They were hurting him. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it!. [8] In the fall of 1961, ABC truncated American Bandstand's airtime from 90 to 60 minutes (4:005:00pm ET), then even further as a daily half-hour (4:004:30pm ET) program in September 1962; beginning in early 1963, all five shows for the upcoming week were videotaped the preceding Saturday. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. 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. Bunnys mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate. American Bandstand premiered locally in late March 1952 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British films. GALLERY 4. But we were like a little family together, and we all had something in common, and we all stuck together, and that made it easier for us.. . On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963 shares the fascinating story of how Dick Clark's American Bandstand and its millions of viewers catapulted its teenage dancers (called "the Regulars") to fame. They wrote thousands of letters. Hes a heckuva good dancer who does a mean jitterbug! But to his credit and diligence, he brilliantly created his own myth, and he stuck to it for the rest of his life. 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. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. Mrs. Spada attended West Catholic Girls High School. He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. 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. 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. Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. "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. He had other irons in the fire. 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]. e9 = new Object(); 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. ", California residents do not sell my data request. In another format shift, it was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood. We only had three channels in those days. Colanero danced from 1959 to 1961. Determined, Don got Bunnys number from one of the regulars and he met his dream girl. That really annoyed me, said Smith, Because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS., According to Brancaccio, Clark didnt want racial integration on his show either. 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. They werent playing football. 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. She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! 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. While Bandstand fans across the country imagined a true romantic relationship between Sullivan, who secretly liked girls, and her on-screen companion, Rossi, who was straight, she says it was little more than made-for-TV puppy love. We were the first reality show, she adds. In August 1963, ABC reassigned American Bandstand to Saturday afternoon. ABC gave Clark a choice: divest his music-related interests or step down as host of the show. Clark chose to continue withBandstand.3. 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.. A funeral director in Newtown Square confirmed Monday night that Mrs. Spada had died, but declined to divulge the details before meeting with her family. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. during those wonderful days. It was horrible., Smith says he was lucky to have escaped a beating. EARLY BANDSTAND FASHIONS. Like nostalgia? May, 1961. I am on that stage just trying to do my own thing and turn the party. 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. [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 front of the camera, Clark called the shots. Well, it's our last show here on Bandstand and I really want to thank the viewers who have kept American Bandstand on the air all these years. 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. She danced the "push" - a "type of jitterbug . From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. 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. We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. "Dick Clark introduced records, and the camera followed teenagers as they selected partners to dance," writes historian Matthew Delmont. [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). I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. 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. On the other hand, they had each other. As she puts it, being a Regular entailed holding a WFIL-TV Bandstand Club membership card and dancing every day on the show. However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. "When he saw me, he said, 'I knew I'd see you again,' with a smile on his face," Gibson recalled. This kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. The 1960 amendments to the 1934 Federal Communications Act put heavy constraints on payola, requiring full public disclosure when a record company or its agent pays a broadcaster to play records on the air. The 1960 amendments criminalized any action that breached the disclosure rule. 1st song played on the national edition was Jerry Lee Lewis Whole Lotta Shaking Goin On.1st Guests: Billy Williams, ChordettesLast song on the ABC network was Laura Branigans Shattered Glass., See above pictureThe Stroll recorded by The Diamonds in 1958. "After that, it was history.". Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV until January 4, 1964. 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. The news hit hard. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. I started going out to straight clubs.. 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. We were like sisters. Clark's sunny smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination. Like the white homeowners associations' concerns about property values, WFIL's version of defensive localism built on a belief that integration would hurt the station's investment in Bandstand. 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. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. THIS & THAT 50s/60s. While the teens, all homegrown talent, rocked onstage, two cameras homed in on them for close-ups. 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. 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