Friday, August 5, 2011

This Day In History

American Bandstand

American Bandstand first aired on the ABC network on Monday, 5 August 1957, becoming one of a handful of local origination programs to broadcast nationally. Initially, the program ran Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 4:30 P.M., EST. In 1964, Clark moved the production of American Bandstand to California, cutting broadcasts to once a week.

In 2004,  Dick Clark, with the help of Ryan Seacrest, announced plans to revive the show in time for the 2005 season; although this did not occur (due in part to Clark suffering a severe stroke in late 2004), one segment of the revived Bandstand—a national dance contest—eventually became the series So You Think You Can Dance While the American series has aired eight seasons, its format was also replicated worldwide, from Norway (Dansefeber) to Australia (So You Think You Can Dance Australia).

I can remember watching American Bandstand every Saturday morning for years. So You Think You Can Dance is one of my favorite shows and I did not realize until I read this article that Dick Clark had a part in that show. He is really a talented guy.

Here's a clip from a 1969 American Bandstand show of one of my favorite's - Stevie Wonder!



Marilyn Monroe is found dead

On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide."

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