Shindig Host Jimmy O'Neill Talks With Rick Dees (1991)
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- Опубліковано 31 жов 2020
- From June 1991, Shindig host Jimmy O'Neill visits Rick Dees and talks about the good old days of doing that show; includes clip of Zsa Zsa Gabor performing on Shindig; sounds like Glen Campbell backing her on electric guitar.
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Thanks so much for posting this interview! Jimmy O'Neill was a fantastically talented d.j. and host of "Shindig!" He knew how to create a show that was fast-paced, full of energy, and the very essence of rock n' roll of the 1960's. I miss Jimmy so much, and I wish he could have stayed with us on earth a little longer. He was a very special person who was well-loved and respected.
Listened to Jimmy O'Neill at WOW in Omaha in 74-76. In fact, he "DJ'd" our 8th grade dance at Mission Junior High in Bellevue. Incredible memories. RIP.
overall great host who gave us our music
God bless him for all he did!!
Great interview! Also, the Rhino VHS cassettes are new to me!
This was a very talented man, and sorely missed! when Rhino Video officially released "SHINDIG!" on VHS in 1991, I was greatly disappointed because these were heavily edited segments, and that was a huge letdown! recently, I acquired all of the 86 shows, and it's been a fulfilling journey back to the days of ABC-TV in the 1960s (before the 1996 Walt Disney purchase of the TV network, which was a big mistake!) and Jimmy O'Neill became a new face on Network TV as "SHINDIG!" made him a popular presence. O'Neill and his ex-wife Sharron Sheeley, who was dating rocker Eddie Cochran, were responsible for creating "SHINDIG!". Jimmy O'Neill took a High School broadcasting class according to his biography, and became one of the top students that led to his success as a young DJ at KQV in Pittsburgh and did that gig for a year before moving to Los Angeles. And, on September 16, 1964, "SHINDIG!" made its ABC-TV debut. far different from Dick Clark's "AMERICAN BANDSTAND", Jimmy O'Neill and SHINDIG became household names, and the live rock and roll music acts made this TV's first live jukebox on Primetime despite its all too brief TV run. ABC had aired a Folk Music series at the time before "SHINDIG!" called "HOOTENANNY" in 1963. "SHINDIG" was produced by Selmur Productions, with Selig J Seligman as executive producer and executive in charge of production, along with Circle Seven Productions. Selmur Productions was also responsible for ABC-TV's World War II drama. "COMBAT" (1962-67) and Quinn Martin's first solo series, "THE NEW BREED" (1961-62) Selig J Seligman had a unique history-he was a US Army lawyer who worked at The Nuremberg Trials and war crimes tribunal that tried Nazi officials and other Nazi officers, and that's quite a unique ressume for a man, who created his own entertainment entity, where he and his wife Muriel had created "Selmur" for their production name. Before "SHINDIG!"s debut, Selmur Productions had also produced ABC's "GENERAL HOSPITAL"s first 983 shows from 1963 to 1966 (as executive in charge of production) Selmur Productions also produced "GARRISON'S GORRILLAS" (1967-1968), another WWII series, almost with the feel of "THE DIRTY DOZEN" which MGM produced and released around the same time this show was being made-also at MGM- but by that time, Selmur had evolved into a motion picture division for American Broadcasting Companies (ABC Motion Pictures) Selig J Seligman died on June 20, 1969 at the age of 51, but "SHINDIG!" still ruled it's small, but highly popular ABC run, and was a critical hit with the music industry back then, using the likes of Glen Campbell, Donna Loren, The Blossoms, The Righeous Brothers, The Everly Brothers, Bobby Sherman, The Wellingtons, Sonny and Cher, Billy Preston, and numerous rock bands and top performing recording artists-including Aretha Franklin, and Dick and Dee Dee ("Thou Shall Not Steal" and "The Mountain's High"), and even The Rolling Stones and The Beatles appeared on "SHINDIG!", as did The Beau Brummels ("Laugh, Laugh") and "HEE HAW"s Roy Clark, preforming "Sally Was A Good Ole' Girl", which he also performed on the debut episode of "HEE HAW" in 1969 (complete with animated dancing pigs!) and, of course, Zsa Zsa Gabor's appearance in 1965, along with Borris Karloff, "THE ADDAMS FAMILY"s Ted Cassidy, and WYATT EARP" star, Hugh O'Brian, who co-hosted the show. "SHINDIG!" even flew over to Hawaii in late 1965 and used Don Ho and Duke Kahanamoku on the show, and they even flew over to London to do a show, and also did a special on American International Pictures' "DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE" (1966) with Vincent Price, Susan Hart, and Harvey Lembeck ("Eric Von Zipper" in the "BEACH" movies) But, as Jimmy O' Neill mentions in this 1991 interview witk Rick Dees, was his animated appearance on ABC's "THE FLINTSTONES" segment, "Shinrock Presents", where O'Neill and "The Beau Brummels" (The Beau Brummelstones) singing their "Laugh, Laugh" hit all appeared in cartoon form, courtesy of Hanna-Barbera Productions, since these were both popular ABC-TV shows at the time! But as Rick Dees was continuing his 1991 Interview with O'Neill, the look on his face pretty much gave away what O'Neill had to remember the most- that he was at The ABC studio center for the first time since the very last episode of "SHINDIG! aired in January 1966, and that had to be a gut wrenching experience for O'Neill I watched the very last episode of "SHINDIG!" this weekend, and Jimmy O'Neill had announced that this was the last show, and that The ABC Network's "Second Season" (they were a ratings disaster in the 1965-66 season) was to replace his series with three new TV shows-"BLUE LIGHT", with Robert Goulet, "THE DOUBLE LIFE OF HENRY PHYFE" with Red Buttons, and the third TV show-"BATMAN", which became a critical hit throughout 1966 and saved ABC's "rear position"! So, singers Dick and Dee Dee (Dick was dressed in a goofy Batman costume) as he was singing Lou Christie's "Lightning Strikes", while other guest singers did other skits, the overwhelming feeling of "the end" of a great music variety show-a one of a kind, especially since this was Jimmy O'Neill's baby, I couldn't possibly imagine what he had to go through when ABC canceled his TV series, and 25 years later, to return to the very same location where it all began must've shaken O'Neill-and to add insult to injury, is when he said that the show has not been seen since its cancelation, until the VHS tapes were released, I'm still plented pissed that they didn't release the whole 86 shows in their entirety, and especially for these edited VHS tapes which did "SHINDIG!" such an injustice! Rest In Peace, Jimmy O'Neill, and as you said, "No matter who you are, ROCK ON!!
Thank you for this excellent retrospective. Indeed, it must have been emotionally very difficult for Jimmy to return to a location where his dreams had been shattered. But he handled this interview very well, with his usual poise, charm, and energy. He was a dazzling talent, and I will always remember him. I love you, Jimmy; and I know the angels are watching over you.
RIP Jimmy O'Neill
Jimmys been everywhere on radio krla among others
When Shindig first started, I was a huge fan. I loved watching performers of my favorite songs appear live. I also enjoyed watching some performers I was familiar with doing covers of hit songs. I was even okay with performers I had not heard of before doing covers occasionally between the established performers. But eventually, it got to the point where nobody had heard of the performers on their show. The only place I had ever heard of Donna Loren or Bobby Sherman was on their show, and they started doing shows with performers nobody had ever heard of. Eventually I just stopped watching because that's not what I wanted to see.