American Bandstand

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American Bandstand

Series Details & Credits

ABC | Release Date: August 5, 1957
Starring: David Hirsch (I), Dick Clark
Summary: American Bandstand brought rock 'n' roll music into millions of households and showed Americans how to do the latest dance steps. Dick Clark, "America's Oldest Teenager" hosted the series for most of its run.
Regular Bandstand segments were "The Spotlight Dance," "Rate-A-Record" and The "American Bandstand" Top 10 Countdown. "The SpotlightAmerican Bandstand brought rock 'n' roll music into millions of households and showed Americans how to do the latest dance steps. Dick Clark, "America's Oldest Teenager" hosted the series for most of its run.
Regular Bandstand segments were "The Spotlight Dance," "Rate-A-Record" and The "American Bandstand" Top 10 Countdown. "The Spotlight Dance" featured 2 or more couples dancing to a softer tune. "Rate-A-Record" had teenage contestants rate and comment on a record played on the show. The "American Bandstand Top Ten" was a countdown of the Top 10 hits of the day.
American Bandstand began as a local Philadelphia show called Bandstand, which made its debut October 13, 1952 on WFIL-TV Channel 6. The series was retitled American Bandstand on August 5, 1957 when ABC began broadcasting it nationwide. For its first 6 seasons, American Bandstand aired Mondays through Fridays. Two major changes took place during the 1963-64 season. On September 7, 1963, it became a once-a-week series airing Saturday afternoons. A few months later on February 8, 1964, production of the show moved from Philadelphia, PA to its new home in Los Angeles, CA. Despite the changes, American Bandstand's fans remained loyal to the series, as it continued to present the latest music and dances. It even inspired another long-running dance show, Soul Train. American Bandstand's long association with ABC ended on September 5, 1987. The series returned 2 weeks later on September 19, 1987 in first-run syndication. On April 8, 1989, American Bandstand made another move, this time to the USA cable network. It also featured a new host, David Hirsch. This version lasted only 6 months with the final show airing on October 7, 1989. In 1995, VH-1 began showing classic episodes of American Bandstand. These edited 30-minute reruns featured many of the stars that the show helped make famous.

Bandstand Air Dates (local Philadelphia show) (1) "Bob Horn's Bandstand" (hosted by Bob Horn) October 13, 1952 - July 6, 1956 (2) "Bandstand" (hosted by Dick Clark) July 9, 1956 - August 2, 1957 American Bandstand Air Dates Weekday Afternoon shows (ABC-TV network, Monday-Friday)
August 5, 1957 - August 30, 1963 Broadcast times: August 5-November 15, 1957 - AB aired from 3:00 to 4:30pm. November 18, 1957-October 10, 1958 - AB was split into 2 shows airing from 3:00 to 3:30pm and from 4:00 to 5:00pm. AB was split up by the game show Who Do You Trust? October 13, 1958-September 29, 1961 - one show airing from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. October 2, 1961-September 28, 1962 - from 4:00 to 4:50pm* October 1, 1962-August 30, 1963 - from 4:00 to 4:55pm.* Note: *From October 2, 1961 through August 30, 1963, AB was followed by "American Newsstand," a current affairs program produced by ABC News.
Nighttime shows (ABC network, Monday nights 7:30-8:00pm) In addition to the weekday shows, American Bandstand had a 13-week (October 7 - December 30, 1957) Prime-time run. (Note: This shouldn't be confused with The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show, which ran from February 15, 1958 to September 10, 1960.)
Saturday Afternoon shows (abc-TV network) September 7, 1963 - September 6, 1986
During these 23 years, the air times varied anywhere between 12:30 and 2:30pm on Saturdays (sometimes earlier on the West Coast). Most of these shows were an hour long. (Some episodes were shortened for sporting events.) On AB's Last Season on ABC-TV, it aired from 12:30 to 1:00pm (from September 13, 1986 through September 5, 1987).
Syndicated American Bandstand episodes ran from September 19, 1987 to August 27, 1988 (times varied by city). This version was syndicated by LBS Communications. (According to some sources the syndicated series ran through April 1, 1989. But we haven't been able to find any listings past August 27, 1988.)
USA Cable Network (Saturday afternoons) From April 8 to October 7, 1989, AB aired from 12noon to 1:00pm. David Hirsch was the host of this final version.… Expand
Genre(s): Variety Shows, Reality, Music

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