Chuck Barris
Birth name Charles Hirsch Barris Born June 3, 1929 (1929-06-03) (age 78) in Oakland, New Jersey, USA
Statistics Occupation TV presenter, TV producer, Author, Songwriter Gender Male Spouse Mary Barris Children Della Barris (deceased) Notable credit(s) The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Treasure Hunt, The Gong Show, $1.98 Beauty Show

Chuck Barris (born Charles Hirsch Barris on June 3, 1929) is an American game show producer of the 1960s and 1970s and author. He is a survivor of lung cancer. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map highlighting Oaklands location within Bergen County. ... A television presenter is a British term for a celebrity who is best known for introducing or appearing in television programmes. ... A Television producer oversees the making of television programmes. ... An author is any person(s) or entity(s) that originates and assumes responsibility for an expression or communication. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... The shield and spear of the Roman god Mars, which is also the alchemical symbol for iron, represents the male sex. ... The Dating Game was an ABC television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Treasure Hunt (or The New Treasure Hunt) was a United States television game show that ran in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... $1. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Quiz show” redirects here. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ...

Early career

Barris was born 1929 in Oakland, New Jersey. He attended Drexel University, where he was a columnist at the student newspaper, The Triangle and graduated in 1953. Oakland is the name of several places in the United States of America: Oakland, Alabama Oakland, California (The best-known city with this name) Oakland, Florida Oakland, Maine Oakland, Maryland Oakland, Michigan Oakland, Missouri Oakland, Nebraska Oakland, New Jersey Oakland, Oklahoma Oakland, Oregon Oakland, Pennsylvania Oakland, Rhode Island Oakland, Tennessee... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Drexel University is an institution of higher learning and research located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The Triangle is the independent student newspaper of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Barris got his start in television as a page and later staffer at NBC in New York, and eventually worked backstage at the TV music show American Bandstand, originally as a standards-and-practices person for ABC. Barris soon became a music-industry figure. His most successful venture in this area was the writing of Freddy Cannon's 1962 top ten rock n' roll hit, Palisades Park. In addition to this, Barris eventually wrote or co-wrote some of the music that appeared on his game shows (see Discography below for more information). The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand American Bandstand was a long-running dance music television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Freddy Cannon, born December 4, 1940, is an American rock and roll singer. ... Palisades Park is a song written by Chuck Barris and made popular by Freddy Cannon. ... Chuck Barris (born Charles Hirsch Barris on June 3, 1929) produced American game shows during the 1960s and 1970s. ...

Barris was promoted to daytime programming at ABC in Los Angeles and was put in charge of deciding which game shows ABC would air. Barris admitted to his bosses that the producers' pitches of game show concepts were worse than Barris's own ideas. They suggested that Barris quit his ABC programming job and become a producer himself.

Barris first became successful during 1965 with his first game-show creation, The Dating Game on ABC, hosted by Jim Lange, in which three bachelors or bachelorettes competed for the favor of a contestant blocked from their view. The contestants' racy banter and its "flower power" set was a revolution for the game-show genre. The show would air for 18 years. The Dating Game was an ABC television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ... Jim Lange was born on August 15, 1933 in St. ... A bus covered with Hippie slogans and flowers Flower power was a slogan used by hippies in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of the non-violence ideology. ...

The next year, for the same network, Barris produced The Newlywed Game, originally created by Nick Nicholson and Roger Muir. The combination of the newlywed couples' humorous candor and host Bob Eubanks' exuberant, sly questioning made the show another hit for Barris—and to date, the longest-lasting of any developed by his company. It ran for 19 total years on first-run TV, both on network and syndicated television. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Robert Leland Bob Eubanks (born January 8, 1938, Flint, Michigan, raised in California) is an American radio, game show host and television personality best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off from 1966 to 2000, where he was known for using the catch-phrase, Makin...

"Chuckie Baby"

The engaging but somewhat shy Barris rarely appeared on camera, though he once dashed onto the set of The New Treasure Hunt to sock emcee Geoff Edwards with a pie. But Barris became a public figure in a big way in 1976, when he produced and served as the host of the talent contest The Gong Show, which he packaged in partnership with TV producer Chris Bearde. The show's cult stature far outstripped the two years it spent on NBC (1976-78) and the four years it ran in syndication (1976-80). Treasure Hunt (or The New Treasure Hunt) was a United States television game show that ran in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s. ... Geoff Edwards is an American television actor, game show host and radio personality born on February 13, 1931 in Westfield, New Jersey. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The planned host of the NBC show was John Barbour, who did not understand the show's concept and considered it a straight talent show as opposed to Barris's parody concept. An NBC executive suggested that Barris host the show himself.

Barris's jokey, bumbling personality, his accentuated hand-clapping between sentences (which eventually had the studio audience joining in with him), and his catch-phrases (he would usually go into commercial break with, "We'll be right back with more STUFF...", and "This is me saying 'bye'" was one of his favorite closing lines) was the antithesis of the smooth TV host (such as Gary Owens, who hosted the syndicated version in its first season). Dubbed "Chuckie Baby" by his fans, Barris was a perfect fit with the show's goofy, sometimes wild amateur performers and its panel of three judges (including regulars Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan and Arte Johnson). In addition, there was a growing "cast of characters" including an NBC electrician who played "Father Ed," a priest who would get flustered when his cue cards were deliberately turned upside-down; Canadian comedian Murray Langston, who as "The Unknown Comic" wore a paper bag over his head (with cut-outs for his eyes, mouth, and even a box of Kleenex) and dressed in a tacky polyester jacket and open-buttoned shirt, told deliberately awful jokes (example: "Did you hear about the missionary who got barfed up when cannibals tried to eat him? Just goes to show you can't keep a good man down!!"), and "Gene Gene the Dancing Machine" (Gene Patton), arguably the most popular member of the "cast," another NBC stagehand who would show up and dance whenever the band played the song, "Jumpin' at the Woodside." Siv Aberg, a one-time Miss Sweden, was also on hand, acting more or less as the show's "hostess". Gary Owens (born Gary Altman on May 10, 1936) is a disc jockey and voice actor born in Mitchell, South Dakota. ... Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah on July 1, 1934) is an American television and film actor and popular game show panelist. ... Jaye P. Morgan (born Mary Margaret Morgan, December 3, 1931) is a retired popular American singer and game show panelist. ... Arte Johnson (born January 20, 1929), full name Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson, is a comedic actor. ... Murray Langston as The Unknown Comic The Unknown Comic is the stage name for American actor and stand-up comic Murray Langston, best known for his comic performances on The Gong Show, usually appearing with a paper bag over his head. ... Kleenex logo This article is about the Kleenex brand. ... Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, aka Eugene Patton (born April 25, 1932), was a member of the stage crew and occasional performer on The Gong Show. ...

One Gong Show episode consisted of every act appearing singing the song "Feelings", which was popular at the time. One of its most infamous incidents came on the NBC version in 1978, when he presented an onstage act consisting of two young women slowly and suggestively sucking Popsicles. Another incident resulted in Jaye P. Morgan's firing from NBC broadcasts of the show, when she exposed her breasts on-camera while Gene-Gene was performing. Feelings is a song by Morris Albert, first recorded by him as the title track of his 1975 debut album. ... Popsicle logo Popsicle is the most popular brand name in the U.S. and Canada for a brand of ice pop. ...

Comeback kid

The Dating and Newlywed games went off the air in the mid-1970s, leaving Barris with only one show, the 1973-77 revival of Treasure Hunt, titled The New Treasure Hunt. But the success of The Gong Show in 1976 allowed him to revive the Dating and Newlywed games, as well as adding the $1.98 Beauty Show to his syndication empire. He also hosted a short lived prime-time variety hour for NBC from February to April 1978, called The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show. Treasure Hunt (or The New Treasure Hunt) was a United States television game show that ran in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... $1. ...

The empire crumbled again amid the burnout of another of his creations, the 1979-80 Three's A Crowd (in which three sets of wives and secretaries competed to see who knew more about their husband/boss). At the same time, Newlywed lost the sponsorships of Ford and Procter & Gamble and earned the resentment of Jackie Autry, whose husband and business partner Gene Autry owned the show's Los Angeles outlet and production base, KTLA. During the winter of 1980, he brought back another game show that was not an original of his, Camouflage, in which contestants answered questions for the chance to locate a "hidden object" (such as a toaster) concealed within a cartoon-type drawing. It lasted only a short time in syndication, and by September 1980 all the Barris games were off the air. Threes a crowd was an unsuccessful game show that had two runs. ... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales. ... Procter & Gamble Co. ... Jackie Autry, (born Jacqueline Ellam) the former owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and widow of singer, actor and businessman Gene Autry. ... Gene Autry. ... KTLA, channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. ... Countershaded Ibex are almost invisible in the Israeli desert. ...

He revived Treasure Hunt again in 1981 in partnership with the original 1950s version's producer, Budd Granoff, who had become his business partner (the show itself was created by its original host, Jan Murray). Unlike the 1970s version of Treasure Hunt, Barris did not have direct involvement with the production of the show itself. This revival lasted only one year. Treasure Hunt (or The New Treasure Hunt) was a United States television game show that ran in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s. ...

Barris came back again in the mid-1980s. After a week-long trial of The Newlywed Game on ABC in 1984 (with Dating Game emcee Jim Lange), Barris produced a daily Newlywed Game (titled The New Newlywed Game) in syndication from 1985 to 1989, with old host Eubanks (and in 1989, comedian Paul Rodriguez). The Dating Game returned to syndication the next year for a three-year run hosted by Elaine Joyce. The Gong Show would also return for one season in 1988, now hosted by "True" Don Bleu. Jim Lange was born on August 15, 1933 in St. ... Paul Rodriguez at a United Service Organizations (USO) show aboard USS Nimitz, June 19, 2003 Paul Rodriguez (born January 19, 1955 in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico) Raised in East Los Angeles, California, USA, he later served in the military where he was stationed in Iceland, Duluth, Minnesota and elsewhere. ... Elaine Joyce (born December 19, 1945, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American actress. ...

After the shows' runs ended, Barris sold his TV holdings to what is now Sony Pictures Television, which revived Dating and Newlywed from 1996 to 1999. Sony also revived Gong in 1998, this time as Extreme Gong, a Game Show Network original production. Another Barris show, 3's a Crowd, would be revived as All New 3's a Crowd, which, like Extreme Gong, was a GSN original. A few years after Extreme Gong ended, Sony planned to revive the show again under its classic name and format for The WB Television Network, but this version never made it to air. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Game Show Network logo (1997-2004) The Game Show Network Logo (1994-1997) GSN (formerly known on-air as Game Show Network) is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows, casino game shows, interactive television games, and reality shows. ... The Warner Bros. ...

One more attempt at reviving an old game show that was not his own originally resulted in an unsold pilot of the 1950s-era game Dollar A Second, hosted by Bob Eubanks. It had at least one showing on GSN, and has since become part of the collector/trader's circuit. Another unsold pilot was called Comedy Courtroom.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

In his "unauthorised autobiography" Confessions of a Dangerous Mind originally published in 1984, Barris claimed to have worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as an assassin in the 1960s and the 1970s, during which time he was responsible for 33 killings. In interviews, when asked about whether he was really a CIA operative, he tends to neither confirm nor deny it. In 2002, a film adaptation of the book was made, which starred Sam Rockwell as Barris. In 2004, Barris wrote a sequel to the book called Bad Grass Never Dies. Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 drama film directed by George Clooney. ... The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an intelligence agency of the United States government. ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ...

His family

Barris married Lyn Levy, niece of one of the founders of CBS, which caused her family to disinherit her. His 1974 novel "You and Me, Babe" is loosely based on this marriage. Their daughter Della Barris, who often appeared on The Gong Show, died of a drug overdose in 1998 at age 35. He married twice more, to "Red" Robin Altman, and later to Mary Barris. His uncle was singer/songwriter/actor Harry Barris. Harry Barris (November 24, 1905 – December 13, 1962) was a American popular singer. ...

Other shows hosted or created by Chuck Barris

• $1.98 Beauty Show
• The Bobby Vinton Show
• The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show
• Cop-Out (unsold pilot)
• Dream Girl of '67
• Family Game
• Game Game
• How's Your Mother-In-Law
• Operation Entertainment
• The Parent Game
• People Pickers (unsold pilot)
• Rah Rah Show
• Your Hit Parade (CBS, 1974)

$1. ... Bobby Vinton Bobby Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American pop music singer. ... // Gameplay Future The Price Is Right host, Bob Barker hosted this game show that was played similar to The Newlywed Game. ... The Parent Game was a television game show airing in syndication from 1972 to 1973 The show, produced by Chuck Barris Productions, was hosted by Clark Race. ... Your Hit Parade was a popular United States music radio and television program. ...

Discography

Barris composed music and released them on the following 45 rpm records. Songs with an asterisk (*) are songs not composed by Barris, yet featured on the recordings:

• Too Rich / I Know A Child (Capital Records)
• Baja California / *Donnie (Dot Records)
• Why Me Oh Lord / Sometimes It Just Doesn't Pay To Get Up (MCA Records)

Barris also composed the following songs (with performer, who performed the music first, listed on each). The first two songs were released on "Swan" 45rpm records, and the third released on a "Decca" LP record:

• Summertime Guy (Eddie Rambeau; an instrumental version of this song was used as the theme for The Newlywed Game)
• Palisades Park (Freddy Cannon)
• Love Sickness (Milton Delugg)

Barris released an LP of television game show music called "Chuck Barris Presents Themes From TV Game Shows" (Friends Records). All tracks are instrumentals and are arranged by Tom Scott, Mike Barone, and Dale Oehler. The tracks for the LP are: Composed by: Chuck Barris Performed by: Eddie Rambeau Im just a summertime lover, Im just a summertime guy, But Im a real cool drizzle in January, But a sizzle in the month of July, Oh wont you know now, I shine best when the suns out...

Side 1 Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1550 × 1550 pixel, file size: 288 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Stu Levin & Al Toren, LP record jacket (front view), 1973. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1550 × 1550 pixel, file size: 288 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Stu Levin & Al Toren, LP record jacket (front view), 1973. ...

• Dating Game Theme (January/CBP Music, Inc. BMI Chuck Barris/David Mook)
• Dating Game Closing Theme (Little Rosie)
• Newlywed Game Theme
• Treasure Hunt Theme
• True Grit - Winners Theme (Bernstein) Famous Music ASCAP
• Treasure Hunt Losers Theme
• People Pickers Theme (Pretty Maidens)

Side 2

• Operation Entertainment Theme (Road Of Love)
• Family Game Theme (Too Rich)
• Cop-Out Theme (Little Russian Song)
• Mother-In-Law Theme (Mother Trucker)
• Parent Game Theme (Baja California)
• Dream Girl Theme (Hunk Of Love)

Books

• You and Me, Babe (1974)
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (1984)
• The Game Show King (1993)
• Bad Grass Never Dies (2004)
• The Big Question

External links

• Chuck Barris at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030207.html
• http://myspace.com/chuckbarrisnetwork Chuck Barris Myspace