We moved around the floor the way our parents did in the 40s. This more-familiar version of Bandstand debuted on October 7, 1952, in "Studio 'B'", which was located in their just-completed addition to the original 1947 building in West Philadelphia.mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^ , and was hosted by Horn, with Lee Stewart as co-host until 1955. Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. . The new legislation effectively ended payola in the music business.2, American Bandstandtoo weathered the payola storm. . He will never forget one of his first days on Bandstand. This story has been shared 115,637 times. I tried my best to fill your shoes and I hope I have lived up to what you were expecting of me. But this one was different. 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. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it!. It was no secret. REGULARS Gallery 3. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. He is a man of God and over the years has established both karate and prison ministeries. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE Dick Clark never played either song on American Bandstand. Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. No way I will get in his way! Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! Many factors were involved in this, particularly the launch and rise of MTV and other music programs on television, and along with that, the number of ABC affiliates opting to pre-empt or delay the program. It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the new technology. 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. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. KENNY AND ARLENE. Stewart was the owner of a TV/Radio business in Philadelphia and even though he was an older gentleman, his advertising account was a large one for WFIL-TV, so he was put on the program to appease the account. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. Clark was out for Clark, says Brancaccio. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, she said. The program that preceded Dick Clarks American Bandstand at WFIL-TV was deejay Bob Horns locally popular Bandstand. Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. 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. Music by Charles Albertine For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. REGULARS Gallery 2. News Shows //-->. 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. "[5] In one humorous segment broadcast for years on retrospective shows, comedians Cheech and Chong appeared as the record raters. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. 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. Unsure and fearful about her true sexual identity, Sullivan tried passing as straight. By then, he was a big-time television producer. July 9th, 1988", "Retro Request: Sat 10/31 & 11/7 and Sun 11/1, 1987", "AB now in syndication: Jody Watley, Dan Hill, David Spade", "Clark ends long-playing spin on bandstand", "On 'Bandstand,' Dick Clark Says Goodbye", "AGELESS CLARK STILL STANDS FOR THE 'AMERICAN' BAND", "Hits Prove Hard to Find at Dick Clark Productions: Entertainment: Performance has been mediocre since the company went public in 1987. Bob retired after being in the shoe business and the chemical business, where he often worked 18 hour days. 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. After a ten-month hiatus,[27] Bandstand moved to cable on USA Network[28][29] on April 8, 1989,[30] with comedian David Hirsch[31][32][33][34][35] taking over hosting duties. You want to know about the guy! The typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every six weeks. 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. 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. . Soul Unlimited was not well-received among its target audience of African-Americans, ostensibly due to its being created by a white man (Clark), and because of its alleged usage of deliberately racial overtones despite this fact. 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 . . ABC gave Clark a choice: divest his music-related interests or step down as host of the show. Clark chose to continue withBandstand.3. 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. Elgart's version was released as a single in March 1954 (Columbia 40180) as well as Curb's theme (by "Mike Curb & The Waterfall") in October 1969 (Forward 124). at 3:30pm, then rejoin Bandstand at 4pm. 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. It was horrible., Smith says he was lucky to have escaped a beating. Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. 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. He was a brilliant man. [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. TV Ratings - US & UK, Quiz Shows He fell in love with her. Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. As Sullivan puts it: The boys danced. 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. Barbara finally came back and said I had to come to the front because the back was only for colored people. 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. He was six weeks shy of his 47th birthday. They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. JUSTINE AND BOB. [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. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". . 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. They werent playing football. "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. They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. In 2014, the National Enquirer interviewed Frank Brancaccio and Eddie Kelly, other series regulars. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. This first national broadcast of American Bandstand was filmed in the Starlight Ballroom in Wildwood, NJ. On all the music they play On the Bandstand.! Dick Clark took over as host in 1956, and the show made its network debut on ABC-TV on Aug. 5, 1957. 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. Regardless, the music historian John Jackson calls it the gravest crisis in his professional career.1, At all events, the payola hearings spurred action by Congress. 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. Dick Clark died on April 18, 2012, at the age of 82. By clicking Consent you are authorizing advertisers to collect information to personalize the ads you see. Dick Clark was a TV personality known for the shows 'American Bandstand,' '$25,000 Pyramid' and 'TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes,' among others. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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!. REGULARS Gallery 1. This version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the series. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. We were like sisters. 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). We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. [2] Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Paylola and Sponsorship Identification, Federal Communications Act, Amendments, 1960. With American Bandstand being originally located in Philadelphia, segregation easily affected the concentrated area. It was a local show Philadelphia, Jersey, the Lehigh Valley [Pennsylvania]. Im sure shell be thrilled to hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a lot. 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. The Philadelphia way Were goin drop in (Drop!) In 2019, a trio of formerAmerican Bandstandregulars assembled a book on their experiences on the popular show. Fiorentino was known on the show as "Nicky Blue.". There were occasional shows that were not hosted by Clark, in which case a substitute host (among them Rick Azar) was brought in.[6]. Bunnys mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate. 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. In 1988, the National Park Service listed 4548 Market Street on the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes) . "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. 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. I was SO mixed up., Today, Arlene Sullivan lives with a partner and, despite having suffered strokes, still loves to dance. The program was permanently shot in color starting on September 9, 1967. Jax Spills the Tea on That "Shocking" Lip-Sync LaLaPaRuza, "In those lip-syncs, I fend for myself. The previous theme was retained as bumper music. Both were ratings disasters. "He presented himself as such a grown-up.". Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. . Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*****.. Rossi was straightbut Sullivan, many of her female co-stars, and most of the young male dancers were not. Wagon Train Website,