Like the white homeowners associations' concerns about property values, WFIL's version of defensive localism built on a belief that integration would hurt the station's investment in Bandstand. In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience Dick Clark hosts a daily to weekly dance show that features the latest hit music for the attending teens to dance to. 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. I never had a crush on her. With 37 continuous years on the air, this was the longest-running weekly popular music showcase TV program in the world. This couple was one of the top 2 couples who danced as Regulars on American Bandstand late 50s/very early 60s. Making matters worse, on September 13, 1986, ABC reduced Bandstand from a full hour to 30 minutes;[13] at Clark's request, the 2,751st and final ABC installment[14] (with Laura Branigan[15] performing "Shattered Glass"[16][17]) aired on September 5, 1987. [42] American Bandstand was a daily ritual for many teenagers throughout the nation. These teenagers became the nation's first reality-TV stars--they received thousands of fan letters and were mobbed everywhere they went. 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. Finally, we got away and jumped over the turnstile. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. Don Cornelius, the creator and host of Soul Train, along with Jesse Jackson, entered into a dispute with Clark over this upstart program, and it was canceled within a few weeks. The program was broadcast live, weekday afternoons and, by 1959, the show had a national audience of 20 million. Other pairs were regular dance partners, but didnt become romantically involved. That was funny, Jim said, because in April its my brother-in-law and sisters anniversary and we are planning to go to Hawaii. Taking center stage each week was superstar Bandstand couple Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton, two of the show's most popular dancers.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. 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. My favorite dance was the Jitterbug the last dance where people danced together. Arlene Sullivan and Bunny Gibson went on to write memoirs about their time spent on Bandstand and growing up as members of the Baby Boom generation. 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. Justine Carelli and Bob Clayton were the dream couple of the show, the star struck lovers. Mam. 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. The other couple with such high popularity was Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan. we were like a little family together, and we all had something in common, and we all stuck together, and that made it easier for us.. "Dangerous". So I went on the computer and Googled Justine Carrelli.. 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. She saw the hang up and returned the call, thinking it might be an interested buyer. Barbara finally came back and said I had to come to the front because the back was only for colored people. He debuted in Studio 3B at WFIL-TV, near the El train stop in West Philadelphia, in 1956 when he was a 13-year-old junior high school student. 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. Arlene asked him to dance and thus Arlene and Kenny happened. I got stopped at the door and said to the cop, but Lucille and Diane got in and theyre in my class, she said. They were the squeaky-clean Kardashians of their era, and Bandstand could easily claim the title as the first reality show. Wed stay up all night talking about boys, she said. He kept his distance, she says. Justine said yes. I had met other fans along the way, she said, but not that Id had lunch with them.. When she was 13, a boy the same age became smitten with her from his living room in Middletown, Conn. Richard Spada drew a picture of Carole and sent it to the show; Dick Clark held it up on the air. "When I first met Kenny Rossi he was sitting way up in the stands I noticed his curly black hair, blue suit, beautiful brown eyes. And the one thing that really shocked me was that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.. A lot of good time, super songs and singers. They got married in 2014, something both said they would never do again. Dick Clark gave her a committee card, which all Regulars had to have to get into the building. Dick Clark He needed a group to show up every day, she says, and nobody got paid. In 1972, after a divorced Carole appeared on a reunion show, Spada sent a letter to her and they married later that year. I was smitten by her. New museum exhibits are now on view across Tampa Bay, John Sims, prominent Sarasota artist and former Ringling instructor, dies at 54, Already a star in the Keys, Fred the Tree is now going to Hollywood, Locally made film 'Home for Thanksgiving' conjures hope after loss. Arlene heard that Kenny got married and had a daughter named Nicki. The show, which moved to Los Angeles in 1964 and was cut to one day a week in the mid-60s, stayed on ABC until 1987. Dick Clark, the Rock & Roll Icon and. She said to go to Hawaii. When Dick Clark died it came to mind what happened to Justine, again, Jim said. He had no idea if she was married. We were like sisters. My friends went to church dances every Friday and Saturday night. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. 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 . If she was on I watched it, if not I would do something else.. Arlene Sullivan and Bunny Gibson went on to write memoirs about their time spent on Bandstand and growing up as members of the Baby Boom generation. Nov 17, 2013 - A formal Justine & Bob American bandstand girl. A Midlothian-based freelance writer, Martha Steger has received national awards for her journalism, essays, short fiction and poetry. Browse 1,010 american bandstand dancers stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. In another format shift, it was shot outdoors at Universal Studios Hollywood. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. passed away at home on November 6, 2016. They wrote thousands of letters. She wasnt immediately successful, but with the help of a new southwest Philly friend, she eventually got in. Bob Clayton and Justine Carrelli. This is a video I created of one of my favorite dance pa. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Who wrote the theme song to American Bandstand? The whole thing was like a grand party, she said. Tuesday, Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton took another spin in the same studio, where they joined more than two dozen other middle-aged teen dancers from ``American Bandstand. Host Dick Clark and former teen idols such as Chubby Checker and Connie Francis also made it to the 40th anniversary celebration. Who were the most popular dancers on American Bandstand? 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). Attempts continue to launch a successful game show or sitcom", "Final American Bandstand: The Cover Girls", http://nicestkids.com/nehvectors/nicest-kids/bandstands-backyard, "Remembering American Bandstand's 50th [Photos]", Son of Svengoolie - 'Good Morning, Sven' (Opening,Show #218) (verse occurs at the 1:35 mark), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Bandstand&oldid=1140855641, American Bandstand's 20th Anniversary (1973), American Bandstand's 25th Anniversary (1977), American Bandstand's 30th Anniversary (1982), American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Celebration (1985), American Bandstand's 40th Anniversary (1992), American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary (2002), The show was featured prominently in the 20022005, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:03. We'll see you the next time on American Bandstand. Instead of shortening or moving Bandstand, ABC opted to just begin Bandstand at 3pm, cut away to Who Do You Trust? Where Are the American Bandstand Regulars Now? The BBC's. 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 They were some of the most famous kids in America, dancing every day on "American Bandstand." "We were like miniature rock 'n' roll stars. That really annoyed me because quite a few of the Philadelphia dancers on Bandstand died of AIDS, Smith said. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? Nov 17, 2013 - A formal Justine & Bob American bandstand girl. When I first met Kenny Rossi he was sitting way up in the stands I noticed his curly black hair, blue suit, beautiful brown eyes. Parents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put Bandstand on, she writes. They won the first jitterbug contest when the show went nationwide in 1957. Hints. They knew what was going on, but they never asked the question., Sullivan says there were at least four other popular girl dancers on Bandstand who she quickly learned were lesbians and we all started hanging out together. Hey, our thanks to Laura Branigan for joining us here on American Bandstand today. . Thats all we did dance and every part of the city had its own style. The other reason was that American Bandstand was pre-empted on many occasions by televised college football games (which expanded greatly in number in the wake of a court-ordered deregulation in 1984) which were becoming huge ratings successes, as well as occasional special presentations (i.e. Kenny went on tour and was away a lot. I started going out to straight clubs.. The lunch was a success. Clark, known as Americas oldest teenager, knew. The county budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023, which ends on June 30, is $93,597,569 in expenditures versus revenues at $82,665,933. Due to the size of the studio, the need to have as much dance space as possible, and the size of the cumbersome color camera compared to the black-and-white models, it was only possible to have one RCA TK-41 where three RCA TK-10s[4] had been used before. She never saw much of Clark outside of the studio. Justine went home humiliated, but her mother suggested she take her older sisters birth certificate to the show the next day. Back In The Day. He still treats me like Im the queen of the hop, Justine said. 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! Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. WFIL reverted to the TK-10s two weeks later when ABC refused to carry the color signal and management realized that the show lost perspective without the extra cameras. Soul Unlimited was not well-received among its target audience of African-Americans, ostensibly due to its being created by a white man (Clark), and because of its alleged usage of deliberately racial overtones despite this fact. Teenagers dance on an episode of Dick Clark's television program, 'American Bandstand,' 1950s. American Bandstand's Official East Coast Fan Club President. His latest book, The Kardashians: An American Drama, will be published in September. Q: What happened to my favorite American Bandstand couple, Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton? Here is a short recap of her recollections. WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. For a time, she dated a neighborhood boy, Danny Rapp, lead singer of Danny & the Juniors, who had the hit song At the Hop., I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight, Sullivan says. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Justine Carrelli. Tom Ridge and Mayor Edward G. Rendell helped unveil a state historical marker outside the studio after dancing ``The Twist with Checker. On Bandstand, she became lifelong friends with one of the celebrity guests, straight Annette Funicello, of Mickey Mouse Club and Beach Party fame. 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. Justine was 12. 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. Arlene and Kenny first danced to Why Dont You Understand by George Hamilton IV. Name: Patricia Ann Molittieri [Patricia A Ranieri] [Patricia Ranieri] SSN: 571600669 Gender: Female Race: White Birth Date: 22 Jan 1943 Birth Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [Darby, Pennsylvania] Death Date: Jul 1979 Type of Claim: Original SSN. Your email address will not be published. They won the first jitterbug contest when the show went . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 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. They got married in 2014, something both said they would never do again. He sometimes wondered what happened to Justine, especially around New Years Eve when he would watch Dick Clark host his special. The afternoon soon turned into the cocktail-hour, so they went out for drinks. This is a love story 55 years in the making, and you can thank the teen dance program American Bandstand for it. He introduced her to his sister and neighbors, who remembered her from Bandstand.. Self - Singer 1 episode, 1962 The Boopers . 4 How old is Arlene Sullivan from American Bandstand? Themselves 1 episode, 1962 The Surfsiders . 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. 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.. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Justine became a singer, moved to Las Vegas, married her bandleader, had two sons, divorced 15 years later, became a real estate agent and moved to a small town in northwest Arizona. I tried my best to fill your shoes and I hope I have lived up to what you were expecting of me. Justine was the one who caught my eye, he said. The rule was you had to be 14 to get on the show. From the late 1950s and most of the 1960s, Clark's on-camera sidekick was announcer Charlie O'Donnell, who later went on to announce Wheel of Fortune and other programs hosted or produced by Clark, such as The $100,000 Pyramid. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. Who were the most popular dancers on American Bandstand? Movies Showing. With American Bandstand being originally located in Philadelphia, segregation easily affected the concentrated area. In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience members rate songs. In the meantime, have a wonderful week or two. Jerry Oppenheimer is a best-selling author. 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. Reporters and bloggers, alike, Can the Democratic Party regain strength in Florida? I met Arlene in 1961 she was very sweet.Unfortunely I never got to meet Kenny. My parents were always there for me. American Bandstand/Music composed by. He liked the "kids" and enjoyed giving someone their start in the music business. That was the start of our romance, Jim said. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. Later, in hindsight, I guessed that made me the first white Rosa Parks. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Sullivans co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning Today show producer. The whole country watched those lively teens tear . Labeled by Justine: "Dick and Kari at my home in Las Vegas". He still treats me like Im the queen of the hop, Justine said. Who are some famous people from American Bandstand? Self - Harlem Globetrotter 1 episode, 1961 John Laws . Kenny & Arlene were: The Couple of American Bandstand!!!! The Village People performed their legendary song, "YMCA" for the audience in Pasadena, California. [The knowledge about the dancers] would have destroyed himand the . The segment gave rise to the catchphrase "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it. They will always be my favorite couple. Artie Shaw We didnt say anything about meeting again, Justine said. Your email address will not be published. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. [Editor's note: Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton were misidentified in a photo that ran in the May 13 issue of PARADE. 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). The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Jim explained he had been a fan and wanted to have lunch with her on his way to California. But back in the Bandstand days, Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. If she was on I watched it, if not I would do something else.. by Adam Salandra 3/14/2017. He found her selling real estate in Dolan Springs, Arizona, population 1,989. Total playing time approx. Some solo dances had animal names, for example, "The Pony" and "The Monkey"; others were named for . 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. He found her selling real estate in Dolan Springs, Arizona, population 1,989. [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. The bashing of Bandstand regulars, gay and straight, happened all the time, Sullivan and Smith reveal. Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. Clark was determined to keep the homosexuality of popular Bandstand regulars a secret, Smith said. I still really didnt know who I was. He called her but when he received a recording he hung up without leaving a message. Taking center stage each week was superstar Bandstand couple Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton, two of the show's most popular dancers. To see more, visit WGCU. American Bandstand premiered locally in late March 1952 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British films. Justine started dancing on Bandstand in 1956, when she was still in junior high school. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. Upset, but knowing what he wanted to do, Kenny told Arlene he would miss me and the show. Loved the show at 15 I learned to dance also copied dress and hair style. 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. Remember the audience's common response "I Like the beat". Two weeks later, Bandstand moved to first-run syndication. Togethera certain magic radiated from them when they were dancing!!! The series also reached into its vaults for a highly rated twentieth-anniversary late night special. Who was justine's dance partner on american bandstand? Dick Clark never played either song on American Bandstand. But . While Bandstand fans across the country imagined a true romantic relationship between Sullivan, who secretly liked girls, and her on-screen companion, Rossi, who was straight, she says it was little more than made-for-TV puppy love. We were the first reality show, she adds. Justine turns 80 next year and Jim 79. Pinterest. In Philadelphia, however, WFIL opted to tape-delay the game show for later broadcast in another time slot, and to continue on with Bandstand, though only for the local audience. My family, friends and co-workers all remember Saturday's weekly TV series American Bandstand back in the 1960's and 1970's when it was THE ONLY music related theme show that could compete each week with the popularity of the following evenings Sunday night TV's Ed Sullivan show. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. . Featuring guest artists who lip-synced to their latest tunes, and a teenage audience whose members danced for the cameras, the show launched a conga line of dance crazes, fashion and hair trends, and sent the latest teen . Bandstand & Race. at 3:30pm, then rejoin Bandstand at 4pm. They were a beautiful couple, I named my daughter Arlene in 1958, I enjoyed watching them so much, would hurry up and come home from school to watch AB. A correct photo of Carrelli and Clayton is featured at left. I got stopped at the door and said to the cop, but Lucille and Diane got in and theyre in my class, she said. Justine turns 80 next year and Jim 79. But Molittieri eventually returned to her Philadelphia roots, where she married and had two daughters before dying at age 32 of either a heart attack or a stroke. Absolutely! Im sorry young lady, you dont look 14 to me, was his answer. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. Bandstand Dairies has made my golden years even better to remember the SOLID GOLD DAYS. Jim Miller was in junior high, living on Long Island, New York, when Bandstand became a national hit. Dick Clark later stated that he knew the prime-time edition would fail because its core audience teenagers and housewives was occupied with other interests in the evenings. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company. They went back to her office to look at old photos on the computer. There were occasional shows that were not hosted by Clark, in which case a substitute host (among them Rick Azar) was brought in.[6]. It got me out of my shell, but I learned I was a regular teenager who happened to dance on a show that unexpectedly became very popular. Jim explained he had been a fan and wanted to have lunch with her on his way to California. She tracked them down for the new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963. I started going out to straight clubs.. 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. I hope you've had a good half-hour. 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. They werent playing football. They were some of the most famous kids in America, dancing every day on "American Bandstand." "We were like miniature rock 'n' roll stars. The kids of today missed out. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. It turns out she was only 10 months older. Well, it's our last show here on Bandstand and I really want to thank the viewers who have kept American Bandstand on the air all these years. A 1958 graduate of P. S. DuPont High School, Bob was. American Bandstand - Broadcast History: Bandstand began as a local program on WFIL-TV (now WPVI), Channel 6 in Philadelphia on October 7, 1952. It was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV began experimenting with the new technology. I figured I had no chance in hell, but I was smitten by her the same way I was smitten by Marilyn Monroe and actresses like that. April 18, 2012. and they put a drinking cup in front of him and said, This is your cup, and youre the only one who will use this cup. One friend of mine was kicked out of the house.. Arlene Sullivan and Kenny Rossi on the cover of Teen magazine in 1959. 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. LOT OF 8 American Bandstand Trading Cards 1993 - $5.43. the use of any copyrighted material is used under the guidelines of "fair use" in title 17 107 of the united states code. When did Dick Clark start dancing on American Bandstand? Themselves - Dancers 1 episode, 1962 Tony Brady . By what name was American Bandstand (1952) officially released in Canada in English? But they were just normal kids, many of whom, in the early days, made their way daily from their respective high schools in Philadelphia to the televised dance party, The American Bandstand dancers ended up living all across the United States and followed a variety of careers. 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. 7 Who are the couples on Bandstand in real life? After a ten-month hiatus,[27] Bandstand moved to cable on USA Network[28][29] on April 8, 1989,[30] with comedian David Hirsch[31][32][33][34][35] taking over hosting duties. He thought she was at least a couple of years older. Featured artists typically performed their current hits by lip-syncing to the released version of the song. He would dance on the show until early 1960. The couple, born again Christians, run a no-smoking, no-gossip beauty shop in the Philadelphia suburbs. God bless friendships !!! They split their time between Dolan Springs and Venice. Some of the stories I heard are heartbreaking, Sullivan recalls. The show had just "gone national" on the ABC television network on August 5th. Justine said yes. The typical production schedule consisted of videotaping three shows on a Saturday and three shows on a Sunday, every six weeks.