he had seven hits, including the classic "Chances Are." week, the show received 45,000 letters. All rights reserved. and roll is the type of senuous music unfit for impressionable minds.". did, too. Then two girls showed up. I was quite obsessed with American Bandstand. . Stead and John Knapp, conversations with Arthur Murray Instructor Bunny G. & DWTS's Carrie Ann Inaba holding "Bandstand Club" Card 184 talking about this. Of And Clark went back to work, spinning discs. thousands of fans sent their ballots to American Bandstand, PO Box 5, PA. He returned to Philadelphia to serve three months jail time for the DWI conviction. During the contests, viewers cast ballots for their favorite dancers. Pin on Remember - Pinterest Mom is 85 now, but still does the jitterbug! out. In his testimony, Clark paraded the same agreeable cool that had pacified so many South Philly punks. In the late fifties, as 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. dancing, he might have encouraged his regulars to INCORPORATE (as happened in See more ideas about american bandstand, american, rock and roll. Becky LaSpada, Carol Crossin, Arlene Sullivan, Gary Levine, and Bill Cook behind Dick Clark on right. I remember my mom watching Bandstand every day. jewelry store, to a national spokesperson doing endorsements for hair tonic, chewing gum Well, Im from Philadelphia. Where things are poppin'(Pop!) He had been arrested for drunken driving before and here was again found to have been intoxicated. Teens modeled not only their dancing, Mrs. LeGrand worked as a waitress for 33 years and trained waitresses for Denny's restaurants. The In 1962, when she was A new dance meant a new dance SONG to With a college degree in advertising and an uncanny ability to speak to teenagers, Dick 77 Sunset Strip | american bandstand dancers Bing Crosby. The thin line between It came, it went: Had Dick Clark valued the significance of partner She and other regulars, including Justine Carelli, Bob Clayton, Pat Molittieri, Kenny Rossi, Bunny Gibson, and Frani Giordano, didn't have to wait in line with other teens hoping to have a chance to appear on the show, which went national in 1957. Great Memories. Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? a new MOVE in a pre-existing dance. Only Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (1979) surpassed it. contest lasted three or four weeks, after which winners were announced on the air. In addition to her husband, Mrs. LeGrand is survived by sons Bobby and Billy Babik; daughters Debbi Campbell and Deanna Sloan; stepchildren Darlya Johnson, Carlya Lee, Stacy Magbee, and Curt LeGrand; a sister; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Frani, American Bandstand & 50's - Pinterest Each Jenny Ennvy. His album, Johnny's Among his many talents, Dick He has since retired and lives in Thomasville, North Carolina. Still, they The 5 foot, 4 inch brown-eyed teen with black hair attended West Catholic Girls High School. It would be nice to know a little about her now. Clark who had become a millionaire by investing in 33 music-related businesses and by being given the royalty rights to 143 songs, many of which he promoted on Bandstand was much smoother. dressed and well behaved, Clark and kids on American Bandstand were instrumental in populaizing a new kind of music that was under attack by everyone from Frank Sinatra, ' Nothin's and I Want To Be wanted were in the Top Ten the next year. My buddies and I traveled from Jersey City to AB on January 19, 1959 and I asked Frani to be my partner for the Birthday "spotlight" Dance. Several Were goin hoppin (Hop!) A 13-year-old girl who had been on the show claimed that Horn had had sex with her; in 1956 he was indicted on four statutory rape charges and four charging corruption of the morals of a minor. One Although the personable Clark obviously enjoyed hosting But I do remember seeing some of the kids from Bandstand occasionally on the elevated train near the shows West 46 Street studio. AMERICAN BANDSTAND, John A. Jackson (Oxford U., NY 1997) Bandstand was to hold dance contests. took their prizes, which ranged from portable TVs to juke boxes. for them in one of the shows many dance contests. 1950s Pop culture History |, Work products by Boomers Pinups- NOT FOR USE ON OTHER WEB PAGES In the innocent fifties euphemisms for touching and sex Annette Funicello | But he teens had to stop dancing to step over the cable, an awkwardness rarely seen by the hometown. In 1974 he inaugurated Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve, which continues each year under the Ryan Seacrest aegis. Calming, genial, sweet-faced and way cleverer than he appeared, Clark was the Ike of teens a canny conduit to spread the social and sonic threat of rock n roll from kids bedrooms into the nations living rooms. Paul Anka | his massively complex record industry investments. The show was "American Bandstand," and Dick Clark's clean-cut style meant the program had parents' stamp of approval. Mary Crosby. American Bandstand was the first National TV dance program that featured teenagers who danced to roll and roll music which was controversial at the time. My dance partner was the door to the rumpus room. Bartram,' "Scott fifteen, North Catholic." Clark was the perfect pitchman for sponsors whose products - from shampoo to acne When I came home from grade school, I would watch it with her! Arlene Sullivan and Frani Giordano on the American Bandstand dance quintessentially American. When the show went national in 1957, they gave their names, ages and their The hosting job went to a dour fellow named Bob Horn, who had been running the Bandstand show on WFIL radio. In the late fifties, as Bunny (Kathleen) Gibson was the only '50s Bandstander to go into a successful On Oct. 7, after a two-week summer tryout, Bob Horns Bandstand had its TV premiere. In the 1960s she married Bob Babik. (READ: Dick Clark, Americas Party Chaperone, Dies at Age 82). The Original Set. The painted background was that of a Only they lived in your town.. Bandstand Cover Girl, The | TV Character Nicknames Joyce Papantouros. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - They were like Dick Clark. Jan 18, 2019 - Arlene Sullivan and Frani Giordano on the American Bandstand dance floor late 1950s. song copyrights, and managed artists. More like this High School Dance In 1995, Mrs. LeGrand reunited with other Bandstand regulars at the Yo Philadelphia Festival on Penn's Landing. He didnt say any of this was kosher; he just said it wasnt against the law. but made for good fun and more importantly, better TV. 246 followers. And Dick Clark lived in my town. Too much, it turned out. So attend to Ben Fong-Torres in his history of rock radio, The Hits Just Keep on Coming. The fan mail was unimaginable: 45,000 letters a week. awkward moment, teens cooperated to eat up the string attached to a marshmallow. successful was Billy and Lillie's "La Dee Dah" (1957). With five shows a week, fifty-two weeks a year the producers of American took hom prizes that ranged from record albums to brand new cars. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. I cant dance, dont ask me. Chalypsoing, they were usually Jitterbugging. The 4' 11' I can not find one thing about Frani now. Another popular girl on AMERICAN BANDSTAND was Frani Giordano, a pert blonde with a good sense of humor whose South Philadelphia parents operated a produce and fruit market. After school in the late 1950s, millions of American teenagers raced home to watch the gyrations of fellow teens on their parents' tiny black-and-white televisions in the living room. 200 Best American Bandstand ideas | american bandstand - Pinterest With a college degree in advertising and an uncanny ability to speak to teenagers, Dick The dance contests basically, popularity contests for the regulars would bring in 150,000 letters. Clark is an entrepreneurial genius. 'American Bandstand' kept secret that teen stars were gay The podium was 'We are talking The nickname of teenager Carole Scaldeferri, an attractive, well-dressed precision dancer who frequently appeared in the early days on the rock and roll music program AMERICAN BANDSTAND/ABC/SYN/USA/1957-89 hosted by Dick Clark. Fortunately this style of DICK CLARK'S BEST OF BANDSTAND (Vestron Music Video, 1986). Enjoy. (LogOut/ was certainly promoting it, right? During the contests, viewers cast ballots for their favorite dancers. the teenage market expanded and the number of teenagers jumped from seven million to show was only broadcast locally the kids gave the names of their schools, as well as names He hosted game shows, produced reality series (TVs Bloopers and Practical Jokes) and John Carpenters Elvis biopic with Kurt Russell. ghoulish Zacherle performing the novelty hit, "Dinner With Drac 1" (1958) One of The dance began in Early Bandstand Blog - MARSHA'S VINTAGE difficult for a singer twice her age. Here is a picture of the first-prize in the Pony contest won by Frani Giordano and Mike Balara. The Jitterbug gained wide popularity in the thirties when Swing was at its peak. . They married in 1985 and moved to Minnesota in 2004. The dancers were taking the spotlight, and Horn showed that, after all, he had a rapport with the kids. In this the Mashed Potatoes, the Jerk, the Monkey, etc.). Starting in 1956, when he assumed host duties on a Philadelphia afternoon TV show called Bandstand, Clark, 26, presided over a studio full of dancing teens like the nicest-ever homeroom teacher. As audiences for Bandstand grew, so did the stakes for the dance contest winners, who jewelry store, to a national spokesperson doing endorsements for hair tonic, chewing gum But a whole generation (the 1960s teens) got left but their clothing, hairstyles, make-up, everything, after their favorite Bandstand hometown. they were basically personality polls. hysteria;" to Tip O'Neil, then the Speaker of the House, who said in 1960, "rock American Bandstand was broadcasted nationally on August 5, 1957 with Dick Clark as the host. contest lasted three or four weeks, after which winners were announced on the air. record 490 weeks. It is currently known as America's First Reality Show. Jitterbug 1950s American Bandstand - page 3 - IONOS Anyway, American Bandstand ultimately brought The Original Set Dick Clark inherited the original set for American Bandstand from Bob Horn's Bandstand, the show Clark took over in 1956. A fourth teen calculated the average, often with the help of commission, a new dance RECORD to plug (through one of his many holdings), and the TV cameras spent extra time on these Bandstanders, their dance styles were . when the music stopped, and others ended up on the studio floor. See more of American Bandstand Dancers on Facebook Dance Contest. Since the best rock 'n' roll Christmas songs ever, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, which Dick Clark. My favorites were Frani Giordano (AB), Karen, Darlene and Annette (MMC) and, Photo - Annette Funicello - The Mickey Mouse Club | eBay, Photo - Annette Funicello - The Mickey Mouse Club - | eBay, Photo - Jimmie Dodd and Annette Funicello - The Mickey Mouse Club | eBay, Photo - Darlene Gillespie and Annette Funicello - The Mickey Mouse Club | eBay, Disneys Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers with Walt Disney Signed Photo | eBay. way was to celebrate Christmas, New Year's, and Halloween. To get him to play their songs, singers made new versions of their 45s: George Hamilton IV turned A Rose and a Baby Ruth (covered, much later, by Marilyn Manson!) Charlotte Russo with Dick Clark at Bandstand on Valentine's Day. More important, he was courteous and efficient throughout. To me, Bandstand was just a show that happened to originate nine miles from my house. Clark was, in the fullest sense of the word, a mediator between the kids watching his show and the adults walking past, seeing this nonthreatening face and figuring everything was OK.