'SHINDIG!' Pilot Episodes x 3

[petercheck]

As no doubt many on here would be aware, there were 3 'Pilot' episodes made for  the classic U.S. TV series 'Shindig!':

Pilot #1: Young America Swings the World, taped 1962

--Jackie De Shannon - "Sing Sing Sing."

--P.J. Proby - "Endless Sleep" & "Turn Me Loose."

--The Chambers Brothers, Clydie King and the Sweet Things - "Peppermint Twist" & "What'd I Say?"

--Tura Johnson (from Sweden) - sings "Personality" in Italian.

--Scooter Teague - "Mack the Knife."

--Jesse Collins - "Believe What You Say."

Also appearing: the Chaps, the Young America Girls, the Leon Russell Band; Glen Campbell and David Gates.

As far as I know, just one song has surfaced from this show:

www.facebook.com/pjproby/videos/1421312367936871/


Pilot #2: Shindig - Country music pilot hosted by Roy Clark, taped May 9, 1964

--Johnny Cash - "Bad News" (with the Eligibles)

--Johnny Cash - "Dark as a Dungeon" (with the Eligibles and the Wellingtons)

--Roy Clark - "Cowboy Boots"

--Roy Clark and the Collins Kids - "I'm Movin' On," "Lonesome Me" and "Y'all Come"

--Roy Clark and the Elgibles - "Alabama Jubilee"

--Roy Clark and the Wellingtons - "God Did a Wonderful Thing"

--The Collins Kids - "Night Train to Memphis" (with the Eligibles and the Wellingtons)

--Chris Crosby - "Honeycomb"

--P.J. Proby - "Cumberland Gap" and "Rock Island Line"

--P.J. Proby - "Hitchhike to Georgia" (with the Eligibles and the Wellingtons)

--Dodie Stevens - "Jambalaya"

No footage from the country-orientated 2nd pilot currently circulates.


Pilot #3: Shindig – taped July 11, 1964

Opening medley (song excerpts): 1. Delaney Bramlett & the Angels - "Tom Dooley" 2. The Blossoms - "Don't Hang Up" 3. Pat and Lolly Vegas - "Hard Day's Night" 4. Hollywood All Stars and the Blossoms - "Shout" 5. The Righteous Brothers - "Shout" & "(Up Above My Head) There's Music in the Air" 6. Little Richard - "Joy Joy Joy" (end of medley) Jimmy O'Neill intro --The Hollywood All Stars - "Jamaica Ska" --Righteous Brothers - "Little Latin Lupe Lu" --Jody Miller - "Saved" --Delaney Bramlett - "Gambling Man" (Woody Guthrie song) --The Angels - "Chapel of Love" --Pat and Lolly Vegas - medley: "La Bamba" & "Twist and Shout" --Delaney Bramlett - "Memphis" --The Blossoms - "(I Do The) Shimmy Shimmy" --Righteous Brothers - "Ko Ko Joe" --Little Richard - "Bama Lama Bama Loo" --Little Richard - "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (with closing credits)

This has circulated widely for years, and can be seen here:



Unlike any UK pop shows from this era, ALL 85 broadcast episodes of the show both survive and circulate among collectors! But does anyone out there have the first two pilots (assuming of course that the 2nd one survives)? 

[Kev Mulrenan]

Never seen the country pilot, Peter.

I sure would like to see it.

[John Green]

Hopefully, this material survives.
In terms of the second pilot, The Collins Kids, at least, are regarded as Rockabilly, making them of more interest here, perhaps than viewing them as o;der-style Country.

[petercheck]

Nov 7, 2020 17:48:23 GMT John Green said:

Hopefully, this material survives.
In terms of the second pilot, The Collins Kids, at least, are regarded as Rockabilly, making them of more interest here, perhaps than viewing them as older-style Country.

Indeed! I have those three volumes of 'Town Hall Party' DVDs that were filmed in the late '50s, and they're fantastic.  Here they are performing the same song on a different TV show in '64:

[John Green]

That double-barrelled guitar!

[Tom Alger]

Nov 7, 2020 12:20:50 GMT petercheck said:

Unlike any UK pop shows from this era, ALL 85 broadcast episodes of the show both survive and circulate among collectors! But does anyone out there have the first two pilots (assuming of course that the 2nd one survives)? 

According to their database
cinema.library.ucla.edu/vwebv/searchBasic

UCLA holds copies of both the "Young America Swings the World" and the (Country) "Shindig" pilots in their archive.


Young America Swings the World
cinema.library.ucla.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=151&recCount=50&recPointer=105&bibId=114166

Uniform title: Shindig. Pilot.
Title Young America swings the world. [Pilot] / producer, Jack Good ; director, Rita Gillespie.
1964.
Cast: Host: Jim O'Neill. Performers: The Chaps, the Young America Girls, the Leon Russell Band with Leon Russell, Glen Campbell, David Gates.
Genre(s)/form(s):Music.
Dance.
Subject(s):Rock music--1961-1970.
Rock music--United States.
Summary: Segments include an opening medley featuring P.J. Proby, Jackie DeShannon, the Chambers Brothers and Clydie King and the Sweet Things singing Hot dog, I'm gonna get on my pony and ride, and Shout; Tura Johnson, a Swedish singer, singing Personality in Italian; Scooter Teague, who was in the West side story, singing Mack the Knife; the Chambers Brothers and Clydie King and the Sweet Things singing Peppermint twist and What'd I say; P.J. Proby singing Endless sleep; Jesse Collins singing Believe what you say; P.J. Proby singing Turn me loose; Jackie DeShannon singing Sing sing sing, a big hit song in Australia.
Notes:Unsold pilot; one of four pilots produced for series which became Shindig.
Music program.
Intended for broadcast on CBS.
Choreography, Scooter Teague; arrangements, David Gates.
Contributors: CBS Television Network.

At the bottom of this description, UCLA mentions having a VHS copy "available for onsite viewing only."
(They also mention having a "3/4" tape copy" and a 16mm safety kinescope - both archival copies Not available for viewing.)

Note: I'm not sure why they say it's "one of four pilots." To my knowledge, there were only the three pilots.

(Country) Shindig pilot
cinema.library.ucla.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?searchId=157&recCount=50&recPointer=0&bibId=114092

TitleShindig. [1964, unidentified issue, pilot] / a Circle Seven-Selmur production ; executive producer, Selig J. Seligman ; producer, Jack Good ; director, Rita Gillespie.
1964.
Cast: Johnny Cash, The Collins Kids, Chris Crosby, The Eligibles, P.J. Proby, Dodie Stevens, The Wellingtons, The Shindig Dancers.
Genre(s)/form(s): Dance.
Subject(s): Rock music--1961-1970.
Rock music--United States.
Notes: Unsold pilot produced for ABC.
Choreography, Yvonne Othon; music director, Bobby Bruce.
 
At the bottom of this description UCLA mentions having a
“Non-Circulating Research And Study Center Copy” on VHS.
And archival copies on 3/4" tape and 16mm.
 
Too bad neither of these are available to view outside of UCLA's Research And Study Center.
But it's good to know they survive!

[petercheck]

Thanks Tom!

Some people consider the UK-filmed 'Around The Beatles' TV special to be a 'Shindig!' pilot (again featuring P.J. Proby of course), so this is what they're probably referring to.

[Kev Mulrenan]

Tom and Peter.

was thinking of you when I was watching this recently uploaded pilot of WTAI.

[Kevin Segura]

Nov 7, 2020 12:20:50 GMT petercheck said:

As no doubt many on here would be aware, there were 3 'Pilot' episodes made for  the classic U.S. TV series 'Shindig!':

Pilot #1: Young America Swings the World, taped 1962




Pilot #2: Shindig - Country music pilot hosted by Roy Clark, taped May 9, 1964


No footage from the country-orientated 2nd pilot currently circulates.



Pilot #3: Shindig – taped July 11, 1964



This has circulated widely for years, and can be seen here:



Unlike any UK pop shows from this era, ALL 85 broadcast episodes of the show both survive and circulate among collectors! But does anyone out there have the first two pilots (assuming of course that the 2nd one survives)? 

Just a couple of notes:

The date given above for the "Country" pilot is actually its only air date-- the program was broadcast in the local Los Angeles, CA area on May 9th, 1964, at 7:00 PM. The recording date I have for the program is January 17, 1964.


With regard to what is often referred to as "Pilot #3"-- since "Shindig!" had already been publicly announced for ABC's 1964 Fall schedule by the time that episode was taped in July of 1964, it seems far more likely that program represents a rejected version of what was to be Episode #1 of the series... which I suppose would now make it "Episode #0", if anything.

- Kevin

[petercheck]

Thanks for the info Kevin, greatly appreciated.