| | |  | FOLK MUSIC | Home » » The Best Of Hootenanny | | | | | | | Description: | | For the first-time on home video, a deluxe 3-DVD set of the hit ABC show that started the '60s!
In the pre-Beatlemania days of April 1963, a weekly folk music concert called Hootenanny found its way onto the American television airwaves. Originating from various college campuses, the show featured artists that were thriving on the coffee house and college circuit, like Judy Collins, Trini Lopez, Jimmie Rodgers, the Chad Mitchell Trio, the Brothers Four and Bob Gibson.
Hosted by Jack Linkletter (the son of TV legend Art Linkletter), Hootenanny was also a showcase for young comedians, including Bill Cosby and Woody Allen. And Hootenanny, not limiting itself to folk artists, also featured gospel, jazz and country performers, including Clara Ward, the Carter Family, Marion Williams, Herbie Mann, Hoyt Axton, Eddy Arnold, Flatt & Scruggs and Johnny Cash--all usually performing in the folk idiom, or something close to it.
A few young future rock performers also made early appearances on Hootenanny. Look for John Phillips, who would later go on to form The Mamas and the Papas, as a member of the Journeymen. Carly Simon performs as one half of the Simon Sisters and Barry McGuire, who would soon have a number one hit with Eve Of Destruction, can be seen with the New Christy Minstrels.
By 1964 the Beatles had arrived in America, essentially ending the folk music craze that had started only a few years before. Hootenanny would soon be replaced by Shindig! All of the videotapes of Hootenanny are lost--most likely erased and recycled during a time when no one imagined folk music would matter again. But fortunately the shows were preserved on kinescopes, films made from a television monitor. These kinescopes of Hootenanny form a musical time capsule of the short-lived era in American popular music--in between Elvis Presley and The Beatles--when folk music was all the rage.
More than 80 songs including: Froggie Went A-Courtin', He Was A Friend Of Mine, Midnight Special, C.C. Rider, Cottonfields, Turn Turn Turn, If I Had A Hammer, Wayfarin' Stranger, Wimoweh and Ole Blue
With performances by:
Eddy Arnold, Hoyt Axton, Leon Bibb, Theodore Bikel, The Brothers Four, Bud & Travis, The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, The Chad Mitchell Trio, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, The Clara Ward Gospel Singers, Judy Collins, The Coventry Singers, Dian & The Greenbriar Boys, The Dillards, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Bob Gibson, Ian & Sylvia, Joe & Eddie, The Journeymen, The Limeliters, Trini Lopez, Miriam Makeba, Herbie Mann, The New Christy Minstrels, Richard & Jim, Jimmie Rodgers, The Rooftop Singers, The Serendipity Singers, Mike Settle, The Simon Sisters, The Tarriers, The Travelers Three, Doc Watson, Josh White, Jr., Beverly White, Marion Williams
And comedy by:
Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Vaughn Meader, Louis Nye, Jackie Vernon | | | Features: | |
• Between Elvis Presley and the Beatles, folk music enjoyed a brief popularity among young Americans. Heard in coffee shops and on college campuses, acts like Judy Collins, the Brothers Four, and Jimmie Rodgers were leaders in the genre. Hosted by Jack Linkletter, the 1963 television series HOOTENANNY showcased all the greats in folk, not to mention several comedians, jazz musicians, and gospel arti
| | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Jack Linkletter, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Theodore Bikel, Johnny Cash, Marshall Brickman | | Format:
| Box set, Black & White, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 3 | | Studio:
| Shout! Factory | | Run Time:
| 30 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| January 16, 2007 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 16 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $19.69 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $19.69 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $19.98 | Used
- Mint | | | $20.94 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $22.41 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $23.43 | New | | | $23.43 | New | | | $25.34 | New | | | $29.33 | New | | | $29.34 | New | | | $29.44 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $29.99 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $30.03 | Used
- Mint | | | $30.04 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $30.66 | New | | | $30.69 | New | | | $30.93 | New | | | $30.99 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $31.41 | New | | | $32.06 | New | | | $32.95 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $32.95 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $32.99 | New | | | $33.19 | New | | | $33.87 | New | | | $33.87 | New | | | $34.08 | New | | | $35.88 | New | | | $35.88 | Used
- Mint | | | $39.11 | New | | | $39.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $39.99 | New | | | $40.07 | New | | | $35.00 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $49.09 | New | | | $49.09 | Used
- Mint | | | $119.99 | New | |
| New | |
| $23.43 | New | | | $23.43 | New | | | $25.34 | New | | | $29.33 | New | | | $29.34 | New | | | $29.44 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $29.99 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $30.04 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $30.66 | New | | | $30.69 | New | | | $30.93 | New | | | $30.99 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $31.41 | New | | | $32.06 | New | | | $32.95 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $32.95 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $32.99 | New | | | $33.19 | New | | | $33.87 | New | | | $33.87 | New | | | $34.08 | New | | | $35.88 | New | | | $39.11 | New | | | $39.99 | New | | | $40.07 | New | | | $35.00 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $49.09 | New | | | $119.99 | New | |
| Used | |
| $19.69 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $19.69 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $19.98 | Used
- Mint | | | $20.94 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $22.41 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $30.03 | Used
- Mint | | | $35.88 | Used
- Mint | | | $39.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $49.09 | Used
- Mint | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 16 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 63 found the following review helpful:
 A Lot Of FunJan 24, 2007
By H. Silver
Over the past years, we 've become very accustomed to the pristine digital sound and high-def images of the modern DVD. As such, the not-so-sharp black-and-white images and less-than-perfect sound quality of this DVD might turn off some audio/video purists. [The sound and picture are not bad by any means; they are just not up to modern-day standards.]
I am not such a purist, so I was easily transported back to Saturday nights in 1963 and 1964 watching "Hootenany" on the old black-and-white TV. Jack Linkletter was an affable enough host, who would give a brief plug for the college campus they were on and then introduce the folk acts. Most of the major folk acts were there and did two songs at a time: The Chad Mitchell Trio, the Limeliters, the Brothers Four, Judy Collins, Bob Gibson, Theodore Bikel, Joe and Eddie, Ian and Sylvia, the Travelers Three, the New Christy Minstrels, et al.
The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul, and Mary were not on the show. The story I always heard was that it was in protest for Pete Seeger not being allowed on the show (because of his McCarthy-era blacklisting). Or maybe they just didn't need the exposure Hootenany gave the other acts. Given that the show did allow the Chad Mitchell Trio to do their famous broadside "The John Birch Society" (it's on the DVD), apparently the producers weren't that afraid of offending the right-wing nuts of the day.
It's fun to contrast the acts on the show with current acts that one sees on Saturday Night Live, Leno, Letterman, etc. Nowadays, the performers all sing and play into their own mikes, wear T-shirts and jeans, and have scruffy hair. Back then on the Hootenany show, almost all the performers in a group sang and played their guitars into a single mike; all the men wore white shirts, skinny ties, and sport coats (or Mr. Rogers-type sweaters), and the women all wore dresses; and they all have short hair. (I'm not passing judgement on either era; I was just amused by the contrast.)
The acts included a mix of mostly folk, with some bluegrass (e.g., Flatt and Scruggs and the Dillards), gospel (e.g., Clara Ward Singers), old-timey (e.g., the Carter Family), blues (e.g., Leon Bibb), and comedy (e.g., Woody Allen and Vaughn Meader doing his famous John Kennedy spoof -- pre-assassination, of course).
On many of the songs, the audience was invited to sing along (after all, it was billed as a hootenany). As a graying baby-boomer, it was a lot of fun for me to relive the innocence and optimism of the early 60's before the assassinations, the war, the riots, Watergate, the culture clashes, etc. It was just a lot fun.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Played out by '64? - no wayMay 21, 2007
By Phil S.
I can't agree with the above product detail: the only thing that hasn't transcended time in the production and content of these discs is that it appears that there are next to no minorities in the audience, though the mix of ethnic groups on stage, or in the spotlight, is inevitable. Even at that early stage in the Civil Rights era, *talent* often found a way.
"Hootenany" was to Folk Music what "Shindig" was to Rock & Roll/Rock and both shows lasted two years. Both were superbly energetic showcases of styles and featured well-known and upcoming stars.
Some viewers might be surprised by the appearance of the new, intellectual stand-up comedians who found a place in the proceedings: Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, Louis Nye, a Steve Allen exponent, who nonetheless transcended the Tonight Show slickness with a very funny, though overlong, character bit; Jackie Vernon, the poker-faced precursor of Rodney D., had some good stuff, too. Nothing to knock you over, but enough to get an affirmative nod from Lenny Bruce. The best is Vaughn Meader, in his Classic JFK imitation and insightful (apparently) unrehearsed answers to questions from the audience.
The eclectic list is too long to recite, so let's say highlights are the segments with Marion Williams, Ian And Sylvia, The Rooftop Singers (sorry, no "Walk Right In"), Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Johnny Cash (at the early end of performance decline which would work itself out in a few years), the Simon Sisters, Doc Watson...
Although we are watching kinescopes, the original technical direction is actually much better than what we have today - the hyperactive cameras spend 95% of the time on the performers, unlike this 1963-64 program where the happy, appreciative, and studious attendees make it an *experience*.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Indispensable for folk fans and nostalgiaApr 04, 2007
By Jmark2001
This is one of those shows that should be on DVD because it has become a cultural relic of the Kennedy years when there was a folk music boon. Where else can you see a very young Vaughn Meader, Judy Collins, Woody Allen, and the Chad Mitchell trio in one show? It was innocent, squeaky clean, and brought back a lot of memories. This captures a unique moment when middle class america was discovering its own folk music tradition and relishing it. Not great entertainment but a wonderfully nostalgic peek back in time. Some will be bored by this; others will think that they ar ein heaven.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
A "Must Have" for 60's Folk Music FansFeb 08, 2008
By Ron D.
I was 9 when Hootenanny came on the air but I remember it to this day. Through the years I've looked for it in DVD collections of old TV programs, etc., to no avail until now. The music is as enchanting and fun as I'd remembered it, but what a delight to re-discover acts who did not go on to become household names, and to see comedy performances by a very young Woody Allen and Bill Cosby.
These were "real" concerts, where the crowd was close enough to touch the performers and for the performers to get an instant read of the audience reaction. No break-the-eardrum sound systems, no pyrotechnics, no prancing and preening across the stage in outrageous costumes ... just the fans, the performers and the music. Pure and simple. What a joy!
Ron
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Outstanding American Folk MusicOct 29, 2007
By Larry Tooley
This was my teenage music. I love to sing along with the harmonies of Folk ballads and the singers. It is still my favorite music and these DVDs are the best collection I have seen. All I have otherwise is 200 LP records and a single record turntable. I love the video with these songs.
See all 16 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
