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. 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. Thank you. Blanche Keastead, N.J.Bob and Justine share their memories of the late Dick Clark and moreA: Though they split in 1960 after three-plus years of jitterbugging on the Dick Clarkhosted show, they were happy to see each other at the 40th reunion in 1992. When I first met Kenny Rossi he was sitting way up in the stands I noticed his curly black hair, blue suit, beautiful brown eyes. [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. Justine was 12. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Tom Ridge and Mayor Edward G. Rendell helped unveil a state historical marker outside the studio after dancing ``The Twist with Checker. Arlene Sullivan and Bunny Gibson went on to write memoirs about their time spent on Bandstand and growing up as members of the Baby Boom generation. The shy Sullivan pushed herself forward with the contact because she wanted to get on TV to impress her mother. 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]. Dick Clark as host was that perennial television star who seemed to have found the fountain of youth and just never seemed to age. The show, which moved to Los Angeles in 1964 and was cut to one day a week in the mid-60s, stayed on ABC until 1987. The show was American Bandstand, and Dick Clarks clean-cut style meant the program had parents stamp of approval. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. In the first year after Dick Clark took over as host in the summer of 1956, Bandstand remained a popular local hit, but it took Clarks ambition to help it break out. Kenny & Arlene were: The Couple of American Bandstand!!!! 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? In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience Dick Clark hosts a daily to weekly dance show that features the latest hit music for the attending teens to dance to. 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. Kenny and Arlene met up again in the late 70s and to this day remain close friends. We ended up spending weekends together when she came to New York and D.C. to perform We went to lunch together and had fun, but Annette had to rest and perform, so we didnt have time for anything else., Sullivan never felt like a superstar, even when the Regulars averaged 100 to 150 fan letters a day. Like nostalgia? They enjoyed walks in the park , and going to the drive-in movies with Barbara Leveick and her boyfriend at the time. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. Tuesday, Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton took another spin in the same studio, where they joined more than two dozen other middle-aged teen dancers from ``American Bandstand. Host Dick Clark and former teen idols such as Chubby Checker and Connie Francis also made it to the 40th anniversary celebration. It was a local show Philadelphia, Jersey, the Lehigh Valley [Pennsylvania]. 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. 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. History goes back and forth with the timing and motives of the integration, but nevertheless, American Bandstand socially impacted teenagers' opinions regarding race. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. PublishedJanuary 1, 2023 at 10:00 AM EST. In particular, Arlene remembers him singing Because of You by Tony Bennett. 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. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. 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. This version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the series. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He introduced her to his sister and neighbors, who remembered her from Bandstand.. Dick Clark, the Rock & Roll Icon and. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online. American Bandstand: With Dick Clark, Charlie O'Donnell, Peaches Johnson, Stan Rodarte. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. The typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every six weeks. Then it was hosted by Bob Horn and was called Bob Horn's Bandstand.On July 9 of 1956 the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. 6 Who are some famous people from American Bandstand? Justine was 12. If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. 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. After that, management at WFIL-TV/Channel 6 (46th & Market) in Philadelphia installed the clean-cut Dick Clark to take over the teen dance party show and renamed it "American Bandstand." When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. [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). Bandstand Diaries co-author Arlene Sullivan wrote about meeting Kenny in script. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. 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. They dont look at middle school kids or junior high kids, he said. 1964 - The Beach Boys - "Don't Worry, Baby". Who are some famous people from American Bandstand? It was shot live from Studio B at Forty-Sixth and and Market Streets, where the two . I had met other fans along the way, she said, but not that Id had lunch with them.. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. We've received your submission. The afternoon soon turned into the cocktail-hour, so they went out for drinks. When ABC picked up the game show Do You Trust Your Wife? Clark continued as host of the series, which was restored to its former hour length,[22] and aired on stations including KYW-TV in Philadelphia; WWOR-TV in New York City[23] (WWOR's superstation status also gave the program further national exposure); KTLA in Los Angeles; WMAQ-TV in Chicago; WDIV in Detroit; WEWS in Cleveland; WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee;[24] and WCIX in Miami.[25]. At just 13 and 16, respectively, the twosome became regulars on the Dick Clark-hosted show, dancing as a couple for almost three years before they parted ways. Philadelphia. Called the "First Lady of Rock & Roll" in one headline of a marginal publication, [3] she is estimated to have sold more . 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 Mine too alwYs rushed home fron West Catholic High to watch bandstand. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. unsold game show pilots). She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. In the early 1960s, a new collection of teen regulars succeeded Arlene Sullivan's generation on American Bandstand's dance floor. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Here is a short recap of her recollections. They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. [8] In the fall of 1961, ABC truncated American Bandstand's airtime from 90 to 60 minutes (4:005:00pm ET), then even further as a daily half-hour (4:004:30pm ET) program in September 1962; beginning in early 1963, all five shows for the upcoming week were videotaped the preceding Saturday. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. Here is a short recap of her recollections. At just 13 and 16, respectively, the twosome became regulars on the Dick Clark-hosted show, dancing as a couple for almost three years before they parted ways. 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. The county budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023, which ends on June 30, is $93,597,569 in expenditures versus revenues at $82,665,933. Today. I got stopped at the door and said to the cop, but Lucille and Diane got in and theyre in my class, she said. We use cookies to give you the best experience. Jim Miller was in junior high, living on Long Island, New York, when Bandstand became a national hit. . But he arrived Tuesday, beaming in a pink Dick Clark novelty tie. 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. . 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. Bob Clayton and Justine Carrelli. Who wrote the theme song to American Bandstand? 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. Absolutely! The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. He was married to Tahitian dancer Mireille of the Mai-Kai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. What they didnt know was that Arlene and several of the other female dancers, and most of the handsome teen boys, were gay. Loved the show at 15 I learned to dance also copied dress and hair style. 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 was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. They will always be my favorite couple. It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the new technology. I never had a crush on her. Unfortunately, that was the beginning of their separation. from CBS in November 1957, they renamed the program as Who Do You Trust?