Sullivans last appearance onAmerican Bandstandwas in 1960.7, In the early 1960s, a new collection of teen regulars succeeded Arlene Sullivans generation onAmerican Bandstandsdance floor. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. 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! My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. Dick Clark, wherever you are, we miss you. 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? REGULARS Gallery 2. In another format shift, it was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood. In August 1963, ABC reassigned American Bandstand to Saturday afternoon. e9.size = "300x250"; Variety Shows On the other hand, they had each other. 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. . 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. Special Features: Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. 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]. Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. 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. This first national broadcast of American Bandstand was filmed in the Starlight Ballroom in Wildwood, NJ. 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. 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. 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. Attempts continue to launch a successful game show or sitcom", "Final American Bandstand: The Cover Girls", http://nicestkids.com/nehvectors/nicest-kids/bandstands-backyard, "Remembering American Bandstand's 50th [Photos]", Son of Svengoolie - 'Good Morning, Sven' (Opening,Show #218) (verse occurs at the 1:35 mark), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Bandstand&oldid=1140855641, American Bandstand's 20th Anniversary (1973), American Bandstand's 25th Anniversary (1977), American Bandstand's 30th Anniversary (1982), American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Celebration (1985), American Bandstand's 40th Anniversary (1992), American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary (2002), The show was featured prominently in the 20022005, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:03. Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. As the books highlight, Ray Smith and Arlene Sullivan provided two thoughtful and unadornedBandstandmemoirs. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. Fiorentino was known on the show as "Nicky Blue.". I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. The first syndicated episode aired on the weekend of September 19, 1987[26] but this run was short-lived; The New American Bandstand ran until the weekend of June 4, 1988. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. Charlette Russo danced on American Bandstand from 1955-1959. 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 bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. He retained his youthful looks through the 1980s, burnishing his reputation as Americas Oldest Living Teenager. Dick Clark died at age 82 in Santa Monica. Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. But . 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. For now, Dick Clark on ABC, so long. James Morgan, who danced 17 times on Bandstand and stayed interested in it over the years, said Mrs. Spada had run a beauty parlor in the suburbs. . On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. [Clark] was a cool professional with an agenda from the beginning, an agenda for success that made him rich; he was a millionaire by the end of the 1950s. 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. The parents of one kid on the show found out that he was gay . This story has been shared 115,637 times. Clark pulled him within two feet of the camera and told America, "Steve is our newest regular, and he's going to lead us off with a spotlight dance. At the time, unless a broadcaster failed to report under-the-table income (federal income tax evasion), payola wasnt illegal in federal law. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. With his death, she said, it is "important that Dick is honored for what he did for rock-and-roll and for the impact he had on all the lives of his dancers from Philly to L.A.", Clark, Gibson said, led "the first teenage revolution, and we were part of it. He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. We may earn a commission from links on this page. . 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. . Zach Shallcross Struggles to Watch Himself Dancing Terribly on The Bachelor, Alison Brie on Sex Scenes: 'We Are Actors, This Is Our Job'. Teenagers dance on an episode of Dick Clark's television program, 'American Bandstand,' 1950s. 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. [36] Clark remained as executive producer. They were hurting him. Aura Mayari Just Wants to Live Her Zombie Apocalypse Fantasy. Bandstand Diaries shares some public information and photos about Frani (page 84). 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 . The increase in competition hurt Bandstand and the variety of options for music on TV decreased its relevance. It got me out of my shell, but I learned I was a regular teenager who happened to dance on a show that unexpectedly became very popular. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. As two or three stations grab it off, you get less clearance, therefore you get less rating, and its an endless cycle. There were even allegations that Clark conducted witch hunts, sending production staff to Rittenhouse Square, at the center of Philadelphia's gayborhood, to see if any of the young stars were there. When Gibson moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in the 1980s, she paid Clark a call at his office. Unlike Smith, she expresses no animosity toward Clark. //-->. 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. Its original host was fired after a DWI arrest and in July 1956 a young radio DJ took over. The Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. JUSTINE AND BOB. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. "When he saw me, he said, 'I knew I'd see you again,' with a smile on his face," Gibson recalled. 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.. Barbara finally came back and said I had to come to the front because the back was only for colored people. 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. Clark weathered the hearings by not being fully transparent, and he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. Fifty years later, Bandstand fan Sharon Sultan Cutler wondered what had become of the "Regulars," the name given to the teens that showed up daily to dance. Clark's sunny smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination. That really annoyed me because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS, Smith said. 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. Watch video clips of the American Bandstand dancers here. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. Mickey Mouse Club 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. Clark was out for Clark, says Brancaccio. And he has the one criteria required to attract Bunny Gibson. I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. She says she never had a crush on a straight dancer, and was close friends with celebrity guest Annette Funicello. . .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. LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963 shares the fascinating story of how Dick Clark's American Bandstand and its millions of viewers catapulted its teenage dancers (called "the Regulars") to fame. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. That really annoyed me, said Smith, Because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS., According to Brancaccio, Clark didnt want racial integration on his show either. The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV until January 4, 1964. Set pieces from Soul Unlimited were utilized by Bandstand for its 19741978 set design. . [2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. It became a national institution and Dick Clark a celebrity. But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. 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. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. 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. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. However, the couple will shortly be returning to Los Angeles, which will be their permanent residence. 1950s/1960s POLLS. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE 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. You could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and close. Was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood national institution and dick Clark with Johnny Crawford Sullivan and Smith.... Annette Funicello she says she never had a crush on a Facebook page called America 's original Bandstand.... 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