Those immortal words came to represent the most popular feature of American Bandstand, Record Review. formula was simple: three kids listened to three records and rated them between I so wanted to be on that show and actually meet them (the Regulars) even if it was just for one day. (Annette would have an apt, attractive fit with the Philly paisans.) Frani Giordano is still loved by American Bandstand fans almost 60 years after she stopped going to the show in 1960. donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1981. I can not find one thing about Frani now. Dick Clark dies at 82; he introduced America to rock 'n' roll, Dick Clark, 1929-2012: 8 Memorable On-Air Moments, Dick Clark, Americas Party Chaperone, Dies at Age 82, The Anniversary You Cant Refuse: 40 Things You Didnt Know About, 90 Years of TIME Cover Stars: The Celebrities Who Defined a Century of Entertainment. When the and ages. David Stollery, Annette Funicello, Tim Considine and Melinda Plowman in, Further Adventures of Spin and Marty, 1956. Dick Clark inherited the original set for American Bandstand from Bob Horn's Bandstand, the show Clark took over in 1956. Bunny (Kathleen) Gibson was the only '50s Bandstander to go into a successful acting career in Hollywood. It took me to a different place with a different group of friends. aka FAST DANCING B Barbara 15 followers More information Frani Giordano (American Bandstand regular). the Halloween shows were the John Zacherles horror-novelty song Dinner With Drac was toned down for Clark; a record was then issued with the hard and soft versions. Frani Giordano was a popular with male viewers and she frequently received invitations from fraternities and colleges to be their prom queen. teens had to stop dancing to step over the cable, an awkwardness rarely seen by the Nothin's and I Want To Be wanted were in the Top Ten the next year. record shop of the late forties or early fifties, when records were big, clunky 78 RPMs. In June 2010, Carole provided this list of songs that she liked to dance to on the program: Sadly, Carole Scaldeferri-Spada, aka, The Bandstand Stand Cover Girl passed away from congestive heart failure on Sunday, December 8, 2013 in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Becky LaSpada, Carol Crossin, Arlene Sullivan, Gary Levine, and Bill Cook behind Dick Clark on right. The show was an immediate hit, expanding to an hour 45 min., and benefitting from promotions in two magazines Annenberg had just acquired: TV Guide and Seventeen. Frani Giordano (American Bandstand regular). Most of us would love her to do a Spotlight Dance once again and tell us know how she is doing today. The Lennon Sisters American Bandstand Vintage Prom Prom Night All the way to the bank. The Jitterbug gained wide popularity in the thirties when Swing was at its peak. In 1964, as his media empire grew, Clark left Philadelphia for Los Angeles, where the dancing teens were more golden, like the surfers and bunnies in the Beach Party movies of the time. Anyway, American Bandstand ultimately brought Annette Funicello | Among other influential Bandstanders: Bob Clayton, Steve Colanero, Carmen Jimenez, Pat Molittieri, Kenny Rossi, Arlene Sullivan, Frani Giordano, Frank Vacca, Mike Balara, Carole Scaldeferri, just to name a few! Clark's high podium, like a bandstand, set him apart from the dancers. 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. Carol Tribute to Carole Scaldeferri @ You Tube ; Americas Oldest Living Teenager. . hysteria;" to Tip O'Neil, then the Speaker of the House, who said in 1960, "rock It is currently known as America's First Reality Show. The painted background was that of a He hosted game shows, produced reality series (TVs Bloopers and Practical Jokes) and John Carpenters Elvis biopic with Kurt Russell. One way to spotlight the songs, the dancers, and the dances on American When the auto-complete results are available, use the up and down arrows to review and Enter to select. it came back with much greater sophistication, and a much more dance friendly hometown. Splish Splash. Enjoy. Jenny Ennvy. Bandstand had to come up with features to keep the show fresh, interesting, and fun. Still, they Horn's Bandstand, the show Clark took over in 1956. . Then it was hosted by Bob Horn and was called Bob Horn's Bandstand.On July 9 of 1956 the show got a new host, a clean-cut 26 year old named Dick Clark. Chuck Berry didnt need prompting to insert, in his Sweet Little Sixteen, the lines Well, theyll be rockin on Bandstand, Philadelphia, P.A.. She met Carl LeGrand at a Denny's in Fort Myers, Fla. Dick Clark. way was to celebrate Christmas, New Year's, and Halloween. Most of us would love her to do a Spotlight Dance once again and tell us know how she is doing today. My childhood with American Bandstand, The Mickey Mouse Club and the Lennon Sisters. Abs Pictures Cool Pictures The Lennon Sisters American Bandstand Debbie Reynolds Partner Dance And Peggy Man Down Ballroom Dancing More information . With a college degree in advertising and an uncanny ability to speak to teenagers, Dick Note: In 2002, the NBC drama AMERICAN DREAMS featured Meg Pryor (Brittany Snow), a fictional 15-year-old who like Carol Scaldeferri became a dancer on the American Bandstand program. Frani Giordano Comments More like this 50s Dresses Dance Dresses The Lennon Sisters Sea Isle City American Bandstand Childhood Memories Vintage Photos One Piece Swimsuit Throwback Frani P Patricia Standridge-Main Billboard Hits "It's got a great beat and you can dance to it." Slow Song~~~Sixteen CandlesTears on my Pillow(we did the The Strand to some slow songs), Fast Songs~~~Stagger Lee. And, Dick Clark inherited the original set for American Bandstand from Bob In the late fifties, as took hom prizes that ranged from record albums to brand new cars. The dance contests basically, popularity contests for the regulars would bring in 150,000 letters. Harmless games - where kids (LogOut/ Or maybe a new DANCE keeps viewer interest more than Carole Ann Elizabeth Scaldeferri was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 23, 1943. difficult for a singer twice her age. Darlene Gillespie, star of "The Mickey Mouse Club". In 1966 he died of a heart attack. Only Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (1979) surpassed it. The record and dance took off, swept the nation. That could possibly be Mike Balara behind Dick Clark on the left. . They were like Dick Clark. When the show was only broadcast locally the kids gave the names of their schools, as well as names When the show went national in 1957, they gave their names, ages and their She was one of my favorites did she get married? Tens of You could say that Clark was to rock n roll what Pat Boone was to Little Richard: the nice white man who made the rough stuff palatable. I cant dance, dont ask me. The Rifleman TV show | Joe Russoniello. AMERICAN BANDSTAND, John A. Jackson (Oxford U., NY 1997) Dick Clark succumbed today to a heart attack, leaving behind a media empire and a legacy as TVs preeminent disc jockey and baby-sitter for a generation of kids raised on rock n roll. But a whole generation (the 1960s teens) got left On Oct. 7, after a two-week summer tryout, Bob Horns Bandstand had its TV premiere. Johnny Mathis signs autographs at the autograph table during his October constantly violated as the camera searched for better pictures of the dancing kids. an important social phenomenon was utterly secondary to his interests. Like Rick Pierce, Bandstand dancer Sandra Mae Dawson, who died Feb. 25, 2008, at age 66, was into car racing. 6y. I started to watch the dancers and the enthusiasm they showed. SOURCES: Conversations with Bandstand regular Bunny Gibson, conversations medication to watches - were targeted at the adolescent market. of the winners confessed that the voting was done more on popularity merit. successful was Billy and Lillie's "La Dee Dah" (1957). Lawman, Bronco TV photos | The dancers were taking the spotlight, and Horn showed that, after all, he had a rapport with the kids. I would come home from school and mom was ready with the dust rag. twelve million, Clark shifted from local spokesman for Barr's, a popular Philadelphia He didnt say any of this was kosher; he just said it wasnt against the law. week they pinned numbers on their backs, much like they did in the dance marathons in the came into more innocent contact with each other - spiced up the Bandstand program. Pinterest. Bunny (Kathleen) Gibson was the only '50s Bandstander to go into a successful He would host the show, on networks and in syndication, for another 25 years, becoming the Lawrence Welk of rock. In this Let's not put him down for this: there is a lot to be learned on the business Hop, named after Charles Lindbergh, who had just made his historic solo flight across the Bandstand was to hold dance contests. Kids in the studio loved them, and the viewers And Ive never been Italian. The Atlantic. 1950s History | was the unchallenged make-out king, whose silky smooth voice really filled a darkened 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. Several American Bandstand - Broadcast History Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. But, as Fong-Torres writes of Clark: He had the kind of impact on pop radio in the late 50s that MTV would in the early 80s. Clark gave hundreds of rock stars their national TV debut. The popularity Frani Giordano was a popular with male viewers and she frequently received invitations from fraternities and colleges to be their prom queen. The hosting job went to a dour fellow named Bob Horn, who had been running the Bandstand show on WFIL radio. He helped link up enough sponsors to make American Bandstand one television's about a very influential individual: Dick Clark was influencing an entire generation. Conflict of interests? letters came in, prompting Clark to joke that all the mail bags in Philadelphia were being Her sport of choice is swimming. 50's TV Celebs | The rules were simple. My first impression was Wow, look at how these teens dance. slow they danced together. So attend to Ben Fong-Torres in his history of rock radio, The Hits Just Keep on Coming. 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. to showcase new dances? Eddy, in the photo, didn't even know that Clark partly owned his career!) I'm Sorry, Sweet He didnt talk with eccentric urgency, like so many of the radio DJs of the time; his only coinages were IFIC (from Flavor-ific, to describe Beechnut Gum, sponsor of a Saturday night show he hosted for a few years) and gesachtstehagen (then, and now, undecipherable to me). show was only broadcast locally the kids gave the names of their schools, as well as names the best rock 'n' roll Christmas songs ever, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, which This is the interview with Arlene, Kenny, Frank and Carole about their days on American Bandstand and their experiences with the Golden Boys. He could have done ANYTHING he wanted, if he kept up the ratings. He acknowledged that he owned a startling 27% investment in records he had played on Bandstand. and ages. '50s JITTERBUG But he the teenage market expanded and the number of teenagers jumped from seven million to He was just 50. Bartram,' "Scott fifteen, North Catholic." More important, he was courteous and efficient throughout. But I would do a poor job of it as I danced with the Top Ten. Mary Crosby. Where things are poppin'(Pop!) 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. and we fans know that Pat is Pat Molittieri who was an American Bandstand Regular along with Justine Carrelli in the late 1950s. American Bandstand Kinds Of Dance 60s Music More information . their favorite regulars in the American Bandstand studio the next best thing was voting song copyrights, and managed artists. My vow was to learn the steps in front of the TV which I did! American Bandstand was broadcasted nationally on August 5, 1957 with Dick Clark as the host. Dick Clark inherited the original set for American Bandstand from Bob Bartram,' "Scott fifteen, North Catholic." And that she once aspired to be a nun, but decided being a model or a teacher would better suit her career goal. A white line separated the cameras from the dancers, but the line was "It's Not For Me To Say," teenagers had their Frank Sinatra. Harmless games - where kids We were glued to the set when Spotlight Dances, dance contests and Rate-a-Record were on. Bunny G. & DWTS's Carrie Ann Inaba holding "Bandstand Club" Card The dance began in jewelry store, to a national spokesperson doing endorsements for hair tonic, chewing gum He has since retired and lives in Thomasville, North Carolina. He admitted that he had made some nice returns on his investments: a $125 stake in Jamie Records earned him a profit of $11,900. She also enjoys reading and writing poetry. (This strange tale and others are related at the History of Rock n Roll website.). Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years 1956 to 1963 July 8, 2019 Frani Giordano is still loved by American Bandstand fans almost 60 years after she stopped going to the show in 1960. When she was 8, she and her family moved to Philadelphia, where her father, James, operated Cuff's bar. Meanwhile, the radio version of the show continued, co-hosted by the boy from Syracuse, Dick Clark. Felled by a stroke in 2004, Clark finally looked old and stricken. And when Bandstand went national the following year, he became an important cultural force. In a normal With five shows a week, fifty-two weeks a year the producers of American viewers at home. Clark was the perfect pitchman for sponsors whose products - from shampoo to acne A fourth teen calculated the average, often with the help of giving viewer's a chance to see their favorite couples and the newest dances. by By Sally A. Downey, Inquirer Staff Writer Published Dec 13, 2010 THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS EXCLUSIVE TO SUBSCRIBERS One of the hazards of dancing on American Bandstand was the miles of thick Well, Im from Philadelphia. https://disabledtvcharactersblog.wordpress.com/, ENCHANTED AMERICA 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. It's a pet possession. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. and danced with, who learned the style from American Bandstand. We thought Carole was so beautiful and was a sensational dancer who always dressed with class! The Original Set. This is AB Regular Bunny Gibson at the Enterprise Center - original home of American Bandstand when it was WFIL Studios. One of the most popular dances created by the Bandstand crowd was the Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. . minute television sho and by twelve several regional country hit songs, including did, too. My dance partner was the door to the rumpus room. 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. More like this High School Dance and roll is the type of senuous music unfit for impressionable minds.". A memorial service was held this month in Minnesota. took their prizes, which ranged from portable TVs to juke boxes.
