who were the original dancers on american bandstand

His demeanor was haughty. Hooks has a white father and black mother, while Montgomery is white. But some things still didnt change. By what name was American Bandstand (1952) officially released in Canada in English? Horn, on the other hand, didnt show such warmth to colleagues. 6 Who were the first guests on American Bandstand? And when I heard a few words changed to my name, I thought it was so sweet of him to think of me and change my name like that. He took my friend Adam and me out fishing on his boat, along with some of his record-company friends, When Horn was arrested for drunk-driving on June 21, 1956, hardly anyone aside from station staffers and music industry insiders knew about his sexual life, and it didnt come to light even then. He said Name your salary. So we asked our station manager for a release and he said hed talk to the stations owner. Horn described his pattern of hanging at a bar with song-pluggers and music publishers every evening after Bandstand finished, from 6 to 8 p.m., then going to a restaurant for dinner. I talked to the kids on the same intellectual level. 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. The. PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ They twisted, coffee-grinded and jitterbugged their way into the nations living rooms on the original American Bandstand in the 1950s. Barbara Marcen, a white regular, remembers a day when one black teenager tried to slow-dance with a white girl. 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 Los Angeles, three thousand miles from its original home in Philadelphia. on Friday. The makeup for the entire weekend is super-simple and clean, Sofia says. Stewart had no charisma and eventually was dropped from the program. What were the results of this elaborate investigation? He asked me to be on the committee and be an example for others. When the TV program American Bandstand passed its 50th anniversary, there was no commemoration. You had to line up at the end of each show and the producer picked whom he wanted to come back, so you had to please him. 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. They are true rock stars. Any place theres dancing, Ill still go, said Joe Fusco, who was 15 when he joined the Now You better believe Ill be there, Frees said of the Rock A Rama appearance. The programs signature features were Philadelphia teens dancing to popular music and the portly Horn interviewing musical guests who lip-synced their latest hits on the show. "I spread the Beehive across America," said Bunny Gibson, 56, on the show from 1959 to 1962. When Dick Clark wrote in his 1976 autobiography, Bandstand was a segregated show for years. Thats not what we experienced.. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. At my first fitting at the Chanel salons in Paris, I immediately envisioned the dress I wanted to get married in: a beautiful lace-embroidered halter gown with a long train, Sofia says. All the brides other jewelry pieces were by Fred Leighton. Clark moved the show to California in 1964, but many fans remember it as a Philadelphia phenomenon. Other results: Some of the men were convicted of participating in unnatural sex. Others were charged with corrupting the morals of minors, but the judges in the majority of these cases decided that the men were dealing with girls who were already corrupted, so they either acquitted the men or gave them light punishment. Now Blanc was running for election to a full term and he sought a hot campaign topic. It was common for promo guys to give bottles of whiskey as Christmas gifts. October 7, 1952 The young dancers on American Bandstand were the reality stars of the 1950s and '60skids nationwide rushed Dick Clark 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. We blacks watched from across the street. The programs first host was Bob Horn. One day a group of, In this part of the story well see what Bob Horn did that ended his career and also caused the ABC network and its Philadelphia affiliate to ignore the 50, Most acquaintances describe Horn as arrogant and self-centered, although none of the dancers on his show saw him that way. WebThe Buddy Deane Show was a teen dance television show, created by Zvi Shoubin, hosted by Winston "Buddy" Deane (19242003), and aired on WJZ-TV (Channel 13), the then-ABC affiliate station in Baltimore from 1957 until 1964. He was convicted and sentenced to jail for that, but not for his sexual activities. During breaks, they grabbed cameras and cigarettes and tried to catch up with each others lives before Joe called them back for another try at Rock Around the Clock or Oh, Carole.. No, the black people who went in that building were there to clean up, as cleaning people. Philadelphias broadcasting sex scandal of 1956 was an early object lesson. He certainly didnt do it because Blanc had greater public recognition. Paul Thomas is a black who started dancing on the show in 1961 and says that black kids occasionally came and there was some mixed group dancing starting in the early 1960s. Horn asked his dancers to recommend new songs. You were like a big star. For the other two looks, Sofia collaborated closely with her stylist, Liat Baruch, and Douchez to scour through Chanel couture shows of the past and choose the For my My friends Famous Hooks and Lori Montgomery were told they could no longer be dancing partners because of our racial difference., The producer told us very nicely that it was okay with him personally, but some stations wouldnt like it, so please dont do slow dances together. Who created the TV show American Bandstand? Within the dress are subtle details, including an embroidered heart to represent the love that Elliot and I share, as well as a blue embroideredS&E on the inside of the dress above my heart. Sofia wanted to do something unique for her veil, so she worked with the Chanel team to create a glistening piece adorned with resin water droplets that sparkled when she walked. I just wanted it to feel timeless: I dont want to look back in like 20 years and be like, Shes a glamazon. Her beauty came courtesy of makeup artist to the stars Pati Dubroff. He even went back on the air a few minutes later and said: Hey, that record wasnt bad after all.. The marker stands opposite 4548 Market Street (not shown here), which once housed WFIL-TVand its Studio B, the original home of American Bandstand. Harvey Sheldon, a white high school student who later became a songwriter, reported that he jitterbugged with a black girl on the show in 1952 or 53 and no one said anything about it. He later became a Hollywood screenwriter. In any event, he struck another car and left a 5-year-old occupant of that car paralyzed. 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. Horn signed some of them to his own record label which he started with the help of a group of businessmen and musicians including Nat Segall, Artie Singer, Bernie Lowe and Harry Chipetz. The era was one of sexual repression. Required fields are marked *. (Harris is the man who, in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, produced the film The Blob one year later.) Jerry Blavat, then a youngster on the committee, reports that he turned Horn on to Sh-Boom by The Chords, Little Darling by the Gladiolas and Earth Angel by The Penguins (all were black groups.) The Boys. So, when he went on TV, Bandstand was the obvious choice for a name. Horn was arrested for drunk-driving on June 21, 1956 and was suspended from his broadcasts, then was forced to resign. These kids invented new dance steps and made The Bunny Hop and The Bristol Stomp popular. The Inquirers publisher supported the work of the House Un-American Activities committee and its crusade against Communist sympathizers in the entertainment field. To get in the studio, boys must be wearing a suit jacket and tie. Stanley J. Blanc boasted that he had smashed the ring in local aspects and the FBI would clean up the interstate angles. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. When questioned as to why a married man would do this, Horn responded by saying that Lois knew many of his friends and drifted into the same pattern as I did. The original American Bandstand studio located at 4548 Market Street in Philadelphia, PA was entered into the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and in 1982 Dick Clark donated the original podium to the Smithsonian Institute, where it still resides. Who were the original dancers 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 Tele We would do dances like the slop, bop, slow drag and the grind, which originated in the black dance halls. Some blacks complained that these cards were sent mainly to all-white parochial schools, but I cant find evidence of that. As well as a blue embroideredS&E on the inside of the dress above my heart.. She enjoyed seeing the TV series, When the program moved to California in 1964, it presented its first regular dancer who was black. Some of the kids would jitterbug in an impromptu fashion while Grady and Hurst played popular records on the air. 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 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. 5 What was the real name of the Coward of the County? Dave Feldman, a Bandstand dancer, suggests one reason why so many of the kids came from Catholic schools: They were taught that dancing was wrong, and especially that girls shouldnt dance on television, so they did it to rebel. Also, the closest school to the studio, geographically, was a Catholic one. In contrast, when Acosta once appeared on Bandstand on the full network he was not allowed to slow dance with Lynn. The Mann Act was law, barring anyone from transporting a person across state lines for an immoral act, even when it was consensual. But when it came to rock n roll music, he was not a pioneer at all. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. My dad, Elliots dad, and Elliots best friend, Jack, gave incredible speeches. I brought a series of black girls with me so we could do the slow dances together.. (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.). The program, starting in 1952, originally was simply named Bandstand. In the first year I was so innocent that I thought they wouldnt stand in our way. Making out in the back seat or copping a feel is the most that any of us ever did.. 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. For the most part, the white kids from West Catholic and Roman Catholic, etc., were intimidated when we got on the floor. He was 30 when, Frank Spagnuola, a white Italian-American, was a, Bunny Gibson was a dancer on the show for two-and-a-half years in the mid-50s. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. 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. ET. WebBrowse 1,013 american bandstand dancers photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. Elliot asked Sofia to marry him in Hawaii after a year of dating. 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.. Clark was the host of American Bandstand in the late 50s through the mid-60s. Mayor Dilworth and his administration had a reputation for honesty, but the citys officials did socialize with media people and Blanc feared that information about his crusade with leak out. The DA announced his indictment of Horn and Allison at the same press conference, in October of 1956. Theres a dramatic difference between the description of Horn by his adult co-workers and what we hear from his teenage fans. If ABC had not been the poorest of the networks, unable to provide daytime programs to its affiliates, Bandstand would never have been born. 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. Sofias diamond drop earrings were by Kwiat. They One piece of advice I received that I have carried throughout the wedding weekend was to look around and really take in all the love around usbecause it is so rare and so special to have all of your loved ones in one place.. We were all in our pajamas and had a lot of fun and then that led into breakfast. 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. 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. Not being able to get in, that was a way of life then. The number one song was whatever he said it was, and it usually was whatever would bring him the most profit. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. Watch for Part Two of our copyrighted story, which involves an election for District Attorney and the campaigns emphasis on teenage sex with radio and TV personalities. Horn bragged to song-pluggers that he had to shove this music down the throats of station management, but he was unjustly trying to claim credit for himself. This log was entered as evidence at Allsions trial, and it combined with a parade of civic leaders and city officials as character witnesses got Allison a not-guilty verdict. Dick Clark, a television host and entrepreneur who sold rock-and-roll to Middle America on the dance show American Bandstand and counted down the new year with millions of TV viewers as emcee of an annual celebration in New Yorks Times Square, died April 18 at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., after a heart attack , PHILADELPHIA (AP) In the late 1950s and early 60s, everyone knew Bob and Justine, Kenny and Arlene, and Ed and Bunny. Public high schools were more integrated 72% white when Bandstand started, according to Philadelphia School District statistics, while blacks were 28% while Asians and Latinos were less than 1%. Not nasty trouble. Off-camera his personality was abrasive, egotistical and aggressive. Abortion was illegal, and scandalous. People were routinely arrested when they drove across a state border and had sex. Although Clark was relatively new at his job, he took a strong stand and told the affiliates that hed make no changes to meet their objections and so blacks did appear, but infrequently. Courtesy American Bandstand. All of these singers were white, and their style was pop, not rock n roll. The sexual relationship, however, was not revealed until later. At just 13 and 16, He personally picked the kids to be on the committee by watching us dance and seeing how we got along with people. District Attorney Victor Blanc was a friend of my fathers who appeared to be intelligent and reasonable. 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. After you got a committee card you didnt have to wait in line to get into the show. Dave Feldman also started coming in 1953. 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. Ive never been sexually attracted to very young girls. Show me a guy who hasnt done that and Ill show you a queer.. 95.3K subscribers Share 1.1M views 5 years ago To celebrate AB's 11th anniversary, the kids in But they werent there. In the course of his probe Blanc discovered connections between many disparate people. Valino was convicted of arranging an abortion and his singing career virtually ended. Anyway, they havent performed in, like, five years, and they brought their band out from Nashville and LA, and it was one of the most fun nights of my life. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. A low-budget sexploitation film called Models, Inc. was distributed by Philadelphia film executive Jack Harris. 4 Who was the first black country singer? The grind was a very sexy dance that you did on a slow record. It was so surreal, and it was such a meaningful [wedding gift from Elliot], she says. No, the black people who went in that building were there to clean up, as cleaning people. This show debuted on television from 2:45 to 5 p.m. on October 7, 1952. The show gave many new music artists their first exposure to national audiences, including Iggy Pop, Ike & Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Talking Heads , Simon & Garfunkel and Madonna. Then we lined up and did the darn thing! Sofia laughs. It was filled with comedy. The Bandstanders invented steps that are still given a whirl: the bunny hop, the chalypso and the stroll. I was asked to be a character witness at his trial and I testified that he never tried anything with us. WebBy the mid-1970s, moreover, American Bandstand ratings were in decline and faced a challenge from Soul Train. The Buddy Deane Show was taken off the air because home station WJZ-TV After his dalliance with Dorothy, Allison allowed these men and girls free reign around the station. Published April 26, 2023 Updated April 27, 2023, 12:58 a.m. 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 became a national institution and Dick Clark a celebrity. 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. When Dick Clark found out about it he was furious and banished them from attending his show forever. 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. He also danced in a group called the Outrageous Waack Dancers with Daniel and Jody Watley. Management was so happy with Horns ratings that they let him choose whatever music he wished; he didnt need to shove those songs. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He said fans often spot the American Bandstand display in his store and gawk at photographs of their favorite Bandstanders. We just sat around recapping until the morning. A 1957 jury deadlocked, then a judge acquitted Horn at a second trial, this one without a jury. As host of American Bandstand, Clark introduced rock & roll to many Americans. At the time, I didnt know it was racism to go somewhere and not get let in.

Disadvantages Of Hypothesis Testing, How Many Albums Did Chuck Berry Sell, What Does Breast Asymmetry Mean On A Mammogram?, Articles W

who were the original dancers on american bandstand