Author Topic: TiVo Alert... (Read 8114 times)

TimK2003 · « **on:** November 05, 2005, 10:18:10 AM »

As part of the What's Happening weekend marathon on TV Land, the episode, "Going Going Gong" will be airing Saturday evening 11/5 at 11pm ET (check listings possible re-airings later in the weekend).

Part of this episode takes place on The Gong Show.

rugrats1 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 05, 2005, 11:08:18 AM »

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Nov 5 2005, 10:18 AM\']Part of this episode takes place on The Gong Show, with Chuck Barris.
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Is this the episode where a childrens' chorus sing "Bubblin' Brown Sugar" on "The Gong Show"? If so, Chuckie won't be on it.

inturnaround · « **Reply #2 on:** November 05, 2005, 11:46:25 AM »

Was Barris on the "Sanford and Son" Gong Show episode? I haven't seen that in a long time.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2005, 12:28:22 PM »

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Nov 5 2005, 11:46 AM\']Was Barris on the "Sanford and Son" Gong Show episode? I haven't seen that in a long time.

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Yes...they even had a girl introduce him.

Now, did WH use the actual Gong set? I know "Sanford..." didn't. If you look closely, you can even see the junkyard set on the far right of the screen (watch for the shot when Demond Wilson plays drums).

inturnaround · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2005, 12:37:04 PM »

What's Happening didn't use the Gong set.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2005, 01:25:34 PM »

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Nov 5 2005, 12:37 PM\']What's Happening didn't use the Gong set.

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I'm going by memory about 28 years ago when it was first run. I knew that both Bud Yorkin produced shows, Sanford & Son and What's Happening, had an episode involving Gong. I remember one episode using a faux Gong set (S&S), but I thought the other (WH) had used the real set. I'm surprised that Sanford & Son didn't use the real Gong set as both shows were taped at NBC Burbank at the time, no?

The What's Happening episode was around 1977. I assume that Sanford & Son did their Gong ep around the same time, so conceivably Yorkin could have used the same faux set for both shows, no?

byrd62 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 05, 2005, 05:47:03 PM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Nov 5 2005, 12:28 PM\'][quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Nov 5 2005, 11:46 AM\']Was Barris on the "Sanford and Son" Gong Show episode? I haven't seen that in a long time.

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Yes...they even had a girl introduce him.

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None other than Sivi Aberg.

Jay Temple · « **Reply #7 on:** November 06, 2005, 02:09:32 PM »

I remember seeing both episodes when they aired, along with the "family" sketch on The Carol Burnett Show where Eunice was on the show. I remember that on WH, when the last act had finished, one of the panelists (Kene Holliday from Carter Country) stood up and announced the winner. I thought that was stupid. If you can't even get the host to show up, the episode wasn't worth doing.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 06, 2005, 02:21:48 PM »

[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 01:09 PM\']I thought that was stupid. If you can't even get the host to show up, the episode wasn't worth doing.

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You don't necessarily know the circumstances. It could be that NBC put the kibosh on letting Barris do the ep (this was an ABC show, after all). Granted, it wouldn't explain why Barris actually did the Burnett spoof (perhaps NBC had more respect for her and let the network rivalry slide--my own speculation, not official by any means).

And WH! booked three "panelists" who weren't exactly GONG stalwarts. You could very well be right as well.

BTW, is the Sandy Kenyon who played the "producer" the same one who also did the "Hollywood Minute?"

Doug -- and the countdown to 1600 continues

rugrats1 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 06, 2005, 05:27:07 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 02:21 PM\'][quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 01:09 PM\']I thought that was stupid. If you can't even get the host to show up, the episode wasn't worth doing.
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You don't necessarily know the circumstances. It could be that NBC put the kibosh on letting Barris do the ep (this was an ABC show, after all).
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But didn't ABC O&Os pick up Gong? Or, at the least, provide support for the syndicated version? I recall in the contestant plugs of the syndicated episodes that employees of ABC and their families weren't eligible to participate.

davemackey · « **Reply #10 on:** November 06, 2005, 06:23:49 PM »

[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 06:27 PM\'][quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 02:21 PM\'][quote name=\'Jay Temple\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 01:09 PM\']I thought that was stupid. If you can't even get the host to show up, the episode wasn't worth doing.
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You don't necessarily know the circumstances. It could be that NBC put the kibosh on letting Barris do the ep (this was an ABC show, after all).
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But didn't ABC O&Os pick up Gong? Or, at the least, provide support for the syndicated version? I recall in the contestant plugs of the syndicated episodes that employees of ABC and their families weren't eligible to participate.

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Syndicated "Gong" was produced for the ABC O&O's (plus other interested parties) for the first three years and for CBS' for the final year. ABC's involvement with "Gong" goes back even further than that, as the pilot episode was taped at ABC's San Francisco station.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #11 on:** November 06, 2005, 06:35:44 PM »

[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 04:27 PM\']But didn't ABC O&Os pick up Gong?

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Not in my market (and I'm in one of the Big Three). Even so, that still wouldn't necessarily prevent NBC from getting tough with one of its employees as far as making a guest appearance to help a competing network (and during that season Gary Owens was hosting the syndie run anyway, Barris were merely producing).

If the account that Barris wrote in Confessions is factual, the initial idea for GONG was presented to ABC (my guess--because of Barris' prior dealings with the network). After he ditched the "legit talent contest" aspect to make it a spoof, he then wound up selling it to NBC. My guess is that ABC no longer had room on its schedule for the show once piloted (and the slot they would've given GONG wound up going to FF, even though GONG started four weeks earlier), and NBC then picked it up.

Doug -- and the countdown to 1600 continues (and concludes)

uncamark · « **Reply #12 on:** November 07, 2005, 04:55:52 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Nov 6 2005, 01:21 PM\']BTW, is the Sandy Kenyon who played the "producer" the same one who also did the "Hollywood Minute?"

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Same guy. I believe he was at CNN from Day One (or least Day One of the Los Angeles bureau). Don't remember his other acting credits offhand, but he has 'em.

It seems to me that "What's Happening!!" taped at KTLA, not NBC or ABC--and the set was not the actual set. "Sanford" may've used a smaller version of the "Gong" set, since they most likely couldn't have fitted the whole thing next to the main junkyard set.

And the Carol Burnett sketch actually taped at NBC on the "Gong" set, complete with NBC Mother MacKenzie. That freeze frame at the end of the sketch as the gong sounds of Eunice's look on her face is a classic.

Neumms · « **Reply #13 on:** November 07, 2005, 05:43:36 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Nov 7 2005, 04:55 PM\']And the Carol Burnett sketch actually taped at NBC on the "Gong" set, complete with NBC Mother MacKenzie. That freeze frame at the end of the sketch as the gong sounds of Eunice's look on her face is a classic.

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What a melancholy moment, especially as the picture shrank into the black. I don't think I've seen it since it first aired and I can still remember it. It made me terribly sad. I suppose that's how great Carol Burnett was in the character, that one could feel sorry for such an oddball.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #14 on:** November 07, 2005, 05:55:14 PM »

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Nov 7 2005, 03:55 PM\']It seems to me that "What's Happening!!" taped at KTLA, not NBC or ABC--and the set was not the actual set. "Sanford" may've used a smaller version of the "Gong" set, since they most likely couldn't have fitted the whole thing next to the main junkyard set.

And the Carol Burnett sketch actually taped at NBC on the "Gong" set, complete with NBC Mother MacKenzie. That freeze frame at the end of the sketch as the gong sounds of Eunice's look on her face is a classic.

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I do believe you're right on all counts. The scaled-down set for WH! did utilize GONG's wall patterns pretty well (I didn't look closely enough to see if they were legit). But if KTLA = Golden West, then that's exactly where they taped.

I haven't seen the S&S GONG episode in ages, but I wonder--for two weeks in June 1978 (which would've been well after the S&S ep aired initially), GONG used a smaller-scale set with the band on stage (one of those eps was the one that introduced Michael Winslow to America). I wonder if part of that same set was also used for the S&S show.

Shame on me for not remembering having seen the Burnett sketch.

Doug