IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. WJZ's show aired from 1957 to 1964 and was popular among Baltimore teens, promoting dances like the twist, mashed potato, and the Madison. Joe remembers a sport coat I bought for $5 from somebody who got it when he got out of prison. (They gave her a diamond watch at the last reunion.) With the 1960s came a whole new set of stars, some with names that seemed like gimmicks, but werent: Concetta Comi, the popular sister team of Yetta and Gretta Kotik. His childhood nickname was Buddy. Once a month the show was all black. All rights reserved. Hairspray encourages its audience to take the fight to integrate a teenage TV show seriously, but it does so through songs, dances, and costumes that celebrate and satirize the 60s. That's what really happened, and the show shut down." 3. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. And the girl Deaners, God, hair-hoppers as we called them in Towson, the ones with the Etta Gowns, bouffant hairdos, and cha-cha heels. To be selected you had to bring a character reference letter from your pastor, priest, or rabbi, qualify in a dance audition, and show in an interview (the Spotlight) that you had personality. At first the Committee had a revolving membership with no one serving longer than three months. [1], Deane's dance party television show debuted in 1957 and was, for a time, the most popular local show in the United States. Marie Fischer was the first Joe to become a Committee memberchosen simply because she was such a good dancer. C. Fields in drag.), This movie is the only radical movie I ever made because it snuck in mid-America. The Committee, initially recruited from local teen centers, was to act as hosts and dance with the guests. NBCs Hairspray Live! Many parents and local officials were angry. The white kids parents came and got them. It was difficult with your peers, recalls Peanuts. And it was not unique: Dick Reids Record Hop in Charleston, West Virginia; Ginny Paces Saturday Hop in Houston, Texas; John Dixons Dixon on Disc in Mobile, Alabama; Bill Sanderss show in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Dewey Phillipss Pop Shop in Memphis, Tennessee; and Chuck Allens Teen Tempo in Jackson, Mississippi, were all segregated dance shows. I must have had ten different phone numbers, says Helen, and somehow it would get out. But it went something like this: Buddy Deane was an exclusively white show. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Image Credit: OzNet.com Winston Joseph Deane was born on August 2, 1924, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Jul 24, 2017 - Explore Bruce Clarke's board "Buddy Dean Show", followed by 154 people on Pinterest. The Corny Collins Show, it turns out, was lifted almost literally from the extremely popular Buddy Deane Show, Baltimore's answer to Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Hairspray is John Waters most commercially successful film the 1988 dancing comedy spawned a hit Broadway musical, a movie and TV movie of that musical, plus multiple sequel and TV show offers that never saw the light of day. The show's format mirrored Philadelphia's . The early look of the Committee was typically 50s. Originally an all-white teen show with a monthly "Negro . No! she answers, with a conviction that gives me the chills. The Buddy Deane Show was taken off the air because home station WJZ-TV was unwilling to integrate black and white dancers. The Hairspray Live! So a year later when he had his own show, it seemed only right that "Rock Around the Clock" premiered on "The Buddy Deane Show.". The night was full of delightful anecdotes, including these ten you may not have heard before. Ironically, The Buddy Deane Show introduced black music and artists into the lives of white Baltimore teenagers, many of whom learned to dance from black friends and listened to black radio. The Buddy Deane Show was a teen dance television show, created by Zvi Shoubin, hosted by Winston "Buddy" Deane (1924-2003), and aired on WJZ-TV (Channel 13), the ABC affiliate station in Baltimore from 1957 until 1964. She became so popular that she was written up in the nationwide Sixteen Magazine. Some kids on the show went a little nuts, with stars in their eyes; they thought they were going to go to Hollywood and be moviestars.. Its host was Winston "Buddy" Deane (1924-2003), who died in Pine Bluff, Arkansas after . 1 DJ in 1962 by Billboard mag. Arguably the first TV celebrities in Baltimore. Here, Clark's memories of American Bandstand are nested in an overview of important events in U.S. history from the 1950s and 1960s. You received demerits for almost anything: Chewing gum. Although the show has been off the air for more than twenty years, a nearly fanatical cult of fans has managed to keep the memory alive. Some of the old Committee kept up with the times and made the transition with ease. The first stars I could identify with. Yeah it was Cosenel, says Joe. For the rest of the time, the show's participants were all white. "I still go to the Buddy Deane reunions," he says. We hung around with black and whites together, which you couldnt do. Clip from Shake, Rattle, and Roll: The Buddy Deane Scrapbook I got these letters from the Naval Academy, Helen remembers, so I went there one day, and all the midshipmen were hanging out the windows. Hopefully, some footage of you and the other Black dancers will be found and published online.Best wishes to you and yes, GOD HELP US! American Bandstand, one of the most popular television shows ever, broadcast from Philadelphia in the late fifties, a time when that city had become a battleground for civil rights. Helens fans flocked to see her at the Buddy Deane Record Hops (Committee members had to make such personal appearances and sign autographs.) WJZ's show aired from 1957 to 1964 and was popular among Baltimore teens, promoting dances like the twist, mashed potato, and the Madison. John Water's himself said that in his movie, he "gave it the happy ending that it didn't have". Mr. Why? Id wonder. She wasnt even a fan of the show. He was so happy. [citation needed]. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Committee members included Mike Miller, Charlie Bledsoe, Ron Osher, Mary Lou Raines, Pat(ricia) Tacey, and Cathy Schmink. Deane died in Pine Bluff on July 16, 2003, after experiencing complications caused by a stroke. This article is among features at explorepinebluff.com, a program of the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission. Buddy Deane was the host of a Baltimore dance show that ran on TV from 1957 to 1964 six days a week. Some of the local teens who danced on the show became local celebrities and had fans of their own. Deane helped the Bill Haley and the Comets song "Rock Around the Clock" become a hit in Baltimore a full year before it became a worldwide success by promoting their music while at WITH. I focused on the 1957-1964 television series The Buddy Deane Show in part because I'm interested in documenting old school African American originated line dances, and the Buddy Deane Show's 1958 or 1959 clip of The Madison appears to be the earliest surviving film of that dance.I believe that The Buddy Deane Show is important in part because it documents aspects of Americana such as the way the teenagers (or at least White teenagers] in the late 1950s and early 1960s dressed, danced, interacted, and also documented (through retrospective interviews such as the one quoted in Excerpt #2 of this post) attitudes and values of that time. Many parents and local officials were angry. Fran Nedeloff (debuting at 14 in 61, Mervo, cha-cha) remembers the look: Straight skirt to the knee, cardigan sweater buttoned up the back, cha-cha heels, lots of heavy black eyeliner, definitely Clearasil on the lips, white nail polish. Buddy wanted it to end happily, but WJZ angered Deaners when it tried to blame the ratings. In December 1963, producers at Baltimores WJZ-TV cancelled the Buddy Deane Show rather than integrate the popular teen dance program. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. The show's format mirrored Philadelphia's "American Bandstand." The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. Im Joe, too. There was a change in the works., Part of that change was the racial integration movement. His show became one of the highest rated stations in the country. Gene calls it a big loss. It was living in a fantasy world, says Helen. On the show you were either a drape or a square, explains Sharon. In early 2003, Deane sold KOTN and three other stations he had acquired over the years. Sources: www.IMDB.com -- Buddy Deane Biography; www.OzNet.com - A Collection of Articles About Buddy Deane; www.Variety.com -- Winston J. Deane even played a small role in the movie, which premiered to moderate success but went on to become a cult classic. If "The Buddy Deane Show" didn't exactly end happily (canceled in 1964, it never did integrate the dancers), Waters remains a fan. These dances included the Mashed Potato, the Stroll, the Pony, the Waddle, the Locomotion, the Bug, the Handjive, the New Continental and the Madison. The more hair spray, the better. It was similar to Philadelphia's American Bandstand. You learned how to be a teenager from the show. Mary Lou laughs at the memory of doing a pimple medicine spot on camera. I was really mad. In meetings with the show's white performers, the producers realized that though most of the dancers were in favor of integration, their parents would not be. The Stupidity, where you act mentally ill. The Bugs easy, you just catch a disease and throw it to someone else, Waters said. I was Tracy, said Waters. She was one of the chosen few who went to New York to learn how to demonstrate the Madison, and was selected for the exchange committee that represented Baltimores best on American Bandstand. I used to lie in bed at my parents house, and there was an African-American community up the street and they went by singing along to the radio. Later that year he enlisted in the Army, where he served in Europe involved in some of the most intense battles of World War II. They would drive me nuts when theyd come in the door, and Id say Man, youre gone. In a long list of reasons why we find it difficult to wait for freedom, King writes: When you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. In its version of 1960s Baltimore, teenagers sing and dance their way past race. It was a fluke. Although WJZ-TV, owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting (now CBS since January 2, 1995), was an ABC affiliate, the station "blacked out" the network broadcast of American Bandstand in Baltimore and broadcast the Deane program instead, reportedly because Bandstand showed black teenagers dancing on the show (although black and white teenagers were not allowed to dance together until the show was moved to California in 1964). [citation needed] In several instances, the show went on location to the Milford Mill swim club on the westside of suburban Baltimore County. On Negro day a group of black and white kids staged a similar sneak attack on the Buddy Deane Show. And because a new dance was introduced practically every week, you had to watch every day to keep up. One time I was going with this guy, and he was dancing with this guest I didnt like, says Evanne. It was even in the papers. Chaseman had this idea for a dance party show, with Buddy as the disc jockey, and Buddy asked Arlene to go to work for him. You are watching the "Buddy Deane Show." "The Buddy Deane Show" defined a new generation of rock & roll as well as dance on television in the late 1950s. SOUL! Mary Lou was aware that in some neighborhoods it was not cool to be a Buddy Deaner. Buddy: Deane in the 50s when she worked for a record wholesaler and he was the top-rated disc jockey on WITHthe only DJ in town who played rock n roll for the kids. Buddy returns on a pilgrimage from St. Charles, Arkansas, where he owns a hunting and fishing lodge and sometimes appears on TV, to spin the hits and announce multiplication dances, ladies choice, or even, after a few drinks, the Limbo. The "Corny Collins Show" in Hairspray is loosely based on the Baltimore teen dance program called the "Buddy Deane Show." One Baltimore woman fought to get black teens on the popular show back in . You had to wear nylons. In Baltimore, Maryland in the year 1962, Tracy Turnblad and her best friend, Penny Pingleton, audition for The Corny Collins Show, a popular Baltimore teenage dance show (based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show). After the screening, he was joined by Michael Musto and original cast membersLeslie Ann Powers (Penny Pingleton), JoAnn Havrilla (Prudence Pingleton), and Holter Graham (I.Q. Vanessa Udon plays Motormouth Maybelle, who hosts the monthly Negro Day on the Corny Collins Show. I only saw Divine alive one more time after that night, so it was a great, great night to remember. 'The Buddy Deane Show' was over . The Corny Collins Show is based on the real Buddy Deane Show which, interestingly, was cancelled in 1964 for refusing to integrate black and white dancers, a core theme in this musical. All of those dances were real, they were real dances, we didnt make any of them up and two were cut out. were the highest rated local TV show in America." Amazingly, Deane's show was aired live, two-and-a-half hours each day on five days a week with three hours on Saturday. We really sprayed it, remembers Mary Lou today from her home in Pennsylvania. It was broadcast for two hours a day, six days a week and featured local teenagers dancing to their favorite music played by live bands. When I became of age to understand it all I became motivated to make a difference. 1957, it was a huge success as it was portrayed in the musical. The Corny Collins Show is now integrated! Waters himself commented on the films revisionist history, I gave it a happy ending that it didnt have., Hairsprays happy ending gave the story an arc that appealed to Broadway and Hollywood producers. . Thank you for including me as one of the Buddy Dean family. The black cops would stop us and say: This isnt Greenwich Village, you know. How Actress Rachel Hilsons Baltimore Roots Influence Her Work Today, The Mount Vernon Virtuosi is Much More Than a Chamber Orchestra, Jen Michalski Discusses New Short Story Collection The Company of Strangers. Both entities launche. They just wanted to know if you were real. The "Buddy Dean Show" was abruptly cancelled. The first page of the essay, for example, features a full-page picture of black protestors in 1962 in Times . You Cant Stop the Beat, for example, is an upbeat dance number that resolves the issue of segregation on the Corny Collins Show. "Buddy" Deane was a broadcaster for more than 50 years, beginning his career in Little Rock, Arkansas, then moving to the Memphis, Tennessee market, before moving on to Baltimore, where he worked at WITH radio. I saw the show as a vehicle to make something of myself, remembers Joe. The Nicest Kids in Town! I was aggressive. The show featured only white kids dancing, so Scruggs wrote him a letter in the fall of 1958 to . That was our whole social life, being a Buddy Deaner, says Gene. "How 'The Buddy Deane Show' really went off the air is the white kids crashed Negro Day to integrate it. Hairspray is firmly rooted in 1960s America, but it offers both sophisticated and (tellingly) simplistic ways of understanding racism today. See, the fictional Corny Collins Show is actually based on the real Buddy Deane Show, which aired on WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland from 1957 to 1964, and was the inspiration for John Waters . If I have one regret in life, its that I wasnt a Buddy Deaner. I got a little power-crazed, admits Joe. The Buddy Deane Show was over. The Deaners didnt mind. When: Summer 1963. It was the era of rock n' roll ducktail, pegged pants, and beehive haridos. Hairspray movie was inspired by this show and was based off of the the events but unlike the movies, instead of the show being integrated, it was cancelled. Teenagers who appeared on the show every day were known as "The Committee". 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