‘Gong Show’ creator Barris dies at age 87
Chuck Barris, whose game show empire included “The Dating Game,” “The Newlywed Game” and that infamous factory of cheese, “The Gong Show,” has died. He was 87. Barris died of natural causes Tuesday afternoon at his home in Palisades, N.Y., according to publicist Paul Shefrin, who announced the death on behalf of Barris’ family.
Barris made game show history in 1966 with “The Dating Game,” hosted by Jim Lange. The gimmick: A young female questions three males, hidden from her view, to determine which would be the best date. Sometimes the process was switched, with a male questioning females. But in all cases, the questions were designed to elicit sexy answers.
Celebrities and future celebrities who appeared as contestants included Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Martin and a pre-“Charlie’s Angels” Farrah Fawcett, introduced as “an accomplished artist and sculptress” with a dream to open her own gallery.
After the show became a hit on both daytime and nighttime TV, the Barris machine accelerated. New products included “The Newlywed Game,” “The Parent Game,” “The Family Game” and even “The Game Game.”
Barris became a familiar face as creator and host of “The Gong Show,” which aired from 1976 to 1980. The program featured performers who had peculiar talents and, often, no talent at all. When the latter appeared on the show, Barris would strike an oversize gong, the show’s equivalent of vaudeville’s hook.
Barris also wrote an autobiography, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” in which he claimed to have been a CIA assassin. The assertion was widely dismissed.