Gene Gene the Dancing Machine
Gene Gene the Dancing Machine | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eugene Sidney Patton Sr. April 25, 1932 dancer, stagehand |
Eugene Sidney Patton Sr. (April 25, 1932 – March 9, 2015), also known as Gene Patton
Patton's claim to fame, however, was from his various appearances on the network's talent search game show, The Gong Show. In addition to his stage duties, Patton was one of several amateur performers who would warm up and entertain the audience during commercial breaks. Host Chuck Barris found him so entertaining that he had him dance on the show on-air, and he proved so popular that he soon became a recurring act, then an occasional judge. The genial Patton usually wore the same outfit each time he appeared, which consisted of a green sweater jacket, a flat cap, bell-bottomed slacks, and sneakers.
On The Gong Show, Patton's appearances were treated as spontaneous (in reality, they were always written into the show).[
Patton performed on the NBC edition of The Gong Show until its cancellation in the summer of 1978 and on the weekly syndicated series until it was canceled in 1980. For the last two seasons of the syndicated series, Patton's appearances were scaled back significantly; NBC had evicted The Gong Show from its studios after its cancellation and production moved to what is now KTLA's studios in Los Angeles; since Patton was a full-time NBC employee, he remained there.
After The Gong Show
- Patton appeared in The Gong Show Movie, which was released in 1980. He had some dialogue in the film.
- Patton worked as a stagehand on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and appeared on screen in at least two episodes. He could be seen by the live audience during the shows sitting up in the rafters operating a spotlight. Once on June 20, 1984, as part of Johnny's soap opera parody, Johnny refers to him as "Buford Styversen, Sludge Falls' only blues singer," and once on March 12, 1986, in which he played a general.
- Patton appeared on the November 3, 1993, episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien doing his trademark shuffle during an interview with Barris.
- Patton had a cameo as himself in the film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,[2] which was based on Barris' autobiography.
- Patton lost both legs due to complications from diabetesin 2001. He wore prostheses and walked with a cane.
Death
Patton died in Pasadena, California, on March 9, 2015, from complications from diabetes.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Barnes, Mike (March 13, 2015). "Gene Patton Dead: 'Gong Show' Dancing Machine Was 82". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
- ^ a b "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
Further reading
- Reardon, Dave (October 20, 2002). "Patton just a part of an athletic 'Bunch'". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
External links
- Gene Patton at IMDb