American Bandstand

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Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand

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American Bandstand was a long-running dance music 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

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. Tony Mammarella was the original producer with Ed Yates as director.

On July 9, 1956, Horn encountered personal problems and was replaced by Dick Clark. The show was picked up by ABC (becoming American Bandstand) on August 5, 1957. After some badgering by Clark to ABC, the show went national, broadcasting daily (first live, then on kinescope when Clark went on tour with the singers) until 1963 and then airing weekly until 1989. The show's popularity helped Clark become an American media mogul and inspired similar long-running programs, such as the U.S.'s Soul Train and the United Kingdom's 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 apocryphaly). In 1957, Patti Page was crowned American Bandstand's favorite female vocalist in its first nationwide audience poll.

Theme Music

Template:Sample box start variation 2 Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen endTemplate:Sample box end Bandstand used various arrangements of "Bandstand Boogie" by Les Elgart as its theme music throughout its history, including the big-band version remembered by viewers of the daily version. In the 1970s, a synth and keyboard heavy instrumental version opened each show.

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.

Taping 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). It ended for good on October 7, 1989.

Trivia

• 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.

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

• 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.

• In 2001, a slot machine based on the show's popularity was developed by IGT.

• In 2004 the band Low (band) 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 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. Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol, worked with Dick Clark Productions to create "So You Think You Can Dance." The revived "Bandstand" was to feature a national dance contest,but after several tries to come with a workable format, they decided to go just with the dance contest component which became the current Fox summer hit. Dick Clark Productions is credited as the show's co-producer and longtime DC employee Allen Shapiro serves as co-executive producer.

1960s Nostalgia

The show was featured prominently in the 2002-2005 NBC-TV drama series American Dreams, which like Bandstand was executive produced by Dick Clark.

Bob Horn

Born Donald Loyd Horn in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania on February 20 1916 to a World War I veteran, Horn was fired from Bandstand following a drunk-driving conviction.

Horn died of a heat stroke-induced heart attack on July 31 1966 at the age of 50. He was mowing his lawn in Houston, Texas at the time of the incident. His remains were interred at the Forest Park Cemetery in Houston, Texas with the epitaph, "Bandstand."

He would change his name twice before his death. Some academic records from his youth showed that he appended an 'e' to his surname for a while, and replaced his first name with "Robert".

See also

• Buddy Dean Show
• List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand

External links

• American Bandstand at IMDb
• American Bandstand Site
• Jump The Shark - American Bandstand