Hootenanny (US TV series)

Hootenanny (US TV series)

infobox television |Lop
show_name = Hootenanny


caption = Opening title of show which aired October 12, 1963
format = music
runtime = 26-52 Minutes
director = Garth Dietrick
starring = Jack Linkletter (host)
country = USA
network = ABC Television
first_aired = April, 1963
last_aired = September, 1964
num_episodes = 43
picture_format = |

"Hootenanny" was a musical variety television show broadcast in the United States on ABC from April 1963 to September 1964. The program was hosted by Jack Linkletter. It primarily featured pop-oriented folk music acts, including The Limeliters, the Chad Mitchell Trio, The New Christy Minstrels, The Brothers Four, Ian & Sylvia, Hoyt Axton, Judy Collins, Johnny Cash, The Carter Family, Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, The Tarriers, Bud & Travis, and the Smothers Brothers. Although both popular and influential, the program is primarily remembered today for the controversy created when the producers blacklisted certain folk music acts, which then led to a boycott by others.

History

"Hootenanny" was created in 1962 by Dan Melnick, Vice President of ABC-TV, and the Ashley-Steiner Talent Agency. ["Strum Along with 'Hootenanny'" by Cecil Smith, TV Channels, January 19, 1964] The pilot was conceived as a half-hour special. The agency and network hired producer-director Gil Cates to oversee the initial production. It was Cates’ idea to tape the program at a college campus, and to liberally include the student audience on camera, singing and clapping along with the music. Cates staged the show as theater in the round, with the students seated on the floor or in bleachers, surrounding the performers. ["Helmsman of the Pilot Ship", TV Guide, issue of July 25 1964, pp.22-23]

With Cates at the helm, the pilot was video taped in the fall of 1962 at Syracuse University in New York. ["Hootenanny Goes on the Air" by John P. Shanley, THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 14, 1963, Section II, p.15] Fred Weintraub, owner of The Bitter End, a folk music club in New York’s Greenwich Village, served as talent coordinator (and would continue to do so throughout the series’ run), ensuring that performers would not be limited to clients of the Ashley-Steiner agency.

New York radio personality Jean Shepherd was the original emcee, and four folk acts appeared in the pilot: The Limeliters, Mike Settle, Jo Mapes and Clara Ward’s Gospel Singers. ["Top Folk Singers Will Perform on Video" by Fred H. Russell, The Bridgeport Post, November 10, 1962, p.7] Rather than showcase acts once per show, each performer/group would do a song, then yield the stage to another and return later in the program. Occasionally two otherwise unrelated acts would team up for a duet. The final result was so well-received by network executives that the idea of airing the pilot as a stand-alone special was jettisoned, and production on the series began.

Producer Richard Lewine was put in charge and Garth Dietrick assumed the Director’s chair. The first thing Lewine did was to replace Shepherd with Jack Linkletter. (When the original pilot aired in June 1963, Shepherd's scenes had been removed and Linkletter was spliced in. ["Folk Music Heritage Wide Claims 'Hootenanny' Host", The Syracuse Post-Standard, November 16, 1963] ) As Shepherd had done, Linkletter would discreetly provide information about the performer(s) and/or the song(s) they would sing as each act took the stage. Linkletter described his role as “an interpreter. The people at home hear what I have to say, but not the ones at the performance. (The feeling is) that the Hootenanny would be going on whether we were there or not.” ["Who gives a hoot?" by Aleene MacMinn, TV Channels, April 28 1963] On February 26, 1963, their first two "Hootenanny" programs were taped at George Washington University in the District of Columbia. [“GWU Students Hoot It Up for ‘Hootenanny’”, Variety, February 27, 1963]

eries production and reaction

Between February 26 and April 30, 12 "Hootenanny" shows were taped at six colleges. The production team would arrive at a campus on Monday to begin rehearsal and camera blocking. Taping of both half-hour programs would take place on Tuesday (later, when "Hootenanny" expanded to an hour, one program each would be taped on Tuesday and Wednesday). Students were permitted to attend the rehearsals, many of them volunteering to be runners for the various acts and production staff. ["Hootenanny Sends Sound of Folk Music Through Halls of Ivy" by Paul Gardner, THE NEW YORK TIMES, November 17, 1963, Section II, p.17]

The first "Hootenanny" to air had been taped at the University of Michigan in March, and starred The Limeliters, Bob Gibson, Bud & Travis and Bonnie Dobson. (Easily the best known folk group among those who appeared, The Limeliters would headline in seven of the first 13 episodes, literally appearing at least every other week.) Overall, critical reaction was favorable, although "Variety"'s reviewer felt it "lacked the spark and spirit that is found in 'live' college and concert dates" and predicted the series would do little to increase the popularity of folk music [Review of "Hootenanny", Variety, April 10, 1963] – a prediction that would soon prove erroneous. Most critics agreed with the New York Times’ Jack Gould, who labeled "Hootenanny" “the hit of the spring.” ["TV: ‘Hootenanny’ Debut" by Jack Gould, "The New York Times", April 8, 1963, p.95]

The Nielsen ratings justified ABC’s faith in the concept. The first program garnered a 26% share of the viewing audience; this increased to 32% for the second show. By the end of April, ABC announced that "Hootenanny" would return in the fall as a one-hour show, provided the ratings held up. [“’Hootenanny’ Looms As Hour ’63-’64 Entry; Ratings Start To Swing”, Variety, April 24, 1963] Which they did - "Hootenanny" soon became the network’s second-most popular show, after "Ben Casey", with a peak audience of 11 million viewers per week. [“ABC’s TV Hootenanny Show”, Hootenanny Songs and Stars, Winter 1964, pp. 10-11]

By the time "Hootenanny" concluded its first 13 weeks, a craze had been born. A front-page "Variety" story noted that “the big demand for the folk performers in virtually all areas of show biz (records, concerts, college dates, TV, pix) is stimulating a new folk form that can appeal to a mass audience. Among writers now contributing to the new-styled folk song are Bob Dylan, Mike Settle, Tom Paxton, Shel Silverstein, Bob Gibson, Malvina Reynolds, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie.” [“Folk Music’s Tin Pan Alley” by Mike Gross, Variety, July 3, 1963] MGM’s Sam Katzman produced "Hootenanny Hoot", a motion picture featuring The Brothers Four, Johnny Cash, Judy Henske, Joe and Eddie, Cathie Taylor, The Gateway Trio and Sheb Wooley – all of whom did or would appear on "Hootenanny". Record labels from the independent Folkways and Elektra to the mainstream Columbia and RCA-Victor released folk music compilation albums with “Hootenanny” in the title.

Magazines

Two bi-monthly magazines appeared on newsstands: "Hootenanny", edited by Robert Shelton and "ABC-TV Hootenanny", edited by Linda Solomon. Mainstream magazines such as "Time" and "Look" reported on the folk craze, with the latter calling "Hootenanny" the “final proof that folk music has gone big-time.” [“Folk Singers and Their Fans,” "Look", August 27, 1963]

Despite its popular appeal - or perhaps because of it - the overall reaction to "Hootenanny" by serious folk music critics was one of scorn. In an article for Shelton's "Hootenanny" magazine, Nat Hentoff savaged the program, writing "Aside from the fact that a sizable proportion of each week's cast has been "echt" fake, the 'Hootenanny Show' aura has also diluted the work of many of its performers with some credentials as folk singers." He also chided the students comprising the audience: "(B)e not deceived that the campus activists for social change are in the majority. If you want to see the "moyen" American college student, watch the TV 'Hootenanny' show." [”Requiem for Saturday Night Television” by Nat Hentoff, "Hootenanny", Vol.1 No. 3, May 1964] Editor Shelton, however, eventually acknowledged that "some good performances did sneak through; some obscure musicians won recognition. The TV series probably led millions of its viewers toward quality song." ["No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan" by Robert Shelton, 1986, published by Beech Tree Books division of William Morrow; page 169]

Renewal and format changes

When the series resumed in the fall of 1963, it had been expanded to a full hour with a slightly altered format. Although the program continued to primarily showcase folk music, other genres were added to the mix: jazz (represented by such performers as Herbie Mann, Pete Fountain, Stan Getz and Stan Rubin's Tigertown Five), country (artists such as Johnny Cash, Eddy Arnold, Flatt & Scruggs and Homer & Jethro) and gospel (The Staple Singers, Clara Ward, Bessie Griffin and Alex Bradford). The second season also added a spot for stand-up comedy; the best-know participants being Woody Allen, Bill Cosby (in his network TV debut), Jackie Vernon, Pat Harrington, Jr. and Stiller & Meara. Changes in the format continued as the season progressed. Commencing with episodes airing in January 1964, all the artists remained on stage throughout the show, seated behind whoever was performing; and Jack Linkletter no longer made all the introductions - many were handled by the artists themselves, one act introducing another.

The second season also saw the debut of "Hootenanny's" "home-grown" creation, The Serendipity Singers. "Discovered" by talent coordinator Fred Weintraub (whose sister, Lynne, was a charter member), the Serendipities were a nine-member folk chorale closely patterned after The New Christy Minstrels. The group appeared in eight of the 30 shows produced that season, and had a major hit in late 1963 with "Crooked Little Man (Don't Let the Rain Come Down)." The group, with various member changes, continued for decades after "Hootenanny's" demise.

Controversy

Even before it reached the airwaves, "Hootenanny" created controversy in the folk music world. In mid-March, word circulated that the producers would not invite folk singer Pete Seeger, nor Seeger’s former group, The Weavers, to appear on the show. Both Seeger and the Weavers were alleged to have overly left-wing views; in Seeger’s case, he had been convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to discuss his political affiliations with HUAC in 1955 – although the conviction had been overturned on appeal in May 1962.

"Variety" broke the story in its March 20, 1963 issue, reporting that folksinger Joan Baez had refused to appear on the show because of the blacklisting. [“Talent Boycott Threatened in Ban Of Seeger, Weavers on ‘Hootenanny’”, Variety, March 20, 1963] That same week, several folk artists gathered at The Village Gate in New York City to discuss forming an organized boycott, but opted instead to send telegrams of concern to ABC executives, producer Lewine and the FCC. [“Six More Folkniks Nix ‘Hootenanny’”, Variety, March 27, 1963] Although Seeger and the Weavers were also banned from NBC and CBS variety shows, the "Hootenanny" issue rankled because Seeger and his long-time associate Woody Guthrie were the first to popularize the term ‘hootenanny’ as a gathering of folk musicians.

To his credit, Seeger encouraged his fellow artists "not" to boycott but to accept "Hootenanny" invitations, so as to promote the popularity of the folk genre. Nevertheless, by the end of March three other folk acts had joined Joan Baez in boycotting the show: Tom Paxton, Barbara Dane and The Greenbriar Boys, a bluegrass trio. Some weeks later, Guthrie disciple Ramblin' Jack Elliot announced he, too, was boycotting "Hootenanny". [“Jack Elliot Joins Ranks of ‘Hoot’ and Holler Boys In Ban on ABC-TV Show”, Variety, April 24, 1963]

Over the years, other arguably better-known folk performers have been associated with the "Hootenanny" boycott; these include Dylan (who mentioned the show in his song "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues") [cite web | url = http://dylanchords.info/34_bootleg/talkin_john_birch_paranoid_blues.htm | title = "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" by Bob Dylan | work = from 1991 album "The Bootleg Series 1-3", tabbed by Eyolf Østrem | accessdate = 2007-07-29 ] , Peter, Paul & Mary, Phil Ochs and The Kingston Trio. However, the ones who specifically announced their participation in the boycott at the time were Joan Baez, Barbara Dane, Tom Paxton, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and The Greenbriar Boys – and The Greenbriar Boys would eventually relent and appear (on the broadcast of October 19, 1963, with their occasional singing partner Dian James). Some artists who had performed on the show would refuse future "Hootenanny" appearances for creative, rather than political, reasons; these include Judy Collins [”Why I Quit the ABC-TV Show” by Judy Collins and Robert Shelton, Hootenanny, Vol.1 No. 2, March 1964] and Theodore Bikel. [”Requiem for Saturday Night Television” by Nat Hentoff, Hootenanny, Vol.1 No. 3, May 1964]

With the expansion of "Hootenanny" to one hour weekly, effective with the broadcast of September 21, 1963, the producers made overtures to Pete Seeger. However, there was a caveat, spelled out in a letter from network executives: “ABC will consider Mr. Seeger’s use on the program only if he furnishes a sworn affidavit as to his past and present affiliations, if any, with the Communist Party, and/or with the Communist front organizations. Upon so doing, the company will undertake to consider his statement in relation to all the objective data available to it, and will advise you promptly [if] it will approve the employment of Mr. Seeger.” [“ABC Finally Puts Itself on Record Re ‘Hootenanny’”, Variety, September 11, 1963] Seeger, naturally, refused to provide anything that smacked of a loyalty oath, and his manager, Harold Leventhal, made the story public ["Seeger Bars Oath for TV ‘Hootenanny’", "The New York Times", September 6, 1963, p.59] - which only encouraged others to refuse appearances.

Cancellation

ABC scheduled "Hootenanny" for a third season, but a major shift in popular music brought about a last-minute reversal. The 1964 British Invasion eclipsed the folk music craze among younger viewers, resulting in a decline in "Hootenanny’s" viewership to about seven million by the end of April 1964, prior to the start of reruns. [”Two Paths of Folk Music”, "Hootenanny", Vol.1 No. 3, May 1964] Not only viewers, but musicians were impacted by the Invasion; performers such as Gene Clark (The New Christy Minstrels), John Phillips (The Journeymen), Cass Elliot (The Big 3) and John Sebastian (The Even Dozen Jug Band) - all of whom had appeared on "Hootenanny's" second season - abandoned folk music to form very successful pop-rock groups including The Byrds (Clark), The Mamas & the Papas (Phillips and Elliott) and The Lovin' Spoonful (Sebastian).

There were other factors that contributed to "Hootenanny's" demise, not least of which was repetition of both songs and artists. Eventually, it seemed that you were likely to see The Serendipity Singers, or The New Christy Minstrels, or The Brothers Four every time you tuned in; occasionally, you'd see two of the three. Faced with both a dwindling talent pool and growing viewer indifference, on June 8 ABC announced that "Hootenanny" would be cancelled. Another series with youth appeal, "The Outer Limits", took over the timeslot; to replace that program on Wednesday evenings, ABC hastily scheduled a new music series: "Shindig!" ["Hootenanny" Dropped: Monsters to Replace Folk Singers on TV" by Cynthia Lowry, "The Corpus Christy Times", June 9, 1964] .

The network erased its videotapes of the show many years ago, but kinescopes of several "Hootenanny" segments survive and were used to compile the "Best of Hootenanny" DVD set from Shout! Factory.

Colleges and universities

In its year-plus of existence, "Hootenanny" taped 43 programs at 22 different institutions of higher learning, mostly private colleges and universities. Eight land-grant universities hosted the show: Pennsylvania State University; Rutgers (1st season); University of Arizona; UCLA; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Florida; University of Tennessee; Purdue University (2nd Season). Two Ivy League schools were visited: Brown University (1st season) and Dartmouth College (2nd Season); the latter during its annual Winter Carnival. "Hootenanny" shows were also taped at two United States Service academies: The United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD and the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY (2nd Season).

At the request of the then-President of Miles Laboratories, one of the show’s sponsors and an alumnus, "Hootenanny" visited the small Salem College in Clarksburg, WV (2nd season). [“The Alkalizer Goes to a Hootenanny”, "The Alkalizer", Jan-Feb 1964, employee newsletter of Miles Laboratories, Inc.]

Footnotes

References

* "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" - 1999 Edition - Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh.
* [http://www.pseudobook.com/thepseudobookreview/?p=115 Remembering Hootenanny - Bruce Edwards, Professor, Bowling Green State University]

DVD

*DVD Sellers
** [http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=2735522 Shout! Factory Store]
** [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KRNCYO/ Amazon.com]
** [http://www.shoppbs.org/sm-pbs-the-best-of-hootenanny-3pk-dvd--pi-2633042.html PBS Store]

External links

* [http://www.shoutfactory.com/browse/45/hootenanny.aspx Hootenanny page] from "Shout! Factory"
* [http://www.tvparty.com/rechootenany.html Hootenanny page from TVParty!]


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