"He made sure the guys wore suits and we were dressed properly. The Hand Jive. 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. REGULARS Gallery 3. . . In a nice way, he'd discipline us.". 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.. Remember hurrying from school in the 50's and turning on that old black and white tv at 4'oclock to watch all those kids dance on "American Bandstand" live from Philadelphia, The show first began as a local program in the cramped quarters of Studio B at WFIL Tv channel 6 at 46th and Market streets in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. We may earn a commission from links on this page. , True love I think after several decades he actually believed the myth. They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. To the left youll find original pictures of some of the Regulars. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. ", A musical about the 'Miracle' Cubs? 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.. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. 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. 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. Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan, Bunny Gibson and Eddie Kelly, Pat Molittieri, Carmen Jimenz, Joyce Shafer. 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. In March of 1970 we moved to New Jersey. Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram, Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back, (Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Yes, yes, I know. I kissed a girl, and I liked it! Sullivan, now 74 and long out of the closet, reveals in a fascinating self-published book, Bandstand Diaries billed as The Book Youve Waited Over 50 Years to Read!. Bob Horn Host (Bob Horns Bandstand), Bandstand Boogie Brian Henderson The Executives Bill & Boyd 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. 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. Early in 1964, the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where it remained through its final season in 1989. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. ofGreaterPhiladelphia. Most of us would love her to do a Spotlight Dance once again and tell us know how she is doing today. One older brother survives Norman. The Twist the first dance to come out where people danced separately and the Monkey and Jerk came out after Id left.. It was horrible.. That really annoyed me because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS, Smith said. New York: Ballantine, 1985. //-->. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. I started going out to straight clubs.. Fundraiser for the renovation of the original American Bandstand Studio Floor The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. http://dickclark.com The show was moved to Los Angeles in 1964. Indeed. And he has the one criteria required to attract Bunny Gibson. love your blog keep up the great articles , G.R. 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. He was 21 and she was 16. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. Rock Obituaries: Knocking on Heavens Door. As Sullivan puts it: The boys danced. [Clark] was a cool professional with an agenda from the beginning, an agenda for success that made him rich; he was a millionaire by the end of the 1950s. 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. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. Carol Highsmith, photographer, Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. KENNY AND ARLENE. e9.size = "300x250"; Anna Russo, 2800 North 7th Street, Apt. . putting buyers and sellers in touch with auction houses who have set worlds record.contact auctionmarketnews@yahoo.com with your Auction dates,want lists ,prices realized. In fact, it was dangerous. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. I had asked Norman to dance when it was a ladies choice. American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. Who died from American Bandstand? He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. "When he saw me, he said, 'I knew I'd see you again,' with a smile on his face," Gibson recalled. They were on the cover of "Dick Clark's American Bandstand " and have done many Documentaries R.I.P. It was no secret. One chapter in the book, "Tributes to the Regulars," features short sketches of some of those dancers who have died. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. I have a Champion Samoyed show dog. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory But he vividly recalls that one of his fellow gay dancers was thrown onto the El tracks outside the studio, and another popular regular who was gay and often danced with Sullivan was dangled over an elevator shaft.. Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." But Sullivan, who lives in New Jersey, did trust her, agreed to collaborate on the book and paved the way to meet and interview dozens of other regulars who once were dancing kids. TV Ratings - US & UK, Quiz Shows Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. 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 Im sure shell be thrilled to hear well wishes and from Bandstand friends and fans and donations would help her a lot. We elevated them into celebrities. 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. She acknowledges that some of the other girls she knew on the show were also gay. The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Rock%20%27n%27%20Rock%20West%20Coast%20.jpg, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Bandstand%20historical%20marker%20%281%20of%201%29.jpg, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/National%20Register%20of%20Historic%20Places.JPG, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Bandstand%20Regulars%20Marker.jpg, https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/Rock%20and%20Roll%20Hall%20of%20Fame.jpg, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, American Bandstand: West Philadelphia's Seven-Year Wonder 1957-1964, American Bandstand, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Starting Local: WFIL-TV, Bob Horn, and Philadelphia's Bandstand, Going National: Dick Clark and ABC's American Bandstand, Whose Music, Whose Dances? (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. Writes Sullivan in the book, "A few years ago at a fancy party on Fifth Avenue in New York, a man in a tux in his late sixties came over and told me he grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. A funeral director in Newtown Square confirmed Monday night that Mrs. Spada had died, but declined to divulge the details before meeting with her family. . The TV exposure, plus the profiles some of the dancers were given in Teen magazine in the late 1950s, made them instant celebrities. While Bandstand fans across the country imagined a true romantic relationship between Sullivan, who secretly liked girls, and her on-screen companion, Rossi, who was straight, she says it was little more than made-for-TV puppy love. We were the first reality show, she adds. and other collectibiles . To many of you, it was about the music and the artists. (Author information current at time of publication. Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy, TheEncyclopedia . They wrote. He discussed his brief stay in Hollywood trying to become an actor after he and Justine Carrelli cut a 45 rpm record together. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. On December 27 Bunny Gibson, American Bandstand Regular from 1959-1962, married Duke Tirschel in Chattanooga , Tennessee. Clark joined Bandstand in 1956 and moved with the show to Hollywood in 1964. Like Smith, she believes that if her true sexual preference and that of others on the show had become public in the days before Stonewall and todays LGBT power, Bandstand would have been taken off the air. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. I think [the shows success] even surprised Dick Clark.. First called Bandstand, the program premiered October 6, 1952, hosted by Philadelphia radio DJ Bob Horn (1916-66). First called Bandstand, the program premiered October 6, 1952, hosted by Philadelphia radio DJ Bob Horn (1916-66). He said funeral services are pending. However, advertisers do to enable personalized ads. But . When ABC picked the show up, it was renamed American Bandstand, airing its first national show on August 5, 1957. American Bandstand only allowed dancers from 14 to 18. REGULARS Gallery 1. Lowell. I started going out to straight clubs.. Filled with 700-some photographs, both old and new, it is handsomely designed and co-written with Ray Smith, who danced on the show for a short time, and Arlene Sullivan, who became one of the stars of the show, with her own international fan club for a time. Five-foot-two, brown-eyed, brown-haired Arlene and handsome Kenny, a year younger, were among the TV music shows elite, its stars, the vaunted regulars along with another couple often on camera pert, blond Justine Carrelli and suave Bob Clayton. Rachel Fuda and Dolores Catania Get Honest About What It Takes to Look Like a Housewife, JoJo Says Theres Definitely Parallels Between Her and, Mica Burton's Rebellion Against Her Dad, LeVar Burton, Was Being a 'Star Wars' Fan, 50% Off Pet Items for Amazon Pet Day - Starting Now, Rachel Fuda and Dolores Catania Get Honest About What It Takes to Look Like a 'Real Housewife'. And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be. Broadcast only on Saturdays after 1963, American Bandstand lost the homegrown vitality of the daily program in West Philadelphia. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. 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. She says she never had a crush on a straight dancer, and was close friends with celebrity guest Annette Funicello. 10/7/1957 9/5/1987 ABC 60 minutes He was 89 years old. . The show also incorporated appearances by acts like Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, and Connie Francis, who would lip-sync performances. The show, hosted by Dick Clark, sounds like it was both a community of welcome amongst the teens and a repressive construct from higher ups. Mickey Mouse Club The program that preceded Dick Clarks American Bandstand at WFIL-TV was deejay Bob Horns locally popular Bandstand. The rest, as they say, is history. They werent playing basketball. She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. Being featured on the show all but guaranteed a spike in popularity; even before it moved to a national platform American Bandstand offered a remarkably large audience base for musicians, often generating national popular demand for a new group or single. But this one was different. Oddly enough, I have never checked with the other Regulars to get their feedback. OnAmerican Bandstandsdance floor, Sullivan was first partnered famously with Kenny Rossi (1957-58), a multitalented Italian-American student at West Catholic Boys High School, and such was her national popularity that her fan mail eventually totaled some 500 letters weekly. "My heart hurts," said Gibson, a regular from 1959 to 1961. This site is not endorsed by or associated with dick clark productions, inc. or its family of companies. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. "He made me feel that if you want something in life, you have to be serious about it.". In other parts of the country, if you were a gay kid growing up, you were probably the only one in town who was gay, Sullivan said. In 1960, he attended Penn State as an English major. Throughout its run the show featured various types of popular music, such as rock-and-roll, R&B, Motown, British rock, psychedelic rock, disco, new wave, and more. I was truly blessed in my life with wonderful family, friends and fans. He held nothing back. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. By clicking Consent you are authorizing advertisers to collect information to personalize the ads you see. Jerry Lee Lewis was the first guest on the national show and it would over the decades feature the TV debuts of such stars as Prince, the Jackson 5, Aerosmith, Sonny and Cher and dozens of other performers.
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