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 . "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. . Although the Regulars didnt perform in the South, Sullivans memory of a personal visit to Fort Worth, Texas, stuck with her: My friend Barbara [a fellow Regular] and I were visiting Barbaras friend there. , True love We'll see you then. 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 call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. One young performer was dangled down an elevator shaft. (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. 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. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. EARLY BANDSTAND FASHIONS. In front of the camera, Clark called the shots. 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]. Very sadly, Bob passed away 2 . ABC gave Clark a choice: divest his music-related interests or step down as host of the show. Clark chose to continue withBandstand.3. Briefly it was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989. 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. Mrs. Spada attended West Catholic Girls High School. 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 previous theme was retained as bumper music. He was 21 and she was 16. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. "[5] In one humorous segment broadcast for years on retrospective shows, comedians Cheech and Chong appeared as the record raters. 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. . Delmont, Matthew F. (September 30, 2014). In August 1963, ABC reassignedAmerican Bandstandto Saturday afternoon. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. . Clark was out for Clark, says Brancaccio. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. GALLERY 4. We've received your submission. Jax Spills the Tea on That "Shocking" Lip-Sync LaLaPaRuza, "In those lip-syncs, I fend for myself. 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. At the time, being open about their sexuality would have meant the end for these young performers with stars in their eyes. I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. 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. Bob retired after being in the shoe business and the chemical business, where he often worked 18 hour days. My mother thought I was nuts. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. 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! These Regulars . SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! 10/7/1957 9/5/1987 ABC 60 minutes We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. That really annoyed me because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS, Smith 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. 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. 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. 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. Norman and I met in January 1959 while standing outside of the studio waiting to get inside. Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. In 2014, the National Enquirer interviewed Frank Brancaccio and Eddie Kelly, other series regulars. 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. I tried my best to fill your shoes and I hope I have lived up to what you were expecting of me. ", Jennifer Coolidge Screams, Is a Queen in Netflix's 'We Have a Ghost'. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. 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. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. 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. "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. //-->. 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. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. With American Bandstand being originally located in Philadelphia, segregation easily affected the concentrated area. 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. Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. The show stayed on the air until 1989. 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. 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). If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. He still had that in him until the evening before he passed away. Music by Charles Albertine 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. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. "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. I hope you've had a good half-hour. So Bandstand really did change her life in many ways. 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. . 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. From 1974 to September 6, 1986, Bandstand featured another instrumental at its mid-show break: Billy Preston's synth hit "Space Race". "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson. While the teens, all homegrown talent, rocked onstage, two cameras homed in on them for close-ups. Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, died Sunday, Dec. 8, of congestive heart failure at a Springfield hospital. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. 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. . The 1960 amendments to the 1934 Federal Communications Act put heavy constraints on payola, requiring full public disclosure when a record company or its agent pays a broadcaster to play records on the air. The 1960 amendments criminalized any action that breached the disclosure rule. I started going out to straight clubs.. Michael Jackson, a frequent Bandstand guest, performed 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. On the other hand, they had each other. Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. 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. Both were ratings disasters. As she puts it, being a Regular entailed holding a WFIL-TV Bandstand Club membership card and dancing every day on the show. [6] Jackson,American Bandstand, 71; Jacksons description of Arlene Sullivan. The big teenybopper magazines of the era Sixteen and Teen plastered Bandstand dancers on their covers and wrote glowing, gossipy stories about their lives in Philadelphia, where Dick Clark produced the show. He was a brilliant man. , Puppy love Not only was it extremely intelligent, but there was something moving about the mans story. On May 3, 2002, Dick Clark hosted a one-off special 50th anniversary edition on ABC. 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. Mixed REGULARS Galleries. 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. THIS & THAT 50s/60s. Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie 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. This version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the series. 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. 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. And he has the one criteria required to attract Bunny Gibson. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers. e9 = new Object(); To the left youll find original pictures of some of the Regulars. Goes from a daily to a weekly Saturday show in Philadelphia: 9/7/1963, Broadcast from Los Angeles: Begins 2/8/1964, Produced by Anthony Tony Mammarella and Dick Clark, Dick Clark Host We'll see you the next time on American Bandstand. 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]. Don and Bunny had two daughters: Angel and Maria and four grandchildren: Lea & Christopher Di Vello, Alexis Karanzalis & Nicole Weiss. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. (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. We were like sisters. I went to coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the dancers. "Bandstand's Backyard". They were hurting him. 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. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. Where things are poppin'(Pop!) The most memorable day for Norman and me was April 13, 1961, the day we won second place in the Pony Dance Contest. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? 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