Don Travarelli, from South Philly, watched American Bandstand in 1961 and spotted Bunny Gibson dancing. 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. 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. [1] John A. Jackson,American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock n Roll Empire(New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), chaps. Making Philadelphia Safe for WFIL-adelphia: Television, Housing, and Defensive Localism in Postwar Philadelphia. Journal of Urban History, 38, no. John Lithgow filmed a mockumentary episode before it was c Dad of crying infant that triggered Texas massacre 'never thought' gunman would shoot, It's not just soda: Nutritionists weigh in on the absolute worst drinks for your health, I'm a dentist you're ruining your teeth with these 4 common mistakes, Gayle King says she doesnt have a desire to retire: I want more work, WNBA star Brittney Griner is heading to the Met Gala, Mariah Carey celebrates Moroccan and Monroes 12th birthday: My babies, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Kendall Jenner rocks sheer top, fur mini skirt for date night with Bad Bunny. A case in point is Arlene Sullivan, a popular Regular who has described her own emerging lesbian sexual orientation, which she says was masked by her dance partnerships with boys. We elevated them into celebrities. They wrote. 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.. 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. So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. 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. Particularly during the show's prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. 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. On each broadcast day the line of teens hoping to appear on the show snaked around the block; some were granted entry and others denied. American Bandstand: West Philadelphia's Seven-Year Wonder 1957-1964 The most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region. It's handled with sensitive delicacy. Rare photo above is a 1959 Press photo of Pat when she was writing for Teen Magazine. 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. Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." "What ever happened to those dancers on American Bandstand By Larry Koon ". Squeaky clean commercial pitchman and deejay Dick Clark inherited Bob Horns locally broadcastBandstandin July 1956 and revamped it for a national audience of teenage consumers as ABCsAmerican Bandstand, which first aired in August 1957. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. The shy Sullivan pushed herself forward with the contact because she wanted to get on TV to impress her mother. 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.". Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? 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. Shore, Michael, with Dick Clark. ), Lew Klein papers and Evening Bulletin Photographs Collection, Special Collections Research Center of Temple University Libraries, Charles Library, Eye to Eye: American Bandstand (CBS News, YouTube), Interview with Lew Klein, executive producer of American Bandstand (Temple University Television), Lesson Plan: A New "Twist" on Race Relations (ExplorePaHistory.com). I think after several decades he actually believed the myth. A Tribute to Bob Clayton | American Bandstand Diaries The Philly Years 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 . Arguably, American Bandstand both contributed to racial integration and supported racial segregation. Broadcast only on Saturdays after 1963, American Bandstand lost the homegrown vitality of the daily program in West Philadelphia. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. To the left youll find original pictures of some of the Regulars. Forget that. 28 talking about this. The Seven-Year Itch: West Philly Loses American Bandstand In front of the camera, Clark called the shots. . . 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.. I did get to know Annette Funicello [a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club], who came to the show. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! Despite changes over the years, the show continued to embody and represent evolutions in American music, fashion, dance, and other sociocultural norms. He held nothing back. American Bandstand (TV Series 1952-1989) - IMDb There were quite a few Regulars crossing over at that time. This is the interview with Arlene, Kenny, Frank and Carole about their days on American Bandstand and their experiences with the Golden Boys. He fell in love with her. He said, 'In all my days, I never thought I would ever meet you, and here you are standing right in front of me.' 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. (noted 9/12/21) . 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. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. 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.. 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. Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. 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? Surprise: A Lot of the Teens On American Bandstand Were Gay - Jezebel The Philadelphia way Were goin drop in (Drop!) http://dickclark.com She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. The History of "American Bandstand" - LiveAbout Duke is a premier photographer of the martial arts as well as being an expert. In a fine introduction to this book one of those people, singer Bobby Rydell, recalls his first appearance on the show in 1959 and the many that followed, as well as a "short but sweet" romance with one of the teen dancers, writing: "To appear on 'American Bandstand' was everyone's dream.". American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. He was 21 and she was 16. 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 Philadelphia. Clark weathered the hearings by not being fully transparent, and he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior. It was horrible.. They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. american bandstand regulars who have died - mazoutdft.com . 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. He had other irons in the fire. By Jordan McClain and Amanda McClain | Reader-Nominated Topic. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. e9 = new Object(); Most of those kids recruited from area high schools and compelled to "retire" from the show when they turned 18 are now in the 70s and their lives have had ups and downs. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. 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. As she puts it, being a Regular entailed holding a WFIL-TV Bandstand Club membership card and dancing every day on the show. Throughout its run the show featured various types of popular music, such as rock-and-roll, R&B, Motown, British rock, psychedelic rock, disco, new wave, and more. News Shows In 2019, a trio of formerAmerican Bandstandregulars assembled a book on their experiences on the popular show. 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. 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. About Us - American Bandstand Diaries The Philly Years Where Fundraiser for the renovation of the original American Bandstand Studio Floor Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. In fact, it was dangerous. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. and other collectibiles . Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. But . But he vividly recalls that one of his fellow gay dancers was thrown onto the El tracks outside the studio, and another popular regular who was gay and often danced with Sullivan was dangled over an elevator shaft..
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