Before long there were black kids dancing as regulars and American Bandstand was one of the few television shows where I would get to see black people as artists. By coincidence, on Saturday afternoon February 8, 1964, the day before the Beatles first appearance on Ed Sullivan, American Bandstand had its inaugural broadcast from Beach Boys on American Bandstand. They were more interested in stations that played r&b all the time, and they stopped coming by their own choice., Deejay Jerry Blavat says: Blacks didnt go to public music events. Some of the Allison crowd got involved, also, with an aspiring model named Maxine. Also in 1956 a 19-year-old model accused vocalist Joe Valino (a Sinatra sound-alike whose real name was Joe Paolino) of getting her pregnant then taking her to a doctor to have it taken care of. Blanc decided to go on a crusade of his own and he chose entertainment celebrities as his target. On one of those jobs Lois gave oral sex to one of the Allison crowd for $40 and on another job had sex with a man for a hundred dollars, all this when she was 15 and in the midst of her relationship with Horn. I used to see Horn with the young girl, Lois, when she accompanied him to the station for his 11-to-midnight radio show. Now, older and a little less svelte, theyre back in the city where it all began to recapture their glory days. Dave Feldman, a, Catholic schools in those days were 99% white. I was asked to be a character witness at his trial and I testified that he never tried anything with us. WebGary U.S. Bonds. Vic Blanc became a judge, then resigned when he developed mental lapses which would today be labeled as Alzheimers disease. Courtney Bennett, Dancing on Air: Dance Shows, Communications, and CommunityBefore Tik Tok and YouTube dance crazes dominated youth culture, televised It was a full-time job, but we had a great time, Sofia says. Some of the kids would jitterbug in an impromptu fashion while Grady and Hurst played popular records on the air. Blanc tried to become a recognizable figure that year. Ive never been sexually attracted to very young girls. Classic TV Shows - Dick Clark's American Bandstand| FiftiesWeb Elliot asked Sofia to marry him in Hawaii after a year of dating. His career was brought down by a teenage girl, but she did not come from the studio audience at Bandstand. Allison differentiated himself from Bob Horn as a performer, saying he was not a disc-jockey but, instead, a man who discussed issues on the air. In the otherwise frothy Grease (1978), that dynamic is reiterated. Dorothy said that she did it willingly. Philadelphias broadcasting sex scandal of 1956 was an early object lesson. You were like a big star. Maxine went to the cops and hollered rape. It was so surreal, and it was such a meaningful [wedding gift from Elliot], she says. As well as a blue embroideredS&E on the inside of the dress above my heart.. In what some have already dubbed this years royal wedding, Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge exchanged vows at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes on Saturday. 1964 - The Beach Boys - "Don't Worry, Baby". And it was Frees, not any of the original Bandstanders interviewed Thursday, who remembered the words to the shows theme song, written by Barry Manilow. Horn, on the other hand, didnt show such warmth to colleagues. April Stevens Dies at 93; Her Deep Purple Became a Surprise Hit American Bandstand He had become District Attorney when Richardson Dilworth resigned that office to successfully run for mayor in 1955. He asked me to be on the committee and be an example for others. She enjoyed seeing the TV series American Dreams, produced by Dick Clark in 2002, because it recalled one of the best periods in her life. People were routinely arrested when they drove across a state border and had sex. I talked to the kids on the same intellectual level. As host of American Bandstand, Clark introduced rock & roll to many Americans. He took my friend Adam and me out fishing on his boat, along with some of his record-company friends, and asked us for ideas to improve the show. American Bandstand Just out of school, I was apprenticing in public relations under his tutelage.) Pat Boone. The next day Bill Sylk owner of WPEN and the Sun Ray Drug chain called Walter Annenberg and said If you steal my talent Ill pull a million dollars of Sun Ray advertising out of the Inquirer. After that threat, WFIL withdrew its offer to us and that was the end of that.. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. He usually brought some of his young clients with him and arranged dates photographic and otherwise for them. In the course of his probe Blanc discovered connections between many disparate people. Well, Blanc won his election, and that was the reason for all this, wasnt it? Ive always loved his timeless pieces, Sofia adds. You better believe Ill be there, Frees said of the Rock A Rama appearance. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Clark revamped Horns show for national broadcast by ABC. Courtesy American Bandstand. 4 Who was the first black country singer? The man who introduced us told me that she liked to pose for photos the kind you could not take to your drugstore to get developed and she would do some other things, but would not allow sexual intercourse because she had a boyfriend and didnt want to cheat on him. On the day that Allison was indicted, he was about to receive an award for public service from the City of Philadelphia. I always thought Horn did a poor job relating to the kids. Race and American Bandstand, The Seven-Year Itch: West Philly Loses American Bandstand, Report accessibility issues and request help. the first American Bandstand Mary Ann Colella Baker was a freshman at Hallahan Catholic High School who started attending in 1952 when Bandstand was new: Horn was a perfect gentleman, the nicest person, she says. Annenberg asked Horn to confirm or deny that he knew the teenage girl who was cooperating with Blancs investigation. When our planners, Banana Split, asked me what song I wanted to walk down the aisle to, it was a no-brainer. See production, box office & company info, Bandstand Boogie (The Theme of 'American Bandstand'). The Mann Act was law, barring anyone from transporting a person across state lines for an immoral act, even when it was consensual. But they werent there. Since he was a huge fan of jazz and so many jazz artists were black, there was no way Bob would allow the dance floor to be lily white.. When the program went on the ABC network, stations in the South, where racial segregation was the norm, objected to the fact that black dancers occasionally appeared on the dance floor. , a popular though controversial TV program targeted toward teenage consumers, marked Philadelphia as the national epicenter of pop music during its seven-year run at ABCs affiliated WFIL-TV at 4548 Market St. ABC-affiliate WFIL-TV at 4548 Market St. broadcast Dick Clarks, to a national audience of teenage consumers from 1957 to 1964., built a national youth culture around the pop music records Clark played on the show and the commercial products his sponsors targeted to this $9 billion consumer market. The district attorney phoned Klein as a personal courtesy, and to serve the public interest. When it came to the rehearsal-dinner look, the team worked to re-create a gown worn by Stella Tennant in the 1997 Chanel couture fall show. She says there would always be a long line. 2023 Cond Nast. Menefee was a curmudgeon on the air. There were trysts of another Jacobs model and another WPEN announcer, and other girls had encounters with a publicist and a photographer, respected professionals who were in love with their wives and felt they were just having some harmless, job-related fun on the side. I knew when couples broke up. https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Bandstand%20historical%20marker%20%281%20of%201%29.jpg. Tony Mammarella had to calm them down. American Bandstand: West Philadelphia's Seven-Year Wonder Required fields are marked *. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Celebrities including Cameron Diaz, Benji Madden, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and Joel Madden descended upon the iconic hotel in the South of France for the whirlwind wedding weekend, which took both Instagram and TikTok by storm. Soon after the show went on the air, Horn met a 13-year-old girl at the station and they began a sexual relationship. This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. The American Bandstand dancers ended up living all across the United States and followed a variety of careers. As we remember Dick Clark, were highlighting a few Bandstand dancers whove died in recent years. American Bandstand dancer Richard Pierce served in Vietnam before settling in Anchorage, Alaska, in the early 1980s. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Pop Conference 2023 - 'Let's Get it Together:' Gatherings, Club Theres a dramatic difference between the description of Horn by his adult co-workers and what we hear from his teenage fans. If Clipp couldnt get those people, he nevertheless could steal their format. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". 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. When the TV program American Bandstand passed its 50th anniversary, there was no commemoration. Throughout the rest of the 1950s, "American Bandstand" featured a number of famous acts including the debut of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (November 22, 1957), But then some people at the station worried that the program could become identified as a black show. When I told Hooks the details about the fall of Bob Horn, he said it suddenly made him understand why Clark felt so strongly about drunkenness. Steves a one-man F. B. I., Fearless Broadcast Investigator. The Bandstand dancers, on the other hand, were fond of him. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. David Frees of Ephrata is president and founder of the American Bandstand Fan Club, which has more than 800 members in the United States, Europe and Japan. She was 17 when I met her in 1956. At just 13 and 16, We stopped going and so did the black girls, for the most part.. I knew all their names. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Published April 26, 2023 Updated April 27, 2023, 12:58 a.m. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Now Blanc was running for election to a full term and he sought a hot campaign topic. My father has always been the most comforting figure in my life, and hes kept me grounded. He picked his own employee, Bob Horn, and copied from WPEN the idea of teenagers in the studio. One singer who appeared on his show says Horn was a loud-mouth smart-ass with an appetite for girls. Other acquaintances use words like arrogant and self-centered. The teenage committee administered the reservation list. He was 30 when Bandstand went on the air and says Horn played some of our music, but mainly he aimed for a wider audience and the black kids didnt get much out of it. For example, Bernie Jacobs, the man who ran the modeling agency and set Steve Allison up with his accuser, also arranged modeling jobs for Lois, Horns accuser. It was great! For Sofia, it served as the ultimate reflection of how she approached the celebration as a whole. All the brides other jewelry pieces were by Fred Leighton. We recapped the night and ordered big bowls of pasta along with every French food you could imagine, Sofia says. Dick Clark later wrote that he kept that dress code when he took over because it made the show acceptable to adults who were frightened by the teenage world and teenage music. Some observers might say that he was making the show acceptable to people who were frightened by the appearance of blacks. Hed take me home to spend weekends with his family in Levittown and in the summer Id be the cabin boy on his boat at Stone Harbor., Dave Feldman also started coming in 1953. Prosecutors decided there werent strong enough grounds to indict the man for that, but Maxines story about what went on at the party triggered Philadelphia District Attorney Blancs investigation of sex involving radio and TV personalities. First, they required that boys show up wearing suits and ties. It became a national institution and Dick Clark a celebrity. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - In the late 1950s and early '60s, everyone knew Bob and Justine, Kenny and Arlene, and Ed and Bunny. So, simultaneously, the DA was investigating Horn, Allison and Valino and people associated with them, and everything came to a head, so to speak, at the same time. Rodgers recorded his first record under Ralph Peer in Bristol, Tennessee the day after the original Carter Family recorded theirs. Secondly, the producer started to require admission cards. Despite Horns risk-taking, his sexual activities would never have come to light if it werent for two outside factors. American Bandstand - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia It was so incredibly special to wear her design during the most important time of my life, Sofia says. He had a wife and four children, aged 2 to 7, at home, but visiting them would require an almost-two-hour round-trip to come back for his 11 p.m. radio show, so he stayed in Philadelphia. It became a second home for me, an Italian-Jewish kid from a broken family in South Philly. Sofia collaborated closely with her stylist, Liat Baruch, and Madame Olivia Douchez, premire of haute couture salons at Chanel, to scour through couture shows of the past and choose the references that she loved. Whose Culture? Everyone in the country knew Kefauvers smiling image; virtually no one knew the ordinary, middle-aged face of Vic Blanc. His conversation with them was stilted; he never associated with them as equals. I know the producers found it embarrassing. (The Richie and the Grainge families have been friends for more than 20 years, as Lionel frequently collaborates with Elliots father, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Sir Lucian Grainge, and the couple was introduced through mutual friends.). In any event, he struck another car and left a 5-year-old occupant of that car paralyzed. Clipp called Grady and me to his office, Hurst related, and asked us to start in two weeks. He announced that the luncheon was being postponed because there was a labor dispute at the restaurant and city officials didnt want to cross any possible picket line. It was their thing. With the help of Clark and his wife, Richard contacted Carole and the two were married six months later. He also personally picked me up in South Philly and drove me to his record hops. Also, the kids danced to Whitemans band, not to records. All rights reserved. He later became a Hollywood screenwriter. Stewart had no charisma and eventually was dropped from the program. Having the opportunity to create this dress and work so closely with Madame Olivia Douchez, premire of haute couture salons, and observing their art and immaculate attention to detail was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.. My dad, Elliots dad, and Elliots best friend, Jack, gave incredible speeches. Kathleen Riley, who has been doing her hair for years, was on duty as well. Your email address will not be published. Menefee was a curmudgeon on the air. For my Created by black deejay Don Cornelius as a black dance show, Soul Train started in Chicago in 1970 before being picked up by stations across the country the following year. He asked for, and received, whiskey, cash and women from record-promotion men. The Brady Bunch Kids ( Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. This went on for almost three years, sometimes in a radio studio while Horns records were spinning on the air. I always dreamed of her doing my makeup on my wedding day, Sofia says. American Bandstand - 10 Great Performances - LiveAbout American Bandstand Broadcast History. But some things still didnt change. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. From the first day, I established the most platonic of friendships with the kids. At WFIL they thought: What a wonderful idea for TV! Barbara Marcen Wilston danced at the show from 1953 to 1959. On Thursday, for the first time in a quarter century, 27 of the original Bandstand dancers, including Joe, Kenny, Arlene, Carole, Flossie and Jim, reunited to rehearse their steps for a rock n roll celebration over Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. Any place theres dancing, Ill still go, said Joe Fusco, who was 15 when he joined the show. It took us about a year working with Banana Split, who have been fantastic., A few weeks before the weddingand ahead of debuting her new last name on TikTokthe bride went to the Chanel haute couture salons in Paris, accompanied by her mother-in-law, Lady Caroline Grainge, and her best friend, Ali Meller, for her final dress fittings. 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. David Bowie. On Thursday, for the first time in a quarter century, 27 of the original Bandstand dancers, including Joe, Kenny, Arlene, Carole, Flossie and Jim, reunited to rehearse their steps for a rock n roll celebration over Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. 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. Jimmie Rodgers, first solo country superstar, the undisputed Father of Country Music. I knew sooner or later I would get to go on the show. In the first year Dick Clark and American Bandstands Behind-the In contrast, when Acosta once appeared on Bandstand on the full network he was not allowed to slow dance with Lynn. The station advertised, Troubles in town, sporting the monicker of Steve Allison. We had over seven minutes to chat, though, and he said: Youre the love of my life, and Im so happy for you. It was very emotional, and I feel so lucky that I have my parents. In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience Dick Clark hosts a daily to weekly dance show that features the latest hit music for the attending teens to dance to. After you got a committee card you didnt have to wait in line to get into the show. We had it all timed, and it felt like someone was looking out for us up above because it was a very cloudy day and then the clouds parted., Walking down the aisle with her father was something Sofia had always dreamed about. Some blacks complained that these cards were sent mainly to all-white parochial schools, but I cant find evidence of that. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Breakfast ended at around 11 a.m., and the group went straight into hair and makeup. One man, convicted and fined fifty dollars, went on to a career as a philanthropist and supporter of political candidates up to the 21. century. April Stevens, whose rushed recording of Deep Purple with her brother, Nino Tempo, became a chart (My knowledge about this comes from the fact that I worked as record librarian at two Philadelphia stations while I was in school, and then was Night Operations Supervisor at WFIL.). It reflected the fact that Horn played big band recordings by Harry James, Tommy Dorsey and other similar artists. With 37 continuous years on the air, this was the longest-running weekly popular music showcase TV program in the world. American Bandstand started life as a Philadelphia TV show in 1952, with Bob Horn as master of ceremonies. Lois testified that Horn took her to apartments where she willingly had sex with him, and she specified four dates starting in 1953 when she was 13. Clark looked like one of the kids. (Horn was 40 when he left Bandstand and Clark was a babyfaced 27.) Original Bandstand Dick Clark. It was very important to Elliots family and to me, now that Ive converted, that it be a traditional Jewish ceremony, Sofia says. Horn asked his dancers to recommend new songs. Who were the original dancers on American Bandstand? ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images. Our Philadelphia program had a history of racial exclusion that was more complex and much more interesting. Theres an El stop there and we used to watch the kids line up. One dancing duo, Kenny and Arlene, became the biggest teen sensations ever to come out of the show. It said that his guests that night were movie star Denise Darcel and crooner Johnny Desmond and that he went home immediately after the broadcast. They He also danced in a group called the Outrageous Waack Dancers with Daniel and Jody Watley. When Blancs campaign was launched, friends of Walter Annenberg hoped that the DA would find some dirt on WPENs popular night-time talk host, Steve Allison, because Allison often criticized Annenberg and the Inquirer.