american bandstand regulars who have died

I met Joyce and Norman at the Steel Pier one summer and found them both to be so nice. ), Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. She would gobble down some cookies and milk and turn on the TV. The show was American Bandstand, and Dick Clarks clean-cut style meant the program had parents stamp of approval. This is the interview with Arlene, Kenny, Frank and Carole about their days on American Bandstand and their experiences with the Golden Boys. 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.. . They were hurting him. We call him Namron and yes, if you spell his name backwards it spells, Norman. 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. In March of 1970 we moved to New Jersey. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. 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. Clark suffered a heart attack while at St. John's. Clark was known for integrating his audiences as well as his performers unusual in the late 50s. Special Features: "If you got in front of the camera too much, he'd call you back and tell you to circulate. My mother thought I was nuts. 1 (2012): 89-113. And whereas 135 ABC-affiliated stations carriedAmerican Bandstandon a revenue-sharing basis in 1960, the stations were bailing out of this relationship in 1963. But most have fond memories of their short time in the spotlight and of its lingering effect. . From 1963 to 1987 Bandstand was on only once a week, on Saturday. [2] Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Paylola and Sponsorship Identification, Federal Communications Act, Amendments, 1960. Early in 1964, the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where it remained through its final season in 1989. "I loved those kids," she says now, living with her husband on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. (7/21/2011) I just received this from Bunny Gibson and certainly thought it was appropriate to mention here: Anna Russo, formerly Anna Banani, went to American Bandstand 1963 until AB left Philly for Los Angeles, lost both of her legs to diabetes and is in need. The soft, almost cooed vocals of singer Katie Haley bring a pop veneer. Not only was it extremely intelligent, but there was something moving about the mans story. (noted 9/12/21) . I knew when couples broke up. . Carole made the world a better place," Gibson wrote on a Facebook page called America's Original Bandstand Dancers. West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Jersey you learned the different styles of the same dances., The Regulars did the Pony, Jitterbug, Calypso, Cha-cha and a slow dance that she says wasnt exactly a waltz: The kids didnt stand in one spot. ", 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.". I went to Bandstand because I was gay and I was a misfit in my neighborhood. He said funeral services are pending. He had other irons in the fire. We were like sisters. e9 = new Object(); The History of American Bandstand. The 1960 amendments to the 1934 Federal Communications Act put heavy constraints on payola, requiring full public disclosure when a record company or its agent pays a broadcaster to play records on the air. The 1960 amendments criminalized any action that breached the disclosure rule. While occasionally black teens were allowed into the studio, they were generally boys. In their new self-published memoirs Bandstand Diaries, series regulars Arlene Sullivan, Ray Smith, and Sharon Sultan Cutler reveal that though fans loved to gossip and fantasize about the shows heterosexual pairings, many of their favorites were young gay men and women putting on a show for the cameras. We followed their dance steps on TV and their personal lives in Teen magazines. Arguably, American Bandstand both contributed to racial integration and supported racial segregation. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE The rest, as they say, is history. Years later, when Clark was asked whether any of the dancers had died of AIDS, he stated that one had, Smith recalled. "He presented himself as such a grown-up.". So Bandstand really did change her life in many ways. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. In 1960, he attended Penn State as an English major. Fifty years later, Bandstand fan Sharon Sultan Cutler wondered what had become of the Regulars, the name given to the teens that showed up daily to dance. After working in insurance in Philadelphia, and studying acting and dance, Ray moved to New York City . We were like sisters. In order to help establish a clean-cut image for the show, guys were required to wear ties with suit jackets or sweaters, while girls dressed in good taste, for example a high-cut blouse with a dress or skirt. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. It was no secret. Where things are poppin'(Pop!) , True love Some solo dances had animal names, for example, "The Pony" and "The Monkey"; others were named for . NEW PAGE! I was trying to hit them over their heads with my pocketbook, but they just wouldnt give up. Barbara finally came back and said I had to come to the front because the back was only for colored people. He retained his youthful looks through the 1980s, burnishing his reputation as Americas Oldest Living Teenager. Dick Clark died at age 82 in Santa Monica. EARLY BANDSTAND FASHIONS. Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. Norman had a very, very unique sense of humor, which made him so popular with all that knew him. Sullivan and the other dancers often congregated in Rittenhouse Square, the historic epicenter of what is known as the City of Brotherly Loves Gayborhood. There even was chatter and fear that Clark, who died at 82 in 2012, sent members of his production staff to spy on them and report back the names of the suspected gay regulars. 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. In its later years the show was challenged by the diversifying tastes of fragmented audiences. I knew all their names. 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.. 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. "We all did. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? Mickey Mouse Club Watch video clips of the American Bandstand dancers here. We have lived in NJ ever since. Goes from a daily to a weekly Saturday show in Philadelphia: 9/7/1963, Broadcast from Los Angeles: Begins 2/8/1964, Produced by Anthony Tony Mammarella and Dick Clark, Dick Clark Host Thanks for contacting us. It was shot live from Studio B at Forty-Sixth and and Market Streets, where the two-and-a-half-hour show was broadcast regionally on WFIL-TV Channel 6. 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. We would roar, roll over with pain from laughing so hard. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Another time, a dancer was thrown onto the subway tracks. View Our Classic TV Shows Directory He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. 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? American Bandstandsrelegation to a weekly schedule stripped it of much of its power as a potential hit song exposer, writes the music historian John Jackson. Norman passed away on December 6, 1990. On all the music they play On the Bandstand.! Back in July, I received a most endearing email from Duke which told of his experiences in life. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune). She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. ", "I was shaking like a leaf," Colanero recalled. Yes, yes, I know. Rock, Roll and Remember. We may earn a commission from links on this page. I will be working on a mult-pictorial page for Bob. May, 1961. Nicholas Fiorentino, 67, a South Philly native now living in Cherry Hill, said it was clear even to Bandstand teenagers that Clark was going places. 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. Words by Barry Manilow and Bruse Sussman, Were goin hoppin (Hop!) He spoke of his youth, of Bandstand and his favorite gal, Bunny. 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." Handbags - Formal Wear. Menu. These experienced Regulars considered an infrequent participant or a first time visitor an amateur. I wonder what they would have thought about a kid in TV Land, practicing the new steps in front of her bedroom mirror and praying to God her little brother didnt catch her at it. But it was obvious to the teen dancers that he was set on a trajectory that would take him far from Studio B in West Philly. Its original host was fired after a DWI arrest and in July 1956 a young radio DJ took over. In 1989, Clark, aged 59, retired fromAmerica Bandstand, and the show ended that year. The show also incorporated appearances by acts like Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, and Connie Francis, who would lip-sync performances. He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. Several teens belonged to a select group of taste-making gatekeepers who helped monitor dress code and admission. The dark-complexioned, wavy-haired Sullivan6bolstered American Bandstands image as a show dominated by Italian-American teens. The followed the trend of solo ("open") dancing started by Chubby Checker and "The Twist.". Known then as Carole Scaldeferri, Mrs. Spada was among the teens who jitterbugged and slow-danced their way to fame in a TV studio in Philadelphia, while host Dick Clark spun what are now oldies. 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. 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 They married during her Thanksgiving vacation from Northeast High School. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. Or sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers! ), Lew Klein papers and Evening Bulletin Photographs Collection, Special Collections Research Center of Temple University Libraries, Charles Library, Eye to Eye: American Bandstand (CBS News, YouTube), Interview with Lew Klein, executive producer of American Bandstand (Temple University Television), Lesson Plan: A New "Twist" on Race Relations (ExplorePaHistory.com). JUSTINE AND BOB. A storybook ending to a tale that began with American Bandstand, albeit 40 years ago. 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 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.

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