Eddie Kelly and Bunny Gibson
A former celebrity teen dancer on American Bandstand, Eddie Kelley, e-mailed the Hur Herald after reading about an upcoming tribute to the era to be performed in a planned Roane County production, saying, "It's nice to know there are still tributes to American Bandstand."
The Roane County Arts and Humanities Council will be presenting a "Tribute to American Bandstand: 1950's, 1960's and 1970's," on January 7-9 at the Spencer Middle School auditorium.
Eddie Kelly and Bunny Gibson were famous dancing teens on Dick Clark's Bandstand originating early-on from Philadelphia, a rock and roll dance show that was a TV favorite from 1957-1987.
"Good luck with your tribute. If I lived nearby I would gladly stop by. I know I would enjoy it," wrote Kelly.
Kelly and Gibson were among the dancers who hugged and kissed, and stomped and strolled on the late afternoon show.
Viewers sent some 15,000 fan letters each week.
Those Bandstand regulars weren't paid actors or dancers. They were real kids from Philly, and if you watched every day, you could tell who was breaking up and who was making up.
Bandstand's popularity propelled Dick Clark to being an American media mogul.
The Roane County production will portray several artists that performed on American Bandstand during those decades, with a special appearance by Elvis.
The stage will feature a working TV stage on which Dick Clark, played by Don Williams, announces the new and upcoming artists as the "teenage dancers" moving and grooving to the swinging hits of years past.
There will be a wide variety of music, ranging from ballads to rock and roll. Some of the artists to be portrayed include Patsy Cline, Nancy Sinatra, Bobby Vinton, Michael Jackson, Chuck Berry, Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, and Patti Labelle, as well as groups such as Sonny and Cher, The Duprees, The Supremes and The Chordettes.
The show will be presented on Friday January 7 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, January 8 at 5 p.m.; and Sunday, January 9 at 3 p.m. at the Spencer Middle School Auditorium.
Admission is $5.
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