Sunday, July 3, 2016

Forgotten TV: The Dick Clark Show (1958)

Dick Clark always was a multi-tasker.

Never content with just American Bandstand, which aired in the daytime, Clark experimented with a primetime show that was similarly formatted with The Dick Clark Show, otherwise known as The Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show, though the gum and baby food maker began sponsoring the series three weeks into the run.

The Dick Clark Show lasted two years, airing year round between February 1958 and 1960. As noted, the format was similar to Bandstand, except that it was in a theatre, and the audience sat in their seats the entire time. Musical guests rarely sang live. Lip-syncing was an accepted practice back then, much more so than it is now in the eyes of music fans. Clark also interviewed actors and other celebrities who happened to be in attendance on a given night.

There won't be a rating, as I never saw the show. For now, we'll leave you with the opening to a January 1959 episode, and the first musical guest of the evening, country music legend Conway Twitty, who crossed over to the pop charts at that time with "It's Only Make Believe":

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