1957 American Bandstand

Teens jitterbugging on American Bandstand from Philadelphia.

It's Madison time

Two regulars from Baltimore's teen dance program The Buddy Deane Show (1957-64) demonstrate The Madison in 1959. This program was the basis for The Corny Collins Show in Hairspray.

1957 American Bandstand

An entertaining glimpse of early rock and roll and early television.
Meet Carole Scaldeferri, one of the regulars from the late 1950s.

cha cha cha

Kids doing the Cha Cha on American Bandstand from 1957.

Frankie Lymon

I cut back on reading biographies and autobiographies. I didn't like the ugly things I was learning. So many of our beloved artists were abused, ripped off and discarded. I have yet to learn much about Mr. Lymon because it didn't end well. I prefer to think of him as an incredible performer who contributed greatly to the world. He was only 14 in the above clip while singing the decades-old standard Goody Goody.

Goody Goody, Frankie Lymon (without The Teenagers), 1957

A Face in the Crowd

In the clip above, Andy Griffith talks about his role in the 1957 film directed by Elia Kazan. Here is the scene that he references. Discuss.

Ranch Party tv show

Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline perform in 1957.

Milt Grant's Record Hop

A slice of the local Washington, D.C. music program from 1957.

Peyton Place

Micky Dolenz is a convincing creep in this 1965 episode.
Peyton Place (1964-1969) was the first prime time soap opera airing three times a week at one point. Ryan O'Neal and Mia Farrow starred as young people living in a seaside town in Massachusetts.

The 1957 film was born from the 1956 novel. The 1961 film "Return to Peyton Place" was based on the 1959 sequel of the same name.

Mean Woman Blues

In the 1957 film Loving You, a hideous creep gets what he asks for. Right on Elvis. I mean, violence is never the answer. A packed juke joint and the jukebox isn't even playing? What's wrong with these people? If you can listen to Roy Orbison's 1963 version and not move your body, you might be dead inside. You may want to check on that. Just sayin'.




Mean Woman Blues, Roy Orbison, 1963

The Beav

With the recent death of Frank Bank (Lumpy Rutherford), I fondly remember the Beav. I watched reruns of this 1957-1963 show every morning before school for years. It taught me many life lessons.