Gongman

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The Gongman (also known as the "man-with-the-gong") is a company trademark for the Rank Organisation. It was used as the introduction to all Rank films, many of which were created at their Pinewood Studios). The gongman sequence combines a depiction of a man with the deep resonance of a huge gong. The gongs used in the films were props made of plaster or papier-mâché, with the sound of the gong done by James Blades on a Chinese instrument called a tam tam. People who have played the Gongman include Carl Dane, "Bombardier" Billy Wells, Phil Nieman, and Ken Richmond.

[edit] Parodies

The Gongman was often parodied over the years. In Carry On up the Khyber, Kenneth Williams' character refers to an over-enthusiastic gongman's attitude as "rank stupidity". In addition, the opening to the ATV Thursday Picture Show used an animated version. According to Sub-TV, who has a video of the opening, "the gong-smasher here is a non-muscley man in an old-fashioned swimming costume and a cloth cap!" The man whacks an ATV logo, not a gong, and the logo smashes into pieces when it gets whacked.

The now defunct Swedish film distributor [Triangelfilm] had a similar vignette with an animated man hitting a dito triangle.

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