FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2021-149 DAILY FEATURE:
By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)
LOVELAND, OH (August 5, 2021) – In Issue 2021-149 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we visit the most famous bandstand in America.
Dick Clark On American Bandstand Photograph by Bettmann
LOCAL TV SHOW GOES NATIONAL
American teenagers longed to move to Philadelphia when, on this date in 1957, American Bandstand made its national debut. The local dance program, hosted by the ageless Dick Clark, introduced top performers lip-synching to their records while local teens danced and rated the hits.
Although the show was generally taped in WFIL’s Studio B, the first national broadcast was filmed in the Starlight Ballroom in Wildwood, New Jersey.
The show ran in several different timeslots from airing live on weekdays to evening hours; however, most of us probably remember the Saturday afternoons best, its dedicated timeslot from 1963 to the last show in 1989.
American Bandstand was a national icon until televised football games and MTV eventually led to the show’s demise.
Here is Mitchell’s map of Philadelphia from the US’s centennial birthday year.
Philadelphia – 1876 (Credit Steve Kovacs)
Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.
Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.
