Im sure shell be thrilled to hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a lot. Variety Shows They were hurting him. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. However unethical his behavior may have been, his federal income tax records seemed to be in order. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. 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. Once the program went national upon its move to Los Angeles, new host Dick Clark decided that integration was the most responsible move. Sullivan and the other dancers often congregated in Rittenhouse Square, the historic epicenter of what is known as the City of Brotherly Loves Gayborhood. There even was chatter and fear that Clark, who died at 82 in 2012, sent members of his production staff to spy on them and report back the names of the suspected gay regulars. 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. Director Goran Stolevski talks assembling his gay indie's stellar soundtrack, from The Cardigans to Nelly Furtado and more. In 2004, Dick Clark, with the help of Ryan Seacrest, announced plans to revive the show in time for the 2005 season; although this did not occur (due in part to Clark suffering a severe stroke in late 2004), one segment of the revived Bandstanda national dance contesteventually became the series So You Think You Can Dance. Nicholas Fiorentino, 67, a South Philly native now living in Cherry Hill, said it was clear even to Bandstand teenagers that Clark was going places. running a series on drunken driving. Don Cornelius, the creator and host of Soul Train, along with Jesse Jackson, entered into a dispute with Clark over this upstart program, and it was canceled within a few weeks. They were hurting him. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. The bare necessitiesThis kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. Local radio disc jockey Buddy Deane was chosen as the host of The Buddy Deane Show on Channel 13, and began a daily two hour broadcast on September 9, 1957. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*****.. 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. 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. 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. 10/7/1957 9/5/1987 ABC 60 minutes 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. The previous theme was retained as bumper music. Delmont, Matthew F. (September 30, 2014). Mixed REGULARS Galleries. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. 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.. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! [2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. 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. They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. [36] Clark remained as executive producer. Handbags - Formal Wear. . In 1960, in an episode that seems incredibly tame by todays standards of greed and corruption, the two major television networks, NBC and CBS were exposed as having rigged their wildly popular primetime quiz shows. . ", "I was shaking like a leaf," Colanero recalled. The rest is American Bandstand history. In another format shift, it was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood. SWIMSUITS of the regulars. Music by Charles Albertine During the segment, two audience members each ranked two records on a scale of 35 to 98, after which their two opinions were averaged by Clark, who then asked the chosen members to justify their scores. 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. 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. Give me some Thumbs UP!This is Bunny Gibson and the American Bandstand Regulars live at Sesame Park outside of Philadelphia on July 21, 1997 as recorded by OnlineTV.com and Rick Siegel.The Regulars were there to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of American Bandstand and the parties were relentless as were the memories. Rossi was straightbut Sullivan, many of her female co-stars, and most of the young male dancers were not. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. He would dance on the show until early 1960. Special Features: Race and American Bandstand, The Seven-Year Itch: West Philly Loses American Bandstand, Report accessibility issues and request help. She was 13 but lied about her age. "He made sure the guys wore suits and we were dressed properly. 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. ", Jennifer Coolidge Screams, Is a Queen in Netflix's 'We Have a Ghost'. 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. The Slop. I'm David Hirsch and, on behalf of American Bandstand, I bid you, for the last time, goodbye. 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. , Puppy love 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. "Bandstand's Backyard". She knew Chubby Checker and Fabian from South Philadelphia High School. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. When WFIL-TV moved to a new facility on City Line Avenue (one that did not have a studio that could accommodate the show), ABC moved production of Bandstand to the ABC Television Center (stage 5) in Los Angeles (now known as The Prospect Studios) on February 8, 1964, which coincidentally was the day before the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. Dick Clark took over as host in 1956, and the show made its network debut on ABC-TV on Aug. 5, 1957. AB WALLET PHOTOS. The Philadelphia way Were goin drop in (Drop!) My mother thought I was nuts. All rock'n roll and most owned by Dick Clark himself. Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. And then they leave the show, go up on the El, go home to their neighborhoods, they then had to run to their door because somebody was always waiting there to beat them up.. 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. 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 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. Years later, when Clark was asked whether any of the dancers had died of AIDS, he stated that one had, Smith recalled. "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. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. 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. Charlette Russo danced on American Bandstand from 1955-1959. From 1969 to 1974, "Bandstand Theme", a synthesized rock instrumental written by Mike Curb, opened each show. 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. As the music historian John Jackson observes, from the 1970s on American Bandstandno longer served as Clarks primary video outlet. For the next several decades, Clark would achieve high national visibility as a popular gameshow host and as the impresario of periodic primetimeAmerican Bandstandhit-song reunions (not to mention a spate of video cassettes and books) that fed on white Americas nostalgia forAmericanBandstandsdays in West Philadelphia, evoked in Barry Manilows Bandstand song with Manilows homage to The Philadelphia Way.. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. Sullivan, 74, wrote Diaries with Ray Smith, another dancer who was closeted during his Bandstand years. Home Yesteryear Nostalgia Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? My husband and I met on a blind date and six months later on April 12, 1964 we were married. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. 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? Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. He was 21 and she was 16. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. Tony Mammarella was the original producer with Ed Yates as director. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory 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. Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. Teenagers dance on an episode of Dick Clark's television program, 'American Bandstand,' 1950s. Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. In her memoir forBandstand Diaries, she writes frankly and poignantly of her youthful struggle with her emerging identity as lesbian, a sexual orientation she would fully embrace as an adult. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. One young performer was dangled down an elevator shaft. For now, Dick Clark on ABC, so long. A half-hour evening version of American Bandstand aired on Monday nights from 7:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. (ET), beginning on October 7, 1957. M Marsha Early American Bandstand Wallet type photos of Dancers/Regulars Sisters Mary Rosalie Susan 50s Susan Beltrante (on left) and Mary Beltrante on the right. Not only was it extremely intelligent, but there was something moving about the mans story. As she puts it, being a Regular entailed holding a WFIL-TV Bandstand Club membership card and dancing every day on the show. Horn, however, was disenchanted with the program, and wanted to change the show to a dance program with teenagers dancing along on camera as records played, based on an idea that came from a radio show on WPEN, The 950 Club, hosted by Joe Grady and Ed Hurst. It became a staple in homes and heavily influenced American society culturally, musically, and socially. . His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. After school in the late 1950s, millions of American teenagers raced home to watch the gyrations of fellow teens on their parents tiny black-and-white televisions in the living room. Barbara Levick was a very popular young lady who was a Regular who danced on American Bandstand in the late 50s/very early 60s. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. The guy who had been in charge of the show before he took over was the subject of a scandal a DUI, I think so Clark wanted to be the clean-cut guy, and he was. In addition to his other ventures, Clark maintained a virtual lock on New Years Eve television withDick ClarksNew Years Rockin Eve. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. One older brother survives Norman. The Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. The typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every six weeks. This first national broadcast of American Bandstand was filmed in the Starlight Ballroom in Wildwood, NJ. So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. The Bop. The "ab" logo was replaced with the iconic stylized "AB" logo (shown at the top of this page) used for the remainder of the show's run. The Saturday show would run until 1960. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. 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. Other performers including Brandy, members of KISS, Dennis Quaid and his band The Sharks, Cher, and Stevie Wonder also performed to remember the iconic program.[41]. You want to know about the guy! This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. And whereas 135 ABC-affiliated stations carriedAmerican Bandstandon a revenue-sharing basis in 1960, the stations were bailing out of this relationship in 1963. Steve Colanero, 66, a West Philadelphia transplant in Palm Beach, Fla., posted on Facebook a picture from the 1980s of himself with Clark. 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. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. 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. during those wonderful days. OnAmerican Bandstandsdance floor, Sullivan was first partnered famously with Kenny Rossi (1957-58), a multitalented Italian-American student at West Catholic Boys High School, and such was her national popularity that her fan mail eventually totaled some 500 letters weekly. We have lived in NJ ever since. Were goin hopin today 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. But . [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. Like nostalgia? 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. 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 & White/Color (9/9/1967), Dick Clarks first day as host: 7/9/1956 In August 1963, ABC reassignedAmerican Bandstandto Saturday afternoon. [2] Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Paylola and Sponsorship Identification, Federal Communications Act, Amendments, 1960. They wrote thousands of letters. He practiced dancing with his niece, Robin, but when he went down to the show, they wouldnt let him in because he was over the age of 18. We've received your submission. Michael Jackson, a frequent Bandstand guest, performed 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.. [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. THIS & THAT 50s/60s. "This man had the strongest personality that I had ever seen as a young boy," he said. It was horrible.. 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. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. 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. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. [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. 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. Dick Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH, in 1993 as a non-performer. Numerous black and white performers who appeared on American Bandstand during its seven-year heyday in West Philadelphia are also memorialized in this building. 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. "[5] In one humorous segment broadcast for years on retrospective shows, comedians Cheech and Chong appeared as the record raters. You eventually get cancelled.. The show was American Bandstand, and Dick Clarks clean-cut style meant the program had parents stamp of approval. 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? .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. I started going out to straight clubs.. His name is, Champion Polar Images Namron O My-Joy, as recorded with the AKC. We'll see you the next time on American Bandstand. LogoTV and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. 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! The combined impact of Bandstand's move to California and the Beatles' arrival devastated Cameo-Parkway and inflicted permanent damage to the artists signed to the label.[9]. 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. . In their new self-published memoirs Bandstand Diaries, series regulars Arlene Sullivan, Ray Smith, and Sharon Sultan Cutler reveal that though fans loved to gossip and fantasize about the shows heterosexual pairings, many of their favorites were young gay men and women putting on a show for the cameras. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. 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. No way I will get in his way! The program that preceded Dick Clarks American Bandstand at WFIL-TV was deejay Bob Horns locally popular Bandstand. He still had that in him until the evening before he passed away. They accepted me. 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. As two or three stations grab it off, you get less clearance, therefore you get less rating, and its an endless cycle. 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. 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. She was one of the great stars of the Philadelphia years. 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. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. 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. 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. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. While the American series has aired sixteen seasons, its format was also replicated worldwide, from Norway (Dansefeber) to Australia (So You Think You Can Dance Australia). A Midlothian-based freelance writer, Martha Steger has received national awards for her journalism, essays, short fiction and poetry. . But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. We only had three channels in those days. They also reported on the careers and whereabouts of many of the other regulars and several of the shows musical guests. This kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. 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.. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. . The short Snader and Official music films continued in the short term to fill gaps when dancers were changed during the showa necessity, because the studio could not fit more than 200 teenagers. . Not only does Bandstand Diaries detail Smith's and Sullivan's personal experiences, it also includes interviews with more than 40 Bandstand regulars, reveals Dick Clark's back story and . 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. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. Duke is a premier photographer of the martial arts as well as being an expert. American Bandstand first aired 5 August 1957 in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot. 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. From September 13, 1986, to September 5, 1987, Manilow's version was replaced at the close of the show by a new closing theme arranged by David Russo, who also performed an updated instrumental arrangement of "Bandstand Boogie" when Bandstand went into syndication. Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 I am not sure I can post that part of the video as I have no rights to the music they play and is heard in the background of the parade. In front of the camera, Clark called the shots. He remembered Clark as a man of few words who kept a professional distance between himself and the teen dancers. I said, In that case, Im staying. I was shocked. Colanero danced from 1959 to 1961. The other reason was that American Bandstand was pre-empted on many occasions by televised college football games (which expanded greatly in number in the wake of a court-ordered deregulation in 1984) which were becoming huge ratings successes, as well as occasional special presentations (i.e. On the other hand, they had each other. At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. . 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. Two of the regulars, Arlene Sullivan and Ray Smith, published the volume asBandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963,with Sharon Sultan Cutler as a non-Bandstand-member co-author. They wrote. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. 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. [42], Bandstand "regulars" from the Philadelphia years, Move from ABC to syndication and the USA Network, AMERICAN BANDSTAND (1987 Closing Credits - ABC Finale), Laura Branigan - Shattered Glass & Interview - AB (1987). Wagon Train Website,
