who were the original dancers on american bandstand

Dick Clark Disgraced in Philadelphia, the 41-year-old Allison found employment at radio station at WWDC in Washington. Sun | T.G.I.F. The. Courtesy American Bandstand. For the other two looks, Sofia collaborated closely with her stylist, Liat Baruch, and Douchez to scour through Chanel couture shows of the past and choose the references that she loved. It was so incredibly special to wear her design during the most important time of my life, Sofia says. For example, Bernie Jacobs, the man who ran the modeling agency and set Steve Allison up with his accuser, also arranged modeling jobs for Lois, Horns accuser. It does not store any personal data. The sad truth, though, is that the kids who danced to the records appeared to be almost all white. Ill jump and, hey, I may even show em my handstand, because Im on the American Bandstand., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. You better believe Ill be there, Frees said of the Rock A Rama appearance. , a popular though controversial TV program targeted toward teenage consumers, marked Philadelphia as the national epicenter of pop music during its seven-year run at ABCs affiliated WFIL-TV at 4548 Market St. ABC-affiliate WFIL-TV at 4548 Market St. broadcast Dick Clarks, to a national audience of teenage consumers from 1957 to 1964., built 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. I knew when couples broke up. And when I heard a few words changed to my name, I thought it was so sweet of him to think of me and change my name like that. Weekday afternoons were spent with the kids in Philly, the kids on American Bandstand. Clark inherited WFILs local television showBandstand(1952-56) from the deejay Bob Horn, who proved that teenagers liked watching their peers dance. Prosecutors decided there werent strong enough grounds to indict the man for that, but Maxines story about what went on at the party triggered Philadelphia District Attorney Blancs investigation of sex involving radio and TV personalities. The Brady Bunch Kids ( Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, She was an attractive brunette who sat with Bob at a table in a small studio while engineers observed their behavior from behind glass. She has an uncanny way of getting to know people. Blanc had a love-hate relationship with show business, and even got personally involved in it. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Celebrities including Cameron Diaz, Benji Madden, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and Joel Madden descended upon the iconic hotel in the South of France for the whirlwind wedding weekend, which took both Instagram and TikTok by storm. In this climate, Philadelphias new district attorney decided to make sexual misconduct in broadcasting a public issue. Segregation such as seen on Bandstand during the late Fifties and early Sixties was characteristic of American society during that time, when separate but equal was still viewed as legitimate by many Americans., Black composer Leroy (After the Lights Go Down Low) Lovett is from an older generation and looks at things more benignly. Several wore miniskirts, others donned sneakers and pedal pushers. Then he was arrested and we never made the record. She, like Colella, finds it hard to believe that Horn had an affair with a teenage girl. It has always been a dream of mine to have Chanel design my wedding dress, Sofia says. With 37 continuous years on the air, this was the longest-running weekly popular music showcase TV program in the world. Clark looked like one of the kids. (Horn was 40 when he left Bandstand and Clark was a babyfaced 27.) Any place theres dancing, Ill still go, said Joe Fusco, who was 15 when he joined the This log was entered as evidence at Allsions trial, and it combined with a parade of civic leaders and city officials as character witnesses got Allison a not-guilty verdict. He picked his own employee, Bob Horn, and copied from WPEN the idea of teenagers in the studio. He also danced in a group called the Outrageous Waack Dancers with Daniel and Jody Watley. There were trysts of another Jacobs model and another WPEN announcer, and other girls had encounters with a publicist and a photographer, respected professionals who were in love with their wives and felt they were just having some harmless, job-related fun on the side. Allison differentiated himself from Bob Horn as a performer, saying he was not a disc-jockey but, instead, a man who discussed issues on the air. Management was so happy with Horns ratings that they let him choose whatever music he wished; he didnt need to shove those songs. Tony Mammarella had to calm them down. In July 1956, Dick Clark, a commercial pitchman and deejay with an unsullied reputation, inherited WFIL-TVsBandstandfrom scandal-tainted Bob Horn and revamped it for a national audience of teenage consumers as ABCsAmerican Bandstand, which first aired in August 1957. Allisons show also attracted a different type. To get in the studio, boys must be wearing a suit jacket and tie. I used to see Horn with the young girl, Lois, when she accompanied him to the station for his 11-to-midnight radio show. The ceremony started at 6 p.m., and the bride was escorted by her father down the aisle, which was lined with a clear glass marquee and adorned with an abundance of white and cream florals by Roni Floral Design. If we dont do something, theyll take over was the expressed fear. Most people around the station found him less than charming. Other deejays of that time, however, were more gracious than Horn. One dancing duo, Kenny and Arlene, became the biggest teen sensations ever to come out of the show. It has a fictional plot about the racial integration of a 1960s teen television dance program, and it reminds me of my own experiences surrounding Bandstand in the 1950s. 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 This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. On Thursday, for the first time in a quarter century, 27 of the original Bandstand dancers, including Joe, Kenny, Arlene, Carole, Flossie and Jim, reunited to rehearse their steps for a rock n roll celebration over Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. All the brides other jewelry pieces were by Fred Leighton. This show debuted on television from 2:45 to 5 p.m. on October 7, 1952. We would do dances like the slop, bop, slow drag and the grind, which originated in the black dance halls. Walter DeLegall, a black man who was a teenager then, said about the early days: I used to dance on the original Bandstand. Believe it or not, at that time the show looked like a black blue-light basement party because our crowd would take over the floor when we showed up. A generation later, courts began to rule that a woman has the right to say no at any point in a relationship. And the blacks were in the back and by the time we were about to get in, it was full. People would phone the station if they wanted to attend, and callers were told there was a six-month wait. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Horn developed a daily ritual of kids judging new records. WebFans have long wondered whatever became of Arlene and Kenny, Bob and Justine, Frani, Pat, Carole, Carmen, Frankie, Billy, Richie and so many more of those Regulars we loved. Horns radio program was called The Bob Horn Bandstand, which had a nice, alliterative sound. This model, a 17-year-old mother named Dorothy who was separated from her husband, later testified that the controversialist took her upstairs to the record library after he signed off his show and they performed sexual acts on each other. In the song originally sung by country music legend Kenny Rogers (1938-2020) and released in 1979, the real name of the Coward of the County is Tommy, though he is generally known by his nickname of Yellow. 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. Bow Wow Wow. According to show-business contemporaries of his, Horn was a free-swinging, hard-drinking man who smoked several packs of cigarettes a day. 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. All the photos from Horns last two years show nothing but white kids in the studio. But at one gathering, one guy didnt follow the rule and went all the way. Then I was ready to dance until the sun rose with my loved ones. With that in mind, the father of the bride performed two of his daughters favorite songs at the wedding. I never saw him drunk or rude or vulgar., Several of these men agree that they all were virgins then. 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), Allison then moved to California. Clipp called Grady and me to his office, Hurst related, and asked us to start in two weeks. Not nasty trouble. Now I only dance at weddings, said Carole, 42. Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI ), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. Horn would tell them that he wanted cases of whiskey, and named his brands. In 1950 WPEN moved into a modern new building at 2212 Walnut Street. Among notable guests appearing that first season, some making their television debuts, were: Paul Anka, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin, The Del-Vikings, The Diamonds, Buddy Holly, Johnny Mathis, Simon & Garfunkel ( Tom & Jerry), Andy Williams, Jackie Wilson, and others. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". But what did we know? says Colella. Ad Choices, 47 Best Mothers Day Gifts to Give Mom This Year, Where to Watch the 2023 Met Gala Livestream, Everything You Need to Know About the 2023 Met Gala, The 66 Best Met Gala Dress-Code Rejectors of All Time, The 31 Best Met Gala Beauty Looks of All Time, Kaia Gerber Steps Out In the Breakout Sneakers of Summer. Breakfast ended at around 11 a.m., and the group went straight into hair and makeup. So Horn, in a way, was the good guy who had no ethnic prejudice and who had blacks and whites in equal numbers in the early days of Bandstand. Other results: Some of the men were convicted of participating in unnatural sex. Others were charged with corrupting the morals of minors, but the judges in the majority of these cases decided that the men were dealing with girls who were already corrupted, so they either acquitted the men or gave them light punishment. He said If you care enough to want to go to my dances, Ill drive you., Jerry Blavat started coming to the show in 1953 when he was only 13. WebAmerican Bandstand Tidbits. Allison thought this decision was reprehensible and criticized Annenberg for it. I was so innocent that I thought they wouldnt stand in our way. Stanley J. WebBy the mid-1970s, moreover, American Bandstand ratings were in decline and faced a challenge from Soul Train. Walter Annenberg, who owned WFIL and the Philadelphia Inquirer and TV Guide, asked his station manager, Roger Clipp, in the summer of 1952 to try a dance program aimed at teenagers. The show would air immediately after school when kids were home without parental supervision. He asked for, and received, whiskey, cash and women from record-promotion men. A family member revealed that one day Horn felt so depressed that he put a pistol in his mouth and his wife had to talk him out of committing suicide. Consequently, black teens were in effect erased from the national youth culture that formed aroundAmerican Bandstand.. I went to Alan Freeds concerts at the Paramount and black kids didnt show up there either. Public high schools were more integrated , So Horn, in a way, was the good guy who had no ethnic prejudice and who had blacks and whites in equal numbers in the early days of, I used to dance on the original Bandstand. Believe it or not, at that time the show looked like a black blue-light basement party because our crowd would take over the floor when we showed up. Who were the original dancers on American Bandstand? They surprised me with balloons and all of my favorite breakfast foodswe were like giddy little girls getting excited for the day to come.. I imitated It was common for promo guys to give bottles of whiskey as Christmas gifts. Sofia collaborated closely with her stylist, Liat Baruch, and Madame Olivia Douchez, premire of haute couture salons at Chanel, to scour through couture shows of the past and choose the references that she loved. ! Sofia recalls being stunned. The dancers have aged, some have gained weight or grown mustaches, but they continue to follow whats hip in fashion and dance steps. Ill bet she knows more artists in the business than I do.. It was hysterical, Sofia says. They were more interested in stations that played r&b all the time, and they stopped coming by their own choice., Deejay Jerry Blavat says: Blacks didnt go to public music events. Once hair and makeup were done, it was off to the races. This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. He personally picked the kids to be on the committee by watching us dance and seeing how we got along with people. WebBy the shows 30th anniversary, almost 600,000 teenagers and 10,000 performers had appeared on the program. Allison said it never happened and Steves wife provided him with an alibi, consisting of a log she kept of his activities. Fusco, now 46, of south Philadelphia and Lis Braun of the Hot Foot Agency, a talent agency for dancers, cooked up the idea of bringing the gang together to dance, gossip and reminisce at the rock n roll event, called Rock A Rama. He had a wife and four children, aged 2 to 7, at home, but visiting them would require an almost-two-hour round-trip to come back for his 11 p.m. radio show, so he stayed in Philadelphia. Some blacks complained that these cards were sent mainly to all-white parochial schools, but I cant find evidence of that. It became integrated in 1957 because I elected to make it so, he was being outrageously simplistic. Dave Feldman also started coming in 1953. Allison and Horn were each acquitted, but neither one of them got their jobs back. It said that his guests that night were movie star Denise Darcel and crooner Johnny Desmond and that he went home immediately after the broadcast. Dick Clarks American Bandstand was the offspring of deejay Bob Horns Bandstand, which WFIL-TV broadcast daily from 1952-56 from a WFIL studio at 4548 Market St. 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. That didnt compare with what Horn was doing. From the first day, I established the most platonic of friendships with the kids. Record promoters, the men who came around and asked disc jockeys to spin their products, told me that he was more demanding of payola than anyone at any Philly station. Horn bragged to song-pluggers that he had to shove this music down the throats of station management, but he was unjustly trying to claim credit for himself. On one of those jobs Lois gave oral sex to one of the Allison crowd for $40 and on another job had sex with a man for a hundred dollars, all this when she was 15 and in the midst of her relationship with Horn. 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. He was going to cut a record with me singing on one side and my dance partner, Tom DeNoble, singing on the other side. It may not be the secret of my success but it sure as hell kept me out of a lot of trouble.. Horn was arrested for drunk-driving on June 21, 1956 and was suspended from his broadcasts, then was forced to resign. Theres a new kid working in the record library, he told his listeners, and listen to the junk he picked for me. Then Menefee came into the record room and said he hoped I wasnt angry with him for making me the butt of his joke. A similar program later went on the air in Baltimore, and that inspired a John Waters film and the stage musical Hairspray. Clarks daily afternoon program pioneered in musical television by showcasing a range of black and white pop music performers, including R&B, rock n roll, and country. WebAmerican Bandstand (1952-89) was a massively popular music television program with strong Philadelphia roots, storied national success, and the power to shape the music Kathleen Riley, who has been doing her hair for years, was on duty as well. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. These record-promo men knew of her, and got her into the station to meet Horn. One man, convicted and fined fifty dollars, went on to a career as a philanthropist and supporter of political candidates up to the 21st century. When I took over the programming of Menefees afternoon show in the summer of 1953, Menefee attacked me on the air. The original American Bandstand studio located at 4548 Market Street in Philadelphia, PA was entered into the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and in 1982 Dick Clark donated the original podium to the Smithsonian Institute, where it still resides. If he did that stuff he was accused of, we never knew about it.. Fusco developed the two-hour show with Braun, contacted the dancers and helped with the choreography. Dick Clark Hosted the show and introduced Billy Williams to sing ""I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter"" & The Chordettes to sing ""Just Between You and Me"" and for the 1st Time ""The Spotlight Dance"" for 2 dancing couples to a softer tune, ""Rate-A-Record"" where 2 It was an innocent time, says one of them. Peggy Waggoner Names talks about her experience: When I started dancing on, From 1965 to 1967 Dick Clark also produced a show called, A postscript was added a decade later in California. One singer who appeared on his show says Horn was a loud-mouth smart-ass with an appetite for girls. Other acquaintances use words like arrogant and self-centered. A big studio was on the ground floor, which WPEN used for the 950 Club in the afternoon and for Steve Allisons talk program at night, while the stations offices were on the second floor. Horn would tell them that he wanted, His career was brought down by a teenage girl, but she did. When he ran dances out-of-town he always made sure that each of us had rides to get there and back. American Bandstand, abbreviated AB, is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions that aired regularly from 1952 to 1989, [1] and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the program's producer. We were all in our pajamas and had a lot of fun and then that led into breakfast. Segregation such as seen on, Black composer Leroy (After the Lights Go Down Low) Lovett is from an older generation and looks at things more benignly. Our parents didnt teach us what was going on.. This is but one of the many bitter memories that I and many of the people that I grew up with have about, Henry Gordon said in 1995 as he looked at an old photo of the kids at, Anything that looks like a black face in this picture is probably a white face in the shadows. 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? Horn produced alibis for those dates and Horn got a break when the judge refused to allow testimony about any other times. Why did the station move so quickly to dump Horn? They This is what Clark said about Horn: He was a man in his late thirties, was heavyset with a double chin, long, narrow nose and greased-back black hair. The teenage committee administered the reservation list. Within the dress are subtle details, including an embroidered heart to represent the love that Elliot and I share, as well as a blue embroideredS&E on the inside of the dress above my heart. Sofia wanted to do something unique for her veil, so she worked with the Chanel team to create a glistening piece adorned with resin water droplets that sparkled when she walked. Cameraman Vince Gasbarro said: Horn was old-looking. 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. Family and friends stayed at the iconic Hotel du Cap in the South of France for the whirlwind wedding weekend, which began with a rehearsal dinner on Friday night. At the start, the set was a three-fold flat and the camera zoomed in to focus on a record player. WebThe Buddy Deane Show was a teen dance television show, created by Zvi Shoubin, hosted by Winston "Buddy" Deane (19242003), and aired on WJZ-TV (Channel 13), the then-ABC affiliate station in Baltimore from 1957 until 1964. Horn was kind and fatherly to these teenagers. 2023 Cond Nast. It seems curious that a public official needed to rent a private headquarters, but Blanc felt that some city officials, if they knew what he was doing, would tip off their friends who were being investigated. This soon became a potential explosive situation, so the studio created an admission system that required passes that were distributed prior to the day of the show. In this part of the story well see what Bob Horn did that ended his career and also caused the ABC network and its Philadelphia affiliate to ignore the 50th anniversary of the programs start. He was 30 when, Frank Spagnuola, a white Italian-American, was a, Bunny Gibson was a dancer on the show for two-and-a-half years in the mid-50s. In the course of his probe Blanc discovered connections between many disparate people. Theres an El stop there and we used to watch the kids line up. 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. I didnt know anyone who had sex. Among those to make early national appearances included Buddy Holly, James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, and Simon and Garfunkel. If Clipp couldnt get those people, he nevertheless could steal their format. 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 shouldnt dance on television, so they did it to rebel. Also, the closest school to the studio, geographically, was a Catholic one. 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. Just out of school, I was apprenticing in public relations under his tutelage.) The partygoers at Wordens place knew to stop short with Maxine when she attended, because of her strict rule. District Attorney Victor Blanc was a friend of my fathers who appeared to be intelligent and reasonable. One singer who appeared on his show says Horn was a loud-mouth smart-ass with an appetite for girls. Other acquaintances use words like arrogant and self-centered. ABC gave, Theres a dramatic difference between the description of Horn by his adult co-workers and what we hear from his teenage fans. After the indictment was announced, Adleman hastily wrote a press release to save the city from embarrassment. Dave Feldman, a, Catholic schools in those days were 99% white. It was filled with comedy. They've still got the moves, more than a half century later! Yet, as the third and fourth stories in this collection show, there was a downside toAmerican BandstandsPhiladelphia years., 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. When questioned as to why a married man would do this, Horn responded by saying that Lois knew many of his friends and drifted into the same pattern as I did. Jimmie Rodgers, first solo country superstar, the undisputed Father of Country Music. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. When Dick Clark found out about it he was furious and banished them from attending his show forever. At his trials, Horn said that he first met Lois when she came to his office at WFIL one evening in 1954 and after that he saw her frequently at the West Philadelphia restaurant where he ate dinner. For example, Bernie Jacobs, the man who ran the modeling agency and set Steve Allison up with his accuser, also arranged modeling jobs for Lois, Horns accuser. 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. When Horn was arrested for drunk-driving on June 21, 1956, hardly anyone aside from station staffers and music industry insiders knew about his sexual life, and it didnt come to light even then. 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. Bourgeois Tagg. For additional access to Steve Cohens writings on art, theater, music, books and travel, click here:https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/gehry/, To access Mr. Cohens web site, click here:http://theculturalcritic.com, Your email address will not be published. The DA spent considerable time and money on his probe, renting a center city storefront as an unmarked headquarters instead of using his own office in City Hall. Jerry Blavat, then a youngster on the committee, reports that he turned Horn on to Sh-Boom by The Chords, Little Darling by the Gladiolas and Earth Angel by The Penguins (all were black groups.) 5 What was the real name of the Coward of the County? The Tennessee senator had achieved national prominence when he waged a public crusade against crime bosses with televised hearings. Horn loved jazz, especially Dizzy Gillespie, Erroll Garner and Sarah Vaughan, and he produced Vaughans first Philadelphia concert. This went on for almost three years, sometimes in a radio studio while Horns records were spinning on the air. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. At my first fitting at the Chanel salons in Paris, I immediately envisioned the dress I wanted to get married in: a beautiful lace-embroidered halter gown with a long train. I found her to be a cheerful person, eager to please, up to a point. When Horns personal indiscretions led to his ouster from Bandstand in 1956, he was replaced by the more youthful, slimmer, squeaky clean Dick Clark. He said Name your salary. So we asked our station manager for a release and he said hed talk to the stations owner. Despite Horns risk-taking, his sexual activities would never have come to light if it werent for two outside factors. The program, starting in 1952, originally was simply named, Fortunately for the station, the clean-cut Dick Clark was on staff and able to take over. We stayed up laughing all night, she admits. Bobby Baritz, a little out of breath from a fast jitterbug, said he now runs a food and gift shop in New York City. They are true rock stars. Your email address will not be published. Stanley J. Horn ended his career working in Texas using a pseudonym. When Horn got busted, the teenagers were shocked. He died in 1968 at the age of 71. He says that he would have loved to see blacks in the studio, so I could learn their dance steps. So, when he went on TV, Bandstand was the obvious choice for a name. Soon after the show went on the air, Horn met a 13-year-old girl at the station and they began a sexual relationship. Bob was a PR pro who really knew how to spin a story. Valino was convicted of arranging an abortion and his singing career virtually ended. But some things still didnt change. One early photo shows the studio with an audience that was almost half black. showering and washing hair after cataract surgery, duval county court records, club seats dallas cowboys,

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