Did you know after Bandstand he enlisted in the army and served with Elvis Presley in Texas? PT. For more read Bandstand Diaries. Victor Blanc, the DA, was investigating what he called teenage sex rings. He phoned Lew Klein, an executive at WFIL who was a lodge-brother of his, and warned him not to reinstate Horn because theres more to the story; this is only the beginning of Horns problems. The district attorney phoned Klein as a personal courtesy, and to serve the public interest. EN ES DE FR. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE SOLEY FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY.NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED.I DO NOT OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO ANY OF THE BACKGROUND SONGS OR MUSIC. Valino was convicted and his singing career virtually ended. I know there are a lot of American Bandstand fans that will be very excited to see this. I may never be like @ThatKrazyK9, @RahneKallon or even @Leon_the_Fox in terms of dancers, but I at least had fun dancing on my birthday! Blanc boasted that he had smashed the ring in local aspects and the FBI would clean up the interstate angles. She was an attractive brunette who sat with Bob at a table in a small studio while engineers observed their behavior from behind glass. Horn was a pioneer when he made the youngsters the stars of the show, and when he gave teenagers a forum to set their own standards of music, dance steps and style. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. At WFIL they thought: What a wonderful idea for TV! #vintage #rocknroll #bandstanddiaries, What do you think they are chatting about? When Dick Clark wrote in his 1976 autobiography, Bandstand was a segregated show for years. I would think, that with the off-season moves the dugout dance party will also end. Dave Feldman, a Bandstand dancer, suggests one reason why so many of the kids came from Catholic schools: They were taught that dancing was wrong, and especially that girls shouldnt dance on television, so they did it to rebel. Also, the closest school to the studio, geographically, was a Catholic one. Abortion was illegal, and scandalous. A suburban dog breeder named James Worden frequently attended the Allison show and sometimes invited men and women whom he met there to parties at his estate, which he called Hound Dog Hill. 04 Mar 2023 03:03:52 Paul Thomas is a black who started dancing on the show in 1961 and says that black kids occasionally came and there was some mixed group dancing starting in the early 1960s. For more, read our book: www.bandstanddiaries.com #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #philadelphia #elvispresley #ninobambino #book #author #selfpublished #popculture #television, On American Bandstand from 1955-1958, Frank Spagnuola won the Chalypso Contest with Dottie Horner in 1957, the first year the show went national. Egyptian American Society - Bay Area - First Picnic of 2023!!! To discredit Loiss reputation, the defense produced a man, with no connection to Horn, who testified that Lois once accepted money to have sex with him. When I danced on TV people noticed me, and it led to my career in the business. #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #philadelphia #holiday #holidaygift #vintage, Bobbi Young appeared on Bandstand and American Bandstand from 1953-1958. The sexual relationship, however, was not revealed until later. But at one gathering, one guy didnt follow the rule and went all the way. Epoxy Flooring UAE; Floor Coating UAE; Self Leveling Floor Coating; Wood Finishes and Coating; Functional Coatings. Bob Adleman, the public relations man for WPEN, arranged an elegant event at Longchamps Restaurant on Rittenhouse Square where Allison would accept the honor. If we dont do something, theyll take over was the expressed fear. This is the link to the first part. Horn, on the other hand, didnt show such warmth to colleagues. In this climate, Philadelphias new district attorney decided to make sexual misconduct in broadcasting a public issue. I used to see Horn with the young girl, Lois Gardner, when she accompanied him to the station for his 11-to-midnight radio show. After the indictment was announced, Adleman hastily wrote a press release to save the city from embarrassment. One of the regular attendees at the broadcasts was Bernie Jacobs, a man who ran a modeling agency. He died in Hollywood in 1969, age 53. Wordens parties included nudity and sexual promiscuity. I went to Alan Freeds concerts at the Paramount and black kids didnt show up there either. Bob was color blind, Sheldon told me; On the first shows there were black couples dancing on the floor along with white couples. American Bandstand (TV Series 1952-1989) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. He asked me to be on the committee and be an example for others. After his dalliance with Dorothy, Allison allowed these men and girls free reign around the station. All Theater Tickets. Before long there were black kids dancing as regulars and American Bandstand was one of the few television shows where I would get to see black people as artists.. Theres a new kid working in the record library, he told his listeners, and listen to the junk he picked for me. Then Menefee came into the record room and said he hoped I wasnt angry with him for making me the butt of his joke. Oral sex was labeled an unnatural act and people went to jail for doing it. She was 17 years old. SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN LICENSED BY ME AND/OR IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. All of these singers were white, and their style was pop, not rock n roll. Blitz, author of Bandstand: The Untold Story, defends Horn against accusations of rudeness and says that Horn avoided friendships with co-workers only because he had more experience and knowledge and didnt need to learn from them. Arlene and Kenny first danced to "Why Don't You Understand" by George Hamilton IV. A generation later, courts began to rule that a woman has the right to say no at any point in a relationship. He asked a bunch of us to be on a committee to act as examples to other teenagers, and he gave birthday cakes and Christmas gifts to all of us on the committee. #arlenesullivan #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #travel #vintage #nostalgia, American Bandstand Regulars Frani Giordano & Carole Gibson outside Pop Singer's place. In 1966, in Houston, Horn died of a heart attack at the age of 50. He said funeral services are pending. It seems curious that a public official needed to rent a private headquarters, but Blanc felt that some city officials, if they knew what he was doing, would tip off their friends who were being investigated. An Elvis Presley fan, did you know she was the only Regular Dick Clark invited to go see Elvis at the Arena in 1956? Check out our american bandstand dancers selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Did you know that when Dick Clark announced her Sweet 16 birthday party on air, it turned into mayhem when kids from all over Philadelphia showed up? God bless you. Horn played mainstream singers like Peggy Lee and Frankie Laine. American Bandstandbuilt a national youth culture around the pop music records Clark played on the show and the commercial products his sponsors targeted to this $9 billion consumer market. While on the show he often danced with Susan Beltrante and Ivette Jimenez. At the time, I didnt know it was racism to go somewhere and not get let in. Hooks credits Dick Clark for personally choosing him to be a regular dancer on the show, the first black to gain that distinction. Once or twice on each program, Horn would intone: Weve got company and a recording artist would appear on the set to lip-synch to his or her record. Horn bragged to song-pluggers that he had to shove this music down the throats of station management, but he was unjustly trying to claim credit for himself. Dance Tickets Family Tickets Cirque Tickets Other Tickets. The SIX Show concert tickets in Branson - Buy The SIX Show tickets for an upcoming events at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri on Thu Jul 20, 2023 - 03:00 PM. Horn developed a daily ritual of kids judging new records. 8/9pmThe Hamptons ? The men who hung out with Horn fed him records by new artists and Horn was open to their suggestions partly because he knew it would help the show, and partly because he liked getting gifts from the song-pluggers. Instant Download. So if you got on the show once you were assured of returning, as long as they liked you, ahead of people who phoned in or wrote in. This, however, was basically a talent show and dancing was secondary. Then my crowd all sat down. ES. Frank Spagnuola, a white Italian-American, was a Bandstand regular. Soaring into popularity, she would receive 500-600 fan letters a week. In any event, he struck another car and left a 5-year-old occupant of that car paralyzed. For more on your favorite dancers, read Bandstand Diaries. Some of the kids would jitterbug in an impromptu fashion while Grady and Hurst played popular records on the air. Clark inherited WFIL's local television show Bandstand (1952-56) from the deejay Bob Horn, who proved that teenagers liked watching their peers dance. The partygoers at Wordens place knew to stop short with Maxine when she attended, because of her strict rule. After impressing the host, Clark praised the teens' performance. He was going to cut a record with me singing on one side and my dance partner, Tom DeNoble, singing on the other side. Stanley J. However, by 1963, Bandstand's format had been shortened to 30 minutes per show. These happenings would never have become known if one man had just listened to Maxines restrictive instruction. This site is maintained by American Bandstand Dancers Hal L. Landau, Linda D. Gonzales & Bunny Gibson And American Bandstand Fan Club President David Frees 8,712 people like this 8,612 people follow this http://www.americanbandstanddancers.com/ Local Business Photos See all Videos See all 0:06 Here are some of the most popular Regulars who danced on Dick Clark's American Bandstand beginning in 1957. After Bandstand, Charlette became an accountant and was a business manager. First, they required that boys show up wearing suits and ties. To get in the studio, boys must be wearing a suit jacket and tie. In addition, the show has performances by popular musicians and audience members rate songs. Jun 12, 2020 by apost team In 1964, Dick Clark was the host of the classic TV program American Bandstand . American Bandstand Regulars Elvis Presley Dancers Bobbi Backstage Clark Dick Bobbi Young appeared on Bandstand and American Bandstand from 1953-1958. But then some people at the station worried that the program could become identified as a black show. Our mottos are Dance To Express, Not To I She isnt reluctant or shy. Black kids from Overbrook High would come also. For seven years kids had been coming to WPEN at 1522 Walnut Street and riding the elevator to spend a couple of hours at their club, which was a small studio on the top floor without windows. I knew sooner or later I would get to go on the show. #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #book #author #television #philadelphia #popculture #nostalgia, Although Joe Ahern was a Regular American Bandstand dancer from 1959-1961, his professional life took him out of Philadelphia later, managing television stations all over the world. When I look at video of you dancing on the show, I still am awestruck. After you got a committee card you didnt have to wait in line to get into the show. It became a second home for me, an Italian-Jewish kid from a broken family in South Philly. Allison coined a new name for himself: a controversialist. He was advertised as the man who owns midnight. Allisons show also attracted a different type. Well, Blanc won his election, and that was the reason for all this, wasnt it? Dorothy said that she did it willingly. Carmella Astrella. He admitted that he gave her birthday presents a record player one year and one hundred dollars cash another year. Horns radio program was called The Bob Horn Bandstand, which had a nice, alliterative sound. I was asked to be a character witness at his trial and I testified that he never tried anything with us. The station advertised, Troubles in town, sporting the monicker of Steve Allison. All Theater Tickets. #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #edkelly #dickclark #nostalgia #book, Here are Marilyn Brown and Diane Iaquinto. Las Vegas; Location. Channel 6, WFIL, was owned by Walter Annenberg, whose newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, campaigned against drunk driving, so he didnt want to let Horn off lightly. These men were, you might say, realists. Clipp called Grady and me to his office, Hurst related, and asked us to start in two weeks. late 1950s American Bandstand Regulars. An Elvis Presley fan, did you know she was the only Regular Dick Clark invited to go see Elvis at the Arena in 1956? choosing to stay out of the limelight, we do know that she is a grandmother to 13 grandchildren. This went on for almost three years, sometimes in a radio studio while Horns records were spinning on the air. Believe it or not, at that time the show looked like a black blue-light basement party because our crowd would take over the floor when we showed up. Maybe he was on edge because the vice trial was about to start a few days later. Locations Atlanta Tickets Boston Tickets Chicago Tickets . Horn became a radio personality at Phillys WIP, then moved to WFIL in 1951 because that station offered more money and because FIL had a sister TV station (part of the ABC network) and Horn hoped for a future on television. It was their thing. Black kids were turned back at the entrance without any explanation. Horn didnt act like a star, he says. It was thought that he could bring some of his clients on board as advertisers. But our Philadelphia program had a history of racial exclusion that was more complex and more interesting. Most of the American Bandstand guys are gone, replaced, coincidentally by Americans. Section ADULT Row GA. Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 3:00 PM (4/27/2023) All prices are listed per ticket. BERTIE'S BANDSTAND. Sadly she passed away in 2013, but fans, fellow dancers, and family hold on to those fond memories. Blanc decided to go on a crusade of his own and he chose entertainment celebrities as his target. American Bandstand 1950s Dance Partners 1 ABdancers 6.85K subscribers Subscribe 33K views 6 years ago As a teenager in the late 1970's I always enjoyed watching American Bandstand on Saturday. One, a district attorneys re-election campaign. When Horns personal indiscretions led to his ouster from Bandstand in 1956, he was replaced by the more youthful, slimmer, squeaky clean Dick Clark. The Mann Act was law, barring anyone from transporting a person across state lines for an immoral act, even when it was consensual. In addition, the girl who accused Joe Valino of arranging her abortion was one of the models who attended the Allison show and met men there. Anna became close friends with Steve Lewis when she went on the show. In that year, a group of teenagers appeared on the show, dancing to a hit single from that year, The Reflections' (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet. Today in our new blog post we hear from from Mickey (Bandstand) Cullen, a Regular from the #BobHorn days. Philadelphia American Bandstand Regular Billy Cook shows us his style of the Fast Dance as it was called on Bandstand/American Bandstand (Jitterbug/Lindy Hop) as done on Bandstand in the early days of its Philadelphia years. Accordi per American Bandstand 1968 - TOP 10 - Love Is Blue, Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra. American Bandstand 1960s Dance Partners Barbara Warchol & Bruce Richard - YouTube 0:00 / 5:44 American Bandstand 1960s Dance Partners Barbara Warchol & Bruce Richard ABdancers 6.91K. Sort of healthy trouble. American Bandstand 1960s Dance Partners Barbara Warchol & Bruce Richard As a teenager in the late 1970s I always enjoyed watching American Bandstand on Saturday afternoons. The rest left to right are Barb Levick, Arlene DiPietro, Frani Giordano, and Janet Hamill. It may not be the secret of my success but it sure as hell kept me out of a lot of trouble.. Allison thought this decision was reprehensible and criticized Annenberg for it. If only this man stopped where Maxine drew the line, then she wouldnt have gone to the cops, then Horn would not have been investigated, then he would have remained on Bandstand and Dick Clark may not have become a star, etcetera, etcetera and so on. 95K subscribers Subscribe 10K 415K views 1 year ago Happy 60th anniversary of. And everyone at ABC Television tried to ignore the programs first years. I had such a crush on you all those years ago watching American Bandstand. He even went back on the air a few minutes later and said: Hey, that record wasnt bad after all.. Senator Estes Kefauver, who was running for Vice President in 1956. On Thursday, for the first time in a quarter century, 27 of the original Bandstand dancers, including Joe, Kenny, Arlene, Carole, Flossie and Jim, reunited to rehearse their steps for a rock 'n' roll celebration over Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. The TV program AmericanBandstand was an icon in the entertainment industry, and an important driver of popular culture. 100% Money-Back Guarantee. Record promoters, the men who came around and asked disc jockeys to spin their products, told me that he was more demanding of payola than anyone at any Philly station. When questioned as to why a married man would do this, Horn responded by saying that Lois knew many of his friends and drifted into the same pattern as I did. One singer who appeared on his show says Horn was a loud-mouth smart-ass with an appetite for girls. Other acquaintances use words like arrogant and self-centered. When Dick Clark found out about it he was furious and banished them from attending his show forever. For more about your favorite dancers, and life after Bandstand read Bandstand Diaries. The American Bandstand show 1957-1965 American Bandstand was broadcasted nationally on August 5, 1957 with Dick Clark as the host. Jerry Blavat, then a youngster on the committee, reports that he turned Horn on to Sh-Boom by The Chords, Little Darling by the Gladiolas and Earth Angel by The Penguins (all were black groups.) Show more. I didnt know it at the time, but Blanc must have been on his way to or from his secret lair on some occasions when he stopped by to see my dad. But some things still didnt change. After awhile, the producers decided that they wanted to change the image of the show, so they created a new policy. The programs first host was Bob Horn. Published 2003 in TotalTheater, copyright by Steve Cohen. No, the black people who went in that building were there to clean up, as cleaning people. American Bandstand (1952-89) was a massively popular music television program with strong Philadelphia roots, storied national success, and the power to shape the music industry and society. "American Bandstand" dancer Richard Pierce served in Vietnam before settling in Anchorage, Alaska, in the early 1980s. Walter DeLegall, a black man who was a teenager then, said about the early days: I used to dance on the original Bandstand. is an American sitcom that originally aired on Disney Channel from November 7, 2010, to November 10, 2013. This historical marker recalls Dick Clarks American Bandstand, which was broadcast from West Philadelphia from 1957 to 1964. Race and American Bandstand, The Seven-Year Itch: West Philly Loses American Bandstand, Report accessibility issues and request help. Dick Clark 80th Birthday and American Bandstand Dancers Reunion November 2009. A show where well-dressed teens gently bop around to the big hits while maintaining an appropriate distance apart hardly seems like it would be a hot bed of sexual experimentation, but American. Fortunately for the station, when Horn got in trouble the clean-cut Dick Clark was on staff and able to take over. When he arrived in Washington and met the 19-year-old news editor of the station, Sam Smith, Allison explained why he had to leave Philly: Look, all I did was put my cock in the mouth of some under-age girls. The English Beat 1983 1 On American Bandstand Old Tv Music Photo. When I saw him socially, he did not seem like a zealot or a crusader. Allison and Horn were each acquitted, but neither one of them got their jobs back. The following year, ABC television picked up and renamed the show. American Bandstand -- The Fast Dance Bandstands Best 3.55K subscribers Subscribe 1.3K 581K views 10 years ago Philadelphia American Bandstand Regular Billy Cook shows us his style of the. When Horn admitted that he knew her, Annenberg ordered him to resign from the station. He said If you care enough to want to go to my dances, Ill drive you., Jerry Blavat started coming to the show in 1953 when he was only 13. When the program went on the ABC network, stations in the South, where racial segregation was the norm, objected to the fact that black dancers occasionally appeared on the dance floor. Most people around the station found him less than charming. Horn led a double life that included activities his virginal dancers never dreamed of. And Bandstands history included lurid sex with minors that hasnt been explored publicly, until now in Part Two of this story. Yet, as the third and fourth stories in this collection show, there was a downside toAmerican BandstandsPhiladelphia years. American Horror Story Clown Psycho Killer Adult Costume, WOMENS LADIES QUILTED PADDED PUFFER BUBBLE FUR COLLAR WARM THICK JACKET COAT NEW, LAND'S END 40s Poplin Long Sleeve Cotton Dress Shirt Traditional Fit Men 15 34, Vintage 1978 Grease National Bandstand Dance Off Hot Peel Iron On Transfer. Makes a great holiday gift for that American Bandstand fan you know! Horn signed some of them to his own record label which he started with the help of a group of businessmen and musicians including Nat Segall, Artie Singer, Bernie Lowe and Harry Chipetz. The show was still seen mid-afternoons five days a week on the ABC television network. "American Bandstand," hosted by Dick Clark, made its national debut on 67 ABC affiliate stations on August 5, 1957, and became a powerful force in entertainment. THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF \"FAIR USE\" IN TITLE 17 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. always with one foot firmly on the . Bob became like a second father to me. So, when he went on TV, Bandstand was the obvious choice for a name. Some of the regular boys all white started talking angrily among themselves about how theyd like to beat up the boy after the show. Horn was kind and fatherly to these teenagers. We thought it was unfair but we followed the rules. He usually brought some of his young clients with him and arranged dates photographic and otherwise for them. Everyone in the country knew Kefauvers smiling image; virtually no one knew the ordinary, middle-aged face of Vic Blanc. She enjoyed seeing the TV series American Dreams, produced by Dick Clark in 2002, because it recalled one of the best periods in her life. 24 talking about this. To put this in perspective, when the later-to-become-famous Ed Rendell was elected District Attorney in 1977 his vote total was much less than Blancs only 212,000. www.bandstanddiaries.com #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #philadelphia #book #author #coffeetablebook #popculture, From 1953 to 1959 Terry Schreffler danced on American Bandstand with Bob Horn and Dick Clark. Not being able to get in, that was a way of life then. From 1965 to 1967 Dick Clark also produced a show called Shebang which spotlighted a Mexican-American regular, Manuel Acosta, who slow-danced with a blonde white girl named Lynn. Register or Buy Tickets, Price information. When I told Hooks how alcohol brought about the fall of Bob Horn, he said it suddenly made him understand why Clark felt so strongly about drunkenness. Self 1 episode, 1970 Karen Carpenter . He was convicted and sentenced to jail for that, but not for his sexual activities. www.bandstanddiaries.com #americanbandstand #bandstanddiaries #nostalgia #book #author #philadelphia, Charlette Russo danced on American Bandstand from 1955-1959. Eventually AmericanBandstand deserted Philadelphia and moved three thousand miles away. Thats not what we experienced.. I brought a series of black girls with me so we could do the slow dances together.. Section GA Row GA. Monday, April 24, 2023 at 8:00 PM (4/24/2023) All prices are listed per ticket. Not nasty trouble. Other results: Some of the men were convicted of participating in unnatural sex. Others were charged with corrupting the morals of minors, but the judges in the majority of these cases decided that the men were dealing with girls who were already corrupted, so they either acquitted them or gave them light punishment. Also, the kids danced to Whitemans live band, not to records. The Tennessee senator had achieved national prominence when he waged a public crusade against crime bosses with televised hearings. Thursday evening?s Showtime.Matt + band ? 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. Then he was arrested and we never made the record. She, like Colella, finds it hard to believe that Horn had an affair with a teenage girl. This system permitted the show to legally turn away anyone without the pass while at the same time maintain the lily white studio audience since the passes were only distributed at the all-white West Catholic High School For Boys and the all-white West Catholic High School For Girls. Jacobs took the witness stand and backed up Dorothys story. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. DA Blanc spent considerable time and money on his probe, renting a center city storefront as an unmarked headquarters instead of using his own office in City Hall. Dick ClarksAmerican Bandstand, a popular though controversial TV program targeted toward teenage consumers, marked Philadelphia as the national epicenter of pop music during its seven-year run at ABCs affiliated WFIL-TV at 4548 Market St. ABC-affiliate WFIL-TV at 4548 Market St. broadcast Dick ClarksAmerican Bandstandto a national audience of teenage consumers from 1957 to 1964. Tallulah Dancier is a black woman who started watching the show around that time: I would hurry home and watch Bandstand as I did my homework. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Kenny loved to sing. They wrote thousands of Horn produced alibis for those dates and Horn got a break when the judge refused to allow testimony about any other times. Allison differentiated himself from Bob Horn as a performer, saying he was not a disc-jockey but, instead, a man who discussed issues on the air. Clark looked like one of the kids. (Horn was 40 when he left Bandstand and Clark was a babyfaced 27.) I never saw him drunk or rude or vulgar., Several of these men agree that they all were virgins then. Vic Blanc became a judge, then resigned when he developed mental lapses which would today probably be labeled as Alzheimers disease. Any place there's dancing, I'll still go, said Joe Fusco, who was 15 when he joined the show. They felt that if the show was perceived as a Negro show, white teenagers would stay away. Buy cheap The Six Show Tickets in Branson, MO at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater - 3/3/2023 8:00PM. Here is Pat Mollitieri, Queen of the Hop and her date. "American Bandstand" stars Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan. For all about the lifelong friendships and memories with the Regulars, read Bandstand Diaries. Picture is dated November 1960 on the back. Frani was good friends with Pat Molittieri. For those of you that question or challenge this, please try and recall a scene from the shows in Philadelphia where the girls were not wearing Catholic school uniform dresses and the boys were not wearing the white shirt and tie Catholic school boys uniform. People would phone the station if they wanted to attend, and callers were told there was a six-month wait. Rest in peace dad. If Clipp couldnt get those people, he nevertheless could steal their format. petite, less than 100 pounds, with a big bosom. The Bandstand dancers, on the other hand, were fond of him. Never content with spinning just the one genre, he weaves together everything from jazz to juke to jungle, from dub to dancehall to dubstep ? He also personally picked me up in South Philly and drove me to his record hops. (Harris is the man who produced the film The Blob one year later.) Published Dec 11, 2013. In the news this week..Tomorrow, Saturday, August 12, Walter Ulbricht, leader of East Germany, will sign an order to close the border with West Germany. 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.