"Bandstand" (1952) TV series 1952-1989

Directors:

Hal Galli
Barry Glazer

Writer:

Joseph Bonaduce (writer) (1964)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | unknown

Release Date:

1952 (USA)

Genre:

Music

Plot:

On this show, Dick Clark hosts a daily to weekly dance show that features the latest hit music for the attending teens to dance to. In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience members rate songs.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Teen | Partially Lost TV Series | Rock Music | One Word Title

Awards:

3 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Dion DiMucci	...	Himself (15 episodes, 1958-1975)
Duane Eddy	...	Himself (13 episodes, 1958-1966)
Brian Hyland	...	Himself (13 episodes, 1960-1970)
Johnny Tillotson	...	Himself (12 episodes, 1958-1971)
Chubby Checker	...	Himself (12 episodes, 1959-1982)
Smokey Robinson	...	Himself / ... (12 episodes, 1960-1986)
Dick Clark	...	Himself-Host / ... (10 episodes, 1956-1987)
Roy Hamilton	...	Himself (9 episodes, 1958-1961)
Johnny Rivers	...	Himself (9 episodes, 1960-1981)
The Spinners	...	Themselves / ... (8 episodes, 1974-1981)
Jerry Lee Lewis	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1957-1964)
Jimmy Clanton	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1958-1965)
Fabian	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1958-1964)
Fats Domino	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1959-1963)
Tony Orlando	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1961-1974)
Gene Pitney	...	Himself (7 episodes, 1961-1966)

Also Known As:

AB (USA) (short title)
American Bandstand (USA) (new title)
American Bandstand 1966 (USA) (ninth season title)
New American Bandstand 1965 (USA) (new title)
VH1's Best of American Bandstand (USA) (rerun title)

Runtime:

USA:30 min (1986-1987) | USA:50 min (1961-1962) | USA:60 min (1963-1986 and 1987-1989) | USA:90 min (1957-1961) | USA:55 min (1962-1963)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1952-1967) | Color (1967-1989)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (1952-1983) | Stereo (1983-1989)

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

WFIL Philadelphia

Trivia:

At 37 years of continuous run, was the longest weekly popular music showcase TV program in the world. This record was not broken until 2001 when the BBC's "Top of the Pops" (1964) entered its 38th year.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '70s" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Bandstand Boogie (The Theme of 'American Bandstand')

It was great in the 1960s, and it is still great today.

Although "Bandstand" apparently got its start in 1952, I first became familiar with it during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when Dick Clark was hosting the show. I became a teenager in 1958, and although I lived in a small southern town, I felt as much a part of Bandstand as those kids in Philadelphia. My mother and father both worked, so I was usually alone during the afternoon, after school. I remember my usual routine -- cook some frozen fish sticks in the oven, and settle down to watch Bandstand.

Part of the format involved playing several new songs, and having a small panel of teens rate then, to predict which ones had the best chance of becoming a hit. Of course, those of us who were watching often went over to the record store the next chance we had, to buy a copy of the winners, so the predictions became self-fulfilling. The biggest thrill was actually seeing on TV, the singers that we only knew through listening to the records. Brenda Lee. Leslie Gore. Paul and Paula. Bobby Vinton. Names that most of the younger generations would never recognize. And now, some of that is being brought to us in the Dick Clark sponsored TV series, "American Dreams." Bandstand, an important TV program in my formative teen years.