Blu-ray Review: The Gong Show Movie

The Gong Show was a strange talent show that ran on NBC in the 1970s, hosted by Chuck Barris and featuring several running gags and characters, such as the Unknown Comic. If any of the judges disliked an act, he or she would bang the gong, and the person would have to stop in the middle of performance. The Gong Show Movie, which was released in 1980, stars Chuck Barris as himself, a man who claims he wants to escape from his dubious success due to exhaustion. It was written by Chuck Barris and Robert Downey, and directed by Chuck Barris. And it’s sort of a fake behind-the-scenes look at the show, with shots of auditions and tapings, though it does include some actual footage from the program (some of which was not aired originally due to censorship).

Chuck Barris is stopped wherever he goes by people who wish to perform on the show. It must have been annoying for Barris to deal with that, since at times it’s annoying to us to have to watch it. But there are some good moments within that, such as Phil Hartman (credited as Phil Hartmann) in one of his earliest performances as a man with a gun at the airport wanting to do an impression for Barris. And Vincent Schiavelli plays a thug who is upset that his mother was gonged on the show, but who then makes an appearance himself. I’m always happy to see Schiavelli. And I do like the nurse who bets on which patients will survive and which won’t. She tells Barris she’s a fan, saying, “You know, I watch that stupid show of yours every day before I go to work… And it’s the dumbest thing.” That’s a great moment.

There are some other surprising and clever moments, like when the doctor suddenly appears on piano in the kitchen of the restaurant, backing the cook who is trying to sell Barris on his singing performance. And then the maître d’ (played by Rip Taylor, who guest starred in one of my favorite episodes of The Monkees) tells Barris and Red (Robin Altman) to take their time on deciding what they’d like to eat, “I’ll be back in an hour and a half.” And in that same restaurant scene, the network executive shows up and tells Chuck: “As a representative of the network, I’m responsible for taste, religion, politics and money. Your responsibility is to the people.” There are some cute touches also, such as the fake newspaper which can be seen at one point and which reads, “Gong Movie Smash Hit, Barris Next Fellini!”

But there is a lot of physical comedy that falls flat. And many of the gags just aren’t funny. Also, out of nowhere, Chuck Barris suddenly says that he and Red should break up. But who cares? This isn’t a relationship story, and this breakup comes out of nowhere and likewise goes nowhere. So the film is a mixed bag. Throughout the movie, Chuck Barris keeps saying he wants to get away from the show, and there are times when you might feel the same way about the movie. But if you stay with it, there are definitely some rewards (such as Phil Hartman’s cameo late in the film). By the way, Chuck Barris, in addition to co-writing, directing and starring in the film, also wrote the movie’s songs, including “Sometimes It Just Don’t Pay To Get Up” and “Why Me Oh Lord.”

Special Feature

The disc contains an audio commentary track by pop culture historian Russell Dyball, who talks about the many actors who show up in the film, and about the people who appeared on the television show. He also talks about some of the criticism of the film and the show.

The Gong Show Movie was released on Blu-ray on March 29, 2016 through Shout! Factory.