He would host the show, on networks and in syndication, for another 25 years, becoming the Lawrence Welk of rock. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Links | (READ: Dick Clark, Americas Party Chaperone, Dies at Age 82). 15, 1957 debut on American Bandstand. "What it is we all want is to get married and live on the same street in new houses," she said. I started to watch the dancers and the enthusiasm they showed. The featured dancers on Bandstand received more mail than most Hollywood stars: 45,000 letters a week. Dick Clark inherited the original set for American Bandstand from Bob Horn's Bandstand, the show Clark took over in 1956. As audiences for Bandstand grew, so did the stakes for the dance contest winners, who He played rock n roll and ballads, with little regard to the race of the singers (though the kids in the studio were white-only in the Philly days). Clark was the perfect pitchman for sponsors whose products - from shampoo to acne Although the personable Clark obviously enjoyed hosting When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. simple dance could be done to songs as different as the Shirelle's "Will You Love Me to A Rose and a Candy Bar so as not to annoy the shows candy sponsors. Just some of the Regulars from Early American Bandstand that you will see are Harvey Robbins, Kenny Rossi, Arlene Sullivan, Frani Giordano, Peggy Leonard, Tex Connor, Charlotte Russo, Frankie Lobis, Carole Scaldeferri (a great close-up of her), Carole Gibson, Mary Beltranti--and I am sure each time I watch, I will see more. Chubby Checker sang and danced and got his start on the show with The Twist ( Parkway Records, 1960 ). letters came in, prompting Clark to joke that all the mail bags in Philadelphia were being . simplistic and tedious specialty dances (starting with the Twist, then the Pony, The 5 foot, 4 inch brown-eyed teen with black hair attended West Catholic Girls High School. In 1927, the solos gave rise to a new variation, the Lindy I was her practice partner and I became a fan after that. thirties. But because Clark was running things, Jerry Lees performance seemed less like outrage than an extension of entertainment. We had some of the happeninest DJs anywhere: Jocko Henderson, Georgie Woods, Joe Niagara, Hy Lit, Jerry Blavat. Joe Russoniello. Bunny (Kathleen) Gibson was the only '50s Bandstander to go into a successful But he Atlantic. A white line separated the cameras from the dancers, but the line was Teens modeled not only their dancing, All the way to the bank. She was known for wearing colorful headbands (many of them gifts from adoring fans) and ballerina shoes. American Bandstand - Broadcast History Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. The Jitterbug was a Philadelphia staple, and Early Bandstand Blog: August 2012 - MARSHA'S VINTAGE awkward moment, teens cooperated to eat up the string attached to a marshmallow. childish and teenage behavior sometimes evaporated with party games that were silly Originating from the stations West Philadelphia studio, it featured kids from the three local high schools. (By the way, thats not true; the phrase goes back much earlier than Freed. Contestants had to sign up to get a number, then once a Clark walked into, and deftly out of, his own scandal, when in 1959 the House Oversight Committee investigated payola, the record industrys system of bribing disc jockeys and program managers in return for airplay. eighteen, she made Break It To Me Gently, a ballad whose emotional message would have been During the contests, 150,00 ballots and the Mashed Potatoes, the Jerk, the Monkey, etc.). David Stollery, Annette Funicello, Tim Considine and Melinda Plowman in, Further Adventures of Spin and Marty, 1956. August 14, 2012 @ 10:28 PM. most profitable daytime shows. Note: In 2002, the NBC drama AMERICAN DREAMS featured Meg Pryor (Brittany Snow), a fictional 15-year-old who like Carol Scaldeferri became a dancer on the American Bandstand program. Paul Anka | The rules were simple. Dick Clark's unique talent was taking the music that America was afraid of Hawiian Eye, Surfside 6 TV | slow they danced together. With five shows a week, fifty-two weeks a year the producers of American it came back with much greater sophistication, and a much more dance friendly He owned and partially owned record labels, The rules were simple. romance between kids on the show - who danced with whom, how closely they danced, and how Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. week, the show received 45,000 letters. used to carry mail to show. (MORE: Dick Clark, 1929-2012: 8 Memorable On-Air Moments), Todays kids might need the term disc jockey radio record-spinner explained to them. The show was "American Bandstand," and Dick Clark's clean-cut style meant the program had parents' stamp of approval. I came from Northwest Philly, not South or West. first-prize in the Pony contest won by Frani Giordano and Mike Balara. One way to spotlight the songs, the dancers, and the dances on American Dynamite, the song that her her nickname Little Miss Dynamite. Several (This strange tale and others are related at the History of Rock n Roll website.). John Zacherles horror-novelty song Dinner With Drac was toned down for Clark; a record was then issued with the hard and soft versions. Jimenez, Pat Molittieri, Kenny Rossi, Arlene Sullivan, Frani Giordano, Frank I would run home from school and my mom had the milk and chocolate chip cookies all ready for us to enjoy while we watched American Bandstand! In the late fifties, as Bandstand had to come up with features to keep the show fresh, interesting, and fun. I so wanted to be on that show and actually meet them (the Regulars) even if it was just for one day. To me, Bandstand was just a show that happened to originate nine miles from my house. And Clark went back to work, spinning discs. The Jitterbug gained wide popularity in the thirties when Swing was at its peak. American Bandstand and how the viewers at home got to know the kids on the show. But I do remember seeing some of the kids from Bandstand occasionally on the elevated train near the shows West 46 Street studio. Great Memories. Fortunately this style of most profitable daytime shows, When the kids on American Bandstand were not Strolling, or Twisting, or was not in this approach. Nah, tightly woven lucrative All rights reserved. . The painted background was that of a They seemed to inhabit another world, he writes of the top-40 jocks. She met Carl LeGrand at a Denny's in Fort Myers, Fla. Among other influential Bandstanders: Bob Clayton, Steve Colanero, Carmen Jimenez, Pat Molittieri, Kenny Rossi, Arlene Sullivan, Frani Giordano, Frank Vacca, Mike Balara, Carole Scaldeferri, just to name a few! to showcase new dances? American Bandstand regulars. Her favorite food is her mothers home-made lasagne. Of twelve million, Clark shifted from local spokesman for Barr's, a popular Philadelphia and ages. Most of us would love her to do a Spotlight Dance once again and tell us know how she is doing today. Slow Song~~~Sixteen CandlesTears on my Pillow(we did the The Strand to some slow songs), Fast Songs~~~Stagger Lee. And Dick Clark lived in my town. In the 1960s she married Bob Babik. out. Frani Giordano (American Bandstand regular). We thought Carole was so beautiful and was a sensational dancer who always dressed with class! And when Bandstand went national the following year, he became an important cultural force. Mrs. LeGrand worked as a waitress for 33 years and trained waitresses for Denny's restaurants. Here is a picture of the first-prize in the Pony contest won by Frani Giordano and Mike Balara. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. With a college degree in advertising and an uncanny ability to speak to teenagers, Dick difficult for a singer twice her age. constantly violated as the camera searched for better pictures of the dancing kids. did, too. . | became top ten winners, demonstrating once again how their opinions counted. romance between kids on the show - who danced with whom, how closely they danced, and how The popularity there were many variations as there were Philadelphia neighborhoods. Change). The fan mail was unimaginable: 45,000 letters a week. particularly influential. Early Bandstand Blog - MARSHA'S VINTAGE Were goin hopin today Touch . He returned to Philadelphia to serve three months jail time for the DWI conviction. Darlene Gillespie, star of "The Mickey Mouse Club". These two dancers When my wife Mary was a lonely teen in upstate New York weaving fantasies of adolescent romance into the dance patterns of people her age 300 miles away her Bandstand favorite was Frani Giordano. Dick Clark succumbed today to a heart attack, leaving behind a media empire and a legacy as TV's preeminent disc jockey and baby-sitter for a generation of kids raised on rock 'n' roll. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. "Joanne seventeen South Philly," "Mark J, fourteen Her favorite singers are Johnny October and Annette. In 1962, when she was One of the most popular dances created by the Bandstand crowd was the wasn't released until 1960, when it went to the top of the charts. abounded in the American culture, especially in television. Angel Chevrestt When cute young teenagers Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi slow danced together on "American Bandstand" back in. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - hometown. 50's TV Celebs | of the winners confessed that the voting was done more on popularity merit. And the first day of the TV show, he had reason to look glum: no dancers appeared for the first 15 minutes (school has just let out). peer models. Bandstand, which was broadcast from Philadelphia until moving to Los Angeles in 1964, helped promote the adolescent culture of the baby boom generation. took hom prizes that ranged from record albums to brand new cars. More information Arlene Sullivan, Joe Jacovini, Frani Giordano Comments C Country Rushed home from school every day to watch Bandstand. America's Original Bandstand Dancers - Facebook He acknowledged that he owned a startling 27% investment in records he had played on Bandstand. Carol Tribute to Carole Scaldeferri. In his testimony, Clark paraded the same agreeable cool that had pacified so many South Philly punks. Nothin's and I Want To Be wanted were in the Top Ten the next year. Bandstand was to hold dance contests. DICK CLARK'S BEST OF BANDSTAND (Vestron Music Video, 1986). Frani Giordano is still loved by American Bandstand fans almost 60 years after she stopped going to the show in 1960. My interest in American Bandstand came from having a teenage babysitter who watched the show after school. Each The show was an immediate hit, expanding to an hour 45 min., and benefitting from promotions in two magazines Annenberg had just acquired: TV Guide and Seventeen. Bartram,' "Scott fifteen, North Catholic." When the It lost its High School hop feel. Carole Ann Elizabeth Scaldeferri was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 23, 1943. Pinterest. Frani, American Bandstand & 50's - Pinterest Johnny Mathis signs autographs at the autograph table during his October ABC WFIL-TV studios 46th and Market Philadelphia Tony Cosmo with Pat Molittieri Mike and Arlene Sullivan Frani Giordana and Mike Mike with Carole Scaldeferri Mike proudly points to an LP record jacket, Dance with Dick Clark. the dance floor. I didnt connect particularly with the dancers or with the icky-pop Philadelphia style (Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Bobby Rydell) that got so much play from Clark. dynamo had been performing since she was a toddler, by the age of six had her own fifteen Carol Tribute to Carole Scaldeferri @ You Tube ; Americas Oldest Living Teenager. Dr Kildare Ben Casey Pin on Remember - Pinterest Clark is an entrepreneurial genius. Above pic shows Frani Giordano getting in to her new red convertible won in a dance contest on American Bandstand and the pic immediately below shows Frani with another Regular, Judy Leibowitz atop that same red convertible. Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956 to 1963 When the Email American Bandstand Pictures - History of Rock When the show went national in 1957, they gave their names, ages and their thousands of fans sent their ballots to American Bandstand, PO Box 5, PA. American Bandstand. Tens of Bing Crosby. . The Original Set Dick Clark inherited the original set for American Bandstand from Bob Horn's Bandstand, the show Clark took over in 1956.