1967 Wild Hippie Love Generation Television. National Prime Time Television!

This presents a very real sense of the hippies, political radicals, experimental time of the 1960s, especially the late 1960s. The interviewer is David Silver who was an incredible television presenter at that time. This clip is part of a program that ran on national primetime television in 1967 before David Silver got yanked off the air for a reason that I will describe at the end of this video. You wouldn't believe it.

1967 was a wonderful and strange time to be alive and be a teenager or young adult. The love generation. The summer of love. Put a flower in your hair. Peace. Marijuana. Expressive sexuality.

I admired David Silver for diving in and trying to understand what was going on. To many in the 60s generation (although clearly not all) this stuff was exciting and fun. It separated teens from their parents generation who were seen as square and uptight.

And in 1967, most everything that was going to happen had not yet gotten "out of hand - heavy drug use. Etc. To the older generations watching this show on television this was living proof (in black-and-white) that young people had gone mad and lost all sense of decency. And today? My subscribers and other viewers will have to tell me how it looks to them.

David's show, "What's Happening, Mr. Silver?" was an experimental program that pushed the boundaries of TV programming in the late 1960s. Despite its unique and groundbreaking approach, it faced several challenges that got it taken off the air.

There are three segments in this portion of his program. The first involves David interviewing kids about what they think a teenager or young adult date would be like from a girls point of view. Fascinating cultural history. I would love to see someone do this again today.

The second section presents a "love-in" a popular gathering during the counterculture movement of the late 1960s particularly associated with the hippie subculture. Love-ins were peaceful gatherings where people would come together to promote love, peace and unity. The participants would engage in discussions about social issues, politics and spirituality. Love-ins were seen as a way to challenge the conventional norms of society and promote alternative ways of thinking and living. Notable love-ins include:

The Human Be-In took place on January 14, 1967, n San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It is considered one of the first major love-ins and served as a precursor to the Summer of Love. The Human Be-In attracted tens of thousands of people and featured prominent counterculture figures like Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, and Jerry Rubin, as well as performances by bands like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

The Central Park New York City Love-Ins were smaller and more informal than the Human Be-In.

The Easter Sunday Love-In on April 14, 1967 in Los Angeles' Elysian Park, attracted thousands of participants and featured live music, poetry readings, and speeches by counterculture figures.

The Toronto Love-In on May 22, 1967, at Queen's Park in Toronto, Canada attracted thousands of participants and featured music, dancing, and discussions on various social and political issues.

During love-ins, participants often wore colorful clothing, flowers, and other symbols of peace and love. They would sometimes engage in communal activities such as group meditation, yoga, or sharing food. Drug use, particularly marijuana and LSD, was also common at these gatherings, as many people believed that these substances could help them achieve a higher state of consciousness and promote a sense of unity and connectedness.

The third segment, in some ways the most outrageous, involves political radicals and hippies gathering together to try to describe what a hippie is. Abbie Hoffman was there and so were other leaders of the counterrevolutionary movement including Jim Fouratt, a gay rights activist and Linn House, the Founder Of Innerspace Magazine. They discuss long hair, the destruction of property, that everything should be free. And all of them are completely stoned out of their minds. Clearly this television series and last as I say at the end. But who would've thought that rock 'n' roll/country Nancy Sinatra would be the reason the series was yanked.

I am curious by what you will write in the comments in response to this clip especially if you attended one of these things. If this had meaning for you, please consider supporting my efforts by clicking the Super Thanks button below the video screen.
Thank you
David Hoffman filmmaker