Shindig!

I was 15 when Shindig came on, and I too thought it was better than Hullabaloo or any of the many Bandstand type shows of that era. Most of the performances were live, not lipped synched, the dancers were cute but did not detract from the performances, and except for their occasional missteps with a guest host format (Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hedy Lamaar,Mickey Rooney, etc) it was real rock and roll by done with energy and verve. The highlights of the shows for me were the many semi regular performers--Righteous Brothers, Donna Loren, Shindogs-- and their live covers of then current or even at that early date some classics. It was a sad day for me when ABC replaced it with Batman.

I was 11 and 12 years old when Shindig was on the air. I had many euphoric moments watching Shindig. For example, I remember sitting in front of the television with my family as I waited with breathless anticipation to see for the first time what the Supremes looked like. The Supremes had had already three #1 hits in a row and I was dying to see what they looked like. I was not disappointed. I also dug Hullabaloo, a slightly different version of Shindig but in color. I liked both Hullabaloo and Shindig. It was these two shows that allowed me to see what my favorite artists looked like. There was no Internet, no computer, not MTV, no DVD, no VHS, just these two shows and a couple of other minor knockoffs that gave me such pleasure in the dull world of the San Fernando Valley.

Shindig! was one of the greatest music variety shows in the world. I truly miss the show. It's a classic. I was 23 when the show first aired on national TV. I remember the catchy tunes played by bands such as The Beatles, and musician Eddie Rubin and singer Johnny Rivers playing the song "Memphis" and "Maybelline" on that show. They were one of the best bands of that time.

I don't know what to rate this show--it was on when I was age 9-12, but I watched it regularly. This was Beatlemania time, of course, and I and all my friends were constantly glued to the radio, often a little Japanese transistor job. I remember that they had pretty good acts on Shindig, good Top 40 stuff (it was *all* Top 40 in those days), bands and singers that were hot. And, for no reason that I can remember, I always thought Shindig was better than Hullabaloo, its main competition (aside from the Sullivan show, of course). I have a vague memory that Hullabaloo wasn't quite as "hip" as Shindig, or at the least didn't have as good a line-up week for week.

I was born the last year of Shindig! so to me, these videos were really an eye-opener! The videos are a great hint, or shadow of how great the show really was. If you catch a full, original episode, you'll see the show was paced at a speed guaranteed to surpass a jet-propelled rocket to the moon! I, and it seems many others, share your opinion that Shindig! was the better show. Hullabaloo was OK- they had the same stars and all- the what was lacking was the pacing and presentation. Even though Hullabaloo had color episodes, Shindig! had the lighting effects, the better dancers, the better sense of theater and presentation. Hullabaloo always comes off a bit as if the producers were trying to shoehorn rock and roll into a more tame, middle-age-America-friendly form.

There are still good points about Shindig's competition, but I still would have to vote for Shindig! every time!