Former 'Bandstand' dancers take
to floor of old Philly studio in
Clark tribute
By Kristin E. Holmes Inquirer Staff Writer
Former American Bandstand dancer Tommy "Crazy Legs" Davis leaned in to examine the enlarged pictures on the walls in Studio B, looking for himself in the photos that captured the Philadelphia heyday of the rock-and-roll dance party hosted by Dick Clark.
Back then, Davis was a thin, 129-pound teenager from Roxborough with curly blond hair.
On Saturday, he was an older version of himself with less hair and a few more pounds but the same love for the TV show and Clark, who died Wednesday in Los Angeles at 82.
"My biggest thrill was dancing with Patti Page," said Davis, 70, of Jenkintown, who was a regular on the show from 1955 to 1957. "Dick pulled me down from the bleachers."
Davis was among the hundreds of formerAmerican Bandstand dancers and fans who flooded Studio B at the former WFIL-TV station - the original home of the dance program - to bop, stroll, and twist in Clark's memory.
The building at 4548 Market St. now houses the Enterprise Center, a nonprofit group that helps minority and disadvantaged entrepreneurs start their own businesses. Studio B is rented out for events such as parties and wedding receptions.
The center opened for public tours Saturday because officials had received so many requests to visit the building since Clark's death, said Della Clark (no relation), who is president of the center.
From the speakers, the sounds of Chubby Checker, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the Beatles provided music with good beats that were easy to dance to. Arnold Jones, a retired bus driver from North Philadelphia, twirled Grace Short, who works in food service. Jones, 69, danced on the show twice in the late 1950s. Short, 64, of West Philadelphia, was a regular in 1960 and 1961. "I saw a few black dancers who I watched [on TV], so I figured the show was for anybody who wanted to come," Short said. At the show, she saw James Brown perform in person, and even danced with a white partner. The first-floor studio is lined with plaques, posters, and other Bandstand memorabilia that the center obtained when Clark auctioned off some of his possessions in 2006. The building, one of the first to be built as a television station, was the home of American Bandstand until the show moved to Los Angeles in 1964. It later housed WHYY Studios, but fell into disrepair when the public-TV station moved in 1979. MORE
From the speakers, the sounds of Chubby Checker, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and the Beatles provided music with good beats that were easy to dance to. Arnold Jones, a retired bus driver from North Philadelphia, twirled Grace Short, who works in food service. Jones, 69, danced on the show twice in the late 1950s. Short, 64, of West Philadelphia, was a regular in 1960 and 1961. "I saw a few black dancers who I watched [on TV], so I figured the show was for anybody who wanted to come," Short said. At the show, she saw James Brown perform in person, and even danced with a white partner. The first-floor studio is lined with plaques, posters, and other Bandstand memorabilia that the center obtained when Clark auctioned off some of his possessions in 2006. The building, one of the first to be built as a television station, was the home of American Bandstand until the show moved to Los Angeles in 1964. It later housed WHYY Studios, but fell into disrepair when the public-TV station moved in 1979. MORE
'American Bandstand' studios reopen for tours in Wake of Dick Clark's Passing
April 20, 2012, 3:58 p.m. CDT
McClatchy/Tribune - MCT Information Services
PHILADELPHIA _ For seven years it was a hot spot of teenage American pop culture.
From 1957 until 1964, Dick Clark hosted "American Bandstand" at the West Philadelphia studios of WFIL-TV, where thousands of teens dreamed of appearing on the hit show.
But few actually got the chance to dance inside the nondescript building in the shadow of the Market-Frankford El at 46th and Market streets.
If you were one of those teens who yearned for your "Bandstand" moment, here's your chance.
On Saturday between noon and 3 p.m. the current owners will open the former Studio B for three hours of tours, reminiscing, and perhaps, one last Twist on the dance floor.
"We'll put on some music and let people have their moment," said Jeff Wicklund of the Enterprise Center, a nonprofit business incubator which purchased the building in 1995. "We're just trying to be good stewards of the 'Bandstand' legacy."
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Philadelphia Inquirer
AMERICAN BANDSTAND STORE
American Bandstand Dancers Kenny, Arlene, Justine and Bob, American Bandstand Memorabilia, Collectables
*************************************************************** Fans of the show have flocked to the building, dropping off flowers and cards since Clark's death on Wednesday, Wicklund said. "There have been a lot of people coming through asking to take a few pictures in studio," he said. "It's fairly well preserved with photos, mementos and a mural on the wall." When the Enterprise Center bought the structure, it had been abandoned for almost 20 years. It's now on the National Register of Historic Places. Wicklund said the Center has established an endowment to maintain the "Bandstand" studios, which now play host to private parties, high school proms, weddings and fashion shows. To fund the endowment, the Center is asking for a $20 contribution for admission on Saturday. "If you can help us out it would be great," Wicklund said. "But we're not going to turn anybody away who can't afford it." ___ (c)2012 ThePhiladelphia Inquirer
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