13: Philly-based TV show “American Bandstand” goes national, August 5, 1957
By the late 50s, “American Bandstand” emerged as a formative teenage TV experience, a nationwide sock hop uniting kids obsessed with a new phenomenon - rock ‘n’ roll. It debuted in 1952 on WFIL in Philadelphia with host Bob Horn. This local incarnation was dubbed simply “Bandstand”. Dick Clark took over hosting duties in 1956, deftly establishing the format we remember today: popular teenage regulars – soon celebs in their own right - dancing to Top 40 singles; at least one musical act appearing in person to lip-synch their latest single, and the memorable “Rate a Record” segment, which popularized the phrase “It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it.” With Clark in place as its eternally youthful host, the series rapidly took off. ABC picked it up for national broadcast and launched a weekday schedule on August 5, 1957. Clark’s path towards “media mogul” had begun. The show shifted from weekdays to Saturday afternoons in 1963, and then the following year, production permanently relocated from Philadelphia to entertainment capital Los Angeles. Its theme song went through a variety of permutations as well – starting with Artie Shaw’s “High Society” to Charles Albertine’s “Bandstand Boogie” performed by Les Elgart to Barry Manilow’s definitive rendition, which remained the “Bandstand” theme from 1977 until its cancellation in 1989. The show’s effect in terms of promoting rock ‘n’ roll music and extending its culture among teenagers is incalculable. It inspired several similar long-running music programs, such as Soul Train and Top of the Pops. Although the program aired for nearly 40 years, many argue its heyday was in the years before rock ‘n’ roll became just plain rock.
History of American Bandstand
Dick Clark
Today in Bandstand History
Part 1 of Dick Clark and “American Bandstand” Remembered
Gene Vincent - “Dance the Bop”
Chuck Berry - “Sweet Little 16″
American Breed - Bend Me Shape Me
Linda Ronstadt - “You’re No Good”
Blondie - “Heart of Glass” and “Rip Her to Shreds”
Prince - “I Wanna Be Your Lover”
PIL - “Careering” and “Poptones”
885 Blog:
Daily Dose for August 2, 2007
XPN’s Jay Goldman, Director of Engineering on “American Bandstand”
Remember This: It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it
Remember This: It Came From Philly: The Retro Edition
The first teenage dance show on television was “Soupy’s Soda Shop.” 1950, WKRC in Cincinnati. Hosted by Soupy Sales.
About “Bandstand”—I remember watching “Bandstand” every afternoon with my mother. We used to do “The Stroll” in our living room. Great memories.
October 18th, 2007 at 6:07 pmAs Kathy said, above, I used to watch Bandstand every afternoon when I was six years old, in 1st grade. I had a such a crush on Dick Clark, and would have given anything to suddenly grow up to be a teenager, live in Philadelphia (whereever THAT was - I lived in Helena, MT), and be a Bandstand dancer.
October 27th, 2007 at 11:23 am