american bandstand regulars who have died

His name was Dick Clark and in the next year the show was transformed from a local show to a syndicated. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. Delmont, Matthew F. (September 30, 2014). And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be. This incarnation was an early version of the music video shows that became popular in the 1980s, featuring films that were the ancestors of music videos. Director Goran Stolevski talks assembling his gay indie's stellar soundtrack, from The Cardigans to Nelly Furtado and more. JUSTINE AND BOB. 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. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. One young performer was dangled down an elevator shaft. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. 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. (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. Regardless, the music historian John Jackson calls it the gravest crisis in his professional career.1, At all events, the payola hearings spurred action by Congress. 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. The only singer to ever co-host the show with Dick Clark was Donna Summer, who joined him to present a special episode dedicated to the release of the Casablanca film Thank God It's Friday on May 27, 1978. Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. But . This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. 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. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. . . They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. 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. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. Of Clarks behind-the-scenes behavior at Studio B, Ray Smith writes unsparingly: The irony about Clark is that he was not the goody-two-shoes he projected: he smoked, cursed, and for a while teetered on the edge of alcoholism. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. In August 1963, ABC reassigned American Bandstand to Saturday afternoon. Colanero danced from 1959 to 1961. 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. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. As previously mentioned, during the 1978 season of Bandstand, Donna Summer became the only music artist in Bandstand's history to co-host the program. Clark said this about Horn: Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. 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. 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.. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. They were the squeaky-clean Kardashians of their era, and Bandstand could easily claim the title as the first reality show. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. 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. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, died Sunday, Dec. 8, of congestive heart failure at a Springfield hospital. 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. The guy who had been in charge of the show before he took over was the subject of a scandal a DUI, I think so Clark wanted to be the clean-cut guy, and he was. 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. On May 3, 2002, Dick Clark hosted a one-off special 50th anniversary edition on ABC. The Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. [7] The Diary of Arlene Sullivan, in Sullivan, Smith, and Cutler,Bandstand Diaries, 43-63. 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. Whose Culture? Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. Clark looked like one of the kids." (Horn was 40 when he left Bandstand and Clark was a babyfaced 27.) While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. Dick Clark later stated that he knew the prime-time edition would fail because its core audience teenagers and housewives was occupied with other interests in the evenings. . Set pieces from Soul Unlimited were utilized by Bandstand for its 19741978 set design. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. She was 36. [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. "[40] WFIL defended these local associations in order to maintain support. He retained his youthful looks through the 1980s, burnishing his reputation as Americas Oldest Living Teenager. Dick Clark died at age 82 in Santa Monica. When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. [3] Horn was temporarily replaced by producer Tony Mammarella before the job went to Dick Clark permanently. I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. "This man had the strongest personality that I had ever seen as a young boy," he said. American Bandstand first aired 5 August 1957 in the 3-4:30 afternoon slot. American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. 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 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. Goes from a daily to a weekly Saturday show in Philadelphia: 9/7/1963, Broadcast from Los Angeles: Begins 2/8/1964, Produced by Anthony Tony Mammarella and Dick Clark, Dick Clark Host As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. I'm David Hirsch and, on behalf of American Bandstand, I bid you, for the last time, goodbye. 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. In addition to his other ventures, Clark maintained a virtual lock on New Years Eve television withDick ClarksNew Years Rockin Eve. The typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every six weeks. Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. This development created a sometimes heated rivalry between Dick Clark and Buddy Deane, when performers who appeared first on Deane's program were refused booking on American Bandstand. . Hosted by Bob Horn as a television adjunct to his radio show of the same name on WFIL radio, Bandstand featured short musical films produced by Snader Telescriptions and Official Films, with occasional studio guests. 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. She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. By clicking Consent you are authorizing advertisers to collect information to personalize the ads you see. It was horrible.. In another format shift, it was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood. I knew when couples broke up. 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. The Slop. Wagon Train Website,