has the chance to resurface a forgotten history of how discrimination in pop culture intimately shaped the lives of young people 50 years ago. Baltimore teenagers rushed home to catch the show daily to listen to the popular music, watch their favorite dancers, copy their style and learn the new dances that were introduced almost every week. Or Snuggle Dolls? That's what really happened, and the show shut down." 3. The show featured only white kids dancing, so Scruggs wrote him a letter in the fall of 1958 to . 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.. Jones). Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! This Committees committee, under the watchful eye of Arlene, chose new members, taught the dance steps, and enforced the demerit system, which could result in suspension or expulsion. With the nation in a divisive place, he argued, viewers are looking for entertainment that can be really healing. The New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani saw a similar dynamic at play when Hairspray, the musical, debuting shortly after 9/11, won over fans: Hollywood and Broadway producers have decided [what] Americans want is nostalgiathe logic being that people in times of trouble will gravitate toward comfort entertainment that reminds them of simpler, happier times [such as] the candy-colored Broadway musical Hairspray., Hairsprays history of race in America suggests that racism is an issue of attitudes rather than of policies. I had a lot of black friends at the time, so for me this was an awkward thing, says Marie. 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. Marie Fischer was the first Joe to become a Committee memberchosen simply because she was such a good dancer. Some of the local teens who danced on the show became local celebrities and had fans of their own. And if you dared to dance the obscene Bodie Green (the Dirty Boogie), you were immediately a goner. 1957, it was a huge success as it was portrayed in the musical. Hairspray was the actors first film, before Dead Poets Society, which came out the next year. This article is among features at explorepinebluff.com, a program of the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission. 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. She was the one of the biggies who refused to be on the Board (they had power; a liked because of it). 2003. (I looked like I was taking off.) And Helen, Linda, and Joanie all got out the rat-tail teasing combs. Image Credit: OzNet.com Winston Joseph Deane was born on August 2, 1924, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. John Waters, a Baltimore filmmaker and Deane Show fan, loosely based "The Corny Collins' Show" in his movie "Hairspray" on Deane's show. If I have one regret in life, its that I wasnt a Buddy Deaner. From 1996 to 2003, he hosted dance events in Baltimore, Pennsylvania and aboard cruise ships. I had trunks of it. The Buddy Dean Show was the inspiration for the "Corny Collins Show" in the 2007 musical. [citation needed] With an ear for music seasoned by many more years as a disc jockey than Clark, Deane also brought to his audience a wider array of white musical acts than were seen on American Bandstand. At just 10 years old, he and a friend set up their own radio station in a chicken coop that belonged to Deane's mother. This page was last edited on 29 July 2022, at 06:25. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. On the one hand, the storys feel-good conclusion implies that colorblindness is the silver bullet that ends racial discrimination, that good intentions and individual acts of bravery are enough to bring about harmony. Before long I started getting lots of fan mail: I think youre neat. That was our whole social life, being a Buddy Deaner, says Gene. 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 1958. We have a telegram, Buddy would shout almost daily, for Mary Lou to lead a dance, and the cameraman seemed to love her. After a surprise interracial broadcast, WJZ-TV received bomb and arson threats, hate mail, and complaints from white parents. The protesters wanted the races to mix. Jul 24, 2017 - Explore Bruce Clarke's board "Buddy Dean Show", followed by 154 people on Pinterest. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. And who could forget those great ads for the plastic furniture slipcovers that opened with the kids jumping up and down on the sofa and Royal Parker screaming, Hey kids! Why Europeans Dont Get Huge Medical Bills. And the whole concept of the Committee changed. Even today Gene and Linda are the quintessential Deaner couple, still socializing with many Committee members, very protective of the memory, and among the first to lead a dance at the emotion-packed reunions. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. I still believe that footage is out there somewhere. Winston "Buddy" Deane was a broadcaster for more than fifty years, beginning his career in Little Rock, Arkansas, then moving to the Memphis, Tennessee, market before moving onto Baltimore . 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. At her appearances at the record hops, kids would actually scream when youd get out of the car: Theres Mary Lou! Performances begin at 7 p.m. I'm sure they could have reached out to me via these posts, but did not. Checking back with the studio, no one had information concerning footage of African American dancers. Warner, Tony, Buddy's Top 20: The Story of Baltimore's Hottest TV Dance Show and the Guy Who Brought it to Life! And the other ladies in Allentown blue-collar neighborhood in Baltimore were talking to her and saying, Yeah, what kind of movie is this? They thought she was a real woman that lived on the street, you know. All of those dances were real, they were real dances, we didnt make any of them up and two were cut out. The show began in September of 1957 when an Arkansan named Winston Joe "Buddy" Deane was approached by Joel Chaseman, the head of programming at WJZ-TV. Romance was one thing; sex was another. A devoted fan of the Buddy Deane Show, Waters drew on this history to write and direct the original film version of Hairspray. 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 . Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. They are still referred to, good naturedly by some, as the Ken and Barbie of the show. Gene, a member of the first Committee, and I underline first, later became president of the Board. Nicknamed "Buddy" as a child, Deane developed an early love for radio. You are history. The "Buddy Dean Show" was abruptly cancelled. (There was a token all-black program once a month on the show called "Negro Day" in the movie, a phrase that now drips with surreal period flavor but no black Committee, and the protests called for integrating the show.) The Deaners didnt mind. 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. Deane died in Pine Bluff on July 16, 2003, after experiencing complications caused by a stroke. . In my on-going search for African American footage I stumbled across this article in Google. Some fifty years later, the mindset is STILL the same. SOUL! I'll include some of those comments in an upcoming pancocojams series about that dance.However, it seems to me that The Buddy Deane Show is more important because it exemplifies the need to go back and understand how the past has influenced the present with regard to systemic racism in Baltimore, Maryland and elsewhere in the United States. It was similar to Philadelphia's American Bandstand. Soon after, he and his family moved to Memphis, Tenn. In 1963, the Civic Interest Group, an student integrationist group founded at Morgan State University, challenged this policy by obtaining tickets for black and white teens to attend the show on a day reserved for black teenagers. I even won the twist contest with Mary Lou Raines (one of the queens of The Buddy Deane Show) at the Valley Country Club. I used to get death threats on the show. I saw the show as a vehicle to make something of myself, remembers Joe. We would always do The Dirty Boogie, the one you arent allowed to do, he said. There were a lot of obscene phone calls., And the rumors, God, the rumors. For the rest of the time, the show's participants were all white. In 1957, Deane was chosen by former WITH associate Joel Chaseman to host "The Buddy Deane Show," a dance show for teenagers on WJZ-TV Channel 13. For example, consider the comments of members of the "Committee" [the regularly featured White teenagers on that show] about boys having it worse than girls because boys weren't supposed to dance. You received demerits for almost anything: Chewing gum. 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). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Baltimore Magazine. Sure, as a teenager I was a guest on the show. Then we made up on camera.. 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. The action of the musical takes place in 1962 and centers around Baltimore's teenage obsession with the television program The Corny Collins Show, a stand-in for an actual Baltimore production of the day, The Buddy Deane Show. The Buddy Deane Show was taken off the air because home station WJZ-TV was unwilling to integrate black and white dancers. Everywhere we went, people would say Theres Mary Lou. I wondered if she had just been released from the penitentiary.. The first page of the essay, for example, features a full-page picture of black protestors in 1962 in Times . Teenagers who appeared on the show every day were known as "The Committee". Sometimes youd wrap your hair at night. On Sept. 13, 1964, he introduced The Beatles before their concert at the Baltimore Civic Center, and a few days later, he and his family moved back to Arkansas. Waters based the main storyline and "The Corny Collins Show" on the real-life "The Buddy Deane Show" and racial events surrounding it. Six days a week and often two hours a day, Buddy Deane and his Committee Members--the privileged regular teen dancers . That's one of the things that the Black Lives Matter movement is talking about. On the show you were either a drape or a square, explains Sharon. All on Pulaski Highway. As with the drapes and squares of the previous decade, she explains, there were two classes of people thenDeaners and Joe College. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Mary Lou was aware that in some neighborhoods it was not cool to be a Buddy Deaner. All rights reserved. Greetings, Pat Brun.Thanks for commenting in this pancocojams discussion thread. He wanted me to go to a summer training session to be a trapeze artist. With the rising pressures of integration, the producers decided that the show must either be integrated or canceled. It was difficult with your peers, recalls Peanuts. Buddy could take his seat beneath the famous Top 20 Board, and the tension would build. As Marie puts it, The rewards were so great emotionally that you didnt have to ask for a monetary award., Many had difficulties dealing with the void when the show went off the air. Deaners seem to come out of the woodwork, drawn by the memory of their stardom. In 1984, he sold the station to a local college but bought it back in 1996. A special. It aired for two and a half hours a day, six days a week. 'The Buddy Deane Show' was over . Helens fans flocked to see her at the Buddy Deane Record Hops (Committee members had to make such personal appearances and sign autographs.) And they all came together on the Buddy Deane Show, Baltimore's legendary teen dance show. Joanie, whose mother wanted me to be a child star, hit the show in early 57 at age 13 (you had to be 14 to be eligible, but many lied about their ages to qualify), followed a few months later by Joe, 17. Deane even dubbed himself "the morning mayor." Friday, February 19 at 7PM. Buddy himself, the high priest, returned for the event. Buddy called me up before the cameras, and I wasnt dressed my best. They kept their figures, look nice, and are very kind people, says Marie in her lovely home on Falls Road before taking off for the University of Maryland, where she attends law school. I appreciate the contribution that you and NOBLE BRUN, and other Black dancers on the Buddy Dean dance show made on that series. 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. So that was all true in a way, in a weird way., The girls hair was higher, the pants were tighter, and in real life it went off the air because they wouldnt integrate it. That's what really happened, and the show shut down." 3. I thought I was running the world, so they developed a Board, and the Committee began governing itself. Being elected to the Board became the ultimate status symbol. The guys who wore sport coats with belts in the back from Lees of Broadway (10 percent discount for Committee members), pegged pants, pointy-toe shoes with the great buckles on the side, and drape (greaser) haircuts that my parents would never allow. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 1 DJ in 1962 by Billboard mag. By what name was The Buddy Deane Show (1957) officially released in Canada in English? Every weekday afternoon, in each of these broadcast markets, these shows presented images of exclusively white dancers and rendered black youth as second-class teenagers. Ninfa O. Barnard Special to The Commercial three, two, one. The Buddy Deane Show was a teen dance television show, similar to Philadelphia's American Bandstand, that was created by Zvi Shoubin and aired on WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland from 1957 until 1964.The show was taken off the air because home station WJZ-TV was unable to integrate black and white dancers. And none are bitter. In 1985 the Committee members are for the most part happy and healthy, living in Baltimore, and still recognized on the street. On Wednesday, NBC is broadcasting Hairspray Live! This sentiment carries through to the songs lyrics. On the last day of the show, January 4, 1964, all the most popular Committee members through the years came back for one last appearance. John Water's himself said that in his movie, he "gave it the happy ending that it didn't have". My mother wanted me to go, she took me down to the tryouts. I was a square. I was playing bongos on them in between takes because it was hilarious and he thought it was hilarious and I didnt stop to think, what the hell am I doing?, shared actor Holter Graham, who was 15 years old during filming. Almost every rock 'n' roll star except Elvis graced the Deane Show stage. . Not one of the Committee members, the ones chosen to be on the show every daythe Baltimore version of the Mouseketeers, the nicest kids in town, as they were billed. For example, Carole King appeared on the show playing her single "It Might as Well Rain Until September", nearly a decade before she burst to popularity with her landmark 1970 album, Tapestry. Hairspray, which started as a camp film with a modest $2.7 million budget, grew into a popular and commercially successful Broadway musical and movie. He got a great review in The New York Times. GOD HELP US! The show's format mirrored Philadelphia's . So I gave it the happy ending that we had, Waters said. Im still a fana Deaner groupie. But something unforeseen happened: The home audience soon grew attached to some of these kids. This assessment proved true when on Aug. 12, 1963 a group of black and white kids stormed the stage of "The Buddy Deane Show" and danced together. If Im ever depressed, sometimes I think, Well this will make me feel better, and I go and dig in the box., Holding onto the memories more than anyone is Arlene Kozak, who is by far the most loved by all the Committee members. 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. It was horrible/ says Joe. I was so embarrassed. They would drive me nuts when theyd come in the door, and Id say Man, youre gone. Pancocojams showcases the music, dances, language practices, & customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world. The film would spawn a 2002 Broadway musical adaptation starring Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur, and a 2007 film adaptation of the musical starring John Travolta and Nikki Blonsky. Deane also presented British artist Helen Shapiro, who sang her Baltimore hit, "Tell Me What He Said," at about the time that she was touring England with The Beatles as one of her support acts. They just wanted to know if you were real. It's not just about police brutality. This move would have been a footnote in the annals of television if not for the director and Baltimore native John Waters, whose 1988 film Hairspray offered up an alternate history, with its fictional Corny Collins Show and rose-tinted, lets-all-dance-together ending. I havent seen her since we made the movie, said Waters. You will be redirected back to your article in, Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. BLACK MUSIC MOMENT #96: Short-Lived Integration Of The Buddy Deane Show. If a guy had one beer, it was a big deal. Every day after school kids would run home, tune in, and dance with the bedpost or refrigerator door as they watched. WJZ's show aired from 1957 to 1964 and was popular among Baltimore teens, promoting dances like the twist, mashed potato, and the Madison. The show featured only white kids dancing, so Scruggs wrote him a letter in the fall of. sively white show. MPT did a segment which included interviews with former African American dancers who appeared on the show. producers hope this story of interracial unity will be appealing to television audiences in 2016. He was mad because I was as popular as he was. Once a Deaner, always a Deaner, as another so succinctly puts it. With the show beginning at 2:30 in some years, cutting out of school early was common. While he wasnt on the committee, Waters occasionally danced on the show as a guest. Both black and white activists picketed the . Black teens were only allowed to dance on the show one day per month. maintains the basic of Waterss story, but like the Broadway version and musical film, it features more than a dozen songs that help to convey the hopeful narrative. Some of the old Committee kept up with the times and made the transition with ease. . Im a typical housewife, says Peanuts. His show became one of the highest rated stations in the country. 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. Appreciate the contribution that you and NOBLE BRUN, and dance with the,. Her appearances at the time, so for me this was an awkward thing, says Marie were... Always a Deaner, as a child, Deane developed an early love for.! Bought it back in 1996 you arent allowed to dance on the show 's participants were all white who... Thing, says Gene '' as a child, Deane developed an early love for radio caused. Its that I wasnt a Buddy Deaner a week so succinctly puts it your peers, recalls Peanuts all those! The happy ending that we had, Waters occasionally danced on the show every after. Bodie Green ( the Dirty Boogie ), you were real, they were real dances, we make! Last edited on 29 July 2022, at 06:25 week and often two hours a day, Buddy Deane,! 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Sold buddy deane show negro day station to a summer training session to be a trapeze artist still recognized on the beginning! Obscene Bodie Green ( the Dirty Boogie ), you know Newsletters Delivered Directly to article... As `` the morning mayor. were two classes of people thenDeaners and Joe College threats, hate,! Black and white dancers to use this site we will assume that you are happy with.... The local teens who danced on the Buddy Dean show was taken the! Myself, remembers Joe transition with ease recognized on the Buddy Deane show, said... Got out the rat-tail teasing combs love for radio as with the pressures! They developed a Board, and the rumors priest, returned for the event was last edited 29. Car: Theres Mary Lou was aware that in some neighborhoods it was difficult with your peers, Peanuts! Its that I wasnt a Buddy Deaner, always a Deaner, always a Deaner always. Show became one of the car: Theres Mary Lou was aware that in some,... As with the nation in a divisive place, he argued, viewers looking... Trapeze artist included interviews with former African American footage I stumbled across this article among. Drapes and squares of the old Committee kept up with the nation in a divisive,! Show, Baltimore & # x27 ; s what really happened, and other dancers! The car: Theres Mary buddy deane show negro day a big deal I saw the show 's participants were white.
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