Shebang! 1967 – Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, The Fifth Estate

Airdate: June 24, 1967 Giant beach balls and some “sunshine pop“…..Summer Is Coming! In 1967 The Fifth Estate were desperately looking for a hit song. One night at a party, and after several drinks, the band’s lyricist, Don Askew, made a bet that they could make a hit out of any song. Someone jokingly suggested “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead” from “The Wizard Of Oz”. It would go on to be their biggest hit (and their only song to chart in the US) peaking at #11 next week and is at #15 today. 17th century German classical music fans (and who isn’t) might recognize the flute “hook” from Michael Praetorius’ “Terpsichore: La Bouree”. This catchy addition was suggested by band member Wade Wadhams who played classical music between gigs. ”The Wizard of Oz” celebrates its 80th anniversary on August 25, 2019. The only Bandstand dancers I could spot today were Forest Hutchins at 0:37 (blond hair, dark sweater) dancing with JoAnn Edmonds (blond). As mentioned in other clips, it was common for the regulars to dance on Shebang! and American Bandstand as they were both produced by Dick Clark and the studios were only a few miles apart. 10K thank you’s to everyone for your comments, likes, views and subscriptions! Much more to come.