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. 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. 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. SaturdayBandstandretained the proven format of the now defunct weekday show, but it sustained a crucial loss of spontaneity as a result of being taped instead of shown live. Whose Culture? 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. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. I can honestly say that I was the most blessed person in the world the day I met Norman and he and I became steady dance partners., Meeting Norman 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.. The show stayed on the air until 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]. Out filmmaker Christopher Landon spills the spooky tea on his new movie and working with the 'White Lotus' star. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. "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. [1] John A. Jackson,American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock n Roll Empire(New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), chaps. Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. 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. We'll see you then. 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. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. e9.size = "300x250"; 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. 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. This started with "'65", then "'66", "'67", "'68" and "'69" when each year arrived. Dick Clark died on April 18, 2012, at the age of 82. unsold game show pilots). 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. To the left youll find original pictures of some of the Regulars. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. Forget that. Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. Prior to the move, Bandstand had sourced many of its up-and-coming acts from Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. Steve Colanero, 66, a West Philadelphia transplant in Palm Beach, Fla., posted on Facebook a picture from the 1980s of himself with Clark. The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. "Two or three times during the show, Clark would introduce singers or groups who would lip-sync their latest hits." 2. The show was American Bandstand, and Dick Clarks clean-cut style meant the program had parents stamp of approval. 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. . Clark regularly asked teenagers their opinions of the songs being played, through the "Rate-a-Record" segment. Mickey Mouse Club 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. As previously mentioned, during the 1978 season of Bandstand, Donna Summer became the only music artist in Bandstand's history to co-host the program. Music by Charles Albertine 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. 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. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. 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. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. 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. 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. //-->. "[40] WFIL defended these local associations in order to maintain support. The bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company. . That might have had something to do with the scandal that surrounded the departure of his predecessor, Bob Horn, who faced a drunken-driving arrest and morals charges. NEW PAGE! Wagon Train Website,
