume was always disputed. In his book, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Barris claimed to be a former CIA operative whose job description included assassinations. Whether real or not, the story was so fascinating that it caught the attention of some rising Hollywood heavyweights. The book was turned into a film with the screenplay written by Charlie Kaufman, starring Sam Rockwell and directed by first time filmmaker, George Clooney.

It was The Gong Show that brought Chuck Barris and his comedy into everyone’s living rooms. His original idea was for a legitimate talent show, but Barris soon realized there were certainly more bad acts in America than good ones and that was the key to The Gong Show‘s wacky success. The worst, the better. Barris looked disheveled even in a tux as he would dance around the stage in a format that looked like the creator of the show had lost all control over his creation. Judges on the show included Jaye P. Morgan, Rex Reed, Rip Taylor, Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson and even a young David Letterman. The talent included all kinds of novelty acts who really thought they had a shot at stardom. Many had their dreams crushed to the literal sound of the banging of a large gong. Any time you watched the bad auditions portions of shows like American Idol and loved it, that’s Chuck Barris who you have to thank.

Even Barris saw himself losing control on The Gong Show. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he once said, “I had a small nervous breakdown out there, doing strange things. When I see films of the last shows, I was walking around, busting up [studio] flats on the air. That was the behavior of a host who was bored to death.” Oddly enough, the word “bored” is a word that no one else would have associated with Chuck Barris.

 

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