Soon, the producer of the show gave me a membership card so I could come every day without waiting in line. She introduced me to all the popular kids in the “in” clique. Turned out, she lived in our neighborhood and was able to get us in the next day. After the show, one of the “stars,” Little Ro, came into the shop and hung out. I was so disappointed but I met another girl who also didn’t get in and we went over to Pop Singer’s drugstore where a lot of the regulars hung out after the show. She said, “Sure, come down tomorrow and I’ll get you in.” So I took the subway there and waited in the line and she walked right past me before I could get her attention. I was really excited to meet her and I asked if she thought there was any way for me to get on the show. As it happened, I went to a party in the neighborhood and one of the regulars, Justine, was there. I wanted to impress her, to tell you the truth. PGN: What made you want to be a part of the show?ĪS: I wanted my mom to see me on TV. He was so sweet and kind and he’s still a friend to this day. One day a friend of mine and I ran into one of my favorites on the street, Jerry Blavat. They already had regulars and we knew their names and all about them. PGN: I know your first celebrity encounter was with a mutual friend of ours.ĪS: Yes, I used to watch “Bandstand” with my mother in 1952 when it was just local to Philadelphia. He worked at the post office, 30th and Market, then he’d come home for dinner and then go to his other job and not get home until midnight.
Unfortunately, I never believed him.ĪS: He had two jobs. He always told me I could be anything I wanted.
He was a great guy, very nurturing and kind. It used to piss me off!ĪS: I would go to the movies any chance I could get, mostly Saturday and Sunday when my dad was home to watch my sister.
The whole family would watch the same programs together every night and there weren’t a lot of programs on so, after a certain hour, the TV would just show a test pattern. In those days, you had one TV and one phone and one car, so when the phone rang in the living room, everyone knew who you were talking to, nothing was private. We’d sit them on the hill and we’d get in the carriages and race them down the hill. We’d all take our siblings to the Cobbs Creek Park, where we’d go up to the top of the hill and take the babies out of the carriages. There was not a single day without her, but that’s the way it was. Every day when I went out to play, I’d have to take her with me. Though I did have to watch my 10-month-old sister in the summer. She was never affectionate, never gave us hugs or kisses, but she showed her love by all she did. We were spoiled that way, but it was how she showed her love. In our little South Philly row home, our strict Italian mom did everything for us: all the cooking, all the cleaning, the wash, everything. In what ways was that true?ĪS: Typical was that moms usually didn’t work outside of the house then and that was true in our case. PGN: I understand that you were raised in a pretty typical home in the ’50s. We spoke to one of the book’s authors, Arlene Sullivan.
When the show first aired, some feared it would corrupt the morals of minors and lead to social decline, but that didn’t stop “Bandstand” from becoming must-see afternoon TV. First-class stamps were 3 cents and polio was still a concern. The average monthly rent was $90 and the average cost of a new car was under $3,000. Strom Thurmond set the longest filibuster on record to try to keep the civil-rights bill from being passed. The book does a good job of setting the stage of what it was like in August 1957, when “Bandstand” made its debut. What many won’t know is that the show had a definite queer bent even before the word was reclaimed. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the opening song, and our older readers will remember Dick Clark and the cast of regular dancers while millennials will at least know the host’s name from the New Year’s Eve celebration that still bears his name. “Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia Years” is a fun book filled with stories, facts and figures about the groundbreaking show. Throughout October, PGN is celebrating LGBT History Month, so I thought I’d shed a little light on some history that’s recently come to light.