Bandstand Beat

Bandstand Bits: 'Thin Man' Watts, Barr's Diamond Theater and Arthur Godfrey

Today, a few more tidbits about Dick Clark and the Philadelphia years of American Bandstand. Hopefully, you'll discover something new and interesting here. Also, if you have any stories to share about your own Bandstand experience or have something you'd like to know about the show, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you. Today's Bandstand Bits:

1. In 1957, saxophonist Noble "Thin Man" Watts cut a jumping instrumental called The Slop with His Rhythm Sparks band. Dick Clark wanted to play the song on American Bandstand, but objected to the title so Watts renamed the tune Hard Times. The record went on to spend nine weeks on the Billboard charts.

2. In the early 1950s, one of Dick Clark's earliest TV jobs in Philadelphia was as spokesman for Associated Barr Stores, a locally owned chain of 13 jewelry stores in the Philadelphia area and sponsor of Barr's Diamond Theater, a program of old movies on WFIL-TV.

3. One of Dick Clark's radio heroes was Arthur Godfrey, one of radio's biggest stars in the 1930s who enjoyed a television career that ran into the 1960s. The flamboyant and often controversial Godfrey was also a private pilot, who  lost his license for six months after buzzing the control tower at Teterboro Airport in 1954 and claimed to have seen a UFO while flying near Philadelphia in June 1965.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. Go here to learn the story behind the writing of Bandstandland or here to listen to the Pennsylvania Cable Network's interview with author Larry Lehmer.

Larry Lehmer's book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died -- is available at Amazon.

 

Bandstand Bits: Payola, color TV, The Twist, WFIL history, Horn & Hardart's

Today, a few more tidbits about the Philadelphia years of American Bandstand. Hopefully, you'll discover something new and interesting here. Also, if you have any stories to share about your own Bandstand experience or have something you'd like to know about the show, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you. Today's Bandstand Bits:

1.  When Dick Clark appeared at congressional payola hearings in 1960, it was pointed out that he owned or had a stake in 33 companies after taking over American Bandstand. Two other ABC-TV musical stars also had extensive business holdings at the time -- Pat Boone (through his Cooga Mooga, Inc.) and Lawrence Welk (Teleklew, Inc.)

2.  From the August 4, 1956, issue of Billboard magazine: "Local live programming is gradually becoming a show of another color. WFIL-TV last week became the first Philadelphia outlet to begin a regular schedule of live colorcasts with Bandstand."

3. American Bandstand famously introduced American teens to The Twist via Chubby Checker, but the song’s history goes back at least as far as 1912, when the line “twist around with all your might” appeared in the song, Messin’ Around.

4. WFIL radio began broadcasting as WFI from the rug department of owner Strawbridge & Clothier in March 1922, as a part-time 250 watt station. It shared time with WLIT, which broadcast from the Lit Brothers department store. The stations eventually merged into WFIL, which later added WFIL-TV, home of Bandstand.

 5. Before his marriage in 1952, Dick Clark took many of his meals at a downtown Horn & Hardart's automat where cashiers doled out nickels by the truckload, where politicians, lawyers and gangsters used to rub shoulders and where hungry diners could find some of the city's best cinnamon buns, huckleberry pie and cup custard.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. Go here to learn the story behind the writing of Bandstandland or here to listen to the Pennsylvania Cable Network's interview with author Larry Lehmer.

Larry Lehmer's book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died -- is available at Amazon.

 

Bandstand Bits: Jamboree, Bob Clayton, Bandstand Polka, Contours, Steer Inn

Today, instead of posting an excerpt from my work-in-progress book, Bandstandland, which covers the Philadelphia years of America's historic teenage dancing program, I'm giving you a few tidbits about the show. Hopefully, you'll discover something new and interesting here.

Also, if you have any stories to share about your own Bandstand experience or have something you'd like to know about the show, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you. The Bandstand Bits:

1.  When Dick Clark put together financing for his 1957 movie, Jamboree, Cameo Records founder (and Clark business associate) Bernie Lowe matched Clark's $10,000 investment. Another $10,000 investor was Sy "Pop" Singer, owner of the neighborhood drugstore that would become popular with American Bandstand dancers and fans in the years ahead.

2.  Bob Clayton was one of the first popular male dancers in the early years of American Bandstand. But it was another Bob Clayton of Boston radio station WHDH who hosted Boston Ballroom before American Bandstand went on network TV.

3. Jimmy Church's Magicians released a record on the Verve label in 1958 titled Bandstand Polka.

4. The Contours' hit single, Do You Love Me?, features a false ending. But when the group performed the song on American Bandstand, someone in the control booth inadvertently stopped the record at the false ending, creating a brief moment of chaos in the studio.

 5. Dick Clark's attempt at creating a national string of Bandstand Grille restaurants went bust a few years ago. Clark's first attempt at the restaurant business fell short, too, more than 50 years ago when he opened the Steer Inn on Camden's Admiral Wilson Boulevard.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. Go here to learn the story behind the writing of Bandstandland or here to listen to the Pennsylvania Cable Network's interview with author Larry Lehmer.

Larry Lehmer's book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died -- is available at Amazon.

 

 

Dick Clark scores with prime-time special, but trouble is brewing in Bandstandland

1959

Instead of spending the evening of his seventh wedding anniversary with his wife, Dick Clark spent the night mingling with musicians while presenting The Record Years in prime time on ABC-TV, which was described as a “tribute to the recording industry.” Lip-syncing was the order of the day for guests Johnny Mathis, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Fabian, Stan Freberg, Fats Domino, Stan Kenton and his orchestra and the McGuire Sisters.

As he promised in the lead up to the program, Clark showed off some of his own dancing skills with the McGuire Sisters but it was his defense of teenagers and their music that proved to be the highlight of the show. Using his star-studded cast, Clark pointed out the silliness of past eras with songs like Ta Ra Ra Boom De Aye and Three Itty Fishies and antics like goldfish swallowing or wearing sloppy joe sweaters and zoot suits.

Then, with a decided Clarkian flourish, he brought out a troupe of well-dressed, perfectly behaved thoroughly modern teenage dancers.

Clark’s effort was hugely rewarded. According to Trendex ratings, The Record Years drew more than half of America’s viewing audience and beat such stalwart opposition as Alfred Hitchcock, The Chevy Show, The Loretta Young Show and Richard Diamond.

A fringe benefit was the cash Clark pocketed as a spokesman for one of the show’s big sponsors, AMF Pinspotters. AMF, a major player in the surge in popularity of bowling in the late 1950s, hired Clark — a notorious non-athlete — as the cover boy for a booklet called Bowling Fun that was distributed through North American bowling centers.

More in line with Clark’s public image was his tie-in with DuPont for a line of teenaged girls clothing called “Dance Band Fashions.” Under this arrangement, Clark’s photo was to be used in promotion materials by some 35 manufacturers whose items were made of DuPont nylon, dacron or orlon fabrics.

Clark also announced that his planned fall TV series, Dick Clark’s World of Talent, would air on Sunday nights (opposite the popular What’s My Line?) instead of Wednesdays and would be sponsored by cigarette manufacturer P. Lorillard Company. In addition, Clark revealed that he’d be taking the entire month of August off so he could spend the month in Hollywood filming his first feature film, Because They’re Young.

Since his California plans would take him out of Philadelphia for his American Bandstand anniversary show on Aug. 5, Clark taped two weeks of shows in advance, including the anniversary show. Besides receiving congratulatory on-air phone calls from Fabian, Frankie Avalon and Duane Eddy, Clark also conducted a brief phone chat with Elvis Presley, who was still with the army in Germany. Clark filled the remaining two weeks of his absence with guest deejays and moved his Saturday night show to Hollywood for three weeks beginning Aug. 22.

With everything in place for his August “recess,” Clark headed for Hollywood. But, on the first day that the taped programs were to begin, word leaked that something was amiss. Pat Molittieri, a 16-year-old Bartram High School student who was one of the most popular young dancers on American Bandstand, told a reporter that Clark had banned her from the show after her picture appeared on the June cover of ‘Teen magazine.

Not true, said Clark. She quit to write for the magazine, he said.

But, by the time the taped second anniversary American Bandstand show hit the air two days later, dedicated fans of the show weren’t gushing over the Elvis phone interview.

They were saying, “What happened to Pat?”

Excerpted from Bandstandland  © 2019 Larry Lehmer

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. Go here to learn the story behind the writing of Bandstandland or here to listen to the Pennsylvania Cable Network's interview with author Larry Lehmer.

Larry Lehmer's book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died -- is available at Amazon.