<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The show had many running gags and characters who appeared as regular performers . </P> <Ul> <Li> The Unknown Comic (Murray Langston, formerly of the Sonny and Cher TV stock company) was a stand - up comedian who told intentionally corny jokes while wearing a paper bag over his head . ("You've heard of a boxer?" asked Langston . "This is a bagger!") Eventually, Langston would beckon to "Chuckie" and tell insulting jokes at his expense ("Have you ever made love to your wife in the shower?" "No ." "Well, you should, she loves it!"). Barris would then feign anger and eject Langston from the show . Langston (as The Unknown Comic) later made appearances as a judge on the show . </Li> <Li> Gene Gene the Dancing Machine (Gene Patton) was a heavy - set, middle - aged black man wearing a warm - up suit and flat hat . Gene - Gene's arrival would always be treated as though it were a glorious surprise to everyone on the show, especially Barris . Upon hearing the opening notes to his theme music (an arrangement of "Jumpin' at the Woodside", a popular Count Basie song), Barris's face would light up and he would stop the show, yielding the stage to Gene - Gene . Members of the crew would toss random objects from the wings, littering the stage while Gene - Gene danced on, oblivious to the activity around him . Barris and the panelists would enthusiastically mimic Gene - Gene's dance moves, which consisted primarily of a slow - footed chug - chug motion, punctuated by an occasional, exultant fist pointed skyward . Typically, the dance break would be interrupted by a commercial or by the show's promotional announcements . In reality, Patton was an NBC stagehand whose backstage dancing caught the attention of Barris, who moved him out in front of the curtain when time ran short during an episode . He added membership in AFTRA to his existing IATSE membership . Occasionally, Gene - Gene filled in as one of the three mallet - wielding judges . Patton's popularity was such that his retirement from NBC made the national news wires in 1997, unique attention for a stagehand . In a bitter irony, Patton's legs were amputated in the early 2000s due to complications from diabetes . He died in 2015 . </Li> <Li> Scarlett and Rhett were Chuck's dresser Jefferson Beeker and Costume Designer Peter Mins dressed as Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind . Their act always began with Rhett bellowing, "I don't give a damn!" and the shocked Scarlett gasping, "You can't say that on television!" Rhett would respond by asking, "Well, can I say this, Scarlett?" and launch into a vulgar riddle along the lines of "Why are pool tables green?" Scarlett would answer, "Why, Rhett?" "Because if someone was --" and the off - color punchline would invariably be bleeped out . After two or three jokes, and the same number of shocked reactions, Barris would stop the act and close the curtain . </Li> <Li> Larry, The Evil Villain, played by the show's writer Larry Spencer, wore an old - fashioned black cape and top hat; the audience was encouraged to hiss at him as if he were a villain from 19th century melodrama . </Li> <Li> "Larry And His Magic _____", an alleged musician (also portrayed by Spencer) whose various appearances featured a series of different instruments . His call - and - response act featured him proclaiming, "I'm gonna play my (trumpet, trombone, xylophone, kettle drum, accordion, Moog synthesizer, etc .)" and the audience shouting back, "Whatcha gonna do?" This exchange would be repeated twice, after which he would announce, "I'm gonna play my (instrument) nowwww!" Instead of playing, though, he would merely repeat his audience - punctuated declaration . After a few verses of this, the skit would inevitably end with Spencer failing to play his instrument . Either time would run out, the instrument would malfunction or be booby - trapped, or he would manage to produce a few inept notes before being permanently interrupted by Barris . </Li> <Li> Chuckie's Fables, featuring "The Mighty Gong Show Players", an alleged acting troupe (in actuality, members of the production and stage crews). Barris would flop into a rocking chair and read a narrative from an oversized storybook, while the Players, in whimsical costumes by Peter Mins, would pantomime the action behind him, including mouthing words of the dialogue that Barris would be reading . These stories always ended with a convoluted moral . The name was a takeoff on the "Mighty Carson Art Players" from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which in turn was a copy of Fred Allen's "Mighty Allen Art Players". </Li> <Li> The Worm, a supposed "dance craze" consisting of three men who flung themselves to the floor and wriggled on the ground . At the end of each of their performances, Barris would come out and say "One--More--Time!" The Worm would often be performed four or five times in succession before the commercial break interrupted the men's performance . </Li> <Li> The Whispers, a female trio who "whispered" popular songs . (An actual male R&B group also performs under this name, and is completely unrelated .) </Li> <Li> BORK, a / k / a Johann Sebastian Bork, a performance artist who was dressed in 17th Century wig and suit, holding an unlit cigar, and carrying an upside - down children's book which he would place on the music rack of a piano and start playing . </Li> <Li> The show's air of spontaneity was abetted by various comic appearances by supporting staff, technical / stage crew and house band members . </Li> <Li> Holidays--The show celebrated many holidays such as Christmas, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving, but invariably did so by singing the Irving Berlin standard, "Easter Parade". (When Easter was feted, the cast and crew would sing Berlin's "White Christmas".) The annual Christmas episode also featured a major rule change--in honor of the holiday spirit, judges were not permitted to gong contestants . Predictably, Christmas shows were heavily loaded with the most unappealing acts available . </Li> <Li> Albert - On the ABC version, before the final act of the show performs, Tommy Maitland invites the audience and judges to a singalong, which is led by Albert . He always performs the same song, entitled "Shaving Cream". </Li> <Li> Mitzi - Another character exclusive to the ABC version . After each performance, Maitland asks Mitzi to "bring them a nice cup of tea", along with an additional random object . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The Unknown Comic (Murray Langston, formerly of the Sonny and Cher TV stock company) was a stand - up comedian who told intentionally corny jokes while wearing a paper bag over his head . ("You've heard of a boxer?" asked Langston . "This is a bagger!") Eventually, Langston would beckon to "Chuckie" and tell insulting jokes at his expense ("Have you ever made love to your wife in the shower?" "No ." "Well, you should, she loves it!"). Barris would then feign anger and eject Langston from the show . Langston (as The Unknown Comic) later made appearances as a judge on the show . </Li>

Who got their start on the gong show