Then Dick Clark died in 2012. Justine Carrelli-Miller wasnt even a teenager in 1956 when she used her sisters birth certificate to get on American Bandstand. The show was live five days a week from Philadelphia, Dick Clark had yet to become the host and it had yet to go national. After that, management at WFIL-TV/Channel 6 (46th & Market) in Philadelphia installed the clean-cut Dick Clark to take over the teen dance party show and renamed it "American Bandstand." Dick Clark As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. Watch American Bandstand 1950s: Justine Carrelli and Bob Cayton highlighted . "Bandstand's Backyard". Local radio disc jockey Buddy Deane was chosen as the host of The Buddy Deane Show on Channel 13, and began a daily two hour broadcast on September 9, 1957. Browse 1,010 american bandstand dancers stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. He kept his distance, she says. They joined Arlenes and Kennys fan clubs. 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. Jim Miller was in junior high, living on Long Island, New York, when Bandstand became a national hit. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. From 1977 to September 6, 1986, the show opened and closed with Barry Manilow's rendition of "Bandstand Boogie",[7] which he originally recorded for his 1975 album Tryin' to Get the Feeling. To this day, oh so many years have passed, and yet I still feel the magic of Arlene and Kenny!!! Jim joined the military, went through several jobs after getting out, got married, had three kids, became a widower at a young age, spent 23 years working in San Diego and moved to Venice, Florida to retire. [42], Bandstand "regulars" from the Philadelphia years, Move from ABC to syndication and the USA Network, AMERICAN BANDSTAND (1987 Closing Credits - ABC Finale), Laura Branigan - Shattered Glass & Interview - AB (1987). These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. They accepted me. They were some of the most famous kids in America, dancing every day on "American Bandstand." "We were like miniature rock 'n' roll stars. sign up for our monthly Nostalgia e-newsletter or other e-newsletters tailored for boomers. Teen idol Bobby Rydell, whose music career is still going strong 60 years after American Bandstand, wrote the books introduction; but former Regular Arlene Sullivan, who shares her memories and personal images, is a standout as well as a co-author of the book. 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. by Adam Salandra 3/14/2017. Created by black deejay Don Cornelius as a black dance show, Soul Train started in Chicago in 1970 before being picked up by stations across the country the following year. They were some of the most famous kids in America, dancing every day on "American Bandstand." "We were like miniature rock 'n' roll stars. Lers. He sometimes wondered what happened to Justine, especially around New Years Eve when he would watch Dick Clark host his special. Davey Frees, president of the American Bandstand Fan Club, never got to the studio while the show was on the air. ``While I was caught up in the magic of it, it was fantastic, said Justine, who at 12 1/2 used her older sisters birth certificate to get onto the show. But I didnt have any crushes on any of the straight girls. I was surprised how short she was, he said. Arlene asked him to dance and thus Arlene and Kenny happened. Of all the regulars, Carole Scaldeferri Spada may have realized the longest lasting effect. 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. 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. 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. Sullivan & Rossi forever!!! God bless friendships !!! Togethera certain magic radiated from them when they were dancing!!! If she was on I watched it, if not I would do something else.. CD1<br><br>01 - Snap! But just like a lot of today's showmances are concocted, many of the Bandstand boppers were harboring a big secret: They . I started going out to straight clubs.. That was the start of our romance, Jim said. It preceded The Guy Mitchell Show. In 2004, Dick Clark, with the help of Ryan Seacrest, announced plans to revive the show in time for the 2005 season; although this did not occur (due in part to Clark suffering a severe stroke in late 2004), one segment of the revived Bandstanda national dance contesteventually became the series So You Think You Can Dance. Justine turns 80 next year and Jim 79. We use cookies to give you the best experience. Arelene, whose mother was a devoted fan, claims she danced on the show "to get my mother's attention." Within three months, Arlene was a regular appearing five days a . ``It was like having a New Years party every day, and when it was over I missed it _ the camaraderie, the dancing _ there was a void.. Ray Smith was one of the shows secretly gay dancers. The whole country watched those lively teens tear . American Bandstand/Music composed by. 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. American Bandstand will be back someday, I assure you. The couple, born again Christians, run a no-smoking, no-gossip beauty shop in the Philadelphia suburbs. They enjoyed walks in the park , and going to the drive-in movies with Barbara Leveick and her boyfriend at the time. PublishedJanuary 1, 2023 at 10:00 AM EST. 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. I was surprised how short she was, he said. [Editor's note: Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton were misidentified in a photo that ran in the May 13 issue of PARADE. Carole Ann Scaldeferri Spada, 70, of Newtown Square, a regular dancer on American Bandstand from 1957 to 1961, has died. Nov 17, 2013 - A formal Justine & Bob American bandstand girl. A lot of good time, super songs and singers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Ross Media Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Justine Carrelli. Justine was the one who caught my eye, he said. I was so afraid that I started trying to talk myself into being straight. In the first year after Dick Clark took over as host in the summer of 1956, Bandstand remained a popular local hit, but it took Clarks ambition to help it break out. 5 Who wrote the theme song to American Bandstand? It was shot live from Studio B at Forty-Sixth and and Market Streets, where the two . 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Arlene heard that Kenny got married and had a daughter named Nicki. 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. In particular, Arlene remembers him singing Because of You by Tony Bennett. I knew I was different early on, but being with all these [Bandstand] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. And "American Dreams" (Sundays, 8 p.m., Channel 2) definitely isn't it, despite being in the most prime . The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Browse celebrity nostalgia on our website. One couple on the show was a couple in real life; Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton dated for three years. Arlene learned that Kenny had a particular fondness for parties as he liked the attention when he was dancing. And now we have computers. Mam. Your email address will not be published. and scheduled the program at 3:30pm ETalmost in the middle of Bandstand. I was SO mixed up., Today, Arlene Sullivan lives with a partner and, despite having suffered strokes, still loves to dance. We went downtown, and I ran to the back of the bus the way I always did in Philly but Barbara and her friend kept telling me to come to the front. Q: What happened to my favorite American Bandstand couple, Justine Carrelli and Bob Clayton? The kids of today missed out. One night at a party I met a girl who was one of the stars on American Bandstand I was blown away.. From 1974 to 1977, there was a newer, orchestral disco version of "Bandstand Boogie", arranged and performed by Joe Porter, played during the opening and closing credits. host of American Bandstand. The shy Sullivan pushed herself forward with the contact because she wanted to get on TV to impress her mother. Explore. Clark decided to pitch the show to ABC president Thomas W. Moore, and after some negotiations the show was picked up nationally, becoming American Bandstand on August 5, 1957. Bill Before Florida Senate Would Put Local Ordinances on Hold if Challenged, Legislation would make it illegal for doctors to provide gender-affirming care to transgender youths, Florida Republicans are taking on the media. After his first marriage ended, Kenny eventually remarried and had a son, Jonathan. 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Who were the most popular dancers on American Bandstand? . Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years, 1956-1963 shares the fascinating story of how Dick Clark's American Bandstand and its millions of viewers catapulted its teenage dancers (called "the Regulars") to fame.