I went to Bandstand because I was gay and I was a misfit in my neighborhood. Sharon Sultan Cutler, of Chicago, talks about "Bandstand Diaries," the book she co-authored with Ray Smith and former American Bandstand participant Arlene Sullivan remembering the shows early days. Sullivan was raised in a rowhouse in a working-class neighborhood; we surmise from her writing that it was somewhere in Southwest Philly (she attended John Bartram High School), although Sullivan doesnt specify a home address. We sent some 15,000 fan letters each week. The followed the trend of solo (open) dancing started by Chubby Checker and The Twist. Some solo dances had animal names, for example, The Pony and The Monkey; others were named for motions, for example, The Mashed Potato and The Loco-Motion. Two of the biggest record hits of the early 1960s, both of which received a huge boost from airtime onAmerican Bandstand, were Dee Dee Sharps Mashed Potato Time and Freddy Cannons Palisades Park.8, YetAmerican Bandstandsseven-year stint in West Philadelphia was about to end. The Hand Jive. 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. Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan, Bunny Gibson and Eddie Kelly, Pat Molittieri, Carmen Jimenz, Joyce Shafer. Those "American Bandstand" days were the best for all of us teenagers who followed the program, the regulars, the dances, the performers, etc. .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. Broadcast icon Dick Clark, the longtime host of the influential "American Bandstand," has died, publicist Paul Shefrin said. She was 13 but lied about her age. We've received your submission. ", Songs she liked to dance to, Mrs. Spada wrote online in June 2010, included "Little Darlin'," "Sixteen Candles," "Tears on my Pillow," "Splish Splash," "Never on Sunday," and "Let's Do The Stroll.". 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. 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. The original "Bandstand," as it was called in 1952, was first hosted by deejay Bob Horn, who later was fired due to a drunk-driving conviction.. . H.E. These Regulars . 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. When he became a regular in 1959, Clark was only 30. As the books highlight, Ray Smith and Arlene Sullivan provided two thoughtful and unadornedBandstandmemoirs. In fact, she was "the first female car racer at Cecil County Drag Strip," according. Although the Regulars didnt perform in the South, Sullivans memory of a personal visit to Fort Worth, Texas, stuck with her: My friend Barbara [a fellow Regular] and I were visiting Barbaras friend there. He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. 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. "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. A Tribute to Bob Clayton | American Bandstand Diaries The Philly Years Ray first attended Bandstand in the summer of 1956. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. To the left youll find original pictures of some of the Regulars. Variety Shows Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram My mother thought I was nuts. This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. I met Joyce and Norman at the Steel Pier one summer and found them both to be so nice. News of Dick Clark's death hits 'Bandstand' regulars hard - Inquirer.com (Author information current at time of publication. He was 89 years old. . He was 82, and had suffered a heart attack while in a Santa Monica hospital for an outpatient procedure. About Us - American Bandstand Diaries The Philly Years Where The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. As two or three stations grab it off, you get less clearance, therefore you get less rating, and its an endless cycle. At the time, unless a broadcaster failed to report under-the-table income (federal income tax evasion), payola wasnt illegal in federal law. But . It originally aired as simply "Bandstand" in 1952, shot at WFIL-TV's studios in Philadelphia and airing locally. Joyce Shafer talks about herself and her dance partner, Norman Kerr, Norman was one of a kind, always making people laugh. He will never forget one of his first days on Bandstand. In 1960, he attended Penn State as an English major. Sullivans last appearance onAmerican Bandstandwas in 1960.7, In the early 1960s, a new collection of teen regulars succeeded Arlene Sullivans generation onAmerican Bandstandsdance floor. I started going out to straight clubs.. Talevski, Nick. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. Clark claimed that the affiliates got greedy and took the time back to put their own material on where they got 100 percent of the revenue. Clark "was very all-American, handsome, and nice, a father figure to us," she recalled. In 1964, he joined the National Guard and did basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The reality behind the scenes ofAmerican Bandstandwas quite different than what viewers saw on national television. This is the interview with Arlene, Kenny, Frank and Carole about their days on American Bandstand and their experiences with the Golden Boys. On the other hand, they had each other. . Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. 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). And, for me, the kids on Bandstand were all I aspired to be. Clark and producer Tony Mammorella (1924-1977) dubbed this group The Committee, led from 1954 to 1956 by future DJ Jerry Blavat (1940-2023). Another component of the show was its Rate-a-Record segmentwhere people evaluated a record on a scale of 35 to 98which originated the saying, Its got a good beat and you can dance to it. For this eras music industry, American Bandstand was arguably the most significant television venue in the country. 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. When she was 10 years old, the woman now known as Sharon Sultan Cutler would rush home from school in the town of East Meadow on Long Island in New York. I imitated all the dance steps, sometimes with the refrigerator door as a partner. Handbags - Formal Wear. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. American Bandstand - Home - Facebook 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. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. There were quite a few Regulars crossing over at that time. How to Be a SuperAger in The SuperAging Revolution, Jumble for Kids and Adults: Cartoons and Twins. The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. She also mentions a gay dancer who was pushed in the train tracks, and another who was dangled over an elevator shaft. Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. He had other irons in the fire. and they put a drinking cup in front of him and said, This is your cup, and youre the only one who will use this cup. One friend of mine was kicked out of the house.. ), Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. and other collectibiles . Several teens belonged to a select group of taste-making gatekeepers who helped monitor dress code and admission. American Bandstand Fundraiser Pictures, To my knowledge, no VHS tape of American Bandstand is commercially available. The Secret Gay Lives Of The "American Bandstand" Dancers 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. American Bandstand: West Philadelphia's Seven-Year Wonder 1957-1964 I was saddened to hear about Norman. 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 . We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines. 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. What they didnt know was that Arlene and several of the other female dancers, and most of the handsome teen boys, were gay. 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. Her partner Frank Spagnuola and her won 1st place in dance Cha Lypso contest and 2nd place in Jitterbug Contest . ", "I was shaking like a leaf," Colanero recalled. The dancers, as Teen wrote, were the "most famous unknowns on TV today. Still, American Bandstands Philadelphia years are recalled with particularly impassioned nostalgia. "It was in the original TV studio and it was amazing," says Cutler. "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. . 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), Jerry Lee Lewis (March 18, 1958), and Dion and the Belmonts (August 7, 1958). Mixed REGULARS Galleries. A storybook ending to a tale that began with American Bandstand, albeit 40 years ago. They werent playing football. He molded the image of the American teenager so America would accept rock-and-roll.". . However, musicians such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Sam Cooke all made national appearances on American Bandstand during the late 1950s. Don married Bunny. They were on the cover of "Dick Clark's American Bandstand " and have done many Documentaries R.I.P. Read the review. Click here to see some of your favorites back in action. Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956 to 1963 So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. In February 2020, it was announced that Henderson had contracted kidney cancer and opted not to receive treatment. 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. Bob's bio in Bandstand Diaries was very candid. Determined, Don got Bunnys number from one of the regulars and he met his dream girl. [1] John A. Jackson,American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock n Roll Empire(New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), chaps. Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. Hes a heckuva good dancer who does a mean jitterbug! 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. Titled "The Rise of the Salesman" and written by Smith, it captures the wildly successful and influential career of Clark from "American Bandstand" host to media mogul: "Dick Clark may not have known much about music, but he knew how to cultivate it, spread it, and make it work for the masses.". The show epitomized many important aspects of ever-evolving American popular culture: mass communication, popular music, youth culture, dance and fashion trends, as well as race and gender relationships. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory It was no secret. They were the squeaky-clean Kardashians of their era, and Bandstand could easily claim the title as the first reality show. Watch video clips of the American Bandstand dancers here. Not only was it extremely intelligent, but there was something moving about the mans story. Philadelphia. Most of us would love her to do a Spotlight Dance once again and tell us know how she is doing today. Rock Obituaries: Knocking on Heavens Door. But it was not easy on the mean streets of Philadelphia to be a Bandstand regular suspected of being gay. Henderson remained the chief newsreader for Australia's Channel 9 until finally announcing his retirement in 2002. . Classic TV Shows - Dick Clark's American Bandstand| FiftiesWeb Brancaccio says thats what attracted him to it. . 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. you could do in half time - the hop, the bop, and the stomp," she wrote. Don and Bunny had two daughters: Angel and Maria and four grandchildren: Lea & Christopher Di Vello, Alexis Karanzalis & Nicole Weiss. "After that, it was history.". Dick Clark gave her a committee card, which all Regulars had to have to get into the building. That really annoyed me, said Smith, Because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS., According to Brancaccio, Clark didnt want racial integration on his show either. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. I was SO mixed up., Today, Arlene Sullivan lives with a partner and, despite having suffered strokes, still loves to dance. (Test Pattern). I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. I knew when couples broke up. Oddly enough, I have never checked with the other Regulars to get their feedback. "When he saw me, he said, 'I knew I'd see you again,' with a smile on his face," Gibson recalled. She is a Marco Polo member of the Society of American Travel Writers, a past president of Virginia Professional Communicators and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. The followed the trend of solo ("open") dancing started by Chubby Checker and "The Twist.". She and her husband, Richard Spada, lived in Philadelphia and Lansdowne before moving to Newtown Square. We would roar, roll over with pain from laughing so hard. . There 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. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. Colanero danced from 1959 to 1961. Indeed. I was a preteen, which is to say, I was a teenage wannabe. At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. . He would dance on the show until early 1960. They were hurting him. Millions of kids from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills ran home from school every weekday to watch them dance, imitate their styles and fantasize about their lives. He said funeral services are pending. June Bouche on November 20, 2018 at 9:12 pm . Years later, when Clark was asked whether any of the dancers had died of AIDS, he stated that one had, Smith recalled. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. 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.. 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 The show stayed on the air until 1989. 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? 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. MEMORIALS - marshasvintage.com Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." It could happen, How Jimmy Stewart's war service affected 'It's a Wonderful Life', Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." We ended up spending weekends together when she came to New York and D.C. to perform We went to lunch together and had fun, but Annette had to rest and perform, so we didnt have time for anything else., Sullivan never felt like a superstar, even when the Regulars averaged 100 to 150 fan letters a day. Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. Read the review. LGBT identities were hidden on the shows dancefloor. He was 21 and she was 16. Id see these kids dancing and instinctively I knew I could fit in with them. 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. These Regulars went on to receive mail, have fan clubs, feature magazine articles and dancer contests just like the previous groups. Rock, Roll and Remember. Were goin hopin today 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. In her memoir forBandstand Diaries, she writes frankly and poignantly of her youthful struggle with her emerging identity as lesbian, a sexual orientation she would fully embrace as an adult. Sharon Sultan Cutler, of Chicago, talks about "Bandstand Diaries," the book she co-authored with Ray Smith and former American Bandstand participant Arlene Sullivan remembering the shows early days. Known for her perky personality, Pat Moliterri is credited with inventing the dance, the Hop, by combining elements of the Slop and the Bop.Sadly, Pat died in in the mid-seventies of a heart attack. Early in 1964, the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where it remained through its final season in 1989. I went to coffee shops, but I also hung out in Rittenhouse Square and so did many of the dancers. However, the couple will shortly be returning to Los Angeles, which will be their permanent residence. "He made me feel that if you want something in life, you have to be serious about it.". They werent playing basketball. 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. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. The rest, as they say, is history. Particularly during the shows prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. Unlike Smith, she expresses no animosity toward Clark. In March of 1970 we moved to New Jersey. He was 82. 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. They werent playing baseball they were DANCING. "He was the commander," Colanero said. California residents do not sell my data request. "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson.
Best Route To Avoid Washington Dc Traffic,
Dr Deanna Murphy Fertility Clinic,
Are Double Cylinder Deadbolts Legal In Massachusetts,
What Does It Mean When You Smell Honeysuckle,
Benihana San Juan, Puerto Rico,
Articles A