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Dick Clark, and a hint of things to come
I remember Dick Clark
Steve Cohen
I shared a microphone with Dick Clark back in the '50s. He was the staff announcer for WFIL's "Studio Schoolhouse" while I was one of the Temple University students who acted on the weekly radio program. Dick performed double-duty those afternoons, because he also had to go into a booth to introduce records on the radio version of "Bandstand," which was on the air at the same time. During "Studio Schoolhouse" he would stand close to the door so he could dash in and out between his two duties.
The TV version of "Bandstand" took place down the hall, in the station's largest studio. Bob Horn, then the station's big star, presided over that one; Clark then was a newcomer— soft-spoken, friendly and efficient.
He revealed much more than that when I observed him as I performed my summer job as WFIL night operations supervisor. Clark by then had also become the host for the station's Thursday night TV movie.
In those days, the ABC network didn't provide a full lineup of prime-time programs. Thus WFIL devoted one weeknight entirely to the local screening of a Hollywood film. That same lack of product from the network prompted the station manager, Roger Clipp, to put on his own live teenage dance broadcast each afternoon. That's how "Bandstand" originated.
The Thursday night movie ran from 8 to 11 p.m., with numerous commercial breaks. With each of his commercials, Clark used an innovative technique.
Using his own audio tape recorder, he recorded himself reading the scripts for each of his commercials. During the broadcast, Dick placed the machine by his feet with a cord running from the tape recorder to an earphone. Then, when the camera light went on, Clark smiled and repeated the words that he was playing back as spoken by his own voice, thus eliminating the need to read from a sheet before him.
To me it demonstrated Clark's ingenuity and mastery of details, and suggested that he might go much farther.
Clark was helped on his way when Horn was fired after being arrested for drunk driving and for having sex with a teenage girl. The clean-cut Clark was a logical choice to succeed Horn. With his boyish looks and gee-whiz persona, he was the ideal reassuring big brother figure to straddle the generation gap between rebellious Baby Boom teenagers and their parents, who were terrified by the raunchy rhythms of rock "'n' roll and the equally raunchy behavior of celebrities like Horn.
To be sure, Dick's career benefited from connections and lucky breaks. He was first employed at WFIL because his father was a business associate of Roger Clipp. And Bob Horn's disgrace led to Clark's ascension to "Bandstand." But as that ingenious tape recorder device suggested, Dick possessed the talent and the personality to make the most of the opportunities.
The TV version of "Bandstand" took place down the hall, in the station's largest studio. Bob Horn, then the station's big star, presided over that one; Clark then was a newcomer— soft-spoken, friendly and efficient.
He revealed much more than that when I observed him as I performed my summer job as WFIL night operations supervisor. Clark by then had also become the host for the station's Thursday night TV movie.
In those days, the ABC network didn't provide a full lineup of prime-time programs. Thus WFIL devoted one weeknight entirely to the local screening of a Hollywood film. That same lack of product from the network prompted the station manager, Roger Clipp, to put on his own live teenage dance broadcast each afternoon. That's how "Bandstand" originated.
The Thursday night movie ran from 8 to 11 p.m., with numerous commercial breaks. With each of his commercials, Clark used an innovative technique.
Using his own audio tape recorder, he recorded himself reading the scripts for each of his commercials. During the broadcast, Dick placed the machine by his feet with a cord running from the tape recorder to an earphone. Then, when the camera light went on, Clark smiled and repeated the words that he was playing back as spoken by his own voice, thus eliminating the need to read from a sheet before him.
To me it demonstrated Clark's ingenuity and mastery of details, and suggested that he might go much farther.
Clark was helped on his way when Horn was fired after being arrested for drunk driving and for having sex with a teenage girl. The clean-cut Clark was a logical choice to succeed Horn. With his boyish looks and gee-whiz persona, he was the ideal reassuring big brother figure to straddle the generation gap between rebellious Baby Boom teenagers and their parents, who were terrified by the raunchy rhythms of rock "'n' roll and the equally raunchy behavior of celebrities like Horn.
To be sure, Dick's career benefited from connections and lucky breaks. He was first employed at WFIL because his father was a business associate of Roger Clipp. And Bob Horn's disgrace led to Clark's ascension to "Bandstand." But as that ingenious tape recorder device suggested, Dick possessed the talent and the personality to make the most of the opportunities.
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