Clark joined Bandstand in 1956 and moved with the show to Hollywood in 1964. "American Bandstand" goes national - History Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. I do hope you continuing writing about the bandstanders. Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars Fundraiser, July 15, 2009 Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012. 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. However, musicians such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Sam Cooke all made national appearances on American Bandstand during the late 1950s. . The followed the trend of solo ("open") dancing started by Chubby Checker and "The Twist.". American Bandstand Day: Dick Clark receives a proclamation designating Market Street as Bandstand Boulevard. We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Secret Gay Lives Of The "American Bandstand" Dancers "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson. We sent some 15,000 fan letters each week. 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. In fact, it was dangerous. . "He was the commander," Colanero said. MEMORIALS - marshasvintage.com Soft Science extends that legacy on its third album, Maps (Test Pattern), and adds its own twists. He said, 'In all my days, I never thought I would ever meet you, and here you are standing right in front of me.' The History of "American Bandstand" - LiveAbout Over the decades, American Bandstands location, air days, duration, and content changed. The first book party was in November in where else? Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy, TheEncyclopedia Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. Frani Giordano is still loved by American Bandstand fans almost 60 years after she stopped going to the show in 1960. Norman and I met in January 1959 while standing outside of the studio waiting to get inside. The Seven-Year Itch: West Philly Loses American Bandstand Norman was born on January 18, 1944. This included dances the Bop, the Twist, the Jitterbug, and the Stroll. It was a local show Philadelphia, Jersey, the Lehigh Valley [Pennsylvania]. He said that when he was a kid, he would come in off the range every day and watch me on 'Bandstand.' And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be. Self - Interview 1 episode, 1965 . A storybook ending to a tale that began with American Bandstand, albeit 40 years ago. My husband and I met on a blind date and six months later on April 12, 1964 we were married. She acknowledges that some of the other girls she knew on the show were also gay. A case in point is Arlene Sullivan, a popular Regular who has described her own emerging lesbian sexual orientation, which she says was masked by her dance partnerships with boys. Clark suffered a heart attack while at St. John's. The A,B,C,'s of American Bandstand: Part 3 The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. The bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. 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. . [4] Ray Smith, Dancing on Air, in Arlene Sullivan, Ray Smith, and Sharon Sultan Cutler, eds.,Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963(Chicago: Cony Island Press, 2019), 35. You want to know about the guy! American Bandstand (1952-89) was a massively popular music television program with strong Philadelphia roots, storied national success, and the power to shape the music industry and society. Happy tears. , Puppy love American Bandstand (TV Series 1952-1989) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Fabian and Bobby Rydell Hang With American Bandstand Regulars - YouTube