He would dance on the show until early 1960. "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. Delmont, Matthew F. The Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock n Roll, and the Struggle for Civil Rights in 1950s Philadelphia. 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. She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. She calls it her one night out.. These 14- to 18-year olds like Arlene and Kenny, Justine and Bob . Huge DiscountsThere 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. REGULARS Gallery 1. Most of us would love her to do a Spotlight Dance once again and tell us know how she is doing today. . Sharon Sultan Cutler, who grew up in New York and now lives in Chicago, is co-author of Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956-1963. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune). They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. 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. I was saddened to hear about Norman. 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. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. 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. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. 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- . However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. I knew all their names. The most memorable day for Norman and me was April 13, 1961, the day we won second place in the Pony Dance Contest. It was no secret. Bob Clayton died November 6, 2016. To the left youll find original pictures of some of the Regulars. Mickey Mouse Club When American Bandstand became the most popular daytime television program in the late 1950s, a group of ordinary Philadelphia high school students who loved to dance suddenly became a national phenomenon. While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. . (Author information current at time of publication. The program moved production in 1964 from Philadelphia to Hollywood, months after it began airing once per week. Fabian and Bobby Rydell Hang With American Bandstand Regulars By Rick SiegelFabian, the teenagers heart throb from the 50's, hob knobs along with the America. 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 few, burned by previously unsuccessful attempts by some to write books about the program, were reluctant to share their memories with her. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. He died on 5 August 2021 at his home in Sydney. Particularly during the show's prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. 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. Known as the Regulars, they became the nation's first reality stars. Everybody knew the names of The Regulars on Bandstand. 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. The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. They wrote. They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. She wasnt immediately successful, but with the help of a new southwest Philly friend, she eventually got in. Frani Giordano is still loved by American Bandstand fans almost 60 years after she stopped going to the show in 1960. Don and Bunny had two daughters: Angel and Maria and four grandchildren: Lea & Christopher Di Vello, Alexis Karanzalis & Nicole Weiss. Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram Dancing was a major feature of Bandstand. The show then aired at 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, corresponding with the typical school days end. They are extending the honeymoon in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Duke has called home. And he has the one criteria required to attract Bunny Gibson. Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. His name was Dick Clark and in the next year the show was transformed from a local show to a syndicated. Music by Charles Albertine And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. You eventually get cancelled.. Particularly during the shows prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated by Italian-American teens. Hundreds of kids lined up each day hoping to be one of the few lucky ones who got to dance alongside the Regulars and share part of the magic that was American Bandstand. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. 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. The big teenybopper magazines of the era Sixteen and Teen plastered Bandstand dancers on their covers and wrote glowing, gossipy stories about their lives in Philadelphia, where Dick Clark produced the show. After that, management at WFIL-TV/Channel 6 (46th & Market) in Philadelphia installed the clean-cut Dick Clark to take over the teen dance party show and renamed it "American Bandstand." Clark pulled him within two feet of the camera and told America, "Steve is our newest regular, and he's going to lead us off with a spotlight dance. But it was obvious to the teen dancers that he was set on a trajectory that would take him far from Studio B in West Philly. 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. There were quite a few Regulars crossing over at that time. For a time, she dated a neighborhood boy, Danny Rapp, lead singer of Danny & the Juniors, who had the hit song At the Hop., I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight, Sullivan says. John Lithgow filmed a mockumentary episode before it was c Dad of crying infant that triggered Texas massacre 'never thought' gunman would shoot, It's not just soda: Nutritionists weigh in on the absolute worst drinks for your health, I'm a dentist you're ruining your teeth with these 4 common mistakes, Gayle King says she doesnt have a desire to retire: I want more work, WNBA star Brittney Griner is heading to the Met Gala, Mariah Carey celebrates Moroccan and Monroes 12th birthday: My babies, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Kendall Jenner rocks sheer top, fur mini skirt for date night with Bad Bunny. Its original host was fired after a DWI arrest and in July 1956 a young radio DJ took over. When I used to walk down the streets of Philadelphia and be recognized, Id be called a Bandstand f*****.. 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. 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. 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. Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. At the height of its popularity, it was watched daily by 20 million people (by contrast, "Dancing With the Stars" drew 13 million viewers weekly last season), with an estimated half of them adults; its teenage dancers got as many as 45,000 fan letters a week. When Gibson moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in the 1980s, she paid Clark a call at his office. 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. "He made sure the guys wore suits and we were dressed properly. In an online page marking her 68th birthday on Nov. 23, 2011, Bandstand "documentarian" Charles W. Amann III posted: "The name Scaldeferri and American Bandstand go hand-in-hand. Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963 shares the fascinating story of how Dick Clark's American Bandstand and its millions of viewers catapulted its teenage dancers (called "the Regulars") to fame. In 1962, ABC trimmed the shows airtime from 90 to 60 minutes. But . Elmhurst Blotter: Man charged with battery for allegedly punching a security guard at a bar, Hinsdale police blotter: multiple thefts reported by patients at Hinsdale Hospital, Glenview police blotter: Harwood Heights woman charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. . From that dance on we became steady dance partners until I had to leave the show on my 18th birthday, which was in August of 1961., The Pony Contest She would gobble down some cookies and milk and turn on the TV. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. . He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. EARLY BANDSTAND FASHIONS. She was 13 but lied about her age. He danced on the show until Christmas 1959. Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. 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. He was 21 and she was 16. He still had that in him until the evening before he passed away. However, musicians such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Sam Cooke all made national appearances on American Bandstand during the late 1950s. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. 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. .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. I purchased this from Historic Photos. And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. May, 1961. My husband and I met on a blind date and six months later on April 12, 1964 we were married. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie But this one was different. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. She says she never had a crush on a straight dancer, and was close friends with celebrity guest Annette Funicello. 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. Lowell. Television host Dick Clark presides over the set of his show American Bandstand in 1957. Duke is a premier photographer of the martial arts as well as being an expert. "It was in the original TV studio and it was amazing," says Cutler. He held nothing back. Throughout its Philadelphia years, the show was so popular that it transformed average local-area teens into national celebrities. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. My mother thought I was nuts. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. 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. It was a local show Philadelphia, Jersey, the Lehigh Valley [Pennsylvania]. First called Bandstand, the program premiered October 6, 1952, hosted by Philadelphia radio DJ Bob Horn (1916-66). So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. Sharon Sultan Cutler, who grew up in New York and now lives in Chicago, is co-author of Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956-1963.. Photo taken on October 27, 1981. Broadcast only on Saturdays after 1963, American Bandstand lost the homegrown vitality of the daily program in West Philadelphia. I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. Shore, Michael, with Dick Clark. [2] Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Paylola and Sponsorship Identification, Federal Communications Act, Amendments, 1960. He fell in love with her. Conceivably, this helped promote racial equality and intercultural understanding. When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. Fundraiser for the renovation of the original American Bandstand Studio Floor Learning how American Bandstand made rock n roll respectable. 18 talking about this. I still really didnt know who I was. For More Bunny click here to go to Bunny Gibson.com, Bunny Gibson discusses the 50th celebration of American Bandstand. ", In a Time.com obituary for Dick Clark, who died April 18, 2012, a reporter wrote: "Lou DeSera, Carmen Jimenez, Carole Scaldeferri, Rosemarie 'Little Roe' DiCristo: they may sound like characters on The Sopranos, but they were just ordinary kids, with extraordinary luck of being in Philadelphia at the moment the old town lit the fuse for the rock explosion.". 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.". Were goin hopin today . I met Joyce and Norman at the Steel Pier one summer and found them both to be so nice. ABC gave Clark a choice: divest his music-related interests or step down as host of the show. Clark chose to continue withBandstand.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. Asked By : Francisco Allen Dick Clark, affectionately known as the "world's oldest teenager," has died. London: Omnibus Press, 2006. In addition to his other ventures, Clark maintained a virtual lock on New Years Eve television withDick ClarksNew Years Rockin Eve. He said funeral services are pending. Ripley W.va, Great article Larry love your antiques blog . In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. Rare photo above is a 1959 Press photo of Pat when she was writing for Teen Magazine. They were the squeaky-clean Kardashians of their era, and Bandstand could easily claim the title as the first reality show. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. They were hurting him. She was 36. Mrs. Spada attended West Catholic Girls High School. LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. 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. Her partner Frank Spagnuola and her won 1st place in dance Cha Lypso contest and 2nd place in Jitterbug Contest . Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. The TV exposure, plus the profiles some of the dancers were given in Teen magazine in the late 1950s, made them instant celebrities. It got me out of my shell, but I learned I was a regular teenager who happened to dance on a show that unexpectedly became very popular. He is a man of God and over the years has established both karate and prison ministeries. They were real kids from Philly, and if you watched every day, you could tell who was breaking up and who was making up. Sullivan was most frequently paired with a boy named Kenny Rossi, who was straight, but still subject to attacks for appearing on the show: 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. We may earn a commission from links on this page. She was a senior.and luckily on the Honor Roll. 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 . Bob's bio in Bandstand Diaries was very candid. Don Travarelli, from South Philly, watched American Bandstand in 1961 and spotted Bunny Gibson dancing. Norman was born on January 18, 1944. The most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region. American Bandstand (TV Series 1952-1989) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. "He presented himself as such a grown-up.". Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. 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. Special Features: The 50 record albums are packed away for safekeeping., Normans passing 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 front of the camera, Clark called the shots. 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. That was an emotional moment for both of us.". Really enjoyed reading your article Larry , I also grew up in the 50s watching American Bandstand, your article brought back so many memories of the good ole days growing up. So Bandstand really did change her life in many ways. This American Bandstand tribute book celebrates Dick Clark and the Regulars with 700 Photos. . 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. Several teens belonged to a select group of taste-making gatekeepers who helped monitor dress code and admission. "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. Watch video clips of the American Bandstand dancers here. And while Smith knew he was gay, he was shocked to learn that most of the guys on Bandstand, so many of them, were gay, he told The Post. In 1960, he attended Penn State as an English major. Thats why Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson would never appear on the show, but movie stars Jeff Chandler, Tab Hunter, Sal Mineo came., Dancing came naturally to Sullivan, the way it did to all Regulars, she says. Brian Henderson The Executives Bill & Boyd JUSTINE AND BOB. "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. Rock, Roll and Remember. TV Ratings - US & UK, Quiz Shows Clark's sunny smile and cuteness masked a strong will and iron determination. He debuted in Studio 3B at WFIL-TV, near the El train stop in West Philadelphia, in 1956 when he was a 13-year-old junior high school student. 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 e9 = new Object(); She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. As she puts it, being a Regular entailed holding a WFIL-TV Bandstand Club membership card and dancing every day on the show. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. I did notice the studio was not as full, allowing the Regulars much more camera time. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. . Bunnys mom, Betty, made her promise that she would graduate. Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. . I will be working on a mult-pictorial page for Bob. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. We sent some 15,000 fan letters each week. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. 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 Black music and black dances originating in Philadelphia neighborhoods contributed substantially to the success ofAmerican Bandstand; yetAmerican Bandstandsdancefloor and bleachers were racially segregated, and some of the shows most popular dances were adapted without attribution from black neighborhoods. Arlene Sullivan, a star on Bandstand, is now 74. [6] Jackson,American Bandstand, 71; Jacksons description of Arlene Sullivan. Clark felt such conventions helped boost the perception of rock-and-roll, which in the 1950s was a controversial genre often disliked by older generations. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012. In its later years the show was challenged by the diversifying tastes of fragmented audiences. [7] The Diary of Arlene Sullivan, in Sullivan, Smith, and Cutler,Bandstand Diaries, 43-63. I didnt know what I was doing and decided I cant do this, and I called my dad and asked him to come get me, she says. 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. will work for fuel kotor 2, east bridgewater news,
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