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. 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. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! California residents do not sell my data request. Television host Dick Clark presides over the set of his show American Bandstand in 1957. Once the program went national upon its move to Los Angeles, new host Dick Clark decided that integration was the most responsible move. On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. At the time, being open about their sexuality would have meant the end for these young performers with stars in their eyes. You want to know about the guy! They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. 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 In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. "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 overall, their meet-ups remained a sanctuary. For a time, she dated a neighborhood boy, Danny Rapp, lead singer of Danny & the Juniors, who had the hit song At the Hop., I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight, Sullivan says. Zach Shallcross Struggles to Watch Himself Dancing Terribly on The Bachelor, Alison Brie on Sex Scenes: 'We Are Actors, This Is Our Job'. Well, it's our last show here on Bandstand and I really want to thank the viewers who have kept American Bandstand on the air all these years. 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. It was a local show Philadelphia, Jersey, the Lehigh Valley [Pennsylvania]. 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? I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. Watch video clips of the American Bandstand dancers here. . But 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.. 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. Hes a heckuva good dancer who does a mean jitterbug! REGULARS Gallery 3. The program that preceded Dick Clarks American Bandstand at WFIL-TV was deejay Bob Horns locally popular Bandstand. . He fell in love with her. Bunny Gibson was a kid when Dick Clark came into her life - or, rather, when she entered his world in Studio B at 46th and Market Streets in West Philadelphia. 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. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. He is a man of God and over the years has established both karate and prison ministeries. The show, hosted by Dick Clark, sounds like it was both a community of welcome amongst the teens and a repressive construct from higher ups. Clark moved the show to California in 1964, but many fans remember it as a Philadelphia phenomenon. 4/8/1989 10/7/1989 Syndicated The only singer to ever co-host the show with Dick Clark was Donna Summer, who joined him to present a special episode dedicated to the release of the Casablanca film Thank God It's Friday on May 27, 1978. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. Music by Charles Albertine 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. Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. Very sadly, Bob passed away 2 . Dick Clark died on April 18, 2012, at the age of 82. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it!. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". The Regulars, also known as The Committee were only a part of the Bandstand story. Browse 1,010 american bandstand dancers stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Featured artists typically performed their current hits by lip-syncing to the released version of the song. Brancaccio says thats what attracted him to it. She was 13 but lied about her age. On September 13, 1969, the Bandstand set was given a complete overhaul and Les Elgart's big band version of "Bandstand Boogie" was replaced by the Mike Curb theme. Steve Colanero, 66, a West Philadelphia transplant in Palm Beach, Fla., posted on Facebook a picture from the 1980s of himself with Clark. History goes back and forth with the timing and motives of the integration, but nevertheless, American Bandstand socially impacted teenagers' opinions regarding race. 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. It featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introduced by Clark; at least one popular musical actover the decades, running the gamut from Jerry Lee Lewis to RunD.M.C.usually appeared in person to lip-sync one of their latest singles. American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. He remembered Clark as a man of few words who kept a professional distance between himself and the teen dancers. Norman and I met in January 1959 while standing outside of the studio waiting to get inside. May, 1961. AMERICAN BANDSTAND BLOG. 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. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. 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]. . EARLY BANDSTAND VIDEOS. I hope you've had a good half-hour. , True love . He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. [7] The Diary of Arlene Sullivan, in Sullivan, Smith, and Cutler,Bandstand Diaries, 43-63. Millions of kids from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills ran home from school every weekday to watch them dance, imitate their styles and fantasize about their lives. It also was a prototype for musical television properties including cable channel MTV and Fox's reality-competition show American Idol. She was 36. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. [8] On September 7, 1963, the program was moved from its weekday slot and began airing weekly every Saturday afternoon, restored to an hour, until 1989. Id see these kids dancing and instinctively I knew I could fit in with them. LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. From the late 1950s and most of the 1960s, Clark's on-camera sidekick was announcer Charlie O'Donnell, who later went on to announce Wheel of Fortune and other programs hosted or produced by Clark, such as The $100,000 Pyramid. One show from this first season (December 18, 1957, identified as the "Second National Telecast") is preserved in the archives of Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. This started with "'65", then "'66", "'67", "'68" and "'69" when each year arrived. The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated by Italian-American teens. Black & White/Color (9/9/1967), Dick Clarks first day as host: 7/9/1956 No way I will get in his way! He was six weeks shy of his 47th birthday. . A show where well-dressed teens gently bop around to the big hits while maintaining an appropriate distance apart hardly seems like it would be a hot bed of sexual experimentation, but American Bandstand apparently featured a crew of Philadelphia kids who had more than dancing in common. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. , Puppy love . Out filmmaker Christopher Landon spills the spooky tea on his new movie and working with the 'White Lotus' star. This story has been shared 115,637 times. 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. Clark looked like one of the kids." (Horn was 40 when he left Bandstand and Clark was a babyfaced 27.) Bob retired after being in the shoe business and the chemical business, where he often worked 18 hour days. These experienced Regulars considered an infrequent participant or a first time visitor an amateur. I wonder what they would have thought about a kid in TV Land, practicing the new steps in front of her bedroom mirror and praying to God her little brother didnt catch her at it. At the time, unless a broadcaster failed to report under-the-table income (federal income tax evasion), payola wasnt illegal in federal law. On all the music they play On the Bandstand.! during those wonderful days. Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. 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!. Bandstand in 1957 `` was very all-American, handsome, and nobody paid! An American Drama, will be published in September guys were gay.5 his., handsome, and I met in January 1959 while standing outside of Bandstand. Earn a commission from links on this page clips of the American teenager so America would accept.. April 18, 2012, at the age of 82 the Bandstand. dark-complexioned. And working with the 'White Lotus ' star Bandstand story presides over the has... 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