Motor City Radio Flashbacks – Page 567 – Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life

SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW WITH DICK CLARK

**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.

Dick Clark's Beech Nut Show debuts on ABC-TV, February 15, 1958 — Dick Clark’s Beech Nut Show debuts on ABC-TV, February 2, 1958

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 . . . .

Jan and Dean makes an appearance on ABC-TV's Beechnut Show, June 25,1960 — Jan and Dean makes an appearance on the ABC-TV Beechnut Show, June 25, 1960.

Addendum: For our second installment four video posting of ‘Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show with Dick Clark,’ on MCRFB (August 6, 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 third 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:

Big Bopper (September 20, 1958). Paul Anka (September 12, 1959). Sam Cooke (March 14, 1959). Jackie Wilson (March 21, 1959).

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

WJBK – MARCH 27, 1964

WKNR – MARCH 26, 1964

CLASSIC ‘PAMS’ RADIO JINGLES AS HEARD ON: WKNR!

**WKNR ‘PAMS’ SERIES 31 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS**

**From the MCRFB JINGLES archive: WKNR-AM 1310 “Keener 13” * 1965-1966**

A WKNR CONTACT NEWS PRESENTATION: DETROIT 1966

Official WKNR personality profile card for news director Philip Nye (Courtesy keener13.com)

WKNR CONTACT NEWS: ‘AN ELECTRONIC DIARY OF ONE YEAR’

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“These are the events of our time and of our place. WKNR News presents the sounds and voices of 1966. As they were gathered and reported by the WKNR news staff. For WKNR News this is Philip Nye.”

A WKNR CONTACT NEWS PRESENTATION: DETROIT 1968

Official WKNR personality profile card for news director Philip Nye (Courtesy keener13.com)

WKNR CONTACT NEWS: ‘AN ELECTRONIC DIARY OF ONE YEAR’

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“… And so it went in ’68. An incredible year in an incredible age. There were many things we would change but we can’t. Those who lived through this time will remember. For WKNR News this is Philip Nye.”

JUKEBOX GOLD * 1963

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

TWIN SPIN * TERRY STAFFORD

WKNR NEWSMAN PHILIP NYE R.I.P. 1927 – 2014

F A M E D R A D I O A N D T V N E W S M A N G O N E A T 8 7

From Mike Austerman’s Michiguide.com; March 21, 2014

WKNR's Philip Nye — WKNR News Director Philip Nye

Philip Nye was the news director at the legendary WKNR AM 1310 Contact News in Dearborn/Detroit in the mid-1960’s working with names like Bill Bonds and Eric Smith. Phil made it to several of the Detroit Radio Reunions.

Nye passed away peacefully on March 20, 2014 at the age of 87. Born in Newark, Ohio on March 1, 1927, he was a proud graduate of Ohio State University where he studied theater and journalism. He had a long and distinguished career that included both radio and television. Mr. Nye worked actively as a broadcast journalist until the age of 86.

Along with his role as News Director of Keener 13 during it’s 1960’s heyday, other hightlights of Nye’s career include work as an investigative reporter and anchor for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles and most notably as News Director for WXYZ-TV where he built what was recognized as one of the best news teams in the country. He went on to head news departments at WABC in New York and KGO in San Francisco before joining ABC as Vice President of their owned and operated news division. He later became a partner in Burnham Broadcasting, managing television stations in Green Bay, WI, Bakersfield, CA and New Orleans, LA.

He was an avid reader and loved old movies, enjoyed cooking, playing golf and watching his beloved OSU Buckeyes play football. He is survived by his daughters Jo-Allison (Jeffry) Floyd, Kimberly McMahon, Tracey Millard and Cindy (Mark) Malin; eleven grandchildren Megan, Matthew, Tyler, Ryan, Colin, Christopher, Scott, Kelsey, Meredith, Allie and McKenna. And one great grandchild, Jayden. He was predeceased by his wife Joanne Phillips and daughter Pamela (Michael) McGillivary.

Most recently Phil lived in West Bloomfield and Shelby Township, Michigan and worked on local cable productions for Comcast.

Memorial visitation will take place at McCabe Funeral Home, 31950 West Twelve Mile, Farmington Hills, on Monday March 24 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm with a memorial service at 1:00 pm. Memorial donations may be made to Special Olympics in Philip’s name.

There is a phenomenal amount of news, photos and airchecks covering Philip’s career on the Motor City Radio Flashbacks web site.

Information courtesy Michiguide.com: http://www.michiguide.com/archives2014/nye-obit.html

Addendum: For more on Philip Nye and everything WKNR see Scott Westerman’s and Steve Schram’s premiere Keener 13 website @ Keener13.com

For more on Philip Nye and WKNR Contact News on Motor City Radio Flashbacks go here. For more WKNR Contact News see our website menu archived here.