AMERICAN BANDSTAND BLOG. 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? 1 (2012): 89-113. . Being featured on the show all but guaranteed a spike in popularity; even before it moved to a national platform American Bandstand offered a remarkably large audience base for musicians, often generating national popular demand for a new group or single. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. 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. Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. He discussed his brief stay in Hollywood trying to become an actor after he and Justine Carrelli cut a 45 rpm record together. 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 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. A few, burned by previously unsuccessful attempts by some to write books about the program, were reluctant to share their memories with her. "That really annoyed me," said Smith, "Because quite a few of. Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. New York: Ballantine, 1985. 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. Henderson remained the chief newsreader for Australia's Channel 9 until finally announcing his retirement in 2002. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. 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. 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. Ohio, great article, in the late 1950s i wouldnt miss watching the show for anything , I still have some of those records that bring back a lot of memories, my boyfriend and i won a lot of dance contests at Marietta high dancing to the "Mashed Potatoe" by Dee Dee Sharp and the Twist by Chubby Checker: really love your column in the Marietta Times every Monday , keep up the great articles. In order to help establish a clean-cut image for the show, guys were required to wear ties with suit jackets or sweaters, while girls dressed in good taste, for example a high-cut blouse with a dress or skirt. The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. 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. 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 I have a Champion Samoyed show dog. american bandstand regulars who have died - mazoutdft.com Black & White/Color (9/9/1967), Dick Clarks first day as host: 7/9/1956 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. This American Bandstand tribute book celebrates Dick Clark and the Regulars with 700 Photos. . I met Joyce and Norman at the Steel Pier one summer and found them both to be so nice. Reading the book, one easily grasps or is reminded what an impactful cultural phenomenon "American Bandstand" was for a couple of generations of TV-watching kids. I will be working on a mult-pictorial page for Bob. At the height of its popularity, it was watched daily by 20 million people (by contrast, "Dancing With the Stars" drew 13 million viewers weekly last season), with an estimated half of them adults; its teenage dancers got as many as 45,000 fan letters a week. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Ross Media Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. They were on the cover of "Dick Clark's American Bandstand " and have done many Documentaries R.I.P. Known then as Carole Scaldeferri, Mrs. Spada was among the teens who jitterbugged and slow-danced their way to fame in a TV studio in Philadelphia, while host Dick Clark spun what are now oldies. . . Classic TV Shows - Dick Clark's American Bandstand| FiftiesWeb Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sharon Sultan Cutler, who grew up in New York and now lives in Chicago, is co-author of Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956-1963. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune). Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. 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. He said funeral services are pending. (noted 9/12/21) . Who died from American Bandstand? - Daily Justnow She danced the "push" - a "type of jitterbug . Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. Unsure and fearful about her true sexual identity, Sullivan tried passing as straight. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. One older brother survives Norman. Sharon Sultan Cutler, of Chicago, talks about "Bandstand Diaries," the book she co-authored with Ray Smith and former American Bandstand participant Arlene Sullivan remembering the shows early days. Norman was born on January 18, 1944. 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. ", 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.". Clark, Dick, and Richard Robinson. For a time, she dated a neighborhood boy, Danny Rapp, lead singer of Danny & the Juniors, who had the hit song At the Hop., I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight, Sullivan says. American Bandstand Day: Dick Clark receives a proclamation designating Market Street as Bandstand Boulevard. 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. While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. In August 1963, ABC reassignedAmerican Bandstandto Saturday afternoon. Special Features: However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. Words by Barry Manilow and Bruse Sussman, Were goin hoppin (Hop!) Clark "was a good man, but he wasn't as friendly with us as people may think," Colanero said. 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 "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson. Home Yesteryear Nostalgia Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? 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. . Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. REGULARS Gallery 3. . Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. American Bandstand - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia . She would gobble down some cookies and milk and turn on the TV. American Bandstand: West Philadelphia's Seven-Year Wonder 1957-1964 Thank you "C" Group for continuing the "Philly Saga". Really enjoyed reading your article Larry , I also grew up in the 50s watching American Bandstand, your article brought back so many memories of the good ole days growing up. American Bandstand (1952-89) was a massively popular music television program with strong Philadelphia roots, storied national success, and the power to shape the music industry and society. The most memorable day for Norman and me was April 13, 1961, the day we won second place in the Pony Dance Contest. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated by Italian-American teens. Using social media, Cutler contacted some of the show's regulars. The kids designated as American Bandstand Regulars in some cases struggled with their sexual identity. Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956 to 1963 Delmont, Matthew. Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram, Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back, (Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Her partner Frank Spagnuola and her won 1st place in dance Cha Lypso contest and 2nd place in Jitterbug Contest . Mickey Mouse Club The Regulars, also known as The Committee were only a part of the Bandstand story. Particularly during the show's prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. 'American Bandstand' kept secret that teen stars were gay But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. Amanda McClain is Assistant Professor of Communications at Holy Family University. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. Ray first attended Bandstand in the summer of 1956. Don married Bunny. It was shot live from Studio B at Forty-Sixth and and Market Streets, where the two-and-a-half-hour show was broadcast regionally on WFIL-TV Channel 6. News Shows Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. New book keeps memories of 'American Bandstand' alive The first book party was in November in where else? Elmhurst Blotter: Man charged with battery for allegedly punching a security guard at a bar, Hinsdale police blotter: multiple thefts reported by patients at Hinsdale Hospital, Glenview police blotter: Harwood Heights woman charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. The result of her journey is the very worthwhile "Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956-1963," a colorful, charming and evocative book (more at bandstanddiaries.com). Bob Clayton died November 6, 2016. Fabian and Bobby Rydell Hang With American Bandstand Regulars - YouTube American Bandstand - Home - Facebook Don Travarelli, from South Philly, watched American Bandstand in 1961 and spotted Bunny Gibson dancing. Another component of the show was its Rate-a-Record segmentwhere people evaluated a record on a scale of 35 to 98which originated the saying, Its got a good beat and you can dance to it. For this eras music industry, American Bandstand was arguably the most significant television venue in the country. I still really didnt know who I was. 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.. These experienced Regulars considered an infrequent participant or a first time visitor an amateur. I wonder what they would have thought about a kid in TV Land, practicing the new steps in front of her bedroom mirror and praying to God her little brother didnt catch her at it. "When I walked through those doors, that was the only place I wanted to be," said Gibson, 66, an actress who now lives in Los Angeles. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. Arguably, American Bandstand both contributed to racial integration and supported racial segregation. There is another chapter about Clark. He had other irons in the fire. Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. The program that preceded Dick Clarks American Bandstand at WFIL-TV was deejay Bob Horns locally popular Bandstand. Im sure shell be thrilled to hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a lot. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." Titled "The Rise of the Salesman" and written by Smith, it captures the wildly successful and influential career of Clark from "American Bandstand" host to media mogul: "Dick Clark may not have known much about music, but he knew how to cultivate it, spread it, and make it work for the masses.". 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. Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. . They werent playing basketball. 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. In fact, it was dangerous. In its later years the show was challenged by the diversifying tastes of fragmented audiences. In a nice way, he'd discipline us.". 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. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. Once a week, she goes to a hop thrown by another Bandstand original, 76-year-old Philadelphia radio and TV personality Jerry Blavat, who bills himself as The Geator with the Heater and The Boss with the Hot Sauce.. By Jordan McClain and Amanda McClain | Reader-Nominated Topic. 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. Reply. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? In 1960, he attended Penn State as an English major. They werent playing football. Of course we didn't realize it at the time but these kids were really the first reality stars.". When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. Happy tears. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. 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. The Secret Gay Lives Of The "American Bandstand" Dancers 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 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. SURPRISING DICK CLARK ON THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW! | American Bandstand 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. Writes Sullivan in the book, "A few years ago at a fancy party on Fifth Avenue in New York, a man in a tux in his late sixties came over and told me he grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. "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. Emphasizing this sentiment, Philadelphian John Oates (of musical duo Hall & Oates) said, The show had such an impact on the music business, it set the tone and the pace for teenage style and attitude and everything else across America., Jordan McClain is Assistant Teaching Professor of Communication at Drexel University. Sadly we also lost: Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. In 1988, the National Park Service listed 4548 Market Street on the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. . We've received your submission. Remember hurrying from school in the 50's and turning on that old black and white tv at 4'oclock to watch all those kids dance on "American Bandstand" live from Philadelphia, The show first began as a local program in the cramped quarters of Studio B at WFIL Tv channel 6 at 46th and Market streets in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. When American Bandstand became the most popular daytime television program in the late 1950s, a group of ordinary Philadelphia high school students who loved to dance suddenly became a national phenomenon. Soft Science extends that legacy on its third album, Maps (Test Pattern), and adds its own twists. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. NEW PAGE! She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. 18 talking about this. How to Be a SuperAger in The SuperAging Revolution, Jumble for Kids and Adults: Cartoons and Twins. There are savings on everyday items you already buy, and savings on the things youve been waiting for a sale on to spoil your pet with. This investigation targeted the practice of payola, and it was most likely triggered by rumors circulating that charged Dick Clark with promoting records in which he held a financial stake onAmerican Bandstandand taking kickbacks from record companies to include their records on the shows playlist. during those wonderful days. The most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. The screen would fill with black-and-white images of teenagers dancing, the room would fill with music and she was filled with delight. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. I started going out to straight clubs.. BANDSTAND DIARIES is a coffee-table book that offers readers a nostalgic walk through those halcyon, memory-filled days when rock n roll became the soundtrack of a generation, when television was in grainy black and white and when a 45 RPM record cost less than 70 cents. The show epitomized many important aspects of ever-evolving American popular culture: mass communication, popular music, youth culture, dance and fashion trends, as well as race and gender relationships. 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 elevated them into celebrities. Throughout the rest of the 1950s, "American Bandstand" featured a number of famous acts including the debut of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (November 22, 1957), Jerry Lee Lewis (March 18, 1958), and Dion and the Belmonts (August 7, 1958). We would roar, roll over with pain from laughing so hard. Some solo dances had animal names, for example, "The Pony" and "The Monkey"; others were named for . My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. 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. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. The rest is American Bandstand history. H.E. Forget that. Wagon Train Website,