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. 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. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. Reply. "He was the commander," Colanero said. TV Ratings - US & UK, Quiz Shows Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. He would dance on the show until early 1960. And whereas 135 ABC-affiliated stations carriedAmerican Bandstandon a revenue-sharing basis in 1960, the stations were bailing out of this relationship in 1963. LogoTV and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. While the American series has aired sixteen seasons, its format was also replicated worldwide, from Norway (Dansefeber) to Australia (So You Think You Can Dance Australia). I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. Hosted by Bob Horn as a television adjunct to his radio show of the same name on WFIL radio, Bandstand featured short musical films produced by Snader Telescriptions and Official Films, with occasional studio guests. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. I went to Bandstand because I was gay and I was a misfit in my neighborhood. Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. From 1974 to 1977, there was a newer, orchestral disco version of "Bandstand Boogie", arranged and performed by Joe Porter, played during the opening and closing credits. In 2014, the National Enquirer interviewed Frank Brancaccio and Eddie Kelly, other series regulars. 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. 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. 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]. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Instead of shortening or moving Bandstand, ABC opted to just begin Bandstand at 3pm, cut away to Who Do You Trust? during those wonderful days. At the time, being open about their sexuality would have meant the end for these young performers with stars in their eyes. We would roar, roll over with pain from laughing so hard. The Philadelphia way Were goin drop in (Drop!) It was horrible.. When WFIL-TV moved to a new facility on City Line Avenue (one that did not have a studio that could accommodate the show), ABC moved production of Bandstand to the ABC Television Center (stage 5) in Los Angeles (now known as The Prospect Studios) on February 8, 1964, which coincidentally was the day before the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Dick Clark later stated that he knew the prime-time edition would fail because its core audience teenagers and housewives was occupied with other interests in the evenings. May, 1961. 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.. He practiced dancing with his niece, Robin, but when he went down to the show, they wouldnt let him in because he was over the age of 18. 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. But for the gay kids, the abuse at home was worse: When one dancer's parents learned he was gay, she told the Post, "they put a drinking cup in front of him and said, This is your cup, and youre the only one who will use this cup." Another was thrown out of the house. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. 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). 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. I still have my HI-FI sitting against a wall between my living room and dining room. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. . AB WALLET PHOTOS. 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. Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. The new legislation effectively ended payola in the music business.2, American Bandstandtoo weathered the payola storm. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. She was a senior.and luckily on the Honor Roll. But it was obvious to the teen dancers that he was set on a trajectory that would take him far from Studio B in West Philly. Don Travarelli, from South Philly, watched American Bandstand in 1961 and spotted Bunny Gibson dancing. 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. Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. YOUR FAVORITE LOGO SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+, "Those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other., LOS ANGELES - APRIL 1960: Host of the television show 'American Bandstand' Dick Clark appears in a scene with Michael Callan from the movie 'Because They're Young' which was released in April 1960. Clark now eyed California as where the action is. And in February 1964 Clark moved to Los Angeles, where it would continue until 1989, though lacking its West Philadelphia spontaneity. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. She was 36. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. 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. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it!. Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. 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. . A Midlothian-based freelance writer, Martha Steger has received national awards for her journalism, essays, short fiction and poetry. 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. Featured artists typically performed their current hits by lip-syncing to the released version of the song. .When he spoke to us off-screen, it was usually from the podium; it gave him command over his domain, and as I have learned over the years, Clark liked and wanted to be in command.4, Smith recalls the closetingof American BandstandsLGBT youths. In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. 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. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. The most memorable day for Norman and me was April 13, 1961, the day we won second place in the Pony Dance Contest. Don and Bunny had two daughters: Angel and Maria and four grandchildren: Lea & Christopher Di Vello, Alexis Karanzalis & Nicole Weiss. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. At age 30 in 1960, already a millionaire, Dick Clark, Americas only national deejay, stood at the center of the payola storm. The Hand Jive. These teenagers became the nation's first reality-TV stars--they received thousands of fan letters and were mobbed everywhere they went. , Puppy love The program was permanently shot in color starting on September 9, 1967. . 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. We were like sisters. He debuted in Studio 3B at WFIL-TV, near the El train stop in West Philadelphia, in 1956 when he was a 13-year-old junior high school student. Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. e9 = new Object(); Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. The Regulars, also known as The Committee were only a part of the Bandstand story. 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. . California residents do not sell my data request. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! ", California residents do not sell my data request. Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. Interracial couples were not allowed on camera, so they sat on the sidelines. 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. 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. 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. OnAmerican Bandstandsdance floor, Sullivan was first partnered famously with Kenny Rossi (1957-58), a multitalented Italian-American student at West Catholic Boys High School, and such was her national popularity that her fan mail eventually totaled some 500 letters weekly. With American Bandstand being originally located in Philadelphia, segregation easily affected the concentrated area. 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. [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. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. I knew when couples broke up. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company. Norman was born on January 18, 1944. To many of you, it was about the music and the artists. Charlette Russo danced on American Bandstand from 1955-1959. As two or three stations grab it off, you get less clearance, therefore you get less rating, and its an endless cycle. Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. Whose Culture? 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. He said funeral services are pending. We'll see you the next time on American Bandstand. 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. 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. ", Songs she liked to dance to, Mrs. Spada wrote online in June 2010, included "Little Darlin'," "Sixteen Candles," "Tears on my Pillow," "Splish Splash," "Never on Sunday," and "Let's Do The Stroll.". 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. 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. There were occasional shows that were not hosted by Clark, in which case a substitute host (among them Rick Azar) was brought in.[6]. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. You want to know about the guy! I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. It became a staple in homes and heavily influenced American society culturally, musically, and socially. 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. 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. Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. 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. Tony Mammarella was the original producer with Ed Yates as director. When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. "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. Yes, yes, I know. . 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. Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. The Twist the first dance to come out where people danced separately and the Monkey and Jerk came out after Id left.. We've received your submission. . KENNY AND ARLENE. Clark was a disc jockey at the student-run radio station at Syracuse University (1951), and he worked at radio and television stations in Syracuse and Utica . I am not sure I can post that part of the video as I have no rights to the music they play and is heard in the background of the parade. ", In a Time.com obituary for Dick Clark, who died April 18, 2012, a reporter wrote: "Lou DeSera, Carmen Jimenez, Carole Scaldeferri, Rosemarie 'Little Roe' DiCristo: they may sound like characters on The Sopranos, but they were just ordinary kids, with extraordinary luck of being in Philadelphia at the moment the old town lit the fuse for the rock explosion.". She acknowledges that some of the other girls she knew on the show were also gay. 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. By clicking Consent you are authorizing advertisers to collect information to personalize the ads you see. At least three factors are important to note regarding the last three years ofAmerican Bandstandin West Philadelphia: the 1960 payola scandal, the reality behind the shows happy faces, and developments in the pop music industry that affected the show and compelled its relocation in 1964 to Los Angeles in a reduced version. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. We were like sisters. EARLY BANDSTAND FASHIONS. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. //-->. [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). He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. I did get to know Annette Funicello [a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club], who came to the show. Sullivan was most frequently paired with a boy named Kenny Rossi, who was straight, but still subject to attacks for appearing on the show: One time, Kenny and I went to visit one of the other regulars up in North Philadelphia, and 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, Sullivan says. Words by Barry Manilow and Bruse Sussman, Were goin hoppin (Hop!) LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. He was 21 and she was 16. Bandstand originally used "High Society" by Artie Shaw as its theme song, but by the time the show went national, it had been replaced by various arrangements of Charles Albertine's "Bandstand Boogie", including Les Elgart's big-band recording remembered by viewers of the daily version. 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 . 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. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV until January 4, 1964. 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. 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. . 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. Cameraman Vince Gasbarro said: "Horn was old-looking. Zach Shallcross Struggles to Watch Himself Dancing Terribly on The Bachelor, Alison Brie on Sex Scenes: 'We Are Actors, This Is Our Job'. While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. In a nice way, he'd discipline us.". Like Smith, she believes that if her true sexual preference and that of others on the show had become public in the days before Stonewall and todays LGBT power, Bandstand would have been taken off the air. . Mixed REGULARS Galleries. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. [2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. Dick Clark took over as host in 1956, and the show made its network debut on ABC-TV on Aug. 5, 1957. As she puts it, being a Regular entailed holding a WFIL-TV Bandstand Club membership card and dancing every day on the show. In fact, it was dangerous. Clark's sunny smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination. And while more openly gay performers are comfortable taking the stage these days, it's good to know we've always been thereeven if in silence. No way I will get in his way! This first national broadcast of American Bandstand was filmed in the Starlight Ballroom in Wildwood, NJ. , True love I have a Champion Samoyed show dog. THIS & THAT 50s/60s. She danced the "push" - a "type of jitterbug . The news hit hard. It was a local show Philadelphia, Jersey, the Lehigh Valley [Pennsylvania]. Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. 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. Remember, these Regulars werent paid actors or dancers. 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. AMERICAN BANDSTAND BLOG. By then, he was a big-time television producer. On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. From that dance on we became steady dance partners until I had to leave the show on my 18th birthday, which was in August of 1961., The Pony Contest Bunny and Duke met several months ago and now are married. . Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. The previous theme was retained as bumper music. 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. The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. He will never forget one of his first days on Bandstand. REGULARS Gallery 2. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. . 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. Sullivans last appearance onAmerican Bandstandwas in 1960.7, In the early 1960s, a new collection of teen regulars succeeded Arlene Sullivans generation onAmerican Bandstandsdance floor. Dick Clark never played either song on American Bandstand. BUT he was out for Clark., Sullivan claims there were four other popular girl dancers on the show whom she knew to be lesbians, and they hung out together. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. "He made me feel that if you want something in life, you have to be serious about it.". The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. My mother thought I was nuts. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. 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. In August 1963, ABC reassigned American Bandstand to Saturday afternoon. Dick Clark died on April 18, 2012, at the age of 82. Thankfully we've come a long way since those sad days. Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes) . This version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the series. 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]. He was six weeks shy of his 47th birthday. 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).
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