American Bandstand
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Image:American Bandstand.gifAmerican Bandstand was a live dance music television show. It premiered locally as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL 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.
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Dick Clark
Image:American Bandstand2.jpgOn July 9, 1956, Horn, fired after a drunk driving conviction, was replaced by Dick Clark. The show was picked up by ABC (becoming American Bandstand) on August 5, 1957 after some badgering from Clark to the network to put it on nationally, broadcasting daily (first live, then on kinescope when Clark went on tour with the singers) until 1963 and then airing weekly until 1989.
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.
Tony Mammarella was the original producer of Bandstand.
Format
The show featured real kids dancing to Top 40-type music, often with mimed performances by the artists themselves. In 1957, Patti Page was crowned American Bandstand's favorite female vocalist in its first nationwide audience poll.
Changes
The show moved to Saturday afternoons on September 7, 1963, to Los Angeles on February 8, 1964, to color on September 9, 1967, to syndication on September 19, 1987, and to cable (USA Network) on April 8, 1989 with a new, younger host (comedian David Hirsch) to bring in more viewers. It ended for good on October 7, 1989.
Standouts
Standout performances on American Bandstand include a chaotic 1980 appearance by the (at that time) abrasive art-rock ensemble, Public Image Limited—a fact often suspected of being an urban legend, which is nonetheless confirmed by broadcast videotapes and by Dick Clark himself. During the appearance bandmembers exchanged instruments and made no pretense of the appearance on the show being anything other than lipsyncing. Clark himself has referred to the group's appearance on the show as one of his favorite performances on the series.
Trivia
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 only answer his questions with a hand gesture or a single word.
Another famous mini-interview Clark is famous for is with Madonna, who, when asked what she would like to do 20 years from now, she answered coyishly: To rule the world.
B.B. King is the only recording artist to actually sing on the program. King was uncomfortable with miming his performance and requested that he could just perform the songs live on the set.
In 1961, Tony Orlando performed his then-hit song "Bless You" with his front zipper open.
The first rap/hip hop performance in the history of television occured in 1981 when the Sugar Hill Gang performed their hit song "Rappers Delight" on the show.
'60s Nostalgia
The show was featured prominently in the 2002-2005 NBC-TV drama series American Dreams, whose executive producer was none other than Dick Clark.
Bob Horn
Born Donald Loyd Horn was born in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania on February 20 1916 to a WWI veteran.
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 to Robert.