Chuck Barris, ’Gong Show’ creator who claimed to be CIA assassin, dies at 87

[ChrisSmolinski]

NEW YORK — Chuck Barris, whose game show empire included The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and that infamous factory of cheese, The Gong Show, has died at 87.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/03/22/gong-show-creator-chuck-barris-dies-87/99483048/

[MDK2]

This is kind of a full circle moment for me, because I was young when the Gong Show first came on the air, and had only just heard of Chuck Berry around that time as well, so I used to get Berry and Barris' names mixed up. Crazy that they died within a couple of days of each other.

[Josh]

Well, I mean, somebody gatta be a cia assassin so why not him.

[sat_dxer]

Wonder if he ever did call in the FCC man to scare the s#*% out of those dating game contestants?

[Ct Yankee]

Chuck Barris will always have a special place in my heart.  In 1978 as an undergrad, I hosted a college "Gong Show" doing the whole Barris routine.  Little did I know when the show started, my wife-to-be was in the audience.  We met shortly after the show and will mark 35 years this year.

[Pigmeat]

Paul Reubens aka Pee-Wee Herman made frequent appearances on that show in a duo with a guy who became known as "Mario" on "Pee-Wee's Playhouse". It was the first place I saw them do the big shoe dance.

There are rumors that Fansome was the "Unknown Comic" but I don't believe it. The Unknown Comic was from Sackramento.

My favorite creation of Barris' was the "1.98 Beauty Contest" with Rip Taylor. Nothing like a catty gay man with a bad rug and nearly fifty years of one-liners in his ammo box hosting a fake beauty contest insulting the ringer contestants. An early preview of Donald Trump's route to fame? Nah, Rip was sane and funny.

Gene Gene "The Dancing Machine" made cameos on both.

Can you say there was too much cocaine in Hollywood in that era? "Mork and Mindy" made it's debut about the same time.

[Josh]

Shazbot!