> The Buddy Deane Show, 1957-1964, WAAM/WJZ. Buddy Deane and his kids flashed into our living rooms nearly 40 years ago. It reminds me of the way people think now of gay marriage, how so many people are shocked about it and they dont agree with it. It was similar to Philadelphia's American Bandstand. They wanted to know something about your religious affiliation. When Mary Lous husband gave me the long and complicated directions to their home on the phone, he ended with And there you will find, yes, Mary Lou Raines. He later confided that when he first started dating her, he had no idea of her early career. Here is the new video celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Buddy Deane Show and the former Catonsville Community College (now CCBC). Many years later they married. I was a misfit. Owing to Deane's mid-South roots and work history, he featured many performers from the ranks of country and western music (e.g., Skeeter Davis, singing "The End of the World" and Brenda Lee singing "Sweet Nothin's"), who then achieved cross-over hits among rock and roll fans. And, yes, they were actually "records" in 1983. His name was Nelson Ray Shiflett. Vicki Defeo: I thought they did a great job with portraying the kids dancing. Linda Snyder: In the beginning, they rotated the entire Committee. She lives in Baltimore County. Could it be? Frani Hahn: John always said he felt like we were a cult. Bob Mathers: There were a lot of protests in Baltimore, which was a very racially segregated town. It's so funny that we were just talking about you a few months back. Once a Deaner, always a Deaner, as another so succinctly puts it. If the Contours or James Brown came on, some would stop games of basketball, pinochle or pitching nickels and start dancing. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This was the adults, who didnt know what to do, so they shut the whole thing down.. A guy I attended City with, Carroll Weber, lived in Highlandtown and was on the committee. And coming from John Waters, I thought, that is a really nice compliment! Im still a fana Deaner groupie. Most Deaner girls wouldnt even tongue-kiss, claims Arlene, remembering the ruckus caused by a Catholic priest when the Committee modeled strapless Etta gowns on TV. You heard that they wanted to integrate. I think Buddy Deane was a target for people who were fighting segregation everywhere. Deane helped numerous black record artists in their careers -- James Brown among them. . Ive never said they were racist. They were the Mouseketeers! . What happened Buddy Dean? Culture shock - Baltimore Sun My mother used to pick me up after school to make sure nobody hassled me., The adoring fans could also be a hassle. Corky,My name was Judy Kerr and I was on the committee in1958/59. I was with this guy named Jeff. It seems crazy nowthe idea of prohibiting black kids and white kids from dancing on the same television programbut not then. The school tried to throw me out before. Ladies and Gentleman . . . The Nicest Kids in Town! Teenagers who appeared on the show every day were known as "The Committee". My heart would have broken in two if I couldnt have gone on. Finally, Helen quit Mergenthaler (Mervo) trade school, at the height of her fame. "Where you been, boy?" The star system was born. Then and now: Remember Bruce Hutchinson? . In the beginning, there was Arlene. Everywhere we went, people would say Theres Mary Lou. I wondered if she had just been released from the penitentiary.. When I was on, the kids at school were cool with it. I think the guys had a harder time at it. . Buddy said to me, Well, heres my little girl whos been with me the longest. I hardly ever cried, but I just broke down on camera. John Waters: Certainly all the stuff in Hairspray didnt happen for real, but it was my fantasy of how I wished it would be, not what really happened. Then we made up on camera.. I couldnt be bothered with education. Hairspray movie was inspired by this show and was based off of the the events but unlike the movies, instead of the show being integrated, it was cancelled. . I was nervous because I was celebrating a great moment in their youth, but I was bringing up something theyve swept under the rug, because they were kids. We used to go to stand in front of Reads Drugstore, and people would ask for our autograph.. And they told us we were going to go off the air because of it. New committee members were selected by Deane and Arlene Kozak, his dependable first sergeant on the set -- a mother figure who even today keeps former committee members connected. If you [broke any rules], you got the points taken off. Although the show has been off the air for more than twenty years, a nearly fanatical cult of fans has managed to keep the memory alive. Recollections differ as to whether it was Deane, the station or the parents of the Committee members who refused to allow the show to be integrated. . Baltimore Sun. Shes been a Realtor for the past 20 years and lives outside Philadelphia. One girl yelled Buddy Deaner and then threw her plate at me. I will be moving near Ocean City in July.Do you remember me. Gene calls it a big loss. It was living in a fantasy world, says Helen. Why not do The Deane Show on TV again? 1 talking about this. I was 10 years old and I just adored this dancer with the neatest DA haircuts. Buddy Deane, center, with the Committee and teen dancers. Yet Joe was a dropout when he went on the show and then, once famous, went back to finish. Hi all. The Buddy Deane Show was over. That was our whole social life, being a Buddy Deaner, says Gene. When the show was over, I caught the city bus near TV hill and it dumped me off as dusk gathered in my Belair Road neighborhood near Erdman Avenue. The Deane program set aside every other Friday for a show featuring only black teenagers. Many were there when the show went off the air in 1964, ending a seven-year run. Buddy noticed my eyes staring and said, Do the same eyes. And the camera got it. Kathy went even further. . The first and maybe the biggest Buddy Deane queen of all. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. . . So you always had to kind of be on., Frani Hahn: Honestly, I was on the show for, Id say about six months before my father even found out, and he found out quite by accident. Deane and Kozak were advised by a small group of committee members on final cuts. Ladies and gentlemen, the nicest kids in town!. One time I was going with this guy, and he was dancing with this guest I didnt like, says Evanne. He wanted me to go to a summer training session to be a trapeze artist. And they all came together on "The Buddy Deane Show," Baltimore s legendary teen dance show. Id hook and have to dance in the back so the teachers couldnt see me, says Helen. . He was one of the first disc jockeys in the area to regularly feature rock-and-roll. 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. . As with the drapes and squares of the previous decade, she explains, there were two classes of people thenDeaners and Joe College. three, two, one. . They were more made fun of because they didnt fit in [and] because people would want to fight them. Frani Hahn: I think it was easier for the girls. I wanted to go, but my parents wouldnt let me. Hairspray came to CCBC Essex's Cockpit in Court theater, and so did the real original castthose Committee members from the old Buddy Deane Show, whose moment in history became the premise for the hit Broadway musical about rock 'n' roll and racial tension in Baltimore half a century ago. Deane, I dont mind at all. But being a Buddy Deaner, or even a guest, moved a kid into a fantasyland, a world of teased hair, pointy-toed shoes and fashions by Lee's of Broadway. The main thing was your hair was flat, the antithesis of Buddy Deane, she says, chuckling. Apr 14, 1997 at 3:00 am. You had to be able to jitterbug and you had to be able to cha-cha, and do whatever dance was popular then, the mashed potato or the pony. When the subject comes up today, most loyalists want to go off the record. Im a typical housewife, says Peanuts. The Buddy Deane Show was a teen dance television show, created by Zvi Shoubin, hosted by Winston "Buddy" Deane . . . This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 19:01. At frantic meetings of the Committee, many said, My parents simply wont let me come if its integrated, and WJZ realized it just couldnt be done. Its host was Winston "Buddy" Deane, who died in Pine Bluff, Arkansas after suffering a stroke, July 16, 2003. It was so painful. Marie Fischer was the first Joe to become a Committee memberchosen simply because she was such a good dancer. You could throw her down on the ground, and her hair would crack, recalls Gene. . But we all had the same reaction: My parents arent gonna go for it. I hate to say this, but they wanted attractive young people. Viewers often emulated the Committee members' dance moves, copied their personal style, and followed their life stories and interactions. When Barry Levinson, another Baltimore native, requested video from the show for his film Diner, the station told him it had no footage.[2]. Although the Committee was a valuable promotional tool for WJZ at the time, and belonging was a full-time job, no one (except teen assistants) was paid a penny. I found out that my father was on this show. The worlds oldest teenagers gathered Sunday in Baltimore County to illustrate once again that even the most uncomfortable moments in American history can be turned into something musical, good-natured, and profitable beyond imagination. Im told there are 4,000 contracts for productions this year, said James Hunnicutt, artistic director for Cockpit in Court. The Buddy Deane Show (the name was changed) created what sociologist Craig Calhoun . The show was a teen dance and music show and ran from 1957 to until 1964 on WJZ-TV until the show was canceled.The show was a teen dance and music show and ran from 1957 to until 1964 on WJZ-TV until the show was canceled.The show was a teen dance and music show and ran from 1957 to until 1964 on WJZ-TV until the show was canceled. 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! Linda reverently describes her Committee membership as the best experience I ever had in my life. They later became members of the Permanent Committee, the hall of fame that could come back to dance even after retiring. But my mother and father wont let me come down if you do that. In early December, Buddy Deane met with station officials and they said, Weve decided to cancel the program. And Buddy said, So it has to do with integration? And the station said, Thats correct. Linda Snyder: We were on the show Monday through Saturday, six days a week. We really didnt want to go off the air. I hated to see so much emphasis put on the integration plot, but I do understand that that was a part of what happened. 2003. . Joel Chaseman, also a DJ at WITH, became program manager of WJZ-TV when Westinghouse bought it in the mid-50s. Frani & Wayne. An earth force for a generation of Baltimore teens But as more and more kids (even Deane fans) did tum Joe College, many of the Committee made the mistake of not keeping up with the times. Buddy could take his seat beneath the famous Top 20 Board, and the tension would build. To this day, I don't know why my late father, then in his 60s, was watching the Buddy Deane Show. Rumors would go about certain people. Actor: Hairspray. Now, no one would ever do a commercial for a profit company without getting some compensation. We appreciate your interest. Every week she had a different dothe Double Bubble, the Artichoke, the Airlifteach topped off by her special trademark, suggested by her mother, the bow. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Or Hartford Motor Coach Company? In Baltimore, Buddy Deane was so strong in his time slot. Such a thrill, oh, when she's close to you. Yes, I miss it very much. I was dancing out at Giovannis Restaurant, in Harford County, just the other night, Parks said, and a woman says to me, Arent you Carl Parks? You have to ease into it. But something unforeseen happened: The home audience soon grew attached to some of these kids. John Waters: I never purposely thought I was making a movie that was any more commercial than any of the other ones. We just dont know what to do with the show.. I watched it for the fashion and for the drama, because Buddy Deane encouraged them to [date and] break up on film. After you sprayed it, youd get toilet paper and blot it. We have a telegram, Buddy would shout almost daily, for Mary Lou to lead a dance, and the cameraman seemed to love her. Buddy Deane - IMDb It was difficult with your peers, recalls Peanuts. It was hilarious., Some of the rumors were fanned on purpose. Bringing back the old rhythms - Chicago Tribune We used to wrap our hair in toilet paper at night. Larry tried searching Facebook for you. (The Washington Post), Almost 20 of the original stars of The Buddy Deane Show show off their signature dance, The Madison. (Jessica Goldstein/The Washington Post). I remember it well, recalls Evanne. Eating the refreshments (Ameches Powerhouses, the premiere teenage hangouts forerunner of the Big Mac), which were for guests only. . Vicki Defeo: Some of the people who were popular way back that Im friends with now, back then I wouldve been like, wow! The Buddy Deane Show - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia Friends now joke that Baltimore was the cha-cha capital of the world. It was even in the papers. Sure, as a teenager I was a guest on the show. Helen was my idol when I started watching the Buddy Deane show with my sister in 1958. Chaseman had this idea for a dance party show, with Buddy as the disc jockey, and Buddy asked Arlene to go to work for him. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. She was his right-hand man and she picked out all the kids for the show. I even won the twist contest with Mary Lou Raines (one of the queens of The Buddy Deane Show) at the Valley Country Club. WOW, I just found this site after all these years. No long hair, only pompadours, hurriedly combed during commercials. If you couldnt do the Buddy Dean jitterbug, (always identifiable by the girls ever-so-subtle dip of her head each time she was twirled around), you were a social outcast. . For many of us, Deane will always be there, standing ramrod-straight, an electronic maestro with a microphone, introducing Brenda Lee or hyping sponsors like Kit-Kat and the Etta Gown Shop. Check out the latest from the Deaners and get the full behind the scenes story of Buddy Deane and Hairspray here. It was over at 5. I had beehives. Neither Deane nor Waters believes Baltimore was ready for an integrated teen dance program in 1964. Today, Concetta is married to another former committee member, John Sankonis. Buddy Deane, 78, TV Host And Inspiration of 'Hairspray' - New York Times Wayne Hahn: If you were late, you couldnt get in the door. The popular television Baltimore dance show aired from 1957 until 1964. 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. But he was, and busted me courtesy of that close-up shot, seconds before my fragile teen-age ego was shattered by Pixie, or whatever her name was. And a couple of us have yearly dances, and we all get together. The Madison | Lindyland 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 on to Baltimore where he worked at WITH-AM radio. All on Pulaski Highway. Frani Hahn: I can remember times when we would go downtown shopping and wed stop in at Reads Drug Store and have Cokes, and people came up for our autographs! Members of the committee attended Reunion Dances and other events soliciting the support of . . Hundreds of thousands of teens learned the latest dances by watching Committee members on the show, copying their personal style, and following their life stories and interactions.
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