The Muppet Show opening, with Gonzo swinging at the "O" in Muppet Show, and having bad things happen (i.e. breaking the "O" or the gong-beater exploding) might also be a parody.
gongman |
Though he made a memorable appearance as the wrestler Nikolas in Jules Dassin's Night and the City, Richmond was most recognizable as the shirtless gongman banging the enormous gong preceding the opening credits for J. Arthur Rank's famed British productions of the Rank Organisation (movies such as Great Expectations, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, and Kind Hearts and Coronets).