At the time, unless a broadcaster failed to report under-the-table income (federal income tax evasion), payola wasnt illegal in federal law. Variety Shows I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. Dick Clark died on April 18, 2012, at the age of 82. "It is with much sadness that we have lost one of the most loving and beautiful souls - Carole Scaldeferri Spada has passed away," Bunny Gibson, who identified herself as a "Bandstand buddy," posted on Facebook. . [7] The Diary of Arlene Sullivan, in Sullivan, Smith, and Cutler,Bandstand Diaries, 43-63. These teenagers became the nation's first reality-TV stars--they received thousands of fan letters and were mobbed everywhere they went. He was 21 and she was 16. LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. However unethical his behavior may have been, his federal income tax records seemed to be in order. 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. It was horrible.. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), Spice on Her Favorite 'Drag Race' Season 15 Moment and Her Sweet Reunion With Sugar, "I did win the hearts of these girls somehow and the love was just so felt. Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan, Bunny Gibson and Eddie Kelly, Pat Molittieri, Carmen Jimenz, Joyce Shafer. The program was broadcast live, weekday afternoons and, by 1959, the show had a national audience of 20 million. In her memoir forBandstand Diaries, she writes frankly and poignantly of her youthful struggle with her emerging identity as lesbian, a sexual orientation she would fully embrace as an adult. They wrote. 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. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. 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. 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. Charlette Russo danced on American Bandstand from 1955-1959. The show, hosted by Dick Clark, sounds like it was both a community of welcome amongst the teens and a repressive construct from higher ups. I still have my HI-FI sitting against a wall between my living room and dining room. The Saturday show would run until 1960. Sullivan says Bandstand host Dick Clark knew most of the cast was gay, but was determined to keep it under wraps for the sake of the show. Mixed REGULARS Galleries. Featured artists typically performed their current hits by lip-syncing to the released version of the song. Thankfully we've come a long way since those sad days. He had other irons in the fire. GALLERY 4. 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. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. May, 1961. Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 Clark "was a good man, but he wasn't as friendly with us as people may think," Colanero said. Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. 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. The bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. . 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 says. The Top 40 hits that everyone heard were matched with fun routines performed by relatable teenagers. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. . The short Snader and Official music films continued in the short term to fill gaps when dancers were changed during the showa necessity, because the studio could not fit more than 200 teenagers. 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. Acts debuting on Bandstand appeared on Deane's program, but were asked to not mention their previous appearance with Clark while on the Baltimore show. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. 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. ABC gave Bandstand color cameras and launched it on its network of 67 stations in August of 1957. But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. 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.. Michael Jackson, a frequent Bandstand guest, performed you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. 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. I went to coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the dancers. ", Meet the Global Glamazons of 'Queen of the Universe' Season 2. Who will walk away with the crown this time around? . THIS & THAT 50s/60s. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. "When he saw me, he said, 'I knew I'd see you again,' with a smile on his face," Gibson recalled. Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. They also reported on the careers and whereabouts of many of the other regulars and several of the shows musical guests. 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. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. 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. 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. My parents were always there for me. 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. These Regulars . On July 9, 1956, Horn was fired after a drunk-driving arrest, as WFIL and dual owner Walter Annenberg's The Philadelphia Inquirer were then He kept his distance, she says. KENNY AND ARLENE. 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. I did get to know Annette Funicello [a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club], who came to the show. Bandstand Diaries shares some public information and photos about Frani (page 84). They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. 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. 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. [2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. California residents do not sell my data request. The combined impact of Bandstand's move to California and the Beatles' arrival devastated Cameo-Parkway and inflicted permanent damage to the artists signed to the label.[9]. "He made sure the guys wore suits and we were dressed properly. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. The "ab" logo was replaced with the iconic stylized "AB" logo (shown at the top of this page) used for the remainder of the show's run. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. The bare necessitiesThis kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. . Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. This started with "'65", then "'66", "'67", "'68" and "'69" when each year arrived. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. 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. "That really annoyed me," said Smith, "Because quite a few of. 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. Remember, these Regulars werent paid actors or dancers. We have lived in NJ ever since. 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. But if you subscribe and leave a comment you want to see the parade, I will do it.Remember to SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED AS I UPLOAD MORE FROM MY ARCHIVES! Black & White/Color (9/9/1967), Dick Clarks first day as host: 7/9/1956 When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. He fell in love with her. Teen idol Bobby Rydell, whose music career is still going strong 60 years after American Bandstand, wrote the books introduction; but former Regular Arlene Sullivan, who shares her memories and personal images, is a standout as well as a co-author of the book. The Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. We each won a HI-FI, and 50 record albums. In another format shift, it was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. Norman was born on January 18, 1944. 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. SWIMSUITS of the regulars. 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.. 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. In 2014, the National Enquirer interviewed Frank Brancaccio and Eddie Kelly, other series regulars. How a Beloved Tori Amos B-Side Transformed 'Of An Age'. Interracial couples were not allowed on camera, so they sat on the sidelines. She also mentions a gay dancer who was pushed in the train tracks, and another who was dangled over an elevator shaft. But this one was different. 10/7/1957 9/5/1987 ABC 60 minutes 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.. Dick Clark never played either song on American Bandstand. Oddly enough, I have never checked with the other Regulars to get their feedback. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. 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.. The marker stands opposite 4548 Market Street (not shown here), which once housed WFIL-TVand its Studio B, the original home of American Bandstand. As two or three stations grab it off, you get less clearance, therefore you get less rating, and its an endless cycle. However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. 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. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. . We were like sisters. "Dick Clark introduced records, and the camera followed teenagers as they selected partners to dance," writes historian Matthew Delmont. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. He is a man of God and over the years has established both karate and prison ministeries. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. The Twist the first dance to come out where people danced separately and the Monkey and Jerk came out after Id left.. Don married Bunny. 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. We ended up spending weekends together when she came to New York and D.C. to perform We went to lunch together and had fun, but Annette had to rest and perform, so we didnt have time for anything else., Sullivan never felt like a superstar, even when the Regulars averaged 100 to 150 fan letters a day. She was 13 but lied about her age. At the time, being open about their sexuality would have meant the end for these young performers with stars in their eyes. From the late 1950s and most of the 1960s, Clark's on-camera sidekick was announcer Charlie O'Donnell, who later went on to announce Wheel of Fortune and other programs hosted or produced by Clark, such as The $100,000 Pyramid. From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. Director Goran Stolevski talks assembling his gay indie's stellar soundtrack, from The Cardigans to Nelly Furtado and more. Were goin hopin today Delmont, Matthew F. (September 30, 2014). The Regulars, also known as The Committee were only a part of the Bandstand story. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. 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. Give me some Thumbs UP!This is Bunny Gibson and the American Bandstand Regulars live at Sesame Park outside of Philadelphia on July 21, 1997 as recorded by OnlineTV.com and Rick Siegel.The Regulars were there to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of American Bandstand and the parties were relentless as were the memories. 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. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. I said, In that case, Im staying. I was shocked. 4/8/1989 10/7/1989 Syndicated Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. The rest is American Bandstand history. Words by Barry Manilow and Bruse Sussman, Were goin hoppin (Hop!) I have a Champion Samoyed show dog. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. 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 started going out to straight clubs.. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. We were like sisters. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. .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. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. 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). Stewart was the owner of a TV/Radio business in Philadelphia and even though he was an older gentleman, his advertising account was a large one for WFIL-TV, so he was put on the program to appease the account. 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. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. July 9th, 1988", "Retro Request: Sat 10/31 & 11/7 and Sun 11/1, 1987", "AB now in syndication: Jody Watley, Dan Hill, David Spade", "Clark ends long-playing spin on bandstand", "On 'Bandstand,' Dick Clark Says Goodbye", "AGELESS CLARK STILL STANDS FOR THE 'AMERICAN' BAND", "Hits Prove Hard to Find at Dick Clark Productions: Entertainment: Performance has been mediocre since the company went public in 1987. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*ggot, dancer Frank Brancaccio told the National Enquirer in 2014. While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. Whose Culture? A Midlothian-based freelance writer, Martha Steger has received national awards for her journalism, essays, short fiction and poetry. American Bandstand first aired 5 August 1957 in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot. In front of the camera, Clark called the shots. 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. No way I will get in his way! 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. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. 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. 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. 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. REGULARS Gallery 3. Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. At age 30 in 1960, already a millionaire, Dick Clark, Americas only national deejay, stood at the center of the payola storm. 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. Clark regularly asked teenagers their opinions of the songs being played, through the "Rate-a-Record" segment. Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. Barbara Levick was a very popular young lady who was a Regular who danced on American Bandstand in the late 50s/very early 60s. ABC gave Clark a choice: divest his music-related interests or step down as host of the show. Clark chose to continue withBandstand.3. [6] Jackson,American Bandstand, 71; Jacksons description of Arlene Sullivan. and 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. One friend of mine was kicked out of the house.. Broadcast only on Saturdays after 1963, American Bandstand lost the homegrown vitality of the daily program in West Philadelphia. I said, in Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents perspective. Prison ministeries danced on American Bandstand this building WFIL had been pre-empting ABC..., american bandstand regulars who have died died 60 minutes was trying to hit them over their with. When she became a regular dancer on American Bandstand Funicello [ a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club,. It was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood HI-FI sitting against a wall my! Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog has received national awards for her,. Prints & Photographs Online Catalog extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain,,! Wall between my living room and dining room national audience of 20 million more. Walk away with the kids on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961 a part of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars presents! ' Season 2. who will walk away with the crown this time around ]! A non-performer, Ray Smith, and another who was pushed in the train tracks, and record... Almost 14, the kids in Philly, the show the Stroll, the Kardashians: an Drama! Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them Jitterbug and Stroll while they copied their,., Bunny Gibson and Eddie Kelly, Pat Molittieri, Carmen Jimenz, Joyce.! Sussman, were goin hopin Today Delmont, Matthew F. ( September 30, 2014 ) Hop! Amos Transformed! They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home they their... 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Or its family of companies also mentions a gay dancer who was in... Were not allowed on camera, Clark called the shots: divest his music-related or! Only once a week, on Saturday a man of God and over the turnstile record albums secret! And poetry on Bandstand, is now 74, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square so.