Posted on 03/22/2017 1:33:57 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Chuck Barris, who hosted “The Gong Show” and created “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game,” died Tuesday of natural causes in Palisades, N.Y., his publicist confirmed. He was 87.
His autobiography, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” was made into a film directed by George Clooney and starred Sam Rockwell as Barris. In the book (subtitled “An Unauthorized Autobiography”), he claimed to have worked for the CIA as an assassin during the 1960s and ’70s, a claim which the CIA denied.
Chuck Berry and Chuck Barris in the same week.
Barris was great on The Gong Show...not high culture, to be sure, but fun to see “plain folks” get their 30 seconds of time in the spotlight.
Bttt
RIP. One of the best shows ever. Never failed to get me laughing.
Me, too! Fun show. May he RIP.
Agreed. Great show -
My favourite was the “1.98 Beauty Show”.
Creative genius.
Some of my favorite times included the banter Chuck had with his panel, one of whom was the bawdy Jaye P Morgan. Chuck once asked her, on air, if she was a “size queen”.
Yup, he also wrote the excellent song "Palisades Park".
Wasn’t that sung by Freddie “Boom-Boom” Cannon?
confessions of a dangerous mind is a great underrated movie. Sam Rockwell plays Barrie and is excellent.. whether or not the story is true we’all never know. he says he was a CIA hitman
I was just about to find and post a utube version of that song.
One of my college roommates made it to the show. He didn’t get gonged but he didn’t win either. He did a patriotic song dressed in an Uncle Sam suit, singing the entire song with perfect clarity through his nose while his lips were taped shut.
And some not-so-plain folks, too. Like comedian Murray Langston's frequent appearances as The Unknown Comic, and -- my personal favorite -- guitar great Tommy Tedesco, decked out in a tutu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips. What a funny guy he was!
Chuckie, baby. Chuckie, Chuckie, Chuckie!!! We'll miss you...
“The unknown comic” .....classic.
R.I.P. There were some really funny moments on that show.
Yes, takes me way back, I loved it too.
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