Video – Page 23 – Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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**

DATELINE N. Y., FEBRUARY 9, 1964: BEATLES’ INVASION ON! 70,000,000 TUNE IN ON CBS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUd0UVHw8Xo

Ed Sullivan with the Fab Four backstage during a dress rehearsal in February, 1964 — Ed Sullivan backstage with the Beatles during a dress rehearsal, February, 1964. The Beatles video segment above was from their first (of four) scheduled Sunday night appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. **February 9, 1964**

New York -- Seventy-million American televiewers sa the Beatles last night in action and heard the shrieks of an excited studio audience . . . . (New York Daily News) — **New York, February 10 —** *“Seventy-million American televiewers saw the Beatles last night in action and heard the shrieks of an excited studio audience . . . . “* — **New York Daily News**

The Beatles First Appearance Unused VIP Ticket Ed Sullivan Show — **The Beatles’ televised** appearance that Sunday night was dated on this VIP admission ticket for the *Ed Sullivan Show.*

KING FEATURES: BEATLES CARTOONS ABC-TV ’65 & ’66!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTiPaNSv0d8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plcM-Z3CMaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MReW-zgHch4

M O T O R C I T Y R A D I O F L A S H B A C K S

A MCRFB ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: A special thank you goes out to Kail Tescar for allowing Motor City Radio Flashbacks to use his remarkably splendid Beatles cartoon image(s) above. For more on Kail Tescar‘s wonderfully created Beatles cartoon arts, you can visit his website here.

A TEENER’S ‘DAYDREAM.’ DAVY JONES REMEMBERED

HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL ACTING gig happened when he was eleven. He was a star on the BBC’s Coronation Street at age 16. And when he was 20, Davy Jones was picked from a casting call of thousands to be part of a made-for-television rock band that became one of the most popular acts of the decade.

After seeing the film A Hard Day’s Night, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider decided to create a TV show that would feature what they hoped would be America’s answer to the Beatles. Their first choice was to sign John Sebastian’s Lovin’ Spoonful, but that group already had a record contract. So they ran an ad in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter in the fall of 1965 to find their musicians.

Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, and Brit Davy Jones were ultimately hired and under the guidance of Don Kirshner, the Monkees were born. The group had help from some of the best writers in the business including Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Neil Diamond and the Brill Building team of Gerry Goffin, Carole King. They charted 13 times on the WKNR Music Guide, with hits like “Last Train to Clarksville“, “I’m A Believer“, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone“, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Daydream Believer.” They held down Keener Hit Number One five times.

While each Monkee had his fan base, Davy was a particular favorite. With the British Invasion in full swing, his English accent and Beatle hair cut put him at the forefront. 38 years later, Yahoo Music named him “Number 1 teen idol of all time.”

At the height of the Monkee’s popularity, Davy Jones talked with Bob Green about life in the Hollywood spotlight.

Jones continued to pursue a show business career after the Monkees broke up in 1971, touring with Dolenz, Boyce & Hart and various other side men. His stage and television credits include starring with Dolenz in Harry Nilsson‘s play The Point in London and appearances on, The Brady Bunch, My Two Dads, Here Come the Brides, and Love, American Style. He continued to record, releasing his last album in 2009.

His last performance happened on February 19th in Oklahoma, just ten days before he died in his sleep of a massive heart attack at age 66.

WKNR FM ‘STEREO ISLAND’ RADIO JINGLES, 1970-1971

DETROIT RADIO ’70! WWWW-FM DON SCHUSTER VIDEO

DONALD SCHUSTER * Friday, December 25, 1970 * WWWW-FM

WWJ NEWSRADIO 950: THE DETROIT ALL NEWS STATION

A WKNR RADIO BACK PAGE: KEENER KILLS PAUL! 1969

On October 12, 1969, WKNR killed Paul McCartney. Russ Gibb, working on WKNR-FM, heard from an Eastern Michigan University student about a series of clues that seemed to point to Paul McCartney’s death. The story took on a life of its own, both on Keener and WKNR-FM and Russ received credit for making the tale of McCartney’s supposed demise a national story. In the Spring of 2007, Dutch documentarians came to Dearborn to ask Russ to recount the adventure for posterity. Read the full story at Keener13.com. And watch the full documentary here.