Menefee was a curmudgeon on the air. Harris also made the films title more suggestive by changing it to Teenage Models, Inc. When Harris replaced the Kefauver footage with Blanc, he certainly didnt do it because Blanc had greater public recognition. One television precursor was the Paul Whiteman TV Teen Club, on WFIL and the ABC television network starting in 1949, which also showed kids dancing. The rest left to right are Barb Levick, Arlene DiPietro, Frani Giordano, and Janet Hamill. On the day that Allison was indicted, he was about to receive an award for public service from the City of Philadelphia. (I was in his office as he wrote it. Check out our american bandstand dancers selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Any place there's dancing, I'll still go, said Joe Fusco, who was 15 when he joined the show. Published 2003 in TotalTheater, copyright by Steve Cohen. She met Elvis backstage before the show! They enjoyed walks in the park , and going to the drive-in movies with Barbara Leveick and her boyfriend at the time. In 1963, American Bandstand, the popular Philadelphia-based TV dance show with Dick Clark, was still going strong, having been broadcast nationally since August 1957. By coincidence, it relocated to Los Angeles the same week in February 1964 that the Beatles flew to New York for their first appearance on Ed Sullivan. See details. They felt that if the show was perceived as a Negro show, white teenagers would stay away. I went to Alan Freeds concerts at the Paramount and black kids didnt show up there either. Happy 60th anniversary of the 4th anniversary of Bandstand going national! Ill bet she knows more artists in the business than I do.. The longstanding popular belief aboutAmerican Bandstand, promoted by Dick Clark in the later years of his career, is that the Philadelphia version of the show racially integrated the Studio B dancefloor and bleachers. #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #philadelphia #holiday #holidaygift #vintage, Bobbi Young appeared on Bandstand and American Bandstand from 1953-1958. Oral sex was labeled an unnatural act and people went to jail for doing it. Horn didnt act like a star, he says. He asked a bunch of us to be on a committee to act as examples to other teenagers, and he gave birthday cakes and Christmas gifts to all of us on the committee. The teenage committee administered the reservation list. Later that year they came in 2nd place for the Jitterbug Contest. A black man who grew up a few years after that is Thomas E. Kennedy: I grew up at 47th and Haverford, two city blocks from the studio. If he did that stuff he was accused of, we never knew about it.. stage to black R&B and rock n roll performers, he and his producers segregated the studios dance floor and white teenagers adapted black dances for white audiences. Horn was arrested for drunk-driving on June 21, 1956 and was suspended from his broadcasts, then was forced to resign. He kindly wrote a piece about his American Bandstand experience: being on the show, the Regulars and Dick Clark. Created by Chris Thompson and starring Bella Thorne and Zendaya, the show follows the adventures of CeCe Jones (Bella Thorne) and Rocky Blue (Zendaya) as they star as background dancers on a local show, Shake It Up Chicago. All Theater Tickets. Seven months after his first DUI incident, and just before he was to go on trial on the morals charges, Horn was charged again with drunk-driving when he sped his Cadillac the wrong way up a one-way street in North Philadelphia. It became a second home for me, an Italian-Jewish kid from a broken family in South Philly. At first, not knowing how to enter the show, she walked to the door the actors and singers used and announced to Bob the Cop, "I came here to dance." This is the link to the first part. But they werent there. When Dick Clark found out about it he was furious and banished them from attending his show forever. Some people have criticized Dick Clark for keeping blacks out, but clearly the policy was started by Horn, before Clark. Section ADULT Row GA. Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 3:00 PM (4/27/2023) All prices are listed per ticket. When we think back on #AmericanBandstand, the #DickClark years usually to mind. So if you got on the show once you were assured of returning, as long as they liked you, ahead of people who phoned in or wrote in. This site is maintained by American Bandstand Dancers Hal L. Landau, Linda D. Gonzales & Bunny Gibson And. Filmes Sries Pessoas Notcia. Not long thereafter, it began broadcasting taped shows . On the other hand, Blancs total and Blancs margin of victory was not anywhere near what his predecessor, Richardson Dilworth, had achieved in 1951. Horn said he went to her home once for a party. always with one foot firmly on the . 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. Show more. Everyone in the country knew Kefauvers smiling image; virtually no one knew the ordinary, middle-aged face of Vic Blanc. His demeanor was haughty. Hooks has a white father and black mother, while Montgomery is white. Vic Blanc became a judge, then resigned when he developed mental lapses which would today probably be labeled as Alzheimers disease. He says that he would have loved to see blacks in the studio, so I could learn their dance steps. In all, 27 men were arrested. He was going to cut a record with me singing on one side and my dance partner, Tom DeNoble, singing on the other side. Fortunately for the station, when Horn got in trouble the clean-cut Dick Clark was on staff and able to take over. In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience members rate songs. The Tennessee senator had achieved national prominence when he waged a public crusade against crime bosses with televised hearings. She met Elvis backstage before the show! Four months later, Horn was arrested on morals charges. Yet, as the third and fourth stories in this collection show, there was a downside toAmerican BandstandsPhiladelphia years. It was common for promo guys to give bottles of whiskey as Christmas gifts. Arlene and Kenny first danced to "Why Don't You Understand" by George Hamilton IV. Ill close with a personal reminiscence. After, he dated Big Ro for two years. This is a montage I created of one of my favorite dance . It was just his shtick. They both danced on American Bandstand from 1960-1963. Some of the Allison crowd got involved, also, with an aspiring model named Maxine Milder. I am not sure of girl on the far left--looks like Betty Romantini but not positive). 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. EN PT DE FR. One of the gifts from them was Lois. It was an innocent time, says one of them. 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. Mary Ann Colella Baker was a freshman at Hallahan Catholic High School who started attending in 1952 when Bandstand was new: Horn was a perfect gentleman, the nicest person, she says. 1,010 American Bandstand Dancers Premium High Res Photos Browse 1,010 american bandstand dancers stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Show me a guy who hasnt done that and Ill show you a queer.. Here are some of the most popular Regulars who danced on Dick Clark's American Bandstand beginning in 1957. Allison said it never happened and his wife provided him with an alibi, consisting of a log she kept of his activities. From 1965 to 1967 Dick Clark also produced a show called Shebang which spotlighted a Mexican-American regular, Manuel Acosta, who slow-danced with a blonde white girl named Lynn. #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #bobhorn #littlero #philadelphia #book #author, Known for her style and signature headbands, Carole Scaldeferri was a fashionista and beloved Regular on American Bandstand from 1957-1961. When Horns personal indiscretions led to his ouster from Bandstand in 1956, he was replaced by the more youthful, slimmer, squeaky clean Dick Clark. So, when he went on TV, Bandstand was the obvious choice for a name. Horn was from the old school, a radio announcer conversant with varied forms of music, from semi-classical to pop. Thursday evening?s Showtime.Matt + band ? Despite Horns risk-taking, his sexual activities would never have come to light if it werent for two outside factors. Mayor Dilworth and his administration had a reputation for honesty, but the citys officials did socialize with media people. One night he asked one of his models to put on something white, then introduced her to Allison. Easy, Secure, Fast Checkout. These kids invented new dance steps and made The Bunny Hop and The Bristol Stomp popular. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. But our Philadelphia program had a history of racial exclusion that was more complex and more interesting. Bunny Gibson 9:08, Frani Giordano, 15:23As mentioned in the video, Id like to give a huge thank you to Uncle George and @jthyme for getting me this rare clip. She liked to pose for photos the kind you could not take to your drugstore to get developed and she would do some other things, but would not allow sexual intercourse because she had a boyfriend and didnt want to cheat on him. www.bandstanddiaries.com #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #book #author #philadelphia, Charlette Russo danced on American Bandstand from 1955-1959. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Off-camera his personality was abrasive, egotistical and aggressive. American Bandstandbuilt a national youth culture around the pop music records Clark played on the show and the commercial products his sponsors targeted to this $9 billion consumer market. Courtesy American Bandstand. American Bandstand didn't just introduce the country to the latest rock-and-roll musicians, it had the nation on its feet with the latest dance crazes, such as the Pony, the Jitterbug, and the . When they started dancing on American Bandstand it would take them an hour to get to the studio by bus and train. This was also a time of day when ABC didnt feed any network product to the local stations, leaving WFIL with a time gap to fill locally. "My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. Please note the delivery estimate is greater than 19 business days. At the start, the set was a three-fold flat and the camera zoomed in to focus on a record player. They had four top 10 pop hits and "Don't Worry, Baby" was the B-side to their first #1 "I Get Around." With Clark, the program became more popular than ever. Disgraced in Philadelphia, the 41-year-old Allison found employment at radio station at WWDC in Washington. Hosted By Egyptian American Society - Bay Area. Horn was kind and fatherly to these teenagers. This part goes far beyond just one television program and concerns the entire entertainment and political communities. When I took over the programming of Menefees afternoon show in the summer of 1953, Menefee attacked me on the air. She says there would always be a long line. She has an uncanny way of getting to know people. So, you know, it was no big thing. University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, 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. The perfect way to visit San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was thought that he could bring some of his clients on board as advertisers. All Theater Tickets. While on the show he often danced with Susan Beltrante and Ivette Jimenez. In this climate, Philadelphias new district attorney decided to make sexual misconduct in broadcasting a public issue. Soon after the show went on the air, Horn met a 13-year-old girl at the station and they began a sexual relationship. 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. Dorothy she of the Allison incidents testified that she stripped and played a game called 69 with Wordens wife at Hound Dog Hill while guests took photos of the two of them together. For more on friendship read Bandstand Diaries: www.bandstanddiaries.com #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #bestfriends #nostalgia #fashion #book #vintage, Here is Anna Russo Bonanni who was one of the last Regulars who danced on Philadelphia's American Bandstand in 1963. Who did Bob Clayton marry? Horn became a radio personality at Phillys WIP, then moved to WFIL in 1951 because that station offered more money and because FIL had a sister TV station (part of the ABC network) and Horn hoped for a future on television. Blanc boasted that he had smashed the ring in local aspects and the FBI would clean up the interstate angles. Allison thought this decision was reprehensible and criticized Annenberg for it. Horn asked his dancers to recommend new songs. When Horn admitted that he knew her, Annenberg ordered him to resign from the station. 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. But he was an ambitious politician. Race and American Bandstand, The Seven-Year Itch: West Philly Loses American Bandstand, Report accessibility issues and request help. Get tickets cheap, fast, and easy, with no service fees and a 100% money back guarantee. Dance Tickets Family Tickets Cirque Tickets Other Tickets. Thats not what we experienced.. A similar program later went on the air in Baltimore, and that inspired a John Waters film and the stage musical Hairspray. Black kids from Overbrook High would come also. I was asked to be a character witness at his trial and I testified that he never tried anything with us. To discredit Loiss reputation, the defense produced a man, with no connection to Horn, who testified that Lois once accepted money to have sex with him. Blancs sting operation was hush-hush except for the private phone call that Blanc made to his friend at WFIL, towards the end of the investigation, to alert him to the Bob Horn problem. The following year, ABC television picked up and renamed the show. 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 shouldn't dance on television, so they did it to rebel." Also, the closest school to the studio, geographically, was a Catholic one. I was so innocent that I thought they wouldnt stand in our way. Peggy Waggoner Names talks about her experience: When I started dancing on American Bandstand in 1965, blacks and whites could dance, but not as couples. Management was so happy with Horns ratings that they let him choose whatever music he wished; he didnt need to shove those songs. Her notes said that his guests that night were movie star Denise Darcel and crooner Johnny Desmond and that he went home immediately after the broadcast. PT. Clark inherited WFIL's local television show Bandstand (1952-56) from the deejay Bob Horn, who proved that teenagers liked watching their peers dance. Classic - My Photos Mix Photo. The English Beat 1983 1 On American Bandstand Old Tv Music Photo. I never saw him drunk or rude or vulgar., Several of these men agree that they all were virgins then. #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #edkelly #dickclark #nostalgia #book, Here are Marilyn Brown and Diane Iaquinto. A postscript was added a decade later in California. When cute young teenagers Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi slow danced together on "American Bandstand" back in the late '50s and early '60s, kids across the country swooned. I know there are a lot of American Bandstand fans that will be very excited to see this. They wrote thousands of Shake It Up (sometimes stylized as Shake It Up!) That belief is persuasively challenged by recent scholarship:American BandstandThe Philadelphia Way not only excluded black teens from the show but also represented black dances as having originated on the show with its white dancers. Philadelphia American Bandstand Regular Billy Cook shows us his style of the Fast Dance as it was called on Bandstand/American Bandstand (Jitterbug/Lindy Hop) as done on Bandstand in the early days of its Philadelphia years. But soon WFIL built the set that became famous, which is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution, simulating a corner of a music store. Teenagers and young adults ran home from school to watch them jitterbug and stroll while they copied their fashions, fads and dance moves. This system permitted the show to legally turn away anyone without the pass while at the same time maintain the lily white studio audience since the passes were only distributed at the all-white West Catholic High School For Boys and the all-white West Catholic High School For Girls. The event will be re-scheduled later, his press release said. They were some of the most famous kids in America, dancing every day on "American Bandstand." "We were like miniature rock 'n' roll stars. He has remained friends with many Regulars. "Little Ro" danced from 1953-1958. Dance Tickets Family Tickets Cirque Tickets Other Tickets. In 1951 Ed Sullivan was so consumed with anti-Communist zeal that he wrote a lengthy accusation of choreographer Jerome Robbins for supporting the Commie cause. Sullivans home paper, the New York Daily News, thought the article was too angry and too personal and refused to run it, but the Philadelphia Inquirer published it on page one. Frani was good friends with Pat Molittieri. Consequently, black teens were in effect erased from the national youth culture that formed aroundAmerican Bandstand. Horn described his custom 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. ~ courtesy Bonnie, Justine, Pat and Carole #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #regulars #television #vintage. After you got a committee card you didnt have to wait in line to get into the show. His 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. radio show took place in a club-like setting where food and drinks were served, so it was a magnet for playboys, for girls who wanted to taste show biz glamour, and men who wanted to arrange introductions and get some action. Once or twice on each program, Horn would intone: Weve got company and a recording artist would appear on the set to lip-synch to his or her record. But Dorothy provided some shocking testimony, saying that she and Allison repeated their sexual acts on several other nights, and that he once asked her to drink some water and try to urinate on him. Eventually AmericanBandstand deserted Philadelphia and moved three thousand miles away. 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. Available at http://www.bandstanddiaries.com and Amazon. When you place those new singers alongside older ones like Etta James, Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler, you see a substantial list of black artists.