"The Gong Show" is produced by version of The Gong Show began when "I from four to three." NBC believed that in Chuck Barris Productions, seen daily on got a call from Chuck Barris before the order for the show to work they had to the NBC television network, and syndi- show went on the ABC owned stations. I go for the lightest possible kind of humor cated as a weekly prime- access show by knew it would be going on that fall, and ... "zany rather than guffaw." Selecting Firestone Program Syndication. he came to me that spring. He said, 'I'd a host for the network show was no easy The show began when Chuck Barris like to show you a pilot of a show we did.' task. Although radio /tv personality Gary pitched a show of good talent to ABC. We had a meeting and looked at the cass- Owens had done the pilot and was already ABC wanted to strip it five days a week, ette together and I said, 'this is really in- selected as the host for the syndicated but the Barris organization realized that teresting. I think it has possibilities. Can I version, NBC didn't feel he was quite there was a possibility of running out of keep it for a couple of weeks? I'd like to right for the daytime series. "I felt that good talent. According to Gene Banks, do some testing on it and give it some fur- the host," says Madeline, "should not be the show's producer, "Chuck was at a ther thought.' We made what is called a somebody who was basically a comedian hockey game with Chris Bearde (one of 'holding deal'. In other words, we paid going for a laugh, but someone who was the show's co-creators), and they were the Chuck Barris organization what we going to be sympathetic to the contes- kicking around the idea. They came up call 'good faith money' to hold the show tants. Someone who wouldn't take it all with using bad talent, and that was the so that he will not take it elsewhere. too seriously but could just go with what birth of The Gong Show. A pilot was Chuck agreed to that because I told him I was happening." John Barbour, critic at then made for ABC syndication (on the O was interested, and I would not spin his large for KNBC -TV, Los Angeles, was sel- & O's), then Chuck took the pilot and wheels and hold it longer than I had to." ected as the host and MC'd the first week showed it to NBC. They bought it for NBC tested the pilot the way they test of shows. Both Chuck Barris and Madeline daytime." any game show. They recruit daytime David felt that Barbour was not quite Madeline David, Vice President of day- viewers in three different cities to view right either. After working closely with time programs for the NBC network, ex- the pilot, then compile the data they've Chuck Barris in auditioning other host plains that the evolution of the daytime collected and come up with the test results. candidates, and still unsatisfied with the According to Madeline, The Gong Show potentials, Madeline David suddenly got "got probably the worst results of any show we have ever tested in daytime!" Despite the poor results, both Madeline David and network President Bob Howard believed in the show enough to at least schedule it during summer. They also be- lieved they could overcome the negatives by making some improvements. They started with the look of the show. "We built a brand new set (designed by E. Jay Krause) ", says Madeline. "It's the kind of set that gives the show a variety ... each Producer Gene Banks (center) confers with act looks like it has something else behind Barris confers with musical director, Milton Chuck Barris and stage manager. it. The pace of the show was increased by DeLugg (2nd from right). Barris writes the Photos by Vince Longo reducing the number of celebrity panelists theme music for all his shows.

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