Category: Dick Clark

SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW WITH DICK CLARK

THE DICK CLARK SATURDAY NIGHT BEECHNUT SHOW, NEW YORK, 1958
DICK CLARK’S SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW, THE LITTLE THEATER, NEW YORK CITY 1958

 

The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show was Dick Clark’s second attempt at a prime time show. His first, a prime-time version of American Bandstand, ran only 13 weeks. The Beechnut Show was much more successful lasting almost 3 years.

Bobby Darin and Annette, photographed here, both made several guest-appearances on Clark's Beech-Nut Show in 1960. (Click image for larger view).
Bobby Darin and Annette, photographed here, both made several guest-appearances on Clark’s Beech-Nut Show in 1960. (Click image for larger view).

The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show was broadcast live Saturday nights from the Little Theatre in New York City. Every weekend, Dick Clark commuted from Philadelphia to NYC to do the “Beechnut” show. There was actually two shows done each Saturday. The first was a rehearsal show where the artists could sketch out their performances and Clark could line everything up. This would have a different audience then the second show which was the one that was televised.

Beechnut Gum was actually picked up as a sponsor for the third episode to the conclusion of the show’s run. The artists that appeared usually “lip-synched” to their records. Very few actually performed live.

This is the only show to be able to make the claim of having Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper as guests (though on different episodes). All three were killed together in a plane crash on February 3, 1959.

Amazingly, Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson, two of the biggest stars of the period, never appeared on the show. The first show aired on February 2, 1958 with guests Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Willis, Johnny Ray and the Royal Teens. The final show aired on September 10, 1960. MORE . . . .

Annette Funicello appearing on The Dick Clark Beechnut Show in 1960.
Annette Funicello appearing on The Dick Clark Beechnut Show in 1960.

Addendum: For our first four initial video posting of ‘Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show with Dick Clark,’ on MCRFB (May 10, 2013), go here.

Above information provided by TV.com. For the complete 1958-1960 Dick Clark Beech Nut Show summary and artist-appearance listing for every show, go here to TV.com.

Motor City Radio Flashbacks will be showcasing many of these *rare* Dick Clark video presentations here on this website from time to time. In this second installment, we present four video classics (below) from the Dick Clark Beech-Nut show as was first broadcast on national television during that memorable late-’50s rock and roll era:

Conway Twitty (January 17, 1959). Everly Brothers (July 09, 1960). Little Anthony & The Imperials (January 02, 1960). Annette Funicello  (January 13, 1960).

Beech-Nut Chewing Gum was the sole sponsor on Dick Clark's Beech-Nut Show Saturday Night 1958-1960
Beech-Nut Chewing Gum: sole sponsor for Dick Clark’s Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show over ABC Television 1958 – 1960

Dick Clark Beechnut Show logo

Loading

SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW WITH DICK CLARK

THE DICK CLARK SATURDAY NIGHT BEECHNUT SHOW, NEW YORK, 1958
1958: DICK CLARK’S SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW AT THE LITTLE THEATER IN NEW YORK

 

Beech Nut Chewing Gum was the sponsor of this short-lived Dick Clark production three-years on ABC-TV from February, 1958 through September, 1960 (Click inmage for larger view)
Beech Nut Chewing Gum was the sole sponsor of this short-lived (nearly three years) Dick Clark production. The show, out of NYC, was broadcast every Saturday on ABC-TV from February, 1958 through September, 1960. (Click image for larger view).

The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show was Dick Clark’s second attempt at a prime time show. His first, a prime-time version of American Bandstand, ran only 13 weeks. The Beechnut Show was much more successful lasting almost 3 years.

The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show was broadcast live Saturday nights from the Little Theatre in New York City. Every weekend, Dick Clark commuted from Philadelphia to NYC to do the “Beechnut” show. There was actually two shows done each Saturday. The first was a rehearsal show where the artists could sketch out their performances and Clark could line everything up. This would have a different audience then the second show which was the one that was televised.

Beechnut Gum was actually picked up as a sponsor for the third episode to the conclusion of the show’s run. The artists that appeared usually “lip-synched” to their records. Very few actually performed live.

This is the only show to be able to make the claim of having Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper as guests (though on different episodes). All three were killed together in a plane crash on February 3, 1959.

Amazingly, Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson, two of the biggest stars of the period, never appeared on the show. The first show aired on February 2, 1958 with guests Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Willis, Johnny Ray and the Royal Teens. The final show aired on September 10, 1960. MORE

Dick Clark interviewing Fabian on the Beech-Nut Saturday Night Show
Dick Clark interviewing Fabian on the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show in 1959.
Dick Clark interviews Bobby Rydell during one of his several performances on the show
Dick Clark seen here interviewing Bobby Rydell during the show in 1959.

Addendum: Above information provided by TV.com. For the complete 1958-1960 Dick Clark Beech Nut Show summary and artist-appearance listing for every show, go here to TV.com.

Motor City Radio Flashbacks will be showcasing many of these *rare* Dick Clark video presentations here on this website from time to time. In this first installment, we present four video classics (below) from the Dick Clark Beech-Nut show as was first broadcast on national television during that memorable late-’50s rock and roll era:

Edd Byrnes and Connie Stevens (April 04, ’59). Bobby Rydell (July 16, 1960). Frankie Avalon (March 14, 1959). Everly Brothers (July 09, 1960).

Beech-Nut Chewing Gum: sole sponsor for Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show over ABC Television 1958 - 1960
Beech-Nut Chewing Gum: sole sponsor for Dick Clark’s Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show over ABC Television 1958 – 1960

Dick Clark Beechnut Show logo

Loading

DICK CLARK RAPS BRITISH GROUPS… DECEMBER 26, 1964

From the MCRFB news archives:

DICK CLARK CITES GREED FOR BRITISH ACTS HERE

 

 

 

 

LOS ANGELES — “There’s nothing deader in Liverpool than the British beat sound and we’re sitting here hyping the hell out of it.” This is the impression Dick Clark has of the overlapping music-personal appearance business. The head of his own successful “Caravan Of Stars” teen show, Clark is irked about the supposedly successful impression left by visiting British rock and roll groups.

Take away the Beatles, and the “British imitators were never a box-office boom, although people thought they were,” Clark says. Clark’s desk is heavy with newspaper clippings of box-office disasters involving these British longhairs. He personally had felt the box-office bite twice, losing $9,000 on fiascos with the Animals in Columbus, Ohio and also in Norfolk, Virginia.

The apparent paradox of radio airplay strength and declining box-office appeal perplexes Clark. “These groups make the charts but audiences won’t pay to see them,” he charges. Business for Clark’s own operation was up 11 per cent this November over a corresponding period last year. While his shows continue their popularity with teen audiences, Clark feel the bad taste incurred by local promoters booking British groups hurt the entire road show business. “It’s been a blood bath for American promoters,” he says. Clark says the Pittsburgh promoter who handled his “Caravan” made $2,000 more than he did in handling the Beatles’ concert because of their great overhead and additional costs absorbed by the fine print for the U.S. tour bookings.

A Dick Clark “Caravan Of Stars” billboard from 1964. Some of the artists listed: Gene Pitney; Major Lance; Supremes; Brian Hyland; Shirelles; Crystals, and more. (Click on image for larger view).

Clark’s nightly guarantee is “under $5,000” and consists of a string of popular hit artists, all carefully polished to work as a single unit. The executive says the British tours have been hastily put together, featuring one or two headliners and using poorly rehearsed local acts to fill out the bill.

Clark thinks the reason people have “snowballed” by the Redcoats is plain greed. He says promoters saw the success of the Beatles and “the thought of that green led them to grasp at the Rolling Stones, Animals, Searchers, etc.”

One California disc jockey who promoted several British concerts has vowed to “never again” enter the fray, Clark was told.

On a brighter note, Clark reports the college market will be opening for his teen caravan. Last year he only played three college dates, but so far requests indicate a new market for American Top 40 performers such as the one he has been showcasing around the country for several years now. END.

 

(Information and news source: Billboard; December 26, 1964).

Loading

DICK CLARK, NEW TV DANCE SHOW A HIT… OCTOBER 7, 1957

From the MCRFB news archives:

TV Jock Finally Comes Into Own

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK — The TV disc jockey show is is finally coming into its own on all three audience levels — network, regional and local. Heretofore strictly a second-choice medium for record plugs, video deejay shows have recently been hailed by many record dealers as a a prime sales stimulant for new releases, both singles and albums.

ABC-TV network deejay show “American Bandstand” was the No. 1 program in its time period ( 3 to 4:30 p.m., across the board) according to the September Trendex Report. The show chalked up a 5.7 rating,with a 35.6 share of audience–62 per cent higher than CBS and 35 per cent greater than NBC. “Bandstand” share-of-audience figure was more than double that chalked up by the web in the same time period in August, prior to the airing of “Bandstand.”

Dick Clark as host for “American Bandstand” on Philadelphia’s WFIL in 1957. (Click on image for larger view).

The show emanates from Philadelphia and features a crowd of teen-agers dancing to current pop disks, played by deejay-host Dick Clark, was termed “the greatest stimulant to the record business we as dealers have ever known,” as stated by Raymond Hunsicker, (Tower Grove Music Store; St. Louis) representing the Dealers of Greater St. Louis. Hunsicker added: “many dealers have installed TV sets in their record departments and have extended teenagers an invitation to watch the show in their stores.”

On the regional level, the “Top 10 Dance Party,” a syndicated Victor & Richards package, is currently carried in fourteen different cities. The TV show features local deejays as emcees with a record hop format, with each station following a general programming blueprint sent out weekly by Victor & Richards.

The package, created by writer-producer Alan Sands and executive producer Vic Lindeman, Jr., include detailed outlines for games,  merchandising features and contests, with Victor & Richards, providing the prizes in most cases.

In line with this, Sands is currently readying a new feature, tagged “Memento Auction,” which involves the auction of personal items of small value or gag items (such as lock of hair, etc.) donated by record artists. Money raised goes to local charities and the artists garner plugs for their disks. END.

 

(Information and news source: Billboard; October 7, 1957).

Loading

DICK CLARK BANKS ON SHOW’S POPULARITY… NOV. 10, 1958

From the MCRFB news archive:

Mail Pull Rates Clark a Topper in TV Promotions

 

 

 

 

By JUNE BUNDY

 

NEW YORK — Dick Clark is considered one of the hottest merchandising and promotional properties in TV, as response to his phenomenal mail-pull response to premium promotion offered on his two ABC-TV network TV shows, “American Bandstand” and “The Dick Clark Show.”

Dick Clark circa 1956. (Click on image for larger view).

Clark is readying plans to extend his merchandising activities into the teen-age apparel on a big scale. He is also negotiating to star in a third network TV show — a panel program — in January. Meanwhile, Clark this week starts a nationally syndicated column of teen-age advise in the Sunday magazine, This Week, which has a circulation of 12,000,000 readers in the United States.

Although the Young & Rubicam Agency refuses to divulge figures on a contest Clark is conducting on his Saturday show to be named, still currently nameless, (“send in your name suggestion, plus five Beechnut Gum wrappers”) the agency said the response has been “remarkable,” and that Beechnut sales are up 100 per cent since it assumed sponsorship of Clark’s Saturday night show.

An indication of mail pull on the Beechnut contest may be seen in the fact that more than 600,000 copies of Clark’s annual Yearbook, which sells for $1.00, were sold recently in a two-month period, solely on the strength of plugs on Clark’s TV show. Beechnut’s first premium promotion with Clark was a deal whereby television viewers were asked to send 5 gum wrappers and 50 cents for a copy of Jerry Lee Lewis’ waxing of “Breathless.” Two TV pitches by Clark pulled in 48,000 requests for the premium-platter.

 

Beechnut Gum was a major sponsor for “The Dick Clark Show” in 1957. Magazine ad circa 1957. (Click on image for larger view).

Record mail-pull for Clark was chalked up recently on his annual dance contest, whereby listeners sent in votes for their favorite dancers among studio audience attenders. although no prizes were offered, Clark pull close to a million votes, with 700,000 votes registered during the first week.

Another premium deal Clark conducted for Bosco (offering an EP of “all all the hits” for 50 cents and a wrapper) drew a mail response of 262,000. In the teen-age apparel field, which will shortly be expanded to cover a line of Dick Clark dresses and blouses for teenage girls, Clark now endorses a Mary Jane show and a brand of Bobby Sox. Manufacturer of the latter reports that 120,000 orders were received for the sox (Clark’s picture is on the package) during the products first three weeks on the market.

Rating-wise, Clark’s “American Bandstand” continues to clobber the competition. During the year ending in September, the show ranked among the five top-rated daytime programs, with an average Trendex rating of 8.3 (48 per cent stronger than the average daytime rating of 5.6 per cent) and an average share of audience of 40.8. END.

 

(Information and news source: Billboard; November 10, 1958).

Loading