This is a show sort of wildly veering and entertaining while it claimed to be a game show. There are a lot of reasons it wasn't but what this show really was depends upon how much you liked being entertained.
Chuck Barris was more like a ring master of a circus here. The original concept of the gong goes back to the Ted Mack & Major Bowes Amateur Hours era. The Gong is supposed to put a stop to a bad act. On this show, it wasn't rung enough. That's why it give it a 5 rating out of 10 is because there were times this show was inspired, and there are times this show perspired.
There are always 3 celebrity (?) judges though at times there were Jamie Farr & JP Morgan, and at others there were more dubious ones. Everybody and everything on the stage was made fun of. After a while even Barris physical mannerisms became fodder.
Even though each show had a winner, only a few of these winners ever went anywhere after scoring on this show. Regulars like the Unknown Comic & Gene The Dancing Machine became parodies of themselves.
The band on this show got into the act and were sometimes featured too, and up until the recent Don't Forget The Lyrics, this was the rare game show that even featured a band.
Chuck Barris was more like a ring master of a circus here. The original concept of the gong goes back to the Ted Mack & Major Bowes Amateur Hours era. The Gong is supposed to put a stop to a bad act. On this show, it wasn't rung enough. That's why it give it a 5 rating out of 10 is because there were times this show was inspired, and there are times this show perspired.
There are always 3 celebrity (?) judges though at times there were Jamie Farr & JP Morgan, and at others there were more dubious ones. Everybody and everything on the stage was made fun of. After a while even Barris physical mannerisms became fodder.
Even though each show had a winner, only a few of these winners ever went anywhere after scoring on this show. Regulars like the Unknown Comic & Gene The Dancing Machine became parodies of themselves.
The band on this show got into the act and were sometimes featured too, and up until the recent Don't Forget The Lyrics, this was the rare game show that even featured a band.