ABC's Hootenanny ran into some issues over artists' political views (i.e. Pete Seeger), and ended up getting cancelled. In its place came Shindig!, which covered a wider spectrum of pop music, including rhythm & blues. Los Angeles DJ Jimmy O'Neill served as host for the series, which lasted two seasons (1964-6). Initially, it aired for half an hour on Wednesdays, but expanded to an hour by January of 1965. In the fall, the show was cut back to half an hour, but now twice a week, a la Peyton Place, and airing on Thursday & Saturday nights.
However, by January 1966, the show was back to once a week, as the Thursday spot was taken up by another twice-a-week entry---Batman.
From September 30, 1964, comes a complete episode, commercials and all, featuring the Walker Brothers and other artists who were regulars, including future bubblegum crooner Bobby Sherman, whose cover of the Honeycombs' "Have I The Right" just didn't have the zing of the original.
Could a show like this be mounted today? I doubt it, but it'd be worth a 1-shot pilot special.
Rating: B.
7 comments:
Do I misunderstand? Batman ran on ABC TV in 1966??? I --- don't --- think --- so !!!
Chronology Time:
Shindig came on ABC in September 1964, as a half-hour on Wednesday night.
Come January of '65, ABC expanded Shindig to a weekly hour, again on Wednesday.
For Fall '65, ABC decided to split Shindig into two weekly half-hours, on Thursday and Saturday.
In January of '66, ABC cancelled both Shindigs, moved Ozzie & Harriet from Wednesday to Saturday, and put Batman in for O&H on Wednesday and for Shindig on Thursday.
Batman's breakthrough was the big TV story for the whole of 1966 - but that's another story ...
@Irving: You don't know your history, do you?
Mike, I mentioned that Shindig went to twice a week, name-dropping Peyton Place as I went along.
Figured that Shindig was cancelled altogether, but don't you think they could've tried moving it to air behind Batman, rather than give up on it, on Thursdays?
Acknowledged.
I got my timezones crossed.
Out in deep space, here, where Batman premieted on something called HSV7.
You da man.
Like, way out there, man.
Was Shindig called something else when it aired back east? That's what I was told after I was introduced on one episode as I was in the front row audience. I was never able to see the show, didn't know its "other" name. Would love to view it in my old age. Anyone I could write?
As I wrote in the original post, it essentially was created to replace Hootenanny.
Post a Comment