It might have been nothing but garbage, but I was glued to the TV watching it all the time. I just don’t remember if there were ever any famous entertainers that appeared in the Gong show before they were stars, doing some type of act.
Anyone remembers?
From this story:
There’s a singer who also got her start on the show, but I cannot remember her name.
Sez here that Mare Winningham was on it, too. Whatever happend to The Unknown Comic, btw?
Sandra Bernhard was a contestant on “The $1.98 Beauty Show” under the name of “Malvena Ray”.
Ol’ Jaye P. Morgan was a real heavy hitter…
Cheryl Lynn had a big hit with “Got to Be Real.” She had previously appeared on the “Gong Show” singing “You Are So Beautiful.”
I also remember seeing him on The Dating Game.
that show really went downhill after the CIA infiltrated it
Just as I suspected, there was no real talent in that show at all :=)
The first incarnation of Oingo Boingo (named the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo - a performance art troupe led by Danny Elfman’s brother Richard) were on the gong show once, and won.
They had some ridiculous piece where they were going to play some Hayden trio and then partway through the curtain raises up and they had people in kabuki makup being chased around y someone wearing a huge rocketship spewing smoke and other craziness. they basically ran around the stage like idiots for 30 seconds while some of them played a musical accompaniment on kazoos, triangles and other such things.
A sight to behold if you can catch it.
The first incarnation of Oingo Boingo (named the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo - a performance art troupe led by Danny Elfman’s brother Richard) were on the gong show once, and won.
They had some ridiculous piece where they were going to play some Hayden trio and then partway through the curtain raises up and they had people in kabuki makup being chased around y someone wearing a huge rocketship spewing smoke and other craziness. they basically ran around the stage like idiots for 30 seconds while some of them played a musical accompaniment on kazoos, triangles and other such things.
A sight to behold if you can catch it.