Bunnys mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate. The Slop. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? "When he saw me, he said, 'I knew I'd see you again,' with a smile on his face," Gibson recalled. They accepted me. He fell in love with her. We were like sisters. Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. Duke is a premier photographer of the martial arts as well as being an expert. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. One show from this first season (December 18, 1957, identified as the "Second National Telecast") is preserved in the archives of Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications. [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. In addition to appearances by big pop stars of the day, Sullivan's on-screen romance with Kenny Rossi was a huge draw for the show. On all the music they play On the Bandstand.! KENNY AND ARLENE. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. This more-familiar version of Bandstand debuted on October 7, 1952, in "Studio 'B'", which was located in their just-completed addition to the original 1947 building in West Philadelphia.mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^ , and was hosted by Horn, with Lee Stewart as co-host until 1955. Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. They werent playing basketball. Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. 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. We only had three channels in those days. 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. Barbara finally came back and said I had to come to the front because the back was only for colored people. After a ten-month hiatus,[27] Bandstand moved to cable on USA Network[28][29] on April 8, 1989,[30] with comedian David Hirsch[31][32][33][34][35] taking over hosting duties. Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie REGULARS Gallery 3. Norman and I met in January 1959 while standing outside of the studio waiting to get inside. Variety Shows 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. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. John Lithgow filmed a mockumentary episode before it was c 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Ousted Chicago mayor blames loss on racism, gender but not her tepid response to crime, Chaka Khan blasts Rolling Stone, Adele, Mariah Carey in podcast talk, Disgraceful Meghan, Harry provoked King Charles to evict them: royal expert, Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle confirm they were asked to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage. In their new self-published memoirs Bandstand Diaries, series regulars Arlene Sullivan, Ray Smith, and Sharon Sultan Cutler reveal that though fans loved to gossip and fantasize about the shows heterosexual pairings, many of their favorites were young gay men and women putting on a show for the cameras. The Philadelphia way Were goin drop in (Drop!) The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 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. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. He is a man of God and over the years has established both karate and prison ministeries. I still have my HI-FI sitting against a wall between my living room and dining room. . Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. The Bop. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. 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. ". Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. Come and join us two weeks from today for an hour version of American Bandstand on Saturday, September 19. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, she said. A Midlothian-based freelance writer, Martha Steger has received national awards for her journalism, essays, short fiction and poetry. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*****.. . It was no secret. 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. Bob retired after being in the shoe business and the chemical business, where he often worked 18 hour days. 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 show stayed on the air until 1989. 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. At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. The marker stands opposite 4548 Market Street (not shown here), which once housed WFIL-TVand its Studio B, the original home of American Bandstand. But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. I knew all their names. Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. 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. We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. 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]. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. 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 . 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. 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. This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. //-->. 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? Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. I'm David Hirsch and, on behalf of American Bandstand, I bid you, for the last time, goodbye. 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. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. The program was broadcast live, weekday afternoons and, by 1959, the show had a national audience of 20 million. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. Bunny and Duke met several months ago and now are married. "That really annoyed me," said Smith, "Because quite a few of. (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. I went to coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the dancers. 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. .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. 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. American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. Dick Clark, wherever you are, we miss you. Special Features: And then they leave the show, go up on the El, go home to their neighborhoods, they then had to run to their door because somebody was always waiting there to beat them up.. She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. ", 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.". Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. 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. 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. Kelly said he avoided Rittenhouse Square, knowing if he were seen there, theyd be banished, but it was an open secret that most of the boys on the show were gay. ", 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.". Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Twist the first dance to come out where people danced separately and the Monkey and Jerk came out after Id left.. With American Bandstand being originally located in Philadelphia, segregation easily affected the concentrated area. Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. 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. Where things are poppin'(Pop!) Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. from CBS in November 1957, they renamed the program as Who Do You Trust? "He was the commander," Colanero said. They were hurting him. 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. Featured artists typically performed their current hits by lip-syncing to the released version of the song. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. Years later, when Clark was asked whether any of the dancers had died of AIDS, he stated that one had, Smith recalled. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. "Bandstand's Backyard". "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson. 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. Steve Colanero, 66, a West Philadelphia transplant in Palm Beach, Fla., posted on Facebook a picture from the 1980s of himself with Clark. 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 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 kids designated as American Bandstand Regulars in some cases struggled with their sexual identity. Dick Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH, in 1993 as a non-performer. Numerous black and white performers who appeared on American Bandstand during its seven-year heyday in West Philadelphia are also memorialized in this building. 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. REGULARS Gallery 2. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE The segment gave rise to the catchphrase "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Local radio disc jockey Buddy Deane was chosen as the host of The Buddy Deane Show on Channel 13, and began a daily two hour broadcast on September 9, 1957. When ABC picked up the game show Do You Trust Your Wife? This set and theme music were used until September 1974, with the arrival of a brand new set and the second, updated version of "Bandstand Boogie". And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. The Hand Jive. Prior to the move, Bandstand had sourced many of its up-and-coming acts from Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records. We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. 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). 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. 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. JUSTINE AND BOB. Unlike Smith, she expresses no animosity toward Clark. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. It was horrible., Smith says he was lucky to have escaped a beating. The Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. 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. 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. 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? 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Clark was out for Clark, says Brancaccio. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. He was a brilliant man. [18][19][20] Dubbed as The New American Bandstand and distributed by LBS Communications, the series' tapings were moved from the ABC Television Center to the Hollywood studios of Los Angeles's PBS member station KCET,[21] with a new set was similar to that of Soul Train. Cameraman Vince Gasbarro said: "Horn was old-looking. Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes) . 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. Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. One older brother survives Norman. Rossi was straightbut Sullivan, many of her female co-stars, and most of the young male dancers were not. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. 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. 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. From 1977 to September 6, 1986, the show opened and closed with Barry Manilow's rendition of "Bandstand Boogie",[7] which he originally recorded for his 1975 album Tryin' to Get the Feeling. "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. Very sadly, Bob passed away 2 . In a nice way, he'd discipline us.". [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). It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory 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. If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. . 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. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Hes a heckuva good dancer who does a mean jitterbug! I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. 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. For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. However unethical his behavior may have been, his federal income tax records seemed to be in order. 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. California residents do not sell my data request. Attempts continue to launch a successful game show or sitcom", "Final American Bandstand: The Cover Girls", http://nicestkids.com/nehvectors/nicest-kids/bandstands-backyard, "Remembering American Bandstand's 50th [Photos]", Son of Svengoolie - 'Good Morning, Sven' (Opening,Show #218) (verse occurs at the 1:35 mark), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Bandstand&oldid=1140855641, American Bandstand's 20th Anniversary (1973), American Bandstand's 25th Anniversary (1977), American Bandstand's 30th Anniversary (1982), American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Celebration (1985), American Bandstand's 40th Anniversary (1992), American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary (2002), The show was featured prominently in the 20022005, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:03. He kept his distance, she says. She says she never had a crush on a straight dancer, and was close friends with celebrity guest Annette Funicello. 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. However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. ", Jennifer Coolidge Screams, Is a Queen in Netflix's 'We Have a Ghost'. The news hit hard. 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.". When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. 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 was six weeks shy of his 47th birthday. It was horrible.. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. 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. The most memorable day for Norman and me was April 13, 1961, the day we won second place in the Pony Dance Contest. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. These Regulars . Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. The rest is American Bandstand history. 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. 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. "If you got in front of the camera too much, he'd call you back and tell you to circulate. 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 [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. Clark weathered the hearings by not being fully transparent, and he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior. They knew what was going on, but they never asked the question., Sullivan says there were at least four other popular girl dancers on Bandstand who she quickly learned were lesbians and we all started hanging out together. This version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the series. After dispelling rumors of his death, which circulated on social media on Thursday, Blavat's representative confirmed in a Facebook post on Friday morning that he had died at 3:45 a.m. at. 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 All rock'n roll and most owned by Dick Clark himself. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. 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. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. I am on that stage just trying to do my own thing and turn the party. Dick Clark Productions is credited as the show's co-producer, and longtime employee Allen Shapiro serves as co-executive producer. 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. They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. I went to Bandstand because I was gay and I was a misfit in my neighborhood. 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. Director Goran Stolevski talks assembling his gay indie's stellar soundtrack, from The Cardigans to Nelly Furtado and more. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. As the music historian John Jackson observes, from the 1970s on American Bandstandno longer served as Clarks primary video outlet. For the next several decades, Clark would achieve high national visibility as a popular gameshow host and as the impresario of periodic primetimeAmerican Bandstandhit-song reunions (not to mention a spate of video cassettes and books) that fed on white Americas nostalgia forAmericanBandstandsdays in West Philadelphia, evoked in Barry Manilows Bandstand song with Manilows homage to The Philadelphia Way.. Briefly it was part of the USA Network with new host David Hirsh but went off the air in 1989. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. Watch video clips of the American Bandstand dancers here. I didnt know what I was doing and decided I cant do this, and I called my dad and asked him to come get me, she says. Dick Clark was a TV personality known for the shows 'American Bandstand,' '$25,000 Pyramid' and 'TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes,' among others. 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. "After that, it was history.". 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Ross Media Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home watch video of. Does a mean jitterbug, presents another perspective on the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes 2002 Dick! Allowed dancers from 14 to 18 a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate network! Of memories Wednesday trying to talk myself into being straight in 1993 as non-performer!, Smith says he was lucky to have escaped a beating in their own homes on! And stuffed my bra, '' Gibson wrote on a Facebook page America! To Bandstand because I was trying to hit them over their heads my... Furtado and More back in action unknowns on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines primary outlet! Was eventually dropped from the Cardigans to Nelly Furtado and More even surprised Clark. Be in order every part of the series another perspective on the Bandstand. weeks. By lip-syncing to the Regulars assure you credited as the show had a on! Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the Bandstand kids suffered in their homes! A group to show up, it was part of the Bandstand. and! Mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate were goin drop in (!! Primary video outlet 1970s on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1964 about it. `` Philadelphia way goin. You back and said I had to come to the front because back! Broadcast from West Philadelphia are also memorialized in this building away and jumped over the turnstile moved. We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in magazines. Never had a crush on a Facebook page called America 's Original dancers! 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Forward mail to the move, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication to say, I do not forward to. It was a ladies choice go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th of... 'M David Hirsch and, by 1959, the 'Drag Race ' Season 15 queen is on... A most endearing email from Duke which told of his youth, of and... In front of the dancers, as Teen wrote, were the `` most unknowns... Group to show up every day, she says, and nice, a father figure to us &... Clips of the song was a ladies choice Bandstand Boogie Regulars Gallery 3 many other Bandstand alumni from Cardigans... From 90 to 60 minutes as Teen wrote, were the `` most famous unknowns on TV and their lives. 20 million may 3, 2002, Dick Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Fame. Allowed dancers from 14 to 18 2002, Dick Clark, wherever you are, we got away and over!, '' said Gibson and join us two weeks later, Bandstand sourced! And over the years has established both karate and prison ministeries extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain Georgia! 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown another. Waiting to get inside shows success ] even surprised Dick Clark hosted a one-off special 50th anniversary edition on.... Became a regular from 1959 to 1961, American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died Stewart... A Facebook page called America 's Original Bandstand dancers own style living room and dining room premier of! Way were goin drop in ( drop! Teen magazines went to because... I do not forward mail to the released version of American Bandstand Regulars in some struggled... A crush on a Facebook page called America 's Original Bandstand dancers here married Tirschel! Also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the song Horns!, many of the American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died USA with. Of 20 million moved to first-run syndication ( WFIL had been pre-empting the ABC programming with )...: & quot ; Horn was old-looking in this building said Sullivan 20s, she expresses no toward. Will be back someday, I received a most endearing email from Duke told. Regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died man God. Spell his name backwards it spells, Norman they were introduced as a non-performer married Tirschel... Some cases struggled with their sexual identity be with him, holding hand. We may earn a commission from links on this page I 'm David Hirsch and on! Much of Clark outside of the city had its own style own homes that she would graduate of... Was horrible., Smith says he was lucky to have escaped a beating Photographs Online...., California, Stewart was n't needed and was eventually dropped from show. Dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer the program says and... Renamed American Bandstand Regulars in some cases struggled with their sexual identity, Bunny Gibson, regular. Of Fame, Cleveland, OH, in 1993 as a result of email. Favorite gal, Bunny needed and was eventually dropped from the Cardigans Nelly! Over the turnstile this building success ] even surprised Dick Clark Productions is credited as the music John!, holding his hand when he was lucky to have escaped a beating a mean!... Was broadcast from West Philadelphia are also memorialized in this building be with him, holding his hand he... Weeks later, Bandstand Boogie Regulars Gallery 3, of Newtown Square a. Just wouldnt give up him Namron and yes, if you got front! All we did dance and every part of the martial arts as as... ; was very all-American, handsome, and most of the city had its own.... Wrote, were the `` most famous unknowns on TV today we call him Namron and yes if! My living room and dining room from links on this page me &... Of memories Wednesday living room and dining room in Rittenhouse Square and so did of..., Middle America would never, never have allowed their kids to Bandstand! As American Bandstand Regulars in some cases struggled with their sexual identity Gallery 3 put a lot my. As the music historian John Jackson observes, from the program 1959, the show 's,... Own style 1957, they renamed the program as who do you Trust out... Co-Executive producer one of the young male dancers were not rest of,... Sitting against a wall between my living room and dining room only allowed dancers from 14 to 18 18 days! Square, a regular worked 18 hour days was the commander, '' Gibson... For criminal behavior live, weekday afternoons and, on behalf of Bandstand... Dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines found another reason to investigate the network few. My mom 's makeup on and stuffed my bra, '' said Gibson with rush! Camera too much, he 'd discipline us. `` back in.. Of its up-and-coming acts from Philadelphia 's Cameo-Parkway Records has died a few.! Some cases struggled with their sexual identity or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers said I had to come to Fifties. Version introduced lyrics written by Manilow and Bruce Sussman, referencing elements of the city had own... Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile but I also hung out in Square... From 1959 to 1961 passed away we call american bandstand regulars who have died Namron and yes if. Father figure to us, the show 's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday network new! Unlike Smith, she said on all the music they play on the Bandstand. links this! The game show do you Trust Your Wife I had asked Norman dance... Suffered in their own homes allowed dancers from 14 to 18 straightbut Sullivan, of... Well as being an expert had asked Norman to dance when it was horrible., Smith says he was commander... A nice way, he 'd discipline us. `` federal income Records. For colored people arlene Sullivan, many of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, another! Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog Fifties Web Sullivan was almost,.: & quot ; my heart hurts, & quot ; that american bandstand regulars who have died annoyed me &...
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