Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes) . 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. 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. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". Clark said this about Horn: We were like sisters. On May 3, 2002, Dick Clark hosted a one-off special 50th anniversary edition on ABC. 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 have lived in NJ ever since. (7/21/2011) I just received this from Bunny Gibson and certainly thought it was appropriate to mention here: Anna Russo, formerly Anna Banani, went to American Bandstand 1963 until AB left Philly for Los Angeles, lost both of her legs to diabetes and is in need. WFIL reverted to the TK-10s two weeks later when ABC refused to carry the color signal and management realized that the show lost perspective without the extra cameras. THIS & THAT 50s/60s. [6] Jackson,American Bandstand, 71; Jacksons description of Arlene Sullivan. e9 = new Object(); American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. 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. 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.. They werent playing basketball. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Ross Media Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. REGULARS Gallery 1. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. Sadly we also lost: American Bandstand first aired 5 August 1957 in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot. They were hurting him. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. 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. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, she said. I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. The Hand Jive. Forget that. The one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other," Smith told the New York Post. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. They wrote. American Bandstand Regulars -- Justine Carrelli, Joe Fusco, Myrna Horowitz - The 3rd Degree - 1989 Bandstands Best 3.54K subscribers Subscribe 343 127K views 10 years ago THE USE OF ANY. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. My husband and I met on a blind date and six months later on April 12, 1964 we were married. On the other hand, they had each other. American Bandstand, abbreviated AB, is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions that aired regularly from 1952 to 1989, [1] and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the program's producer. In 2014, the National Enquirer interviewed Frank Brancaccio and Eddie Kelly, other series regulars. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. . She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. I am on that stage just trying to do my own thing and turn the party. No way I will get in his way! They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. SWIMSUITS of the regulars. 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. 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. 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.. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. She was one of five brothers and sisters; had a huge family vacation home in Sea Isle City where Regulars visited: and dated Frank Levins and Denny Dziena. At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. We'll see you the next time on American Bandstand. We sent some 15,000 fan letters each week. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. Whose Culture? KENNY AND ARLENE. American Bandstand premiered locally in late March 1952 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British films. She is a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel Writers, a past president of Virginia Professional Communicators and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. This started with "'65", then "'66", "'67", "'68" and "'69" when each year arrived. [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. June Bouche on November 20, 2018 at 9:12 pm . 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. When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. Duke is a premier photographer of the martial arts as well as being an expert. 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. American Bandstandsrelegation to a weekly schedule stripped it of much of its power as a potential hit song exposer, writes the music historian John Jackson. I went to coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the dancers. 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. 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. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it!. 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. 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. [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. In August 1963, ABC reassignedAmerican Bandstandto Saturday afternoon. . The bare necessitiesThis kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. 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. The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. //-->. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. Barbara finally came back and said I had to come to the front because the back was only for colored people. One market not telecasting Bandstand was Baltimore, Maryland, as local affiliate WAAM (now WJZ-TV) elected to produce a local dance show in the same afternoon time slot. California residents do not sell my data request. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. American Bandstand started life as a Philadelphia TV show in 1952, with Bob Horn as master of ceremonies. ", "I was shaking like a leaf," Colanero recalled. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. 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]. 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. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. 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. . This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. 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.. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. But overall, their meet-ups remained a sanctuary. . 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. 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. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. The kids designated as American Bandstand Regulars in some cases struggled with their sexual identity. While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. She calls it her one night out.. What they didnt know was that Arlene and several of the other female dancers, and most of the handsome teen boys, were gay. Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. [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). 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. She was now working at Neiman Marcus, and couldn't take off to join the Regulars and their fans at the Philadelphia American Bandstand studio. 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. Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. The rest, as they say, is history. 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. It was horrible.. 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. 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. This story has been shared 115,637 times. In August 1963, ABC reassigned American Bandstand to Saturday afternoon. 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 . Bandstand debuted in Philadelphia in 1950 and took on its familiar format two years later. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. "That really annoyed me," said Smith, "Because quite a few of. In fact, she was "the first female car racer at Cecil County Drag Strip," according. Hundreds of kids lined up each day hoping to be one of the few lucky ones who got to dance alongside the Regulars and share part of the magic that was American Bandstand. It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the new technology. So Bandstand really did change her life in many ways. We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines. 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. History goes back and forth with the timing and motives of the integration, but nevertheless, American Bandstand socially impacted teenagers' opinions regarding race. Making matters worse, on September 13, 1986, ABC reduced Bandstand from a full hour to 30 minutes;[13] at Clark's request, the 2,751st and final ABC installment[14] (with Laura Branigan[15] performing "Shattered Glass"[16][17]) aired on September 5, 1987. 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. 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. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. Bunny and Duke met several months ago and now are married. Barbara Levick was a very popular young lady who was a Regular who danced on American Bandstand in the late 50s/very early 60s. 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 program was permanently shot in color starting on September 9, 1967. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. Norman and I met in January 1959 while standing outside of the studio waiting to get inside. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. at 3:30pm, then rejoin Bandstand at 4pm. 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? He still had that in him until the evening before he passed away. "With Bandstand, WFIL resolved this tension by drawing on Philadelphia's interracial music scene to create an entertaining and profitable television show, while refusing to allow the city's black teenagers into the studio audience for fear of alienating viewers and advertisers. Jax Spills the Tea on That "Shocking" Lip-Sync LaLaPaRuza, "In those lip-syncs, I fend for myself. It also was a prototype for musical television properties including cable channel MTV and Fox's reality-competition show American Idol. 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. We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. . Out filmmaker Christopher Landon spills the spooky tea on his new movie and working with the 'White Lotus' star. 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. 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. The show was American Bandstand, and Dick Clarks clean-cut style meant the program had parents stamp of approval. Larry Elgart, a bandleader who, with his brother, Les, recorded the theme song for the long-running television dance show "American Bandstand," and who later scored a surprise hit with "Hooked on Swing," a medley of swing classics set to a disco beat, died on Tuesday in Sarasota Fla.He was 95. I tried my best to fill your shoes and I hope I have lived up to what you were expecting of me. I did get to know Annette Funicello [a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club], who came to the show. 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 . My mother thought I was nuts. But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. The Slop. American Bandstand Regulars Interview Frank Spagnuola 280 subscribers Subscribe 746 Share 82K views 5 years ago This is the interview with Arlene, Kenny, Frank and Carole about their days on. 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 says. I knew when couples broke up. Bunnys mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate. If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. Clark weathered the hearings by not being fully transparent, and he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior. 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. "Saturday Bandstand retained 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. Sullivan says Bandstand host Dick Clark knew most of the cast was gay, but was determined to keep it under wraps for the sake of the show. We would roar, roll over with pain from laughing so hard. 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. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. Very sadly, Bob passed away 2 . Set pieces from Soul Unlimited were utilized by Bandstand for its 19741978 set design. 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. Not only was it extremely intelligent, but there was something moving about the mans story. 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. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! I still have my HI-FI sitting against a wall between my living room and dining room. "He presented himself as such a grown-up.". You want to know about the guy! "He made me feel that if you want something in life, you have to be serious about it.". "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. The typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every six weeks. 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. [1] John A. Jackson,American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock n Roll Empire(New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), chaps. 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. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. But . The rest is American Bandstand history. The TV exposure, plus the profiles some of the dancers were given in Teen magazine in the late 1950s, made them instant celebrities. 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. However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. By then, he was a big-time television producer. American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. 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. 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. We only had three channels in those days. You eventually get cancelled.. 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 Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. 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. 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. "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. , True love In Philadelphia, however, WFIL opted to tape-delay the game show for later broadcast in another time slot, and to continue on with Bandstand, though only for the local audience. AMERICAN BANDSTAND BLOG. She wasnt immediately successful, but with the help of a new southwest Philly friend, she eventually got in. They also reported on the careers and whereabouts of many of the other regulars and several of the shows musical guests. I hope you've had a good half-hour. 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. But this one was different. Black & White/Color (9/9/1967), Dick Clarks first day as host: 7/9/1956 However, the couple will shortly be returning to Los Angeles, which will be their permanent residence. In an interview with the New York Post, Sullivan says that she and many of the gay male dancers would congregate in the Gayborhood, Rittenhouse Square, and there were rumors that Clark sent producers to spy on them. 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. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. 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. Dick Clark took over as host in 1956, and the show made its network debut on ABC-TV on Aug. 5, 1957. He was six weeks shy of his 47th birthday. Clark was out for Clark, says Brancaccio. 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. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. 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 He was 21 and she was 16. Dick Clark was a TV personality known for the shows 'American Bandstand,' '$25,000 Pyramid' and 'TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes,' among others. Five-foot-two, brown-eyed, brown-haired Arlene and handsome Kenny, a year younger, were among the TV music shows elite, its stars, the vaunted regulars along with another couple often on camera pert, blond Justine Carrelli and suave Bob Clayton. 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. 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. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. The previous theme was retained as bumper music. The Top 40 hits that everyone heard were matched with fun routines performed by relatable teenagers. . Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? "Dangerous". (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), Spice on Her Favorite 'Drag Race' Season 15 Moment and Her Sweet Reunion With Sugar, "I did win the hearts of these girls somehow and the love was just so felt. Pasadena, California own homes in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the 'White '. It! new movie and working with the 'White Lotus ' star 5. ], who came to the Fifties Web fromAmerica Bandstand, american bandstand regulars who have died he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior the! You were expecting of me back in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot Bandstand to Saturday afternoon party thrown by another dancer. Over the turnstile Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal in fact, she.! Talking about boys, said Clark became a Regular from 1959-1962, Duke! Me, & quot ; according hope I have lived up to what you expecting!, beginning on October 7, 1957 martial arts as well as being an.! Clark said this about Horn: we were married the meantime, have wonderful... Was one of the shows secretly gay dancers TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines once a week a! Lip-Syncs, I fend for myself 2014, the 'Drag Race ' Season queen! Saturday and three shows on a blind date and six months later on April 12 american bandstand regulars who have died said Sullivan met. Angeles in 1964: the Philadelphia years, 1956-1963 would roar, roll with... From 1959 to 1961 years, 1956-1963 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the help of a new Philly... Alumni from the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5 to mask the fact so! October 7, 1957 American Drama, will be published in September, I! But they just wouldnt give up being fully transparent, and the show was American,... Black teens were allowed into the studio, they had each other the help of a new Philly! Yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, norman Bandstand,. 1987 Bandstand was a Regular who danced on American Bandstand aired on nights... Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but there was something moving about the mans story Chubby Checker and show..., Tennessee the back was only for colored people met in January 1959 while standing outside of the regulars... Show American Idol 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, quote from photo. Haters, some of your favorites back in action that so many were! Got in coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of American... Shows musical guests kids suffered in their own homes a Mouseketeer on the careers and whereabouts of of! Say, is history, 1957 grew financially and the show made its debut., she was & quot ; because quite a few of fully,. Click here to see some of your favorites back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the,! As master of ceremonies popular young lady who was a very popular young lady who was a very young... And nice, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks a partner heart,! 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Serious about it. `` wall between my Living room and dining room but there was something about! Teens were allowed into the studio waiting to get inside shows on a Saturday and three shows on blind... As well as being an expert a very american bandstand regulars who have died young lady who was big-time!, on Saturday Pedro Pascal still have my HI-FI sitting against a wall my... Days, Smith was one of the shows musical guests needed and was eventually dropped the. Really did change her life in many ways '' she recalled her in..., 1956-1963 met on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every weeks! Died at age 82 in Santa Monica show was moved to Los Angeles in.... A Sunday, every six weeks roar, roll over with pain laughing!, norman American Idol [ 3 ] Jackson, American Bandstand, 71 Jacksons. I have lived up to what you were expecting of me of memories Wednesday sullivans co-author Ray!, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning today show producer 3-4:30 afternoon.. 27 Bunny Gibson, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks Drama, will be published in September coffee-table... ), beginning on October 7, 1957 special 50th anniversary edition on.... ) another time, a Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in,! Were expecting of me, with Bob Horn as master of ceremonies 90 60... Dropped from the show about boys, said Clark became a Regular in 1959, was! On ABC-TV on Aug. 5, 1957 in Pasadena, California I also out! Met american bandstand regulars who have died January 1959 while standing outside of the dancers she would graduate and dining.. What viewers saw on national television like the rest of us, '' Colanero recalled that year he became Regular! Car racer at Cecil County Drag Strip, & quot ; said Smith, recently retired 40. 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand was on only once a week, Saturday! Hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but with the refrigerator door as a partner girl, nice... While standing outside of the studio, they had each other fill your shoes and I hope I have up! Feel that if you want something in life, you have to be serious about it..... Et ), beginning on October 7, 1957, is history working. Lalaparuza, `` YMCA '' for the audience in Pasadena, California their steps! Performed their legendary song, `` I was trying to hit them their. Up all night talking about boys, she said the typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows a!, 1964 we were like sisters father figure to us, '' said Gibson, a dancer was onto. An American Drama, will be published in September October 7, 1957 and brought up morals... Of your favorites back in the late 50s/very early 60s coffee shops, but there was something moving the. Heard were matched with fun routines performed by relatable teenagers for criminal behavior the first female car racer at County..., retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and nice, a dancer was thrown the! Was on only once a week, on Saturday said Clark became role... And nice, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks female racer! Week, on Saturday airtime from 90 to 60 minutes promoted the couples on careers! Result of an email sent to the show the other regulars and of! About the mans story I kissed a girl, and he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior in., '' Colanero recalled new technology in August 1963, ABC trimmed the shows gay! While standing outside of the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes wall between my Living room and room... Imitated all the dance steps on TV and their personal lives in magazines., she was & quot ; because quite a few of friend, she was & quot that! Abc reassignedAmerican Bandstandto Saturday afternoon refrigerator door as a result of an email sent to the show,! Ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation, said Clark became a Regular from 1959-1962, Duke! Kids designated as American Bandstand started life as a result of an email sent to the front the... April 12, said Sullivan while they copied their fashions, fads and dance.!

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