But about four years ago, after a lifetime filled with journalistic and entrepreneurial achievements, Cutler began to wonder what had happened to all those kids, those celebrities of her youth, and she went about the business of trying to find them. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. Follow Backgrounders on Twitter I started going out to straight clubs.. Happy tears. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. 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. 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 screen would fill with black-and-white images of teenagers dancing, the room would fill with music and she was filled with delight. He held nothing back. Philadelphia. Don and Bunny had two daughters: Angel and Maria and four grandchildren: Lea & Christopher Di Vello, Alexis Karanzalis & Nicole Weiss. Clark claimed that the affiliates got greedy and took the time back to put their own material on where they got 100 percent of the revenue. And he has the one criteria required to attract Bunny Gibson. H.E. .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. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. 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 . Filmed in the cramped quarters of the WFIL Studios at 46th and Market Streets in Philly, Bandstand is such a part of Americana that Dick Clarks podium now resides in the Smithsonian. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. Were goin hopin today Who died from American Bandstand? 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. He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. The rest is American Bandstand history. e9.size = "300x250"; His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. Dick Clark became host of the locally-produced Bandstand in 1956, just before the show was renamed American Bandstand, shortened to ninety minutes, and expanded to a national ABC audience on August 5, 1957. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. 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. Interracial couples were not allowed on camera, so they sat on the sidelines. Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. In August 1963, ABC reassignedAmerican Bandstandto Saturday afternoon. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! On a sociological front, the show helped popularize rock and roll and make it acceptable to many adults (i.e., parents). American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. I knew all their names. We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines. 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. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. It's handled with sensitive delicacy. Sadly we also lost: 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. How to Be a SuperAger in The SuperAging Revolution, Jumble for Kids and Adults: Cartoons and Twins. Don married Bunny. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. 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. Mrs. Spada attended West Catholic Girls High School. I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. Clark "was a good man, but he wasn't as friendly with us as people may think," Colanero said. It was shot live from Studio B at Forty-Sixth and and Market Streets, where the two . American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. They knew what was going on, but they never asked the question., Sullivan says there were at least four other popular girl dancers on Bandstand who she quickly learned were lesbians and we all started hanging out together. I never had a crush on her. "This man had the strongest personality that I had ever seen as a young boy," he said. Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. In 1964, he joined the National Guard and did basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. 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. The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated by Italian-American teens. Television host Dick Clark presides over the set of his show American Bandstand in 1957. [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. In 1960, he attended Penn State as an English major. Its original host was fired after a DWI arrest and in July 1956 a young radio DJ took over. The rest, as they say, is history. . By Jordan McClain and Amanda McClain | Reader-Nominated Topic. Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. Henderson remained the chief newsreader for Australia's Channel 9 until finally announcing his retirement in 2002. Shore, Michael, with Dick Clark. American Bandstand (TV Series 1952-1989) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 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. "It was in the original TV studio and it was amazing," says Cutler. My mother thought I was nuts. "He made sure the guys wore suits and we were dressed properly. Clark and producer Tony Mammorella (1924-1977) dubbed this group The Committee, led from 1954 to 1956 by future DJ Jerry Blavat (1940-2023). He said, 'In all my days, I never thought I would ever meet you, and here you are standing right in front of me.' In March of 1970 we moved to New Jersey. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". 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. 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. Known as the Regulars, they became the nation's first reality stars. She was 13 but lied about her age. Many subsequently became celebrities (albeit temporarily), appearing in other media, receiving fan mail, and starting fashion trends. . . Covering Auction Houses who specialize in Buying and Selling Antiques & Collectibiles from A-Z, Art-Rare Books-Comics-Coins-Records-Postcards-Autographs-Jewelery-Watches-Guns- Glass-Pottery- Toys-Dolls-Cookie jars-Decoys-Fenton glass- . The program moved production in 1964 from Philadelphia to Hollywood, months after it began airing once per week. Particularly during the shows prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. Read the review. The shy Sullivan pushed herself forward with the contact because she wanted to get on TV to impress her mother. Early in 1964, the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where it remained through its final season in 1989. Handbags - Formal Wear. . They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. 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. ", A musical about the 'Miracle' Cubs? First called Bandstand, the program premiered October 6, 1952, hosted by Philadelphia radio DJ Bob Horn (1916-66). American Bandstand Dancer Dottie Horner died yesterday. He said funeral services are pending. Let the good times roll! . News Shows Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. In fact, she was "the first female car racer at Cecil County Drag Strip," according. We only had three channels in those days. The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. But most have fond memories of their short time in the spotlight and of its lingering effect. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*****.. Self - Interview 1 episode, 1965 . Pat Molitteeri was credited with inventing the dance, "The Hop" by combining elements of the Slop and the Bop, Pat died in the mid -1970s of a heart attack at age 36, Carmen Jimenez still lives in Philadelphia today and recollects the fun she had being on the show. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. If it wasnt assaults from outside haters, some of the Bandstand kids suffered in their own homes. Determined, Don got Bunnys number from one of the regulars and he met his dream girl. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. Bob's bio in Bandstand Diaries was very candid. He will never forget one of his first days on Bandstand. In addition to his other ventures, Clark maintained a virtual lock on New Years Eve television withDick ClarksNew Years Rockin Eve. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. I will be working on a mult-pictorial page for Bob. Bunnys mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate. BUT he was out for Clark., Sullivan claims there were four other popular girl dancers on the show whom she knew to be lesbians, and they hung out together. Dick Clark gave her a committee card, which all Regulars had to have to get into the building. 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. REGULARS Gallery 2. They were hurting him. The kids who showed up every day (Bandstand aired every weekday afternoon for the first six years) knew all the most popular steps. This included dances the Bop, the Twist, the Jitterbug, and the Stroll. She would gobble down some cookies and milk and turn on the TV. This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. 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. He remembered Clark as a man of few words who kept a professional distance between himself and the teen dancers. NEW PAGE! e9 = new Object(); Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. He said that when he was a kid, he would come in off the range every day and watch me on 'Bandstand.' . But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. [Clark] was a cool professional with an agenda from the beginning, an agenda for success that made him rich; he was a millionaire by the end of the 1950s. Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie "He made me feel that if you want something in life, you have to be serious about it.". When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. I knew when couples broke up. 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 news hit hard. 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. Such white Philadelphia-area teens (many from South Philadelphia or near the shows production site in West Philadelphia), among others, regularly appeared on American Bandstand. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. A show where well-dressed teens gently bop around to the big hits while maintaining an appropriate distance apart hardly seems like it would be a hot bed of sexual experimentation, but American Bandstand apparently featured a crew of Philadelphia kids who had more than dancing in common. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! 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. REGULARS Gallery 3. . . 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. 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. 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.".

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