Clark decided to pitch the show to ABC president Thomas W. (ET) time slot (WFIL had been pre-empting the ABC programming with Bandstand). In late spring of 1957, the ABC television network asked their O&O's and affiliates for programming suggestions to fill their 3:30 p.m. Horn was temporarily replaced by producer Tony Mammarella before the job went to Dick Clark permanently. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. On July 9, 1956, Horn was fired after a drunk-driving arrest, as WFIL and dual owner Walter Annenberg's The Philadelphia Inquirer were then
The short Snader and Official music films continued in the short term to fill gaps when dancers were changed during the show-a necessity, because the studio could not fit more than 200 teenagers. Tony Mammarella was the original producer with Ed Yates as director. As WFIL grew financially and the account became less important, Stewart wasn't needed and was eventually dropped from the program. Stewart was the owner of a TV/Radio business in Philadelphia and even though he was an older gentleman, his advertising account was a large one for WFIL-TV, so he was put on the program to appease the account. This more-familiar version of Bandstand debuted on October 7, 1952, in "Studio 'B'", which was located in their just-completed addition to the original 1947 building in West Philadelphia ^, and was hosted by Horn, with Lee Stewart as co-host until 1955. Horn, however, was disenchanted with the program, and wanted to change the show to a dance program with teenagers dancing along on camera as records played, based on an idea that came from a radio show on WPEN, The 950 Club, hosted by Joe Grady and Ed Hurst. This incarnation was an early version of the music video shows that became popular in the 1980s, featuring films that were the ancestors of music videos. Hosted by Bob Horn as a television adjunct to his radio show of the same name on WFIL radio, Bandstand featured short musical films produced by Snader Telescriptions and Official Films, with occasional studio guests.
Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company.ĭick Clark talks to Myrna Horowitz, one of the original dancers when the program began in 1952, on the show's 18th anniversary in 1970.Īmerican Bandstand premiered locally in late March 1952 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British films.
The show's popularity helped Dick Clark become an American media mogul and inspired similar long-running music programs, such as Soul Train and British series Top of the Pops. Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110. It featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introduced by Clark at least one popular musical act-over the decades, running the gamut from Jerry Lee Lewis to Run–D.M.C.-usually appeared in person to lip-sync one of their latest singles.
Independent research conducted by Prime Buyer's Report editors includes phone call surveys with customers of local businesses, checks with state agencies on license and complaint history, verification that each business has insurance coverage to protect you as a customer, phone interviews of business owners, signed agreements that they use only legal workers, and more to determine the businesses that are safe to spend with.60 minutes (originally two hours and thirty minutes on WFIL-TV/Philadelphia only)Īmerican Bandstand, abbreviated AB, is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the program's producer. Consumers use the Prime Buyer's Report to avoid the scam, fraud, and businesses with low customer satisfaction