The Gong Show: Ads That Could Never (Ever) Run Today
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What is the premise of The Gong Show and why is it relevant to today’s ad critique?
Is subliminal advertising real? Superman or Batman? Best Canadian city to do a book event? Best ad of the past year? Well, I answer all these cues and more in a recent subscriber-only bonus episode. Apple or Android? Tap the link in the description.
This is an apostrophe podcast production.
You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly.
The Gong Show premiered on NBC television in 1976. Hosted by Chuck Beres, it had a very unusual premise for its time. Amateur performers, most of them terrible, would audition before three judges. Behind those judges hung a giant gong. If the performers were beyond terrible or if their act was just absurd or idiotic, one of the judges, or all three of the judges, would bang the gong with a huge mallet. If the act survived being gonged, the three judges would rate the act out of 10. The act or performer who got closest to 30 points would be crowned the winner. Barris would present a golden gong trophy and a grand prize check for the sum total of $516.32, which Barris called a highly unusual amount. It was actually the Screen Actors Guild's minimum payment for a TV appearance.
You either loved the gong show or you hated the gong show. I loved it. It was the absurd humor of it all, the wacky judges, the often outrageous acts, and above all, the quirky but lovable host, Chuck Barris. Even though his persona was kind of odd and bumbling, and even appeared slightly tipsy at times, Barris was clearly having a lot of fun. And he was actually a very talented guy. In 1962, he wrote a hit song for Freddie Boom Boom Cannon called Palisades Park. But above all, Barris was one of the most successful TV producers in Hollywood. He created hit programs like The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game. In many ways, Chuck Beres was the pioneer of reality television, as all of his shows involved real people responding in unscripted ways.
But it was The Gong Show that was his most outrageous production.
From Hollywood, almost live, it's The Gong Show.
The acts varied from terrible singers...
To
people who could burp the alphabet. To a trio that whistled and used their pant zippers to make music.
Most of the time, the show seemed on the verge of careening out of control. The performers and the judges would suddenly jump up and start dancing for no reason. One of the judges, J.P. Morgan, once ripped her blouse off and danced topless, driving the censors nuts. And Chuck Beres loved it all. It was a crazy, crazy half hour. While the gong show was produced by Barris, what you may not know is this. The actual show idea had a connection to Tommy Hunter. Tommy Hunter was a Canadian staple on CBC television for 27 years. Known as Canada's Country Gentleman, his show featured country music and a bevy of country stars including Johnny Cash, Anne Murray, and even a 14-year-old Shania Twain. One day, an act came in to audition for Tommy.
It was a juggler. He would throw bowling balls up in the air, but never catch any of them.
How did Chuck Barris turn a Canadian talent‑show idea into the outrageous Gong Show?
Then he would throw four bowling pins up in the air, and they would just bounce off his head and fall to the floor. Then the juggler said, and now I'd like to do it blindfolded. Hilarious. Tommy Hunter told one of his show writers, named Chris Beard, about The Crazy Juggler and other nutty acts that had auditioned for his program over the years. Beard thought it could make a funny show, put Tommy Hunter in a tuxedo and have him introduce all these kooky, hare-brained performers. Beard pitched it to the CBC, who turned him down flat. So Beard jumped on a plane, flew to Hollywood, and pitched it to Chuck Beres. And that show became The Gong Show. The Gong Show
We're going to play a little gong show today. I'm going to dip into the vast archives of advertising and talk about ads and commercials that could never, ever, ever run today. They are either so politically incorrect, so sexist, or so inappropriate, you won't believe your ears. Yet, they all ran back in the day. So, get your gongs ready. You're under the influence.
Marlboro cigarettes are the world's best-selling brand.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the premise of The Gong Show and why is it relevant to today’s ad critique?
0:01–5:12
2
How did Chuck Barris turn a Canadian talent‑show idea into the outrageous Gong Show?
5:12–10:12
3
Why did Marlboro run baby‑focused ads and what makes them unthinkable now?
10:12–13:20
4
What was the 1950s 7‑Up campaign that marketed soda to infants?
13:20–16:55
5
How did doctors endorse cigarettes in the 1950s and what was the impact?
16:55–20:09
6
Which sexist household ads (Folgers, Chase & Sanborn, Thermador) illustrate mid‑century gender roles?
20:09–23:41
7
Why were DDT and Black‑Flag insecticide ads featuring babies considered acceptable?
23:41–26:41
8
What is the 1984 ‘Wonder Boner’ fish‑debonding commercial and why does it feel like a parody?
26:41–27:14