October 7, 2017

"I willingly embrace vulgarity. I prefer vulgarity, that is, to the excessive refinement that has long stifled British society."

"Like St. Paul, I’m a convert, but my conversion was to rock ’n’ roll," said Jack Good, the inventor of "Shindig"...



... quoted in his NYT obituary. He was 86.
The premiere of “Shindig” ended a relatively short professional journey for Mr. Good that began in 1956 when he became transfixed by an audience’s response to the movie “Rock Around the Clock,” with Bill Haley and the Comets. In rock ’n’ roll’s energy and excitement, he recognized music’s future, especially as a fuel for adolescent rebellion....

He left “Shindig” after a year, exhausted by the demands of producing it but with something else in mind: a rock musical based on “Othello.” It became “Catch My Soul,” with William Marshall in the title role and Jerry Lee Lewis playing an unlikely Iago....

32 comments:

rhhardin said...

Vulgarities are finely tuned to match actual interests, and have great performances when you mix meanings.

In the Loop (2009) is fun for the constant vulgarity among the bureaucrats in charge.

Ann Althouse said...

Lots of great stuff in the embedded video (including the earliest TV appearance of Aretha Franklin).

LYNNDH said...

I remember well watching it in my Dorm room. I was the only one with a TV. The room was packed. Music and dancing Girls! Great.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I was 12 in 1964 when it first aired and don't remember it at all. Looks like it was a good show.

tcrosse said...

Not to be outdone, NBC followed with Hullabaloo, which was quite similar (i.e. a ripoff).

David Baker said...

There was also a similar TV show at the time called Hullabaloo, and both featured Go-Go dancers. I believe the "Go-Go" idea (dancer in an elevated cage) came from the success of NYC's "Peppermint Lounge" on W. 45th Street, birthplace of the "Peppermint Twist" by Joey Dee and the Starliters.

n.n said...

Vulgarity is the outhouse of impacted minds.

Ann Althouse said...

"There was also a similar TV show at the time called Hullabaloo, and both featured Go-Go dancers."

Everyone I knew watched both of those shows all the time. "Shindig" was first, and "Hullaballoo" copied, but many people preferred the dancers on "Hullabaloo," especially the one with the extremely long hair.

There was also an afternoon show, "Where the Action Is" (which was a Dick Clark show).

David said...

I think that the Brits have gotten over that excessive refinement thing since he spoke.

David said...

The go-go dancers on these shows were great, especially if you like scantily clad attractive women in cages.

tcrosse said...

I think that the Brits have gotten over that excessive refinement thing since he spoke.

At that time the BBC had a similar show Top of the Pops, which lasted until 2006.

Luke Lea said...

I bet he couldn't have imagined hiphop (rap).

Ann Althouse said...

“The go-go dancers on these shows were great, especially if you like scantily clad attractive women in cages.”

Or, fir Shindig, if you like women in bulky woolen sweaters and knee length woolen skirts.

David said...

Not sure that I ever watched Shindig. Maybe that's why.

David said...

Plus I see it was on 64-66. I did not have a TV in 65-66. Good excuse, huh?

Laslo Spatula said...

"... especially if you like scantily clad attractive women in cages.”

I see you have looked into my basement.

I am Laslo.

David Baker said...

The "Peppermint Lounge" also has an interesting history. It was operated by Benny Siegel, aka "Bugsy" Siegel, and originally intended to be a front/hangout for mafia types. But then one typically quite and obscure night a female celebrity happened to wander in, danced into the wee hours, and the following day made the society pages. And suddenly they needed the mounted police to control the crowds which stretched all the way down to Broadway.





Otto said...

Came in as bawdy hedonist and left as quiet Christian. Ann came is a quiet hedonist and is now a bawdy blogger.

Hagar said...

Tie-dyes, alf-alfa sprouts, and outrageous speech, but actually doing outrageous things is a step too far.

Wince said...

That Shindig Retrospective made that Jack Good cat seem rather tangential, like he was the show's Crazy Guggenheim.

He left “Shindig” after a year, exhausted by the demands of producing it but with something else in mind: a rock musical based on “Othello.” It became “Catch My Soul,” with William Marshall in the title role and Jerry Lee Lewis playing an unlikely Iago....

In other news, my goldfish died.

traditionalguy said...

Great video of the early days of the sexual revolution when they got off on rock and roll instead of drugs. About that timeTed Turner’s illboard Advertising business bought a low signal strength TV station in Atlanta and ran go go dancers all day long. That was how the Super Station got its start.

Darrell said...

Or, for Shindig, if you like women in bulky woolen sweaters and knee length woolen skirts.

Top of the Pops's (BBC) dancers didn't keep to such a strict dress code. The show couldn't always get the live musical acts when they were doing the weekly countdowns, so the dancers were there to hold the audience's interest while they played the recordings. The history of the BBC dance groups by name is as folows--Beat Girls (pre-ToTP), the Go-Jos, Pan's People, and Leg&Co (pronounced "ko," not "company.") You can search YouTube for the latter's videos, like this--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIefM54bRL0&spfreload=5

Some of the dancers weren't formally trained--they were spotted as the best dancers at London Discos. The BBC was notoriously cheap--except for their executives--so they were paying the dancers £20/show at one time. Many of the girls danced for bragging rights among their friends until they got tired of the hassle with long rehearsals, etc.

traditionalguy said...

Every artist on the post was special. And the last 30 seconds got the Righteous Brothers in that I feared had not made it. All hail 1963.

Darrell said...

Hollywood A Go-Go (1965-66)featured the The Gazzarri Dancers, who were closer in style and dress to the Brit troops. Bill Gazzarri was a mob-wannabee that owned several clubs in L.A. and he put together several dance troops named after him.

Darrell said...

The Weinstein brothers started out running the music scene on the East coast before they made their move to Hollywood. Known for goon enforcers to take care of problems/disagreements.

Darrell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Darrell said...

Did you ever wonder -- as a kid or as an adult -- who those girls had to bang to get up there?

Nah. I always thought they were virgins. Or would be when I met them.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Delaney and Bonnie all Shindogs Live music.. actual performances
by the stars of the day made up for the woolen sweaters.

rcocean said...

All before my time. I remember "American bandstand" in the 70s, because my sister always had it on.

Darrell said...

BBC cameramen sometimes got distracted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEzOXeG7wfc

David said...

"Darrell said...
Did you ever wonder -- as a kid or as an adult -- who those girls had to bang to get up there?"

I was well aware it was not me. My curiosity pretty much stopped there.

Darrell said...

"Darrell said...
Did you ever wonder -- as a kid or as an adult -- who those girls had to bang to get up there?"


Darrell didn't say the part in italics. He was responding to it. Perhaps a ghost.