Hollywood A Go-Go
Hollywood A Go-Go was a Los Angeles-based music variety show that ran in syndication in the mid-1960s. It was hosted by Sam Riddle, with music by The Sinners and dancing by The Gazzarri Dancers. It was filmed at the KHJ-TV studios in Los Angeles.
| Hollywood A Go Go | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joe Agnello |
| Starring | Sam Riddle |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Al Burton |
| Camera setup | Eigel Pedersen Marsh Theemling Fred Anzalone Bill Buck Doug Schneider |
| Running time | 60 mins. |
| Release | |
| Original network | syndication |
| Picture format | videotape |
| Audio format | mono |
| Original release | 1965 – 1966 |
History
The program originated as a local series, Ninth Street West, on KHJ-TV (Channel 9) in 1964. As Hollywood A Go-Go, it was syndicated in early 1965 and ceased production in 1966, with some television stations airing the show as late as the summer of 1966. In its brief run (52 episodes), the show featured well-known acts like Ike & Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Frankie Lymon, Dee Dee Sharp, Marvin Gaye, Edwin Starr, The Ronettes, Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, Peter and Gordon, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Challengers, The Impressions, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Rick Nelson, Lesley Gore, Fontella Bass, Wilson Pickett, James Darren, Tommy Roe, Booker T & The MGs, Bo Diddley, Freddy Cannon, Sonny & Cher, Jackie DeShannon, Ray Peterson, Sam the Sham, The Byrds, The Toys, The Turtles, The Bobby Fuller Four, The Knickerbockers, We Five, The Vogues, The Kingsmen, The Fugitives, Bob Lind, Roy Head, and Aretha Franklin.
Hollywood A Go-Go was produced at the KHJ-TV studios. Its original syndicator was Four Star Television. Rights to surviving footage of the show (preserved on kinescope film) are now represented by Research Video. The Sinners were the house band featuring Eddie Kaplan on lead guitar.
After viewing an episode in 1965, a Billboard reviewer exaggeratingly wrote: ...One gets the feeling of being amidst a Zulu uprising or witnessing a contemporary interpretation of Dante's Inferno. Host Sam Riddle...introduces his guests shouting at the top of his voice to the accompaniment of jungle drums (there must be a message in there somewhere). The set is reminiscent of a speakeasy or a prison yard with its stone wall backdrop...During the lip-synched performances of the guest artists, members of the Gazzari [sic] dancers swing, sway, weave and gyrate with flailing arms from a postage stamp sized stage, step ladders and other lofty perches...The tempo is mostly upbeat with the emphasis on the driving, breast-beating sounds.[1]