Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. That might have had something to do with the scandal that surrounded the departure of his predecessor, Bob Horn, who faced a drunken-driving arrest and morals charges. Clark weathered the hearings by not being fully transparent, and he avoided being indicted for criminal behavior. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. 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. 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. Give me some Thumbs UP!This is Bunny Gibson and the American Bandstand Regulars live at Sesame Park outside of Philadelphia on July 21,. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. 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. 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. Don married Bunny. She knew Chubby Checker and Fabian from South Philadelphia High School. Rossi was straightbut Sullivan, many of her female co-stars, and most of the young male dancers were not. 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 knew when couples broke up. . Dick Clark 1929 2012, Dick Clark with Johnny Crawford. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. . James Morgan, who danced 17 times on Bandstand and stayed interested in it over the years, said Mrs. Spada had run a beauty parlor in the suburbs. Dick Clark was a TV personality known for the shows 'American Bandstand,' '$25,000 Pyramid' and 'TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes,' among others. From 1974 to September 6, 1986, Bandstand featured another instrumental at its mid-show break: Billy Preston's synth hit "Space Race". [7] The Diary of Arlene Sullivan, in Sullivan, Smith, and Cutler,Bandstand Diaries, 43-63. She told me she got so many letters from fans who thought I looked like her and [with our dark hair], we did look alike. Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. "I kissed a girl, and I liked it!. All rock'n roll and most owned by Dick Clark himself. ", Jennifer Coolidge Screams, Is a Queen in Netflix's 'We Have a Ghost'. We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. However unethical his behavior may have been, his federal income tax records seemed to be in order. But this one was different. "Dick Clark introduced records, and the camera followed teenagers as they selected partners to dance," writes historian Matthew Delmont. We sent some 15,000 fan letters each week. From September 13, 1986, to September 5, 1987, Manilow's version was replaced at the close of the show by a new closing theme arranged by David Russo, who also performed an updated instrumental arrangement of "Bandstand Boogie" when Bandstand went into syndication. Cameraman Vince Gasbarro said: "Horn was old-looking. As the books highlight, Ray Smith and Arlene Sullivan provided two thoughtful and unadornedBandstandmemoirs. American Bandstand Regulars -- Justine Carrelli, Joe Fusco, Myrna Horowitz - The 3rd Degree - 1989 Bandstands Best 3.54K subscribers Subscribe 343 127K views 10 years ago THE USE OF ANY. "With Bandstand, WFIL resolved this tension by drawing on Philadelphia's interracial music scene to create an entertaining and profitable television show, while refusing to allow the city's black teenagers into the studio audience for fear of alienating viewers and advertisers. 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.. 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. So Bandstand really did change her life in many ways. She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. Sullivan, 74, wrote Diaries with Ray Smith, another dancer who was closeted during his Bandstand years. American Bandstand started life as a Philadelphia TV show in 1952, with Bob Horn as master of ceremonies. [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. 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. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. [6] Jackson,American Bandstand, 71; Jacksons description of Arlene Sullivan. 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! At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. Forget that. "Bandstand's Backyard". And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. Although the Regulars didnt perform in the South, Sullivans memory of a personal visit to Fort Worth, Texas, stuck with her: My friend Barbara [a fellow Regular] and I were visiting Barbaras friend there. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. I have a Champion Samoyed show dog. In 1988, the National Park Service listed 4548 Market Street on the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. . "That really annoyed me," said Smith, "Because quite a few of. 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. I can honestly say that I was the most blessed person in the world the day I met Norman and he and I became steady dance partners., Meeting Norman Norman was born on January 18, 1944. One young performer was dangled down an elevator shaft. But . REGULARS Gallery 3. 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. 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. ABC gave Bandstand color cameras and launched it on its network of 67 stations in August of 1957. .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. 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. 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.. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. While the American series has aired sixteen seasons, its format was also replicated worldwide, from Norway (Dansefeber) to Australia (So You Think You Can Dance Australia). Duke is a premier photographer of the martial arts as well as being an expert. Bob retired after being in the shoe business and the chemical business, where he often worked 18 hour days. 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. . You eventually get cancelled.. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. Clark moved the show to California in 1964, but many fans remember it as a Philadelphia phenomenon. YOUR FAVORITE LOGO SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+, "Those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other., LOS ANGELES - APRIL 1960: Host of the television show 'American Bandstand' Dick Clark appears in a scene with Michael Callan from the movie 'Because They're Young' which was released in April 1960. Dick Clark gave her a committee card, which all Regulars had to have to get into the building. 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. Fiorentino was known on the show as "Nicky Blue.". [2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. After dispelling rumors of his death, which circulated on social media on Thursday, Blavat's representative confirmed in a Facebook post on Friday morning that he had died at 3:45 a.m. at. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. Elgart's version was released as a single in March 1954 (Columbia 40180) as well as Curb's theme (by "Mike Curb & The Waterfall") in October 1969 (Forward 124). On all the music they play On the Bandstand.! 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. Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. 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). and scheduled the program at 3:30pm ETalmost in the middle of Bandstand. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. 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