Barris Productions

Background: Chuck Barris Productions, Inc. was a television production company that was started on June 14, 1965 by Chuck Barris as "Chuck Barris Enterprises, Inc.". The very first series was an unsold pilot called People Pickers and the first hit series was The Dating Game. On October 28, 1968, Barris took his production company public. After the cancellation of Treasure Hunt in 1982, Barris left to move to France. He returned to the United States in 1984 and formed a distribution arm called "Bel-Air Program Sales" in October and syndicated his classic series: The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game (for ABC reruns), The Gong Show, 3's A Crowd, The $1.98 Beauty Show, and Treasure Hunt, among others. Chuck Barris Productions, Inc. was renamed to "Barris Industries, Inc." in 1981. He created The New Newlywed Game in 1985 year however, it would become a first-run syndicated program. In 1985, Chuck Barris formed an ad-sales barter called "Clarion Communications" with Steve Mathis, which was later renamed to "Barris Advertising Sales" on April 8, 1987, Bel-Air Program Sales became "Barris Program Sales" the same year, and the production arm Chuck Barris Productions to "Barris Productions". In 1987, Barris was burnt out and left to move back to France and sold his shares of Barris Industries. In December 1987, Barris Industries under the ownership of movie producer Burt Sugarman and Giant Group, Ltd. announced to merge with The Guber-Peters Company. The merger was complete in 1988 to form "Barris/Guber-Peters". On March 31, 1989, Burt Sugarman sold his 24.4% stake in Barris Industries to Frank Lowy, who owned Westerfield Capital Corporation and Northern Star Holdings, who also owned Network 10 of Australia for $34.5 million after Sugarman failed to take over Media General, Inc. On September 6, 1989, Barris Industries changed its name to "The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company", Barris Program Sales was renamed to "Guber-Peters Program Sales" and Barris Advertising Sales was renamed to "Guber-Peters Advertising Sales" and was headed by Peter Guber and Jon Peters. On September 29, 1989, the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company was sold to Sony Corporation for $200 million, a day after Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment. The GPEC sale was completed on November 9, 1989. On November 15, 1990, Guber-Peters Television was folded into Columbia Pictures Television Distribution. Currently, the Barris game shows are owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. However, Barris has an independent company known as the Chuck Barris Company since 1987.

1st Logo (December 20, 1965-September 1982, 1984-1987)

Nicknames: "CBP", "CBE", "Switched-Up CPB"

Logo: We have the letters "cbp" in an outlined ellipse shape with the tips of the letters "b" and "p" touching the edges of the ellipse. Underneath the logo has the text "A CHUCK BARRIS PRODUCTION" with a copyright stamp below.

Trivia: This logo looks somewhat similar to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting logo (though this came long before that).

Variants:
 * This logo is shown on a light blue background on The Dating Game in 1970.
 * From 1966-1972, the logo has the letters "cbe" in the circle rather as "cbp" with the text saying "A CHUCK BARRIS ENTERPRISE" instead of "A CHUCK BARRIS PRODUCTION" on The Newlywed Game.
 * The early years would have the text underneath the logo in a sans serif font. From 1977-1982, it would be in a script font.
 * On the 1972 unsold pilot game Cop Out!, the text was placed on top of the logo rather than below it.
 * On The New Dating Game and The New Treasure Hunt, the copyright information text below would display something that was different from the actual logo itself (i.e. instead of Chuck Barris Productions, Inc. (as it would say "A Chuck Barris Production"), it would say Chuck Barris Creations, Inc. or Chuck Barris Projects, Inc.).
 * On the 1972 short-lived game show The Parent Game, the logo says "A CHUCK BARRIS SHOW".
 * On the 1981 unsold pilot game show Dollar a Second, there is no text to Chuck Barris Productions, instead there is a copyright stamp underneath the logo.
 * In 1984, this logo would be placed on a royal blue background, in grayscale (for black & white reruns), or sometimes appear in-credit with the lettering in white. You would see this logo come right after or would plaster the in-credit Chuck Barris logos in syndication of the first incarnations of The Dating Game and ABC reruns of The Newlywed Game.

FX/SFX: Just the scrolling of the logo. Other times, it's superimposed or the logo fades or appears in.

Cheesy Factor: For 1966-1972 episodes of The Newlywed Game, the text saying "A CHUCK BARRIS ENTERPRISE" looks very jarring and unprofessional. It should say: "A CHUCK BARRIS ENTERPRISES PRODUCTION".

Music/Sounds/Voice-over:
 * Just the game show's theme or the end-title theme playing from any show or the announcer (Johnny Jacobs, Rod Roddy, or Bob Hilton) announcing "Title of the game show is a Chuck Barris Production! (in association with the American Broadcasting Company (Jacobs only with the ABC mention))" or "Title of the game show is a production of Chuck Barris Creations.".
 * On The Newlywed Game from 1966-1972, Scott Beach (1966) then later Johnny Jacobs (1966-1972) would say "The Newlywed Game is a Chuck Barris Enterprise in association with the American Broadcasting Company" with the end-title theme.
 * This logo wasn't accompanied by announcer spiels on some episodes of The Newlywed Game.
 * For early 1986 episodes of The All-New Dating Game, Bob Hilton says: "This is Bob Hilton speaking for The All-New Dating Game, a Chuck Barris Production!".

Availability: Extinct on TV. It was last seen on the '60s & '70s versions of The Newlywed Game on GSN. Also seen on 1st & early 2nd season episodes of The New Newlywed Game, Treasure Hunt, earlier episodes of The All New Dating Game, several episodes of 3's a Crowd, and the '60s & '70s versions of The Dating Game, among other shows that had this logo whenever GSN decides to air any one of these series.

Scare Factor: None. It's harmless.

2nd Logo (September 29, 1969-September 1970)

Logo: This time, Chuck Barris used an in-credit text saying:

"THE GAME GAME"' has been produced by CHUCK BARRIS GAMES SHOWS, INC.

A copyright stamp is shown below.

FX/SFX: Just the credits scrolling up.

Cheesy Factor: Spelling grammar: It should say either "CHUCK BARRIS GAME SHOWS, INC." or "CHUCK BARRIS GAMES, INC." not "CHUCK BARRIS GAMES SHOWS, INC."

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: The end-title theme of the game show playing with Johnny Jacobs announcing, "The Game Game is a Chuck Barris Game Show. This program was pre-recorded".

Availability: Extinct. It was last and only seen on The Game Game.

Scare Factor: None.

3rd Logo (June 14, 1976-1980)

Logo: Another on-screen text saying:

A CHUCK BARRIS PRODUCTION

Trivia: This text was shown in tandem with the 1965 logo on the short-lived game show Camouflage in 1980.

Variant: On The Gong Show from 1976-1978, the text would read:

A CHUCK BARRIS CHRIS BEARDE PRODUCTION

All featuring the copyright stamp of the show below.

FX/SFX: Just the text scrolling up or the fade in.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: Just the game show's theme from any show or announcer Johnny Jacobs announcing "Title of the game show is a Chuck Barris Production!" with the game show's theme. This text wasn't accompanied by an announcer on The Gong Show or The $1.98 Beauty Show.

Availability: Extinct. It was seen on The Gong Show, Camouflage, The $1.98 Beauty Show, the 1976 episodes of The New Treasure Hunt, several episodes of 3's a Crowd, and the 70s first season of The Newlywed Game.

Scare Factor: None.

4th Logo (1986)

Logo: We have the text "BARRIS-FRASER ENTERPRISES" in pink with "BARRIS-FRASER" above, the word "ENTERPRISES" below, and a 1986 copyright stamp below.

FX/SFX: The text appearing.

Music/Sounds: The end-title theme.

Availability: Extinct. This was only seen on the 1986 unsold pilot Bamboozle.

Scare Factor: None.

5th Logo (1987-September 15, 1989)

Nickname: "The White Line"

Logo: We have purple gradient background. The top is light purple and the bottom is dark purple. There is a white line drawn in the middle, where we see the word "Barris" outlined in white rising up from the line with the letters "Ba" attached to each other and the word "PRODUCTIONS" and the copyright stamp to Barris Industries in a solid white font rising down from the line all in Eras Demi Bold ITC font. There is a lavender glow in the middle where the white line is as it brightens and dims.

Variants:
 * Later S1 episodes of The All-New Dating Game and The New Newlywed Game have the Barris Advertising and Barris Program logos appearing in-credit.
 * On the same background like the Barris logo, there is a text saying:

Distributed by    BARRIS PROGRAM SALES ________________

National Advertising Sales by    BARRIS ADVERTISING SALES, INC.

In the same font and color with "BARRIS" in a bigger bolder font and a shorter white line in between the names. Appeared as an in-credit logo on the first few 1987-1988 season episodes of The New Newlywed Game.

FX/SFX: The line drawing. The name rising and dropping.

Music/Sounds: The game show's theme or the end-title theme from any show. Sometimes it's silent for the distributor. On The Gong Show, the distributor card carries the finishing of the 1984 Chris Bearde Productions logo theme.

Availability: Extinct. All were seen on The All-New Dating Game, The New Newlywed Game, and the 1988 version of The Gong Show.

Scare Factor: None.

6th Logo (1988-September 8, 1989)

Nicknames: "BARRIS", "Gray Slate"

Logo: On a gray slate background, there is 1/3 of the background in black that is cut off. The middle has the word "BARRIS" in a red Bodoni Poster font with a shadow effect. Below is a white copyright stamp with a shadow effect.

In-credit Variant: On The Newlywed Game Starring Paul Rodriguez, it's the same text seen on the last logo, but reads differently as:

Distributed By BARRIS PROGRAM SALES

National Sales Representatives BARRIS ADVERTISING SALES

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The end-title theme from any show. On The Newlywed Game Starring Paul Rodriguez, it's the song Book of Love by The Monotones.

Availability: Extinct. It was seen on the final season of The All-New Dating Game and The Newlywed Game Starring Paul Rodriguez.

Scare Factor: None.