TV & VIDEO - July 1, 1987

Chuck Barris, creator of “The Gong Show” and “The Dating Game,” Monday filed a $5-million copyright-infringement suit claiming a new childrens’ television program, “I’m Telling,” is unfairly based on his “The Newlywed Game.” The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that the new Saturday-morning show--set to air in September on NBC--features relatives answering embarrassing questions about each other. Barris’ suit asks for $5 million in punitive damages, plus an injunction to stop Sabin Productions and Haim Sabin from producing “I’m Telling” on the grounds that it violates his copyrights. An attorney representing Sabin denied that there was any similarity between the game shows, adding, “They’re all alike, anyway.”