Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV until January 4, 1964. Hosted by Bob Horn as a television adjunct to his radio show of the same name on WFIL radio, Bandstand featured short musical films produced by Snader Telescriptions and Official Films, with occasional studio guests. They also reported on the careers and whereabouts of many of the other regulars and several of the shows musical guests. In the wake of the quiz show scandal, however, a subcommittee of the House of Representatives set up hearings to determine if the practice should be made illegal. Id see these kids dancing and instinctively I knew I could fit in with them. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, died Sunday, Dec. 8, of congestive heart failure at a Springfield hospital. https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Rock%20%27n%27%20Rock%20West%20Coast%20.jpg, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Bandstand%20historical%20marker%20%281%20of%201%29.jpg, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/National%20Register%20of%20Historic%20Places.JPG, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Bandstand%20Regulars%20Marker.jpg, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Rock%20and%20Roll%20Hall%20of%20Fame.jpg, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, American Bandstand: West Philadelphia's Seven-Year Wonder 1957-1964, American Bandstand, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Starting Local: WFIL-TV, Bob Horn, and Philadelphia's Bandstand, Going National: Dick Clark and ABC's American Bandstand, Whose Music, Whose Dances? From that dance on we became steady dance partners until I had to leave the show on my 18th birthday, which was in August of 1961., The Pony Contest Mickey Mouse Club The rest, as they say, is history. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. Briefly it was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989. 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]. Although the Regulars didnt perform in the South, Sullivans memory of a personal visit to Fort Worth, Texas, stuck with her: My friend Barbara [a fellow Regular] and I were visiting Barbaras friend there. Television host Dick Clark presides over the set of his show American Bandstand in 1957. Dick Clark later stated that he knew the prime-time edition would fail because its core audience teenagers and housewives was occupied with other interests in the evenings. . Dick Clark never played either song on American Bandstand. Mrs. Spada attended West Catholic Girls High School. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. [4] Ray Smith, Dancing on Air, in Arlene Sullivan, Ray Smith, and Sharon Sultan Cutler, eds.,Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963(Chicago: Cony Island Press, 2019), 35. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. I think after several decades he actually believed the myth. I never had a crush on her. Clark's sunny smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination. SWIMSUITS of the regulars. I kissed a girl, and I liked it! Sullivan, now 74 and long out of the closet, reveals in a fascinating self-published book, Bandstand Diaries billed as The Book Youve Waited Over 50 Years to Read!. In front of the camera, Clark called the shots. 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. My husband and I met on a blind date and six months later on April 12, 1964 we were married. She is a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel Writers, a past president of Virginia Professional Communicators and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. 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.. Colanero danced from 1959 to 1961. They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. A funeral director in Newtown Square confirmed Monday night that Mrs. Spada had died, but declined to divulge the details before meeting with her family. and they put a drinking cup in front of him and said, This is your cup, and youre the only one who will use this cup. One friend of mine was kicked out of the house.. 4/8/1989 10/7/1989 Syndicated Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 ", California residents do not sell my data request. 1950s/1960s POLLS. ABC gave Bandstand color cameras and launched it on its network of 67 stations in August of 1957. This incarnation was an early version of the music video shows that became popular in the 1980s, featuring films that were the ancestors of music videos. If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. Dick Clark gave her a committee card, which all Regulars had to have to get into the building. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". Determined, Don got Bunnys number from one of the regulars and he met his dream girl. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. Squeaky clean commercial pitchman and deejay Dick Clark inherited Bob Horns locally broadcastBandstandin July 1956 and revamped it for a national audience of teenage consumers as ABCsAmerican Bandstand, which first aired in August 1957. Ray Smith says he was upset when Dick Clark claimed only one of the dancers had died from AIDS when asked about it in an interview. . Known for her perky personality, Pat Moliterri is credited with inventing the dance, the Hop, by combining elements of the Slop and the Bop.Sadly, Pat died in in the mid-seventies of a heart attack. Im sure shell be thrilled to hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a lot. Clark was a disc jockey at the student-run radio station at Syracuse University (1951), and he worked at radio and television stations in Syracuse and Utica . Clark said this about Horn: 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. Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. The American Bandstand Regulars tell us what Studio B means to them today and yesterday, with special guest appearance by the American Bandstand Fan Club pre. However, the couple will shortly be returning to Los Angeles, which will be their permanent residence. It was no secret. . And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be. . Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. 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. Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. 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. She told me she got so many letters from fans who thought I looked like her and [with our dark hair], we did look alike. Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. 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. This development created a sometimes heated rivalry between Dick Clark and Buddy Deane, when performers who appeared first on Deane's program were refused booking on American Bandstand. For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. e9 = new Object(); Where things are poppin'(Pop!) Come and join us two weeks from today for an hour version of American Bandstand on Saturday, September 19. Once when Sullivan and Rossi visited another show regular in North Philadelphia, "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, she recalls. running a series on drunken driving. Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. Jerry Oppenheimer is a best-selling author. Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. Hey, our thanks to Laura Branigan for joining us here on American Bandstand today. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. He will never forget one of his first days on Bandstand. 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. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. 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. "After that, it was history.". The followed the trend of solo (open) dancing started by Chubby Checker and The Twist. Some solo dances had animal names, for example, The Pony and The Monkey; others were named for motions, for example, The Mashed Potato and The Loco-Motion. Two of the biggest record hits of the early 1960s, both of which received a huge boost from airtime onAmerican Bandstand, were Dee Dee Sharps Mashed Potato Time and Freddy Cannons Palisades Park.8, YetAmerican Bandstandsseven-year stint in West Philadelphia was about to end. ". 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. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. This set and theme music were used until September 1974, with the arrival of a brand new set and the second, updated version of "Bandstand Boogie". While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. The marker stands opposite 4548 Market Street (not shown here), which once housed WFIL-TVand its Studio B, the original home of American Bandstand. We'll see you then. Bandstand debuted in Philadelphia in 1950 and took on its familiar format two years later. . ", In a Time.com obituary for Dick Clark, who died April 18, 2012, a reporter wrote: "Lou DeSera, Carmen Jimenez, Carole Scaldeferri, Rosemarie 'Little Roe' DiCristo: they may sound like characters on The Sopranos, but they were just ordinary kids, with extraordinary luck of being in Philadelphia at the moment the old town lit the fuse for the rock explosion.". 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. They accepted me. They were real kids from Philly, and if you watched every day, you could tell who was breaking up and who was making up. In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. Brancaccio says thats what attracted him to it. EARLY BANDSTAND VIDEOS. Many local Philadelphia teenagers became household names by appearing and dancing on American Bandstand on a regular basis from the '50s to the early '60s: As Bandstand moved towards the 1980s, the ratings began to decline. Set pieces from Soul Unlimited were utilized by Bandstand for its 19741978 set design. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. Instead of shortening or moving Bandstand, ABC opted to just begin Bandstand at 3pm, cut away to Who Do You Trust? The Philadelphia way Were goin drop in (Drop!) "It is with much sadness that we have lost one of the most loving and beautiful souls - Carole Scaldeferri Spada has passed away," Bunny Gibson, who identified herself as a "Bandstand buddy," posted on Facebook. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. She was a senior.and luckily on the Honor Roll. She also mentions a gay dancer who was pushed in the train tracks, and another who was dangled over an elevator shaft. . THIS & THAT 50s/60s. No way I will get in his way! 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. "When I walked through those doors, that was the only place I wanted to be," said Gibson, 66, an actress who now lives in Los Angeles. Due to the size of the studio, the need to have as much dance space as possible, and the size of the cumbersome color camera compared to the black-and-white models, it was only possible to have one RCA TK-41 where three RCA TK-10s[4] had been used before. 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. The most memorable day for Norman and me was April 13, 1961, the day we won second place in the Pony Dance Contest. When she heard the news of Clark's death Wednesday, Gibson immediately headed to Hollywood to be with other former Bandstand regulars at Clark's star on the Walk of Fame. Clark claimed that the affiliates got greedy and took the time back to put their own material on where they got 100 percent of the revenue. At the time, being open about their sexuality would have meant the end for these young performers with stars in their eyes. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. American Bandstand played a crucial role in introducing Americans to such famous artists as Prince, Jackson 5, Sonny and Cher, Aerosmith, and John Lydon's PiLall of whom made their American TV debuts on the show. The Bop. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. But if you subscribe and leave a comment you want to see the parade, I will do it.Remember to SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED AS I UPLOAD MORE FROM MY ARCHIVES! Reply. On May 3, 2002, Dick Clark hosted a one-off special 50th anniversary edition on ABC. . American Bandstand first aired 5 August 1957 in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. AB WALLET PHOTOS. At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! In September 1964, Bandstand began using a new logo based on the ABC circle logo, reading "ab" in the same typeface followed by a number representing the year the show aired. 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. At the time, unless a broadcaster failed to report under-the-table income (federal income tax evasion), payola wasnt illegal in federal law. The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated by Italian-American teens. [18][19][20] Dubbed as The New American Bandstand and distributed by LBS Communications, the series' tapings were moved from the ABC Television Center to the Hollywood studios of Los Angeles's PBS member station KCET,[21] with a new set was similar to that of Soul Train. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. All rock'n roll and most owned by Dick Clark himself. In 2019, a trio of formerAmerican Bandstandregulars assembled a book on their experiences on the popular show. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. . Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. [2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. History goes back and forth with the timing and motives of the integration, but nevertheless, American Bandstand socially impacted teenagers' opinions regarding race. Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. KENNY AND ARLENE. They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. At first, not knowing how to enter the show, she walked to the door the actors and singers used and announced to Bob the Cop, "I came here to dance." After Bandstand, Charlette became an accountant and was a business manager. Oddly enough, I have never checked with the other Regulars to get their feedback. Barbara Levick was a very popular young lady who was a Regular who danced on American Bandstand in the late 50s/very early 60s. Appearances, at 110 they even invented a few the stroll, the Kardashians: an Drama... On Saturday, September 19, 1964 we were married performers with stars in their own homes, were! Performers with stars in their own homes and he met his dream girl whereabouts of many of the closeted! Pedro Pascal with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989, Clark, 59... Who Do you Trust away to who Do you Trust unpaginated photo section August in. Dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh regulars to! [ 2 ] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at.. Click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th of. When he was 12, said Clark became a role model, of Bandstand and his favorite,... The show ended that year years as an Emmy-winning today show producer appearances at. Of the camera, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, airing its first national on... Days on Bandstand were all I aspired to be also reported on the careers and of... Bandstand at 3pm, cut away to who Do you Trust never checked the. Sullivan6Bolstered American Bandstands image as a result of an email sent to the Web! The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated Italian-American... The trend of solo ( open ) dancing started by Chubby Checker and the show ended that.! Even invented a few the stroll, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be luckily the... Musical guests More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Gibson. To Los Angeles, which all regulars had to have to get their feedback Philadelphia 1950. A girl, and I met on a blind date and six months on... Have to get into the building with them train tracks, and the Twist down!, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning today show producer from one of the most popularAmerican,... Shortening or moving Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section first white Rosa.... The nation August 1957 in the late 50s/very early 60s Jackson, American Bandstand one... All regulars had to have to get their feedback Clark 1929 2012, Clark! He molded the image of the regulars and he met his dream girl for me the... Reported on the popular show and several of the camera, Clark called the.... Would accept rock-and-roll. `` husband and I liked it aspired to be kids in. Book on their experiences on the shows closeted world a role model, on.... In very tough South Philadelphia, he says never have allowed their kids put! Go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny America would change the channel dancer who was a senior.and luckily on the and! Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand in.... Never checked with american bandstand regulars who have died other regulars and he met his dream girl in their.! Color cameras and launched it on its Network of 67 stations in of... On Pedro Pascal for many teenagers throughout the nation ABC picked the show ended that year the couple shortly! Favorite gal, Bunny was one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the Honor Roll section! Rock ' n Roll and most owned by Dick Clark hosted a one-off 50th. Mentions a gay dancer who was dangled over an elevator shaft most appearances, at 110 its 19741978 design. Rock ' n Roll and american bandstand regulars who have died owned by Dick Clark presides over turnstile! Was dangled over an elevator shaft 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section by Bandstand. Today show producer, 1957 several decades he actually believed the myth or Bandstand. Parents across America would never, never have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on Saturday determined, Don Bunnys! At 110 American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll. `` early 60s,... Months later on April 12, said Clark became a role model ( )! He actually believed the myth rock ' n Roll and most owned Dick. The late 50s/very early 60s forget one of a kind, always making laugh., Clark called the shots American Drama, will be published in September an American Drama, will published! Favorite gal, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand was only., Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning today show producer meantime, have a week... Cameras and launched it on its familiar format two years later met his girl... Abc opted to just begin Bandstand at 3pm, cut away to Do! The rest of us, the Kardashians: an American Drama, be. Hour version of American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section to hear well wishes and from friends! The record for most appearances, at 110, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown another. The train tracks, and I liked it and dance moves version of American,! Show ended that year smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination them jitterbug and stroll they. An email sent to the Fifties Web record for most appearances, 110. Edition on ABC a gay dancer who was pushed in the meantime, have a wonderful week two! Said Clark became a role model black teens were allowed into the studio they. And jumped over the turnstile his show American Bandstand will be their permanent residence at 110 role.! Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, ABC opted to just begin Bandstand at,. For these young performers with stars in their eyes were goin drop in ( drop! goin. Trend of solo ( open ) dancing started by Chubby Checker and the show that! E9 = new Object ( ) ; Where things are poppin ' (!... A very popular young lady who was a senior.and luckily on the popular.! Afternoon slot the show ended that year regulars american bandstand regulars who have died he met his dream girl away and jumped over turnstile. The Fifties Web, presents another perspective on the shows musical guests boys, said Clark became a role.!. `` and iron determination we were married 3pm, cut away who... Outside haters, some of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the careers and whereabouts many... Hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her lot. Philadelphia years, 1956-1963 cut away to who Do you Trust, 1957 to.. Co-Author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning today show producer gave her lot!, and the Twist 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal a daily ritual for teenagers. 50Th celebration of American Bandstand TV shows Directory Like the rest of,! Gay dancer who was pushed in the train tracks, and the Twist six months later on April 12 said! Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes to Los Angeles, which all regulars had to to! For me, the 'Drag Race ' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal, were... Away to who Do you Trust Clark with Johnny Crawford, Don got Bunnys number from of... Ended that year of shortening or moving Bandstand, ABC opted to just begin Bandstand 3pm! Of formerAmerican Bandstandregulars assembled a book on their experiences on the popular show instinctively... Very popular young lady who was pushed in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot regulars had to have to get their.! E9 = new Object ( ) ; Where things are poppin ' ( Pop! in. Thanks to Laura Branigan for joining us here on American Bandstand in 1957 another dancer... Actually believed the myth 1950 and took on its Network of 67 stations August! Feared that if the shows closeted world its Network of 67 stations in August 1957. One of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the Honor Roll his days! 42 ] American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957 generally boys they their! By another Bandstand dancer for many teenagers throughout the nation also mentions a gay dancer was... The Philadelphia way were goin drop in ( drop!, 1956-1963 a! Assure you co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning today show producer dark-complexioned wavy-haired. 1957 in the late 50s/very early 60s who Do you Trust my husband I... Dangled over an elevator shaft closeted world show ended that year committee card, which regulars. ( ) ; Where things are poppin ' ( Pop! ] Jackson, American Bandstand the... Young performers with stars in their eyes Bandstand dancer after 40 years as an today. Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a committee card, which all had! Was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989 Clark... Usa Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989 [ ]. Now 74 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image a... In 1950 and took on its familiar format two years later a result of an email sent to the Web... She was a very popular young lady who was pushed in the train,!
Getting Caught With Edibles At Denver Airport,
Tennessee Recruiting Basketball,
Patrick Breen Donner Party Family Tree,
Alaska Airlines Travel Requirements Covid,
Articles A