AMERICAN BANDSTAND

'''American Bandstand''' is a television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989. It is known not only for the emerging performers that it promoted (from Jerry Lee Lewis to Run DMC) but the many dance styles it featured through the decades.

Contents

Show description

Format

Theme music

Changes

''American Dreams''

Trivia

References in popular culture

See also

References

External links

Show description

It premiered locally as a live show, '''Bandstand''', on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV (Channel 6, now WPVI-TV) on October 7, 1952 in "Studio 'B'", which was located in their just-completed addition to the original 1947 building (4548 Market Street), and was hosted by Bob Horn, with Lee Stewart as co-host until 1955. Tony Mammarella was the original producer with Ed Yates as director.
The measurements of "Studio 'B'" were 80'x42'x24'. It looked smaller than that due to the number of props, television cameras, and bleachers that were used for the show. The show was briefly shot in color in 1958 when WFIL-TV started experimenting with the then-new technology. The size of the studio made it possible to only have one camera (RCA TK-41) where three black & white models were used before (RCA TK-10). WFIL-TV went back to black & white two weeks later when ABC-TV refused to carry the color signal and management realized that the show lost something without the extra cameras.
The series originally featured Horn merely hosting two collections of filmed musical performances from both Snader and Official films (forerunners of modern music videos), but this was soon changed to the familiar format of having kids dance to hit records, an idea that came from a Philadelphia radio show, ''The 950 Club''.
On July 9, 1956, Horn was fired for a drunk driving arrest. He was replaced temporarily by producer Tony Mammarella before the job went permanently to Dick Clark. After some badgering of the network by Clark, The show was picked up nationally by ABC (becoming ''American Bandstand'') on August 5, 1957. The program was broadcast daily (first live, then on kinescope when Clark went on tour with the singers) until 1963 and then aired weekly until 1989. The show's popularity helped Clark become an American media mogul and inspired other similar long-running music programs, such as ''Soul Train'' and ''Top of the Pops''.

Format

The show featured teenagers dancing to Top 40-type music introduced by Clark; at least one popular musical act would usually appear in-person to lip-sync one of their latest singles.
Clark would often interview the teenagers about their opinions of the songs being played, most memorably through the "Rate-a-Record" segment (to which the phrase "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it" is credited, perhaps apocryphally). In 1957, Patti Page was crowned ''American Bandstand's favorite female vocalist in its first nationwide audience poll.

Theme music

''Bandstand'' originally used "High Society" by Artie Shaw as its theme song, but by the time the show went national, it had been replaced by various arrangements of "Bandstand Boogie" composed by Charles Albertine, including the big-band version performed by Les Elgart remembered by viewers of the daily version. From 1969 to 1974 "Bandstand Theme", a synth instrumental version written by Mike Curb opened each show. Moreover, from 1974 to 1977 an orchestral disco version of "Bandstand Boogie" arose playing during the opening and closing credits. Joe Porter was the music arranger and performer of this orchestral disco version of American Bandstand's theme song at this time.
From 1977 to the end of its ABC run in 1987, the show opened and closed with Barry Manilow's rendition of the theme, which he originally recorded for his 1975 album ''Tryin' to Get the Feeling''. The song's new lyrics, which heavily referenced the series, were co-written by Manilow and Bruce Howard Sussman.
The Manilow version was replaced by an updated instrumental arrangement of "Bandstand Boogie" when ''Bandstand'' went into syndication.
From 1974 onward, ''Bandstand'' featured another instrumental at its mid-show break—Billy Preston's synth hit "Space Race".

Changes

The show moved from its weekday slot to Saturday afternoons on September 7, 1963.
Production of the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on February 8, 1964, which coincidently was the same weekend that WFIL-TV moved from their 46th and Market location to their new facility located on City Line Avenue. Color broadcasts began for good on September 9, 1967.
''Bandstand'' moved from ABC to syndication on September 19, 1987, and to cable's USA Network on April 8, 1989 with a new younger host, comedian David Hirsch. Clark remained executive producer. The show ended on October 7, 1989.
In 2004, Dick Clark announced plans to revive the show in time for 2005 but it did not happen. Clark's plan to revive American Bandstand eventually did come to fruition, just not in the way that was expected. The revived "Bandstand" was to feature a national dance contest, but after several tries to come up with a workable format, they decided to go just with the dance contest component which became ''So You Think You Can Dance''. Dick Clark Productions is credited as the show's co-producer and longtime DC employee Allen Shapiro serves as co-executive producer.

''American Dreams''

Main articles: American Dreams

The show was featured prominently in the 2002–2005 NBC-TV drama series'' American Dreams'', which like ''Bandstand'' was executive produced by Dick Clark. In a 2005 episode of ''American Dreams'', Eddie Kelly and Bunny Gibson—one of the most famous couples to appear on American Bandstand in the Philadelphia years—were the only two to make cameo appearances on the acclaimed TV series. Along with that, Eddie Kelly and Bunny Gibson were named a number of times in the script and Eddie Kelly referred to in the last episode.

Trivia

★ Charlie O'Donnell, then a very young Philadelphia radio DJ, landed his very first network announcing assignment on ''Bandstand'', a job he would hold until the late-1960s.

★ The old WFIL-TV building in Philadelphia is currently being used as a business incubator program, The Enterprise Center, and the original "American Bandstand" studio is now a large meeting room.

★ The weekly ABC version did not air in the Boston market. WNAC did not air it, neither did WCVB when ABC affiliation in the Boston market switched in 1972 because WCVB's weekly airing of Candlepin Bowling at noontime where it has been since it was WHDH channel 5 which pre-empted Bandstand, although prime time specials did air. It also didn't air in the Houston market on KTRK-TV, starting in 1959, when they had their own local dance show hosted by Larry Kane from 1959-71. After which, KTRK would have local community shows in place of Bandstand. And on September 1, 1984. KTRK finally carried the last three years of American Bandstand after 25 years.

★ People who lived in Boston saw American Bandstand on WTEV Channel 6 in New Bedford-Providence (now WLNE) and WMUR-TV Channel 9 in Manchester, NH. But when WTEV Channel 6 and WPRI Channel 12 switched affiliations in 1977. WPRI Channel 12 didn't carry American Bandstand.

★ Bandstand was also not carried in Baltimore, Maryland. Instead ABC affiliate WJZ-TV carried the local Buddy Deane Show, the inspiration for the movie Hairspray. Reportedly, the Baltimore station "blacked out" Bandstand because Black teenagers were allowed to dance on the program (although Blacks and Whites were not allowed to dance together).

★ It was customary on the show to have Clark perform a mini-interview with the guest band members. Clark says the most difficult interview he performed was with Prince, an unknown at the time of his appearance. Prince was unresponsive and would generally answer his questions with only a hand gesture or a single word. Clark in fact asked Prince how many instruments he played; Prince responded with, "A thousand."

★ Another famous mini-interview Clark is famous for is one with Madonna, who, when asked what she would like to do 20 years from now, answered coyly, ''"To rule the world!"''

★ B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis were the only recording artists to actually sing on the program. They were uncomfortable with miming their performances and requested that they just perform the songs live on the set.

★ In 1980, singer John Lydon of Public Image Limited refused to mime on the show; the musicians continued the charade for a while as though they were actually performing "Poptones", but when the time came for their second song, "Careering," the band gave their instruments to the audience, who had swarmed the stage at Lydon's urging.

★ In 1961, Tony Orlando performed his then-hit song "Bless You" with his trousers zipper open.

★ The first rap/hip hop performance in the history of television occurred in 1981 when the Sugar Hill Gang performed their hit song "Rapper's Delight" on the show.

★ Eddie Kelly was the only individual Regular to be singled out for an individual lot (An image of him/paper doll/Lot 202 Page 48 of the catalog) in Dick Clark's Auction held in New York City on December 5th and 6th, 2006. The only other lot was a couple, Regulars, Bob Clayton and Justine Carrelli, of their signed recording, "Drive-In Movie" (Lot 17 Page 14).^[1]

★ In 1957, Simon and Garfunkel performed their first hit, "Hey Schoolgirl," immediately after Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire." The song hit #49 on the Billboard Charts when they were just sixteen years old.

★ Pro wrestler Sylvester Ritter better known as the Junk Yard Dog appeared on the show to sing his theme song "Grab Them Cakes" from ''The Wrestling Album''

★ Dave Johnson appeared on the show numerous times with a female partner doing his famous "Peppermint Twist".

★ When the show moved from ABC to syndication, the station that created it all, WPVI (formerly WFIL) didn't carry the syndicated version. KYW (channel 3) picked up the syndicated season.

References in popular culture

★ In the movie Grease, Rydell High School plays host for a dance contest on a televised show similar to American Bandstand. In the movie, it was called National Bandstand.

★ In 1988, the popular John Waters film Hairspray's The Corny Collins Show is a mix between this and Baltimore's Buddy Deane Show.

★ In the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, English teacher John Keating, played by Robin Williams belittles the school's poetry textbook's introduction to poetry. The introduction describes a method of giving poems numerical scores of "perfection." He derides this by saying "we're not laying pipe, we're talking about poetry. How can you describe poetry like American Bandstand? "I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can't dance to it!"

★ In 2001, IGT acquired the rights from Dick Clark Productions and created and developed a slot machine based on the show's popularity.

★ In 2004 the band Low released the compilation album ''A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities'', featuring the track "Peanut Butter Toast And American Bandstand" which mentions the show.

★ In 2005, rapper Bow Wow came out with the featured single Fresh Azimiz from the album Wanted. The song, produced by Jermaine Dupri mentioned the popularity of American Bandstand in the line, "I'm goin' down in history like American Bandstand."

See also

★ American Dreams

★ Buddy Deane Show

★ List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand

★ Soul Train

References

1. Dick Clark Auction December 5 & 6, 2006. ''The Dick Clark Auction Catalog'' A division of Barlan Enterprises LTD copyright Guernsey's 2006

External links

★

★ American Bandstand Site

★ Daily American Bandstand History

★ Jump The Shark - American Bandstand