Best of Hullabaloo: 4

Best Of Hullabaloo: 4
For fans of the 1965-1966 Hullabaloo show, MPI is bringing more great performances to dvd in a Best Of Hullabaloo series consisting of 4 separate dvd's available September 10th, 2013. In 2000 to 2002, MPI produced Hullabaloo Vols. 1-4, Hullabaloo Vols. 5-8 and Hullabaloo Vols. 9-12. In these older Volume sets, MPI included some of the Hullabaloo shows on dvd, all in their entirety. The film quality was not the greatest, but seeing the entire shows were fabulous! These Volume Sets from 2000-2002 are now priced out of most people's price range, so being able to purchase these new Best Of Hullabaloo 4 different sets may be a nice alternative.

I truly wish MPI would have made more of the Volume Sets, which include the Hullabaloo Shows in their entirety, instead of these 4 Best Of sets, but I'm happy with any of the old Hullabaloo performances, so I'll take what I can get. I heard the film quality is just like the older Volume Sets- not the greatest, but MPI is including 16-17...
A Mediocre Entry At Best.
Culled largely from Hullabaloo's second episode (January 19/65), with clips of The Supremes and Little Anthony &The Imperials added for good measure, Hullabaloo Collection 4 is in my opinion, the weakest entry of the set. Paul Anka hosts, and introduces Dionne Warwick, a young Liza Minelli and pianist virtuoso Peter Nero. Rockers Johnny Rivers and The Nashville Teens are also present, but do little to enliven this set, and the whole episode is a bit of a snoozer. Even the Top Pop segment, usually a highlight, is one of the poorer offerings. Why? It was an early episode and perhaps the show was still finding its feet. The May episodes, late in the season, seem the more lively and better balanced, and I think its no surprise they were the hour long episodes released in their entirety years ago.

In Black & White, the DVD is transferred from kinescope, so picture and sound are mediocre. The bonus is an interview with Lada Edmund Jr., the frenetic Hullabaloo dancer best...
55 Minutes of Mostly Mediocrity
What an embarrassing look-back on an exciting era.

Hullabaloo was a fun, lively, entertaining show. You wouldn't know it from this strange concoction of clips. Granted, Paul Anka, Liza, and Dionne were nice touches in this DVD, but the rest of it fell flat on its face.

The "bonus" content was just a badly edited rehash of an interview done during a PBS funding drive.

MPI has done a remarkable disservice to fans and to the show. The suggested retail price is outrageous; you get 55 minutes of mediocrity. Shop around; copies can be found in major chains for half the price.

And by the way: There are ZERO color clips in this DVD, even though the cover art is nothing but full-color photos. Another MPI deception.
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