We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. Reply. 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. We went downtown, and I ran to the back of the bus the way I always did in Philly but Barbara and her friend kept telling me to come to the front. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company. Clark joined Bandstand in 1956 and moved with the show to Hollywood in 1964. News Shows I knew all their names. The previous theme was retained as bumper music. 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. Prior to the move, Bandstand had sourced many of its up-and-coming acts from Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records. 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. 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. I started going out to straight clubs.. Forget that. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. 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. 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.. Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. 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. We've received your submission. REGULARS Gallery 3. On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. Clark's sunny smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. Clark continued as host of the series, which was restored to its former hour length,[22] and aired on stations including KYW-TV in Philadelphia; WWOR-TV in New York City[23] (WWOR's superstation status also gave the program further national exposure); KTLA in Los Angeles; WMAQ-TV in Chicago; WDIV in Detroit; WEWS in Cleveland; WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee;[24] and WCIX in Miami.[25]. At first, not knowing how to enter the show, she walked to the door the actors and singers used and announced to Bob the Cop, "I came here to dance." After Bandstand, Charlette became an accountant and was a business manager. 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. At the time, unless a broadcaster failed to report under-the-table income (federal income tax evasion), payola wasnt illegal in federal law. My mother thought I was nuts. He said funeral services are pending. 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. Score: 4.4/5 (45 votes) . The use of videotape allowed Clark to produce and host a series of concert tours around the success of American Bandstand and to pursue other broadcast interests. The Buddy Deane Show aired on WJZ-TV until January 4, 1964. TV Ratings - US & UK, Quiz Shows For now, Dick Clark on ABC, so long. From 1977 to September 6, 1986, the show opened and closed with Barry Manilow's rendition of "Bandstand Boogie",[7] which he originally recorded for his 1975 album Tryin' to Get the Feeling. For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. ", Songs she liked to dance to, Mrs. Spada wrote online in June 2010, included "Little Darlin'," "Sixteen Candles," "Tears on my Pillow," "Splish Splash," "Never on Sunday," and "Let's Do The Stroll.". JUSTINE AND BOB. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. Dick Clark Productions is credited as the show's co-producer, and longtime employee Allen Shapiro serves as co-executive producer. 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. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*****.. "For all those who knew her throughout her life and for those who watched her dance on American Bandstand, Carole was full of love and full of God. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. She was one of the great stars of the Philadelphia years. Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. A half-hour evening version of American Bandstand aired on Monday nights from 7:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. (ET), beginning on October 7, 1957. GALLERY 4. But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. REGULARS Gallery 2. . Although, unlike some others, Carole never really had a steady dancing partner, she danced with all the good-looking Italian boys and that one special non-Italian whom everyone loved - Harvey Robbins. Then it was hosted by Bob Horn and was called Bob Horns Bandstand.On July 9 of 1956 the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. 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. 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. Making matters worse, on September 13, 1986, ABC reduced Bandstand from a full hour to 30 minutes;[13] at Clark's request, the 2,751st and final ABC installment[14] (with Laura Branigan[15] performing "Shattered Glass"[16][17]) aired on September 5, 1987. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. These teenagers became the nation's first reality-TV stars--they received thousands of fan letters and were mobbed everywhere they went. May, 1961. 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. . [3] Horn was temporarily replaced by producer Tony Mammarella before the job went to Dick Clark permanently. Unsure and fearful about her true sexual identity, Sullivan tried passing as straight. Larry Elgart, a bandleader who, with his brother, Les, recorded the theme song for the long-running television dance show "American Bandstand," and who later scored a surprise hit with "Hooked on Swing," a medley of swing classics set to a disco beat, died on Tuesday in Sarasota Fla.He was 95. 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. They were hurting him. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. "This man had the strongest personality that I had ever seen as a young boy," he said. I still have my HI-FI sitting against a wall between my living room and dining room. 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. . Attempts continue to launch a successful game show or sitcom", "Final American Bandstand: The Cover Girls", http://nicestkids.com/nehvectors/nicest-kids/bandstands-backyard, "Remembering American Bandstand's 50th [Photos]", Son of Svengoolie - 'Good Morning, Sven' (Opening,Show #218) (verse occurs at the 1:35 mark), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Bandstand&oldid=1140855641, American Bandstand's 20th Anniversary (1973), American Bandstand's 25th Anniversary (1977), American Bandstand's 30th Anniversary (1982), American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Celebration (1985), American Bandstand's 40th Anniversary (1992), American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary (2002), The show was featured prominently in the 20022005, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:03. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. The bare necessitiesThis kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. 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. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings," Bandstand star Arlene Sullivan writes in her memoir, Bandstand Diaries. 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. Clark was known for integrating his audiences as well as his performers unusual in the late 50s. The young dancers on American Bandstand were the reality stars of the 1950s and '60skids nationwide rushed home to watch their every move and chatter about their relationships and exploits. However, the couple will shortly be returning to Los Angeles, which will be their permanent residence. The marker stands opposite 4548 Market Street (not shown here), which once housed WFIL-TVand its Studio B, the original home of American Bandstand. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. Does Alan Cumming Really Live in a Scottish Castle? Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. Fiorentino was known on the show as "Nicky Blue.". Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. John Lithgow filmed a mockumentary episode before it was c 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Ousted Chicago mayor blames loss on racism, gender but not her tepid response to crime, Chaka Khan blasts Rolling Stone, Adele, Mariah Carey in podcast talk, Disgraceful Meghan, Harry provoked King Charles to evict them: royal expert, Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date, Sunny Hostin Points Finger at China for COVID Crisis: Did Not Cooperate With the International Community, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle confirm they were asked to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. Local radio disc jockey Buddy Deane was chosen as the host of The Buddy Deane Show on Channel 13, and began a daily two hour broadcast on September 9, 1957. She acknowledges that some of the other girls she knew on the show were also gay. Like the rest of us, the 'Drag Race' Season 15 queen is crushing on Pedro Pascal. He was 21 and she was 16. 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. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! "That really annoyed me," said Smith, "Because quite a few of. The parents of one kid on the show found out that he was gay . Zach Shallcross Struggles to Watch Himself Dancing Terribly on The Bachelor, Alison Brie on Sex Scenes: 'We Are Actors, This Is Our Job'. In a nice way, he'd discipline us.". Bunny Gibson was a kid when Dick Clark came into her life - or, rather, when she entered his world in Studio B at 46th and Market Streets in West Philadelphia. Rossi was straightbut Sullivan, many of her female co-stars, and most of the young male dancers were not. ", "Forty years after 'Bandstand' debut, Clark and dancers celebrate", "ORIGINAL DANCERS WILL GRANDSTAND AT 'BANDSTAND' REUNION", "American Bandstand, Season 30, Episode 38: Laura Brannigan (Final ABC show)", "Dick Clark's On a Roll: He Tunes In to TV Trends", "Dick Clark celebrates American Bandstand's 35th", "RETRO: Fairbanks, Alaska (October 24, 1987)", "Retro: Northern Wisconsin, Sat. Bob retired after being in the shoe business and the chemical business, where he often worked 18 hour days. She was 13 but lied about her age. 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. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. 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. 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. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. Variety Shows Mickey Mouse Club . In July 1956, Dick Clark, a commercial pitchman and deejay with an unsullied reputation, inherited WFIL-TV's Bandstand from scandal-tainted Bob Horn and revamped it for a national audience of teenage consumers as ABC's American Bandstand, which first aired in August 1957.Clark's daily afternoon program pioneered in musical television by showcasing a range of black and white pop music . . "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. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. In Philadelphia, however, WFIL opted to tape-delay the game show for later broadcast in another time slot, and to continue on with Bandstand, though only for the local audience. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. 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.. I did get to know Annette Funicello [a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club], who came to the show. I started going out to straight clubs.. It became a staple in homes and heavily influenced American society culturally, musically, and socially. I said, In that case, Im staying. I was shocked. On all the music they play On the Bandstand.! Director Goran Stolevski talks assembling his gay indie's stellar soundtrack, from The Cardigans to Nelly Furtado and more. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. "Dangerous". Both were ratings disasters. . It became a national institution and Dick Clark a celebrity. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. In an interview with the New York Post, Sullivan says that she and many of the gay male dancers would congregate in the Gayborhood, Rittenhouse Square, and there were rumors that Clark sent producers to spy on them. Featured artists typically performed their current hits by lip-syncing to the released version of the song. "If you got in front of the camera too much, he'd call you back and tell you to circulate. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. 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 But this one was different. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. 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