How do you recreate something that only happens once when it was like a dream that captured the imagination of a whole country? I have been watching season 1 on DVD and it appears that is what is the goal of this program. It pretty much does the job too. It tries to recreate the history on American Bandstand and the feelings of the era. Here is how it started- It premiered locally in late September 1952 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British movies. The original host was Bob Horn, but no one remembers that start. In late spring of 1957, the ABC television network asked their O&O's and affiliates for programming suggestions to fill their 3:30 p.m. (ET) time slot (WFIL had been pre-empting the ABC programming with Bandstand). Clark decided to pitch the show to ABC president Thomas W. Moore, and after some badgering the show was picked up nationally, becoming American Bandstand on August 5, 1957. Clark had been hosting since 1956 and would continue to host until 1989 when the run ended.
While the recreation of this era is not entirely accurate, the setting and the spirit are all captured here. The recent death of Dick Clark who took the only local show that premiered in Philadelphia and made it a nationwide success is a spirit that still lives on. What is important to remember is what this show did for the music industry in America. This show put American music on the map. The National exposure from Bandstand began the modern music era.
Nearly every artist and every top 10 song for over 3 decades would appear on the program. This show tries to recreate Philadelphia in the era of televisions start. The drama of getting on the show, the back stage politics, and other events of the era are something that has now passed into history. Even the show would eventually move to California before it's run ended.
Still, the series recaptures some of the magic. I doubt it could be done much better. The dvds have extra music and some real footage of Dick Clark interviewing singers of the era. The only wish is that there could be more of that stuff.
This history is now the stuff of museum's as we are in a totally different age. This show is the best blast to that past available.
In Memory - Dick Clark 2012 & Bob Horn 1966 plus others who pioneered a great era of music and television.
While the recreation of this era is not entirely accurate, the setting and the spirit are all captured here. The recent death of Dick Clark who took the only local show that premiered in Philadelphia and made it a nationwide success is a spirit that still lives on. What is important to remember is what this show did for the music industry in America. This show put American music on the map. The National exposure from Bandstand began the modern music era.
Nearly every artist and every top 10 song for over 3 decades would appear on the program. This show tries to recreate Philadelphia in the era of televisions start. The drama of getting on the show, the back stage politics, and other events of the era are something that has now passed into history. Even the show would eventually move to California before it's run ended.
Still, the series recaptures some of the magic. I doubt it could be done much better. The dvds have extra music and some real footage of Dick Clark interviewing singers of the era. The only wish is that there could be more of that stuff.
This history is now the stuff of museum's as we are in a totally different age. This show is the best blast to that past available.
In Memory - Dick Clark 2012 & Bob Horn 1966 plus others who pioneered a great era of music and television.