Tiny Dave Gong Show 1977

My experience performing on the Gong Show in 1977. The Gong Show, which was the most popular TV show back then, was filmed at NBC Studios in Burbank, Ca. You couldn't just be a good musician or actor to get on the show, you had to have a unusual act to make it past the 1st audition. Back then, there was a famous unusual singer named "Tiny Tim" that sang Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips in his falsetto voice so I thought I would start off with a little yodeling and sing that song, wear a wig with a beauty pagent ribbon that said "TINY DAVE", wear my "rock pants" (one of a kind pants that were made by Levis that I bought in Rapid City South Dakota in 1971 while in the Air Force, I thought these pants would be popular, but to this day, I NEVER saw another person wear them PERIOD. So I had to wear them on The Gong Show! Each act could only be between 60-90 seconds max. The 1st audition (on Hollywood Blvd/Vine) where nearly 1,000 acts daily who auditioned took around 8-10 hrs. for them to hear your audition. Only 1 or 2 percent made it to the next and final audition which was with Chuck Barris himself at the NBC Studios. *One of the notible person NOT to make the cut was "Weird Al Yankovic (now famous Comedian singer) Pee Wee Herman did make it on the show. About 10 days after my addition, I got a letter and a call that I had made it to the final audition by Chuck Barris. After waiting for 4 hrs Chuch Barris finally called me as he was eating a hotdog he told me to start my act. After hearing me yodel for a few seconds, he told me "that's enough" I told him that after waiting for 4 hours, that he needed to hear me finish my act! So he did and he put me on the show! About one month later, I got another letter and call and It was finally time to record the show at the NBC studios in Burbank, Ca. They filmed the whole week (5 shows) on the same day. There was between 40 and 50 acts for the week waiting to get filmed. We all went thru our acts which took most of the day, and my act was picked for Friday's show (the last show for the week) so we started with Monday, and I finally came on at the end of the day. The audiience, actors and acts were all tired by that time and almost everyone was getting "gonged". My act was the 1st act of Friday's show, so I started out yodeling, then proceeded to my "tip-toe thru the tulips song" But before I got thru, Jamie Farr (from MASH) Gonged Me! I was so upset because I didn't get to hit my double high C that most women can't hit (the note is so high) plus I wasn't going to win the $516.32 prize! So in order to be noticed, while walking off the stage, I purposely tripped off the stage and as I went through the curtain, they put on a hemorrhoid commercial, then I was told to fill out this form that put me on the "Pro Show". (One show each week was on the "Pro Show") which in addition of winning some prizes, (my prizes were some free meals at local restaurants and 4 Van Heusen dress shirts which I wore for yrs). We also got paid a percentage every time the show aired. So after 10 yrs of replays I had made over $1500, which was way more than winning the show's 1st prize! I noticed on the very next show that aired after mine, they had installed a ramp off the stage so nobody could trip or fall off like I did! (The Tiny Dave ramp) haha! In 1980 I got another letter that they had made "The Gong Show Movie" and they had put my act in it. So i was invited to the VIP Premier in Los Angeles. *Weird Al Yankovic was one of those people who didn't make it. The singer known for his spot-on parodies auditioned for The Gong Show with one of his friends while he was in college. ... Frump in the Iron Lung' and the audience seemed to enjoy it," said Yankovic. However, the "Eat It" singer never got a callback.Oct 4, 2016 **Note: This video was originally recorded on my dad's BETA machine when the show aired in 1977, then yrs later transfered to a VHS tape, then about 10 yrs later, finally transfered to a CD. So please excuse the tracking issues.