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American Bandstand made its network television debut on Monday, August 5, 1957, on ABC. Originally a local program broadcast from WFIL-TV in Philadelphia, Bob Horn had hosted the debut of the show as "Bob Horn's Bandstand" back on October 7, 1952. The local broadcaster simply moved the disc jockey from radio to television to produce an inexpensive and commercially appealing show. The record companies were happy to supply the music, the kids supplied the live entertainment, and the teen dance show was born.
Although successful locally, Bob Horn became the Wally Pipp of broadcasting. A young man named Dick Clark had been hired to do the radio show while Horn was on TV. Unfortunately for Horn, he was arrested for DUI in the midst of a WFIL campaign against drunk driving. Clark, then 26, stepped in on July 9, 1956, and the rest is history.
Dick Clark boosted the show to new heights of popularity. With his clean-cut good looks and easy going manner, he appealed to teens and sponsors. Clark was ambitious as well and began making trips to New York to show the networks kinescopes of his local show. ABC finally offered a deal and the show became a daily afternoon fixture. Clark cashed in by becoming a co-producer.
On September 7, 1963, Bandstand changed from a weekday afternoon show to a Saturday only show. Then on February 8, 1964, Bandstand was transplanted from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where it continued to flourish. It stayed there until September 5, 1987 and so did Clark. After ABC finally pulled the show, a brief and failed effort was made by USA Network in 1989 to revive it. But with new host David Hirsh in place of Clark, it never got off the ground, lasting just six months.
I was never a huge fan of AB, but I watched it occasionally over the years. Clark had some good bands on, but, of course, almost all of them lip-synced. It was always fun to watch the kids dancing and rating the newest songs: "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it. I'll give it an 87, Dick."
Please play your favorite Bandstand-era tunes in the comments!
Sources:
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/...
http://www.museum.tv/...
AND NOW...THE REST OF THE STORY
After writing this diary, I was curious: Whatever happened to Bob Horn? Well, it turned out to be a fairly interesting, if not entirely happy story.
At about the same time as the DUI occurred in July 1956, the Philadelphia D.A.
commenced an undercover investigation into a suspected vice ring that [allegedly] preyed on teenage girls. The ring used promises of modeling careers to lure them into pornographic photo sessions and orgies at Hound Dog Hill, a country estate north of Philadelphia. Lois Gardner was suspected of being involved with the ring.
(snip)
Bob Horn and Lois Gardner had known each other for [at least] two years. Gardner, a tiny brunette who looked older than her years, claimed to have been a member of Paul Whiteman's Teen Club before becoming a regular visitor to WFIL-TV's studio in 1952. She would allege that only one week after meeting Horn in the summer of 1953 they drove to his apartment where they engaged in a "discussion". In November she said that she and Horn, a married man with three young daughters and an adolescent son, began having sexual relations--when she was still thirteen--after which these encounters occurred once or twice a week until the end of 1955.
Horn told a different story, claiming he had noticed Gardner at WFIL's studio, but didn't speak with her until sometime in 1954 when she appeared at his office, introduced herself and asked to appear on Bandstand. Horn told her that her request wasn't possible. Horn then went on [to] describe her as what would today be call[ed] a groupie and denied ever having sex with her.
Source
On extended vacation from WFIL after the DUI, Horn was indicted on 44 counts of statutory rape and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in November 1956. His first trial ended in a 6-6 hung jury. He was found not guilty at his second trial. Horn's son Peter claims that Gardner was an extortionist and "that a $5,000 payoff would [have gotten] her out of town."
On the same day he was indicted, Horn was involved in a serious accident, driving the wrong way down a one-way street and seriously injuring a child in another car. His insurance paid out $100,000 (equivalent to over $825,000 today), and Horn was again convicted of DUI. This time he had to serve three months in jail.
In July 1957 he changed his name to Bob Adams and moved to Houston, but his Philly accent didn't play well in Texas so he left radio broadcasting and went into advertising, eventually forming his own agency, Bob Adams and Associates. He died of a heart attack while mowing his lawn on July 31, 1966, at age 50. He is buried in the Forest Park Cemetery in Houston.
His grave marker bears the inscription "Bandstand" above the name--Bob Horn.
Image courtesy history-of-rock.com
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