The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy: "Just about everybody who's anybody on the Internet has seen Leonard Nimoy's music video, The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. However, little has ever been established about when, where, and why it was made. In a Maiden Wine exclusive, we have found answers and more. And the Earth-shattering news is: the video that we all know and love is an edited, abbreviated version of the original video! After decades on the shelf, the world can now enjoy the full version of this legendary production, with an introduction to the song, complete instrumental break, and the ending in its entirety.
As to the origins of this video, we can now say with certainty that it was originally created for the ABC summer replacement series, Malibu-U, hosted by 'Ozzie And Harriet' TV star, Ricky Nelson. The show was a beachy version of American Bandstand, with musical guests who all performed on the sand. In the episode featuring Nimoy (as well as Mrs. Miller and The Buffalo Springfield!), the Bilbo clip was introduced by Ricky as a musical number designed to push your funny button. So for those of you who have seen the video and said, 'Was he serious?!', the answer is, no, he wasn't. It's supposed to make you laugh."
