Editing The Gong Show (section)

==Personnel==

===Barris as emcee===
[[File:The Gong Show Chuck Barris 1976.jpg|thumb|right|Chuck Barris on the ''Gong Show'' set, 1977]]
An established [[game show]] producer (''[[The Dating Game]]'', ''[[The Newlywed Game]]''), Barris was originally creator and co-producer of ''The Gong Show'' and had no intention of  hosting the show himself. He was an emergency replacement for original host [[John Barbour (actor)|John Barbour]], who had objected to the show's satirical concept and tried to adopt more of a traditional amateur-hour format.
Barbour would eventually serve as producer and co-host of the hit NBC [[reality television|Reality TV]] series, ''[[Real People (TV program)|Real People]]'' (1979–84) 
Barris initially appeared somewhat ill at ease as host, but before long he was working so loosely on camera that many viewers assumed that he was intoxicated from alcohol or other drugs. In a later interview with the [[Archive of American Television]], Barris recounted that he was never drunk and forbade the use of drugs by anyone in his production company.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Archive of American Television|title=Chuck Barris Interview|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/chuck-barris|access-date=July 22, 2017}}</ref>

Producer Chris Bearde, formerly of ''[[Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In]]'' and ''[[The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour]]'', clashed with Barris over the program's content, favoring more scripted comedy over chaotic nonsense. (Bearde's "new talent" segments on ''[[Laugh-In]]'' had featured oddball performers, the most celebrated being [[Tiny Tim (musician)|Tiny Tim]].) After a violent argument between Barris and Bearde over the future direction of the show came to blows and resulted the throwing of chairs and other objects, Bearde resigned, leaving Barris fully in charge of ''The Gong Show''.

===Musical direction===
[[Milton DeLugg]] was a popular musician and bandleader during the 1940s and 1950s. He got the ''Gong Show'' job by default; as the longtime music director of NBC, he was responsible for any network project that required special music (like the annual telecasts of the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]]). Although DeLugg had previously arranged the theme for ''The Newlywed Game'', Barris initially regarded him as "an anachronism"; however, Barris was soon pleased to discover that DeLugg was very much attuned to the facetious tone of the show and he appeared alongside Barris in recurring comedy skits as various characters including bad-joke perveyor, "Naso Literatus" and the aged philosopher, "Old Drool".

Veteran composer [[Joey Carbone]] provided musical arrangements for the late 1980s revival with his own lineup of studio musicians, known as "The Gong Show Guys".

===Announcers===
[[Johnny Jacobs]], who had worked for Barris for many years, was the main announcer from 1976 to 1980. When Jacobs was sidelined with an extended illness, [[Jack Clark (television)|Jack Clark]] substituted from October 3 through December 23, 1977. [[Charlie O'Donnell]] served as announcer for the late 1980s revival.

===Hostesses===
Hostesses included Siv Åberg (a [[Sweden|Swedish]]-born model and actress  who appeared on Barris's syndicated ''[[The New Treasure Hunt|New Treasure Hunt]]''), actress [[Marlene Clark|Marlena Clark]], porn star [[Carol Connors (actress)|Carol Connors]] and Barris's teenage daughter, Della.