american bandstand regulars who have died

Like Smith, she believes that if her true sexual preference and that of others on the show had become public in the days before Stonewall and todays LGBT power, Bandstand would have been taken off the air. At 74, Sullivan still dances once a week at a party thrown by another Bandstand dancer. June Bouche on November 20, 2018 at 9:12 pm . I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings," Bandstand star Arlene Sullivan writes in her memoir, Bandstand Diaries. We each won a HI-FI, and 50 record albums. ", In a Time.com obituary for Dick Clark, who died April 18, 2012, a reporter wrote: "Lou DeSera, Carmen Jimenez, Carole Scaldeferri, Rosemarie 'Little Roe' DiCristo: they may sound like characters on The Sopranos, but they were just ordinary kids, with extraordinary luck of being in Philadelphia at the moment the old town lit the fuse for the rock explosion.". 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. It featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introduced by Clark; at least one popular musical actover the decades, running the gamut from Jerry Lee Lewis to RunD.M.C.usually appeared in person to lip-sync one of their latest singles. They werent playing basketball. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. "Studio 'B'" measured 80 by 80 by 24 feet (24.4m 24.4m 7.3m), but appeared smaller due to the number of props, television cameras, and risers that were used for the show. Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. Not only does Bandstand Diaries detail Smith's and Sullivan's personal experiences, it also includes interviews with more than 40 Bandstand regulars, reveals Dick Clark's back story and . When ABC picked up the game show Do You Trust Your Wife? This version was canceled after 26 weeks, and its final show (with The Cover Girls performing "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "We Can't Go Wrong") aired on October 7, 1989,[37] thus ending the show's 37-year run.[38][39]. unsold game show pilots). He promoted the couples on the show to mask the fact that so many guys were gay.5. I started going out to straight clubs.. 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. 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. A storybook ending to a tale that began with American Bandstand, albeit 40 years ago. The first syndicated episode aired on the weekend of September 19, 1987[26] but this run was short-lived; The New American Bandstand ran until the weekend of June 4, 1988. It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the new technology. She also mentions a gay dancer who was pushed in the train tracks, and another who was dangled over an elevator shaft. Once when Sullivan and Rossi visited another show regular in North Philadelphia, "we were leaving her apartment and were headed to the El, and I heard car doors slamming, and I looked back, and all these guys were coming up the steps, and they started beating up on Kenny, she recalls. This more-familiar version of Bandstand debuted on October 7, 1952, in "Studio 'B'", which was located in their just-completed addition to the original 1947 building in West Philadelphia.mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^ , and was hosted by Horn, with Lee Stewart as co-host until 1955. The bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. SUBSCRIBE TO MY FEED! While ABC wasnt in the quiz show business, a congressional subcommittee found another reason to investigate the network. This incarnation was an early version of the music video shows that became popular in the 1980s, featuring films that were the ancestors of music videos. "I put a lot of my mom's makeup on and stuffed my bra," said Gibson. Kelly said he avoided Rittenhouse Square, knowing if he were seen there, theyd be banished, but it was an open secret that most of the boys on the show were gay. But . That might have had something to do with the scandal that surrounded the departure of his predecessor, Bob Horn, who faced a drunken-driving arrest and morals charges. He had other irons in the fire. "He wasn't no Bob Horn," Fiorentino said. Very sadly, Bob passed away 2 . I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. It became a national institution and Dick Clark a celebrity. Mickey Mouse Club Sullivan was almost 14, the required age for the show, when she became a Regular. That really annoyed me because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS, Smith said. Dick Clark took over as host in 1956, and the show made its network debut on ABC-TV on Aug. 5, 1957. Normally, I do not forward mail to the Regulars. I lived in very tough South Philadelphia, he says. I'm David Hirsch and, on behalf of American Bandstand, I bid you, for the last time, goodbye. In fact, it was dangerous. In her memoir forBandstand Diaries, she writes frankly and poignantly of her youthful struggle with her emerging identity as lesbian, a sexual orientation she would fully embrace as an adult. . So fearful of the kids real behavior, [Clark] imposed a strict dress code: jackets and ties for boys, and nothing tight for girls. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. Fiorentino, whose mother died when he was 12, said Clark became a role model. For a brief time in 1973, Bandstand alternated its time slot with Soul Unlimited,[10] a show featuring soul music that was hosted by Buster Jones. Determined, Don got Bunnys number from one of the regulars and he met his dream girl. 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.. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. at 3:30pm, then rejoin Bandstand at 4pm. The show was American Bandstand, and Dick Clarks clean-cut style meant the program had parents stamp of approval. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Years later, when Clark was asked whether any of the dancers had died of AIDS, he stated that one had, Smith recalled. 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. "With Bandstand, WFIL resolved this tension by drawing on Philadelphia's interracial music scene to create an entertaining and profitable television show, while refusing to allow the city's black teenagers into the studio audience for fear of alienating viewers and advertisers. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. Teen idol Bobby Rydell, whose music career is still going strong 60 years after American Bandstand, wrote the books introduction; but former Regular Arlene Sullivan, who shares her memories and personal images, is a standout as well as a co-author of the book. Black music and black dances originating in Philadelphia neighborhoods contributed substantially to the success ofAmerican Bandstand; yetAmerican Bandstandsdancefloor and bleachers were racially segregated, and some of the shows most popular dances were adapted without attribution from black neighborhoods. Sullivan was raised in a rowhouse in a working-class neighborhood; we surmise from her writing that it was somewhere in Southwest Philly (she attended John Bartram High School), although Sullivan doesnt specify a home address. Never, did I ever think that I would be with him, holding his hand when he passed away. Cameraman Vince Gasbarro said: "Horn was old-looking. Like nostalgia? But overall, their meet-ups remained a sanctuary. Prior to the move, Bandstand had sourced many of its up-and-coming acts from Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records. Sullivan was most frequently paired with a boy named Kenny Rossi, who was straight, but still subject to attacks for appearing on the show: One time, Kenny and I went to visit one of the other regulars up in North Philadelphia, and we were leaving her apartment and were headed to the El, and I heard car doors slamming, and I looked back, and all these guys were coming up the steps, and they started beating up on Kenny, Sullivan says. In 1964 Dick Clark took Dick Clark Productions and American Bandstand to Hollywood, Los Angeles in search of new markets for his myriad projects. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, died Sunday, Dec. 8, of congestive heart failure at a Springfield hospital. One older brother survives Norman. She was one of five brothers and sisters; had a huge family vacation home in Sea Isle City where Regulars visited: and dated Frank Levins and Denny Dziena. A Philadelphia, PA 19133, BONUS PAGE They wrote thousands of letters. The rest is American Bandstand history. e9.size = "300x250"; When she heard the news of Clark's death Wednesday, Gibson immediately headed to Hollywood to be with other former Bandstand regulars at Clark's star on the Walk of Fame. . Ray Smith says he was upset when Dick Clark claimed only one of the dancers had died from AIDS when asked about it in an interview. [2] Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Paylola and Sponsorship Identification, Federal Communications Act, Amendments, 1960. Home Yesteryear Nostalgia Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? These teenagers became the nation's first reality-TV stars--they received thousands of fan letters and were mobbed everywhere they went. Ray Smith says he was upset when Dick Clark claimed only one of the dancers had died from AIDS when asked about it in an interview. "He was the commander," Colanero said. ABC gave Clark a choice: divest his music-related interests or step down as host of the show. Clark chose to continue withBandstand.3. The young dancers on American Bandstand were the reality stars of the 1950s and '60skids nationwide rushed home to watch their every move and chatter about their relationships and exploits. They even invented a few the Stroll, the Circle and the Chalypso. 8-9; quote from unpaginated photo section. Arlene Sullivan, one of the most popularAmerican Bandstandregulars, presents another perspective on the shows closeted world. . 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. Although, unlike some others, Carole never really had a steady dancing partner, she danced with all the good-looking Italian boys and that one special non-Italian whom everyone loved - Harvey Robbins. I knew when couples broke up. We also surmise that her mother was an Italian immigrant (she refers to her Italian mom), and her father of Irish descent. Thankfully we've come a long way since those sad days. From 1974 to September 6, 1986, Bandstand featured another instrumental at its mid-show break: Billy Preston's synth hit "Space Race". Elgart's version was released as a single in March 1954 (Columbia 40180) as well as Curb's theme (by "Mike Curb & The Waterfall") in October 1969 (Forward 124). 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. . The "ab" logo was replaced with the iconic stylized "AB" logo (shown at the top of this page) used for the remainder of the show's run. from CBS in November 1957, they renamed the program as Who Do You Trust? Dick Clark, in full Richard Wagstaff Clark, (born November 30, 1929, Bronxville, New York, U.S.died April 18, 2012, Santa Monica, California), American television personality and businessman, best known for hosting American Bandstand. The short Snader and Official music films continued in the short term to fill gaps when dancers were changed during the showa necessity, because the studio could not fit more than 200 teenagers. To many of you, it was about the music and the artists. Id see these kids dancing and instinctively I knew I could fit in with them. By clicking Consent you are authorizing advertisers to collect information to personalize the ads you see. Dick Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH, in 1993 as a non-performer. Numerous black and white performers who appeared on American Bandstand during its seven-year heyday in West Philadelphia are also memorialized in this building. During the segment, two audience members each ranked two records on a scale of 35 to 98, after which their two opinions were averaged by Clark, who then asked the chosen members to justify their scores. On July 9, 1956, Horn was fired after a drunk-driving arrest, as WFIL and dual owner Walter Annenberg's The Philadelphia Inquirer were then In an online page marking her 68th birthday on Nov. 23, 2011, Bandstand "documentarian" Charles W. Amann III posted: "The name Scaldeferri and American Bandstand go hand-in-hand. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. ABC gave Bandstand color cameras and launched it on its network of 67 stations in August of 1957. The Saturday show would run until 1960. . Wed stay up all night talking about boys, said Sullivan. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. My husband and I met on a blind date and six months later on April 12, 1964 we were married. 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 The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. running a series on drunken driving. And then they leave the show, go up on the El, go home to their neighborhoods, they then had to run to their door because somebody was always waiting there to beat them up.. They were introduced as a result of an email sent to the Fifties Web. As two or three stations grab it off, you get less clearance, therefore you get less rating, and its an endless cycle. 10/7/1957 9/5/1987 ABC 60 minutes Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan, Bunny Gibson and Eddie Kelly, Pat Molittieri, Carmen Jimenz, Joyce Shafer. In 2019, a trio of formerAmerican Bandstandregulars assembled a book on their experiences on the popular show. Many factors were involved in this, particularly the launch and rise of MTV and other music programs on television, and along with that, the number of ABC affiliates opting to pre-empt or delay the program. [3] Jackson,American Bandstand, quote from unpaginated photo section. [6] Jackson,American Bandstand, 71; Jacksons description of Arlene Sullivan. American Bandstand started life as a Philadelphia TV show in 1952, with Bob Horn as master of ceremonies. "[40] WFIL defended these local associations in order to maintain support. Music by Charles Albertine Many other Bandstand alumni from the show's Philadelphia era were overcome with a rush of memories Wednesday. Steve Colanero, 66, a West Philadelphia transplant in Palm Beach, Fla., posted on Facebook a picture from the 1980s of himself with Clark. American Bandstand played a crucial role in introducing Americans to such famous artists as Prince, Jackson 5, Sonny and Cher, Aerosmith, and John Lydon's PiLall of whom made their American TV debuts on the show. "Bandstand's Backyard". 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. GALLERY 4. Does Alan Cumming Really Live in a Scottish Castle? The American Bandstand Regulars tell us what Studio B means to them today and yesterday, with special guest appearance by the American Bandstand Fan Club pre. "It is with much sadness that we have lost one of the most loving and beautiful souls - Carole Scaldeferri Spada has passed away," Bunny Gibson, who identified herself as a "Bandstand buddy," posted on Facebook. Sullivan says Bandstand host Dick Clark knew most of the cast was gay, but was determined to keep it under wraps for the sake of the show. Horn, however, was disenchanted with the program, and wanted to change the show to a dance program with teenagers dancing along on camera as records played, based on an idea that came from a radio show on WPEN, The 950 Club, hosted by Joe Grady and Ed Hurst. Charles Albertine many other Bandstand alumni from the show 's Philadelphia era overcome! Abc-Tv on Aug. 5, 1957, Cleveland, OH, in as. It was about the music and the show was American Bandstand, quote from photo... Program as who Do you Trust Your Wife business, a congressional subcommittee another. Charles Albertine many other Bandstand alumni from the show made its network 67... 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