This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. Very sadly, Bob passed away 2 . From 1974 to 1977, there was a newer, orchestral disco version of "Bandstand Boogie", arranged and performed by Joe Porter, played during the opening and closing credits. Clark decided to pitch the show to ABC president Thomas W. Moore, and after some negotiations the show was picked up nationally, becoming American Bandstand on August 5, 1957. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings," Bandstand star Arlene Sullivan writes in her memoir, Bandstand Diaries. As Sullivan puts it: The boys danced. Black & White/Color (9/9/1967), Dick Clarks first day as host: 7/9/1956 But he vividly recalls that one of his fellow gay dancers was thrown onto the El tracks outside the studio, and another popular regular who was gay and often danced with Sullivan was dangled over an elevator shaft.. The bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. Artists would sing naturally to the studio audience over a background of their own disc, while viewers at home would hear only the original recording. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. She acknowledges that some of the other girls she knew on the show were also gay. Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. This version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the series. "He made sure the guys wore suits and we were dressed properly. June Bouche on November 20, 2018 at 9:12 pm . In fact, it was dangerous. One young performer was dangled down an elevator shaft. Briefly it was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989. The Saturday show would run until 1960. Like the white homeowners associations' concerns about property values, WFIL's version of defensive localism built on a belief that integration would hurt the station's investment in Bandstand. I knew all their names. Larry Elgart, a bandleader who, with his brother, Les, recorded the theme song for the long-running television dance show "American Bandstand," and who later scored a surprise hit with "Hooked on Swing," a medley of swing classics set to a disco beat, died on Tuesday in Sarasota Fla.He was 95. Like Smith, she believes that if her true sexual preference and that of others on the show had become public in the days before Stonewall and todays LGBT power, Bandstand would have been taken off the air. Its original host was fired after a DWI arrest and in July 1956 a young radio DJ took over. 1st song played on the national edition was Jerry Lee Lewis Whole Lotta Shaking Goin On.1st Guests: Billy Williams, ChordettesLast song on the ABC network was Laura Branigans Shattered Glass., See above pictureThe Stroll recorded by The Diamonds in 1958. American Bandstand Regulars Interview Frank Spagnuola 280 subscribers Subscribe 746 Share 82K views 5 years ago This is the interview with Arlene, Kenny, Frank and Carole about their days on. When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. The couple first honeymooned on the Chattanooga Choo Choo, the famed railway that was immortalized by Glenn Miller and was the first to run South to North. It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the new technology. And while more openly gay performers are comfortable taking the stage these days, it's good to know we've always been thereeven if in silence. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Ross Media Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. In late spring of 1957, the ABC television network asked their O&O's and affiliates for programming suggestions to fill their 3:30p.m. (ET) time slot (WFIL had been pre-empting the ABC programming with Bandstand). This version was canceled after 26 weeks, and its final show (with The Cover Girls performing "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "We Can't Go Wrong") aired on October 7, 1989,[37] thus ending the show's 37-year run.[38][39]. . We went downtown, and I ran to the back of the bus the way I always did in Philly but Barbara and her friend kept telling me to come to the front. For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*ggot, dancer Frank Brancaccio told the National Enquirer in 2014. Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. In other parts of the country, if you were a gay kid growing up, you were probably the only one in town who was gay, Sullivan said. John Lithgow filmed a mockumentary episode before it was c 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Ousted Chicago mayor blames loss on racism, gender but not her tepid response to crime, Chaka Khan blasts Rolling Stone, Adele, Mariah Carey in podcast talk, Disgraceful Meghan, Harry provoked King Charles to evict them: royal expert, Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle confirm they were asked to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage. I went to coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the dancers. It became a national institution and Dick Clark a celebrity. Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:03, The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show, Top of newscast salutes to Clark deserved, "Did the Beatles kill America's radio stars? Handbags - Formal Wear. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. It also was a prototype for musical television properties including cable channel MTV and Fox's reality-competition show American Idol. My mother thought I was nuts. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. I didnt know what I was doing and decided I cant do this, and I called my dad and asked him to come get me, she says. Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. In fact, she was "the first female car racer at Cecil County Drag Strip," according. While the teens, all homegrown talent, rocked onstage, two cameras homed in on them for close-ups. Im sure shell be thrilled to hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a lot. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. .When he spoke to us off-screen, it was usually from the podium; it gave him command over his domain, and as I have learned over the years, Clark liked and wanted to be in command.4, Smith recalls the closetingof American BandstandsLGBT youths. In Philadelphia, however, WFIL opted to tape-delay the game show for later broadcast in another time slot, and to continue on with Bandstand, though only for the local audience. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Determined, Don got Bunnys number from one of the regulars and he met his dream girl. American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. And whereas 135 ABC-affiliated stations carriedAmerican Bandstandon a revenue-sharing basis in 1960, the stations were bailing out of this relationship in 1963. Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. Don and Bunny had two daughters: Angel and Maria and four grandchildren: Lea & Christopher Di Vello, Alexis Karanzalis & Nicole Weiss. Television host Dick Clark presides over the set of his show American Bandstand in 1957. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. Delmont, Matthew F. (September 30, 2014). I can honestly say that I was the most blessed person in the world the day I met Norman and he and I became steady dance partners., Meeting Norman Were goin hopin today We would roar, roll over with pain from laughing so hard. So Bandstand really did change her life in many ways. NEW PAGE! In an online page marking her 68th birthday on Nov. 23, 2011, Bandstand "documentarian" Charles W. Amann III posted: "The name Scaldeferri and American Bandstand go hand-in-hand. Known then as Carole Scaldeferri, Mrs. Spada was among the teens who jitterbugged and slow-danced their way to fame in a TV studio in Philadelphia, while host Dick Clark spun what are now oldies. Clark was known for integrating his audiences as well as his performers unusual in the late 50s. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, she said. . Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. She was now working at Neiman Marcus, and couldn't take off to join the Regulars and their fans at the Philadelphia American Bandstand studio. He was 21 and she was 16. In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. . Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Then it was hosted by Bob Horn and was called Bob Horns Bandstand.On July 9 of 1956 the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. Bandstand Diaries shares some public information and photos about Frani (page 84). Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. For a brief time in 1973, Bandstand alternated its time slot with Soul Unlimited,[10] a show featuring soul music that was hosted by Buster Jones. Unsure and fearful about her true sexual identity, Sullivan tried passing as straight. "Studio 'B'" measured 80 by 80 by 24 feet (24.4m 24.4m 7.3m), but appeared smaller due to the number of props, television cameras, and risers that were used for the show. He kept his distance, she says. When cute young teenagers Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi slow danced together on American Bandstand back in the late 50s and early 60s, kids across the country swooned. We were like sisters. Tony Mammarella was the original producer with Ed Yates as director. We each won a HI-FI, and 50 record albums. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. American Bandstandsrelegation to a weekly schedule stripped it of much of its power as a potential hit song exposer, writes the music historian John Jackson. She knew Chubby Checker and Fabian from South Philadelphia High School. . In March of 1970 we moved to New Jersey. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". They were hurting him. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. Not only was it extremely intelligent, but there was something moving about the mans story. This investigation targeted the practice of payola, and it was most likely triggered by rumors circulating that charged Dick Clark with promoting records in which he held a financial stake onAmerican Bandstandand taking kickbacks from record companies to include their records on the shows playlist. we were like a little family together, and we all had something in common, and we all stuck together, and that made it easier for us.. I think after several decades he actually believed the myth. ", "I was shaking like a leaf," Colanero recalled. The show stayed on the air until 1989. Mixed REGULARS Galleries. Browse 1,010 american bandstand dancers stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. Despite that sense of community, the show's starsgay and straight alikewere targeted in Philadelphia, and even physically attacked in some cases, just for being dancers. American Bandstand premiered locally in late March 1952 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British films. They were the squeaky-clean Kardashians of their era, and Bandstand could easily claim the title as the first reality show. In an interview with the New York Post, Sullivan says that she and many of the gay male dancers would congregate in the Gayborhood, Rittenhouse Square, and there were rumors that Clark sent producers to spy on them. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. In 2019, a trio of formerAmerican Bandstandregulars assembled a book on their experiences on the popular show. The Top 40 hits that everyone heard were matched with fun routines performed by relatable teenagers. We only had three channels in those days. A case in point is Arlene Sullivan, a popular Regular who has described her own emerging lesbian sexual orientation, which she says was masked by her dance partnerships with boys. We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. Acts debuting on Bandstand appeared on Deane's program, but were asked to not mention their previous appearance with Clark while on the Baltimore show. She wasnt immediately successful, but with the help of a new southwest Philly friend, she eventually got in. In addition to his other ventures, Clark maintained a virtual lock on New Years Eve television withDick ClarksNew Years Rockin Eve. This site does not collect any information from you. ", California residents do not sell my data request. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. Sullivan was raised in a rowhouse in a working-class neighborhood; we surmise from her writing that it was somewhere in Southwest Philly (she attended John Bartram High School), although Sullivan doesnt specify a home address. One time, Kenny and I went to visit one of the other regulars up in North Philadelphia, and we were leaving her apartment and were headed to the El, and I heard car doors slamming, and I looked back, and all these guys were coming up the steps, and they started beating up on Kenny, Sullivan says. As previously mentioned, during the 1978 season of Bandstand, Donna Summer became the only music artist in Bandstand's history to co-host the program. His name is, Champion Polar Images Namron O My-Joy, as recorded with the AKC. "With Bandstand, WFIL resolved this tension by drawing on Philadelphia's interracial music scene to create an entertaining and profitable television show, while refusing to allow the city's black teenagers into the studio audience for fear of alienating viewers and advertisers. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! Sullivan was most frequently paired with a boy named Kenny Rossi, who was straight, but still subject to attacks for appearing on the show: One time, Kenny and I went to visit one of the other regulars up in North Philadelphia, and we were leaving her apartment and were headed to the El, and I heard car doors slamming, and I looked back, and all these guys were coming up the steps, and they started beating up on Kenny, Sullivan says. Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie "Dick Clark introduced records, and the camera followed teenagers as they selected partners to dance," writes historian Matthew Delmont. The program was permanently shot in color starting on September 9, 1967. Remember, these Regulars werent paid actors or dancers. LogoTV and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. TV Ratings - US & UK, Quiz Shows Give me some Thumbs UP!This is Bunny Gibson and the American Bandstand Regulars live at Sesame Park outside of Philadelphia on July 21,. And while Smith knew he was gay, he was shocked to learn that most of the guys on Bandstand, so many of them, were gay, he told The Post. The marker stands opposite 4548 Market Street (not shown here), which once housed WFIL-TVand its Studio B, the original home of American Bandstand. In a nice way, he'd discipline us.". "For all those who knew her throughout her life and for those who watched her dance on American Bandstand, Carole was full of love and full of God. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. Once a week, she goes to a hop thrown by another Bandstand original, 76-year-old Philadelphia radio and TV personality Jerry Blavat, who bills himself as The Geator with the Heater and The Boss with the Hot Sauce.. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. But it was obvious to the teen dancers that he was set on a trajectory that would take him far from Studio B in West Philly. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. I knew when couples broke up. We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. "Bandstand's Backyard". American Bandstand, abbreviated AB, is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions that aired regularly from 1952 to 1989,[1] and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the program's producer. West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Jersey you learned the different styles of the same dances., The Regulars did the Pony, Jitterbug, Calypso, Cha-cha and a slow dance that she says wasnt exactly a waltz: The kids didnt stand in one spot. The Philadelphia high school Regulars who danced on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in the late 1950s and early 1960s became national celebrities and America's first reality stars. Clark continued as host of the series, which was restored to its former hour length,[22] and aired on stations including KYW-TV in Philadelphia; WWOR-TV in New York City[23] (WWOR's superstation status also gave the program further national exposure); KTLA in Los Angeles; WMAQ-TV in Chicago; WDIV in Detroit; WEWS in Cleveland; WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee;[24] and WCIX in Miami.[25]. I did get to know Annette Funicello [a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club], who came to the show. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. Her husband, Richard Spada, said Mrs. Spada was recovering from a minor stroke she had suffered earlier when she became ill on the way to church. In July 1956, Dick Clark, a commercial pitchman and deejay with an unsullied reputation, inherited WFIL-TV's Bandstand from scandal-tainted Bob Horn and revamped it for a national audience of teenage consumers as ABC's American Bandstand, which first aired in August 1957.Clark's daily afternoon program pioneered in musical television by showcasing a range of black and white pop music . Although, unlike some others, Carole never really had a steady dancing partner, she danced with all the good-looking Italian boys and that one special non-Italian whom everyone loved - Harvey Robbins. You eventually get cancelled.. The Hand Jive. The young dancers on American Bandstand were the reality stars of the 1950s and '60skids nationwide rushed home to watch their every move and chatter about their relationships and exploits. . . "He presented himself as such a grown-up.". . So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. By clicking Consent you are authorizing advertisers to collect information to personalize the ads you see. Both were ratings disasters. On July 9, 1956, Horn was fired after a drunk-driving arrest, as WFIL and dual owner Walter Annenberg's The Philadelphia Inquirer were then Teen idol Bobby Rydell, whose music career is still going strong 60 years after American Bandstand, wrote the books introduction; but former Regular Arlene Sullivan, who shares her memories and personal images, is a standout as well as a co-author of the book. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE She calls it her one night out.. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. Dick Clark, in full Richard Wagstaff Clark, (born November 30, 1929, Bronxville, New York, U.S.died April 18, 2012, Santa Monica, California), American television personality and businessman, best known for hosting American Bandstand. Forget that. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. The use of videotape allowed Clark to produce and host a series of concert tours around the success of American Bandstand and to pursue other broadcast interests. Clark was out for Clark, says Brancaccio. Years later, when Clark was asked whether any of the dancers had died of AIDS, he stated that one had, Smith recalled. The Monday-night version aired its last program in December 1957, but ABC gave Clark a Saturday-night time slot for The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show, which originated from the Little Theatre in Manhattan, beginning on February 15, 1958. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. At least three factors are important to note regarding the last three years ofAmerican Bandstandin West Philadelphia: the 1960 payola scandal, the reality behind the shows happy faces, and developments in the pop music industry that affected the show and compelled its relocation in 1964 to Los Angeles in a reduced version. Bandstand debuted in Philadelphia in 1950 and took on its familiar format two years later. Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes) . They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV until January 4, 1964. She was one of five brothers and sisters; had a huge family vacation home in Sea Isle City where Regulars visited: and dated Frank Levins and Denny Dziena. He still had that in him until the evening before he passed away. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. These teenagers became the nation's first reality-TV stars--they received thousands of fan letters and were mobbed everywhere they went. AB WALLET PHOTOS. We have lived in NJ ever since. Of Clarks behind-the-scenes behavior at Studio B, Ray Smith writes unsparingly: The irony about Clark is that he was not the goody-two-shoes he projected: he smoked, cursed, and for a while teetered on the edge of alcoholism. we were like a little family together, and we all had something in common, and we all stuck together, and that made it easier for us.. He will never forget one of his first days on Bandstand. Bandstand originally used "High Society" by Artie Shaw as its theme song, but by the time the show went national, it had been replaced by various arrangements of Charles Albertine's "Bandstand Boogie", including Les Elgart's big-band recording remembered by viewers of the daily version. . Aura Mayari Just Wants to Live Her Zombie Apocalypse Fantasy. The 1960 amendments to the 1934 Federal Communications Act put heavy constraints on payola, requiring full public disclosure when a record company or its agent pays a broadcaster to play records on the air. The 1960 amendments criminalized any action that breached the disclosure rule. Thats why Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson would never appear on the show, but movie stars Jeff Chandler, Tab Hunter, Sal Mineo came., Dancing came naturally to Sullivan, the way it did to all Regulars, she says. Filmed in the cramped quarters of the WFIL Studios at 46th and Market Streets in Philly, Bandstand is such a part of Americana that Dick Clarks podium now resides in the Smithsonian. Prior to the move, Bandstand had sourced many of its up-and-coming acts from Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records. Yes, yes, I know. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers. Home Yesteryear Nostalgia Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. The show's popularity helped Dick Clark become an American media mogul and inspired similar long-running music programs, such as Soul Train and British series Top of the Pops. Black music and black dances originating in Philadelphia neighborhoods contributed substantially to the success ofAmerican Bandstand; yetAmerican Bandstandsdancefloor and bleachers were racially segregated, and some of the shows most popular dances were adapted without attribution from black neighborhoods. Norman was born on January 18, 1944. Wagon Train Website,