60 Years Ago Today, AMERICAN BANDSTAND Went National

American Bandstand began as simply Bandstand and was a local Philadelphia teen music show in the 1950s. The original host was Bob Horn, but a young man named Dick Clark then took over hosting duties. On August 5, 1957, ABC opted to air the popular program nationally, and the rest, as they say, is history. Often sponsored by Clearasil and Beechnut Gum, the program became a sensation and ran for decades. Because of a small budget, most of the performers lip-synced to their hit records. Below is part of a 1957 episode, and I give it a 95 - you can dance to it, it has a great beat.