Jack Gould, in The New York Times, praised the writing, director and cast:

Jack Gould wrote that she "sings and acts with the ferocity of a poisonous snake."

"It was extraordinary television, whatever a viewer's political feelings," wrote Jack Gould, The Times's television critic.

Most critics agreed with the New York Times' Jack Gould, who labeled Hootenanny "the hit of the spring."

Jack Gould praised him in The New York Times for "straight adult reporting seasoned with real humor.

Jack Gould's reporting had influenced me deeply; his role as the conscience of television led me to change my mind and go to Washington.

Jack Gould of The New York Times called his show a "nightly kaffeeklatsch which frequently adds up to extraordinarily different and distinctive radio."

Jack Gould, television critic for The New York Times, gave the project front page space.

"If you had Jack Gould in your corner, you could not believe what it meant," said Cooney decades later.

A review by Jack Gould in The New York Times said the piece cost a reported $30,000 to produce.