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. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. And now we have computers. Connie Francis. He sometimes wondered what happened to Justine, especially around New Years Eve when he would watch Dick Clark host his special. 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. Five-foot-two, brown-eyed, brown-haired Arlene and handsome Kenny, a year younger, were among the TV music shows elite, its stars, the vaunted regulars along with another couple often on camera pert, blond Justine Carrelli and suave Bob Clayton. I started going out to straight clubs.. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. The previous theme was retained as bumper music. Bob and Justine share their memories of the late Dick Clark and more A: Though they split in 1960 after three-plus years of jitterbugging on the Dick Clark-hosted show, they were happy to see . 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. ``This is like I died and went straight to heaven, he said. The name most associated with American Bandstand is that of Dick Clark, but when it premiered locally in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952 (as "Bandtstand") the host was Bob Horn. She said to go to Hawaii. Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. I didnt know what I was doing and decided I cant do this, and I called my dad and asked him to come get me, she says. American Bandstand - Broadcast History: Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. "The whole thing was like a grand party," she said. But he feared that if the shows secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. Justine went home humiliated, but her mother suggested she take her older sisters birth certificate to the show the next day. The use of videotape allowed Clark to produce and host a series of concert tours around the success of American Bandstand and to pursue other broadcast interests. It became a staple in homes and heavily influenced American society culturally, musically, and socially. The BBC's. At just 13 and 16, respectively, the twosome became regulars on the Dick Clark-hosted show, dancing as a couple for almost three years before they . At just 13 and 16, respectively, the twosome became regulars on the Dick Clark-hosted show, dancing as a couple for almost three years before they parted ways. I kissed a girl, and I liked it! Sullivan, now 74 and long out of the closet, reveals in a fascinating self-published book, Bandstand Diaries billed as The Book Youve Waited Over 50 Years to Read!. One market not telecasting Bandstand was Baltimore, Maryland, as local affiliate WAAM (now WJZ-TV) elected to produce a local dance show in the same afternoon time slot. I was surprised how short she was, he said. That was the start of our romance, Jim said. Bandstand & Race. He was an ace professional with a kind and sincere manner. ``Bandstand first aired for a national audience on ABC on Aug. 5, 1957. Nov 17, 2013 - A formal Justine & Bob American bandstand girl. He was adorable.. When Bandstand first went national with ABC in August 1957, Lee Andrews and the Hearts appeared among the first guests performing their song, "Long Lonely Nights." In that year as well, other black artists also appeared, including Jackie Wilson . Of all the regulars, Carole Scaldeferri Spada may have realized the longest lasting effect. Hosted by Bob Horn as a television adjunct to his radio show of the same name on WFIL radio, Bandstand featured short musical films produced by Snader Telescriptions and Official Films, with occasional studio guests. Set pieces from Soul Unlimited were utilized by Bandstand for its 19741978 set design. We use cookies to give you the best experience. I never had a crush on her. There were occasional shows that were not hosted by Clark, in which case a substitute host (among them Rick Azar) was brought in.[6]. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Bandstand Dairies has made my golden years even better to remember the SOLID GOLD DAYS. American BandstandAmerican Bandstand became a powerful symbol of American teenage culture with its nearly four-decade look at the ever-changing tastes of the country's youth. Blanche Keastead, N.J.Bob and Justine share their memories of the late Dick Clark and moreA: Though they split in 1960 after three-plus years of jitterbugging on the Dick Clarkhosted show, they were happy to see each other at the 40th reunion in 1992. It was great to be young and having fun like all normal kids in the 50s and 60s. Who was the first black dancer on American Bandstand? WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. Bill Before Florida Senate Would Put Local Ordinances on Hold if Challenged, Legislation would make it illegal for doctors to provide gender-affirming care to transgender youths, Florida Republicans are taking on the media. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. To this day, oh so many years have passed, and yet I still feel the magic of Arlene and Kenny!!! Jerry Oppenheimer is a best-selling author. After being told by Dick Clark that as a recording artist a professional he could no longer dance on American Bandstand. The guy who had been in charge of the show before he took over was the subject of a scandal a DUI, I think so Clark wanted to be the clean-cut guy, and he was. (1957), Kenny Rogers and Arlene Sullivan were my favorites on American Bandstand. Particularly during the show's prime Philadelphia years (1952-63), Philadelphia youth culture became American culture through American Bandstand. They will always be my favorite couple. 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. But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They were gay. He had no idea if she was married. INSIDE EDITION caught up with a man and woman who met on Dick Clark's show American Bandstand 50 years ago, and have remained friends ever since. The rule was you had to be 14 to get on the show. Kenny & Arlene were: The Couple of American Bandstand!!!! Taking center stage each week was superstar Bandstand couple Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton, two of the show's most popular dancers. Dick Clark as host was that perennial television star who seemed to have found the fountain of youth and just never seemed to age. They split their time between Dolan Springs and Venice. When WFIL-TV moved to a new facility on City Line Avenue (one that did not have a studio that could accommodate the show), ABC moved production of Bandstand to the ABC Television Center (stage 5) in Los Angeles (now known as The Prospect Studios) on February 8, 1964, which coincidentally was the day before the Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The other couple with such high popularity was Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan. Dick Clark Productions is credited as the show's co-producer, and longtime employee Allen Shapiro serves as co-executive producer. We didnt say anything about meeting again, Justine said. "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. She told me she got so many letters from fans who thought I looked like her and [with our dark hair], we did look alike. The shows were usually produced in either Stage 54 or Stage 55 at ABC Television Center. Jim Miller was in junior high, living on Long Island, New York, when Bandstand became a national hit. [18][19][20] Dubbed as The New American Bandstand and distributed by LBS Communications, the series' tapings were moved from the ABC Television Center to the Hollywood studios of Los Angeles's PBS member station KCET,[21] with a new set was similar to that of Soul Train. He kept his distance, she says. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. She blurted out count me in., So, I guess that was the part when I knew that it wasnt going to be a one-time meeting., She visited Jim in Venice that Thanksgiving. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. From 1977 to September 6, 1986, the show opened and closed with Barry Manilow's rendition of "Bandstand Boogie",[7] which he originally recorded for his 1975 album Tryin' to Get the Feeling. So I went on the computer and Googled Justine Carrelli.. We moved around the floor the way our parents did in the 40s. As previously mentioned, during the 1978 season of Bandstand, Donna Summer became the only music artist in Bandstand's history to co-host the program. In August 1957, American Bandstand, a new television show broadcast out of Philadelphia, PA, featured local teenagers dancing to the new rock 'n roll music. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. And in her early 20s, she actually tied the knot with a young man. Back In The Day. Arlene asked him to dance and thus Arlene and Kenny happened. 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, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the program's producer.It featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introduced by Clark; at least one popular musical actover the decades . Im sorry young lady, you dont look 14 to me, was his answer. Justine got in, and along with her dance partner and soon-to-be-boyfriend, Bob Clayton, became one of the show's most popular couples. I got stopped at the door and said to the cop, but Lucille and Diane got in and theyre in my class, she said. The segment gave rise to the catchphrase "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it. When we think back on #AmericanBandstand, the #DickClark years usually to mind. Connie Francis. The shy Sullivan pushed herself forward with the contact because she wanted to get on TV to impress her mother. Thats why Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson would never appear on the show, but movie stars Jeff Chandler, Tab Hunter, Sal Mineo came., Dancing came naturally to Sullivan, the way it did to all Regulars, she says. They were hurting him. wordlist = ['!', '$.027', '$.03', '$.054/mbf', '$.07', '$.07/cwt', '$.076', '$.09', '$.10-a-minute', '$.105', '$.12', '$.30', '$.30/mbf', '$.50', '$.65', '$.75', '$. ", "Forty years after 'Bandstand' debut, Clark and dancers celebrate", "ORIGINAL DANCERS WILL GRANDSTAND AT 'BANDSTAND' REUNION", "American Bandstand, Season 30, Episode 38: Laura Brannigan (Final ABC show)", "Dick Clark's On a Roll: He Tunes In to TV Trends", "Dick Clark celebrates American Bandstand's 35th", "RETRO: Fairbanks, Alaska (October 24, 1987)", "Retro: Northern Wisconsin, Sat. 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. . Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. [Editor's note: Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton were misidentified in a photo that ran in the May 13 issue of PARADE. [8] In the fall of 1961, ABC truncated American Bandstand's airtime from 90 to 60 minutes (4:005:00pm ET), then even further as a daily half-hour (4:004:30pm ET) program in September 1962; beginning in early 1963, all five shows for the upcoming week were videotaped the preceding Saturday. From 1974 to September 6, 1986, Bandstand featured another instrumental at its mid-show break: Billy Preston's synth hit "Space Race". The Del-Vikings also known as The Dell-Vikings were an American doo-wop group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. He introduced her to his sister and neighbors, who remembered her from Bandstand.. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. The combined impact of Bandstand's move to California and the Beatles' arrival devastated Cameo-Parkway and inflicted permanent damage to the artists signed to the label.[9]. Picture indicates this was in the 1970s. Here are some of the most popular Regulars who danced on Dick Clarks American Bandstand beginning in 1957. 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. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers. What they didnt know was that Arlene and several of the other female dancers, and most of the handsome teen boys, were gay. They werent playing football. The county's total year-end fund balance at the end of the . While the American series has aired sixteen seasons, its format was also replicated worldwide, from Norway (Dansefeber) to Australia (So You Think You Can Dance Australia). Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), [2] known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The show had just "gone national" on the ABC television network on August 5th. They won the first jitterbug contest when the show went . At the end of each school day, they trooped to the former WFIL-TV studio in West Philadelphia, while young viewers across the nation tuned their sets to watch them. Rauw Alejandro Tattoo (Video Oficial) Suscrbete al canal: https://goo.gl/Cqxmma Sigue a Rauw: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rauwalejandro Facebook: https . Clark continued as host of the series, which was restored to its former hour length,[22] and aired on stations including KYW-TV in Philadelphia; WWOR-TV in New York City[23] (WWOR's superstation status also gave the program further national exposure); KTLA in Los Angeles; WMAQ-TV in Chicago; WDIV in Detroit; WEWS in Cleveland; WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee;[24] and WCIX in Miami.[25]. 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. The program was permanently shot in color starting on September 9, 1967.