After Dick Clark moved American Bandstand to a Saturday afternoon berth in 1963, ABC was looking for another music series to fill the after-school void. In 1965, Clark obliged them with Where The Action Is.
The series began as a summer replacement, airing at 2 pm (ET) before shifting to an after-school airtime at 4:30 in the fall. However, the series didn't last very long, cancelled in March 1967 after less than 2 years on the air. Clark, of course, was hardly done. Bandstand soldiered on into the late 80's, and a year after Action ended, Clark created It's Happening, and its Saturday afternoon sister series, Happening '68, but both shows met the same fate.
Clark serves as an off-camera narrator/announcer rather than host. Paul Revere & the Raiders, who'd later host Happening '68, were the house band for the first year, which would explain why they were enough of a lure to merit a cameo appearance on Batman early in that series' run.
Now, I never got to see the show, since I was but a wee lad, but if you were a fan of Bandstand, this does trod the same ground. I will not offer a rating, just to be fair.
I'd heard of the show and Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon's version of the song played on the radio periodically. Naturally I'd never seen the show but it was interesting to seee how rock and roll was getting pushed into more living rooms as time went on. Funny how American Bandstand was the show that lasted so long.
ReplyDeleteI still enjoy the Raiders as well music wise. Paul must have been teased mercilessly on the playground as a kid!
Not so sure about that, as it may have been a stage name.
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