Don’t Touch That Dial!

Review by Mike Gange

Station to Station
The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll on Television
by Marc Weingarten
Pocket Books, $37.95, 321 pages

When Dick Clark started hosting Bandstand on a Philadelphia television station, he was nearly 30 years old but looked like he was 17. Although Bandstand was one of nearly a dozen such shows on TV across America at that time, somehow Clark was successful in pitching the idea to ABC television, where American Bandstand made its debut on August 5, 1957. Very aware of how Alan Freed’s show Big Beat was cancelled after Frankie Lymon (Why Do Fools Fall in Love?) was seen dancing with a white girl, Clark made sure the show was scrubbed clean, showing only well dressed white people having good clean fun. Over 20 million viewers tuned in to American Bandstand during its first week, and major advertisers such as General Mills, 7-Up and Clearasil, were eager to buy lots of ad time.

But Dick Clark was more than the congenial host, with a twinkle in his eye. Clark was also a sharp, if not unethical, businessman. By 1959, he owned a piece of 33 businesses ranging from record pressing plants, distribution companies, labels and numerous other music related companies. Dick Clark became the most important DJ in the U.S. at that time, and he wasn’t afraid to use his power or position to make things work to his advantage. "Lets All Do the Bop" by a Philly band called the Juvenairs didn’t quite cut it for Clark, so he suggested the song be re-written. "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors became a number one hit after Clark started playing it relentlessly on American Bandstand. Clark’s company, Sea-Lark, owned half the publishing rights, and received half the royalties.

Station to Station: The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll on Television by Marc Weingarten is full of wonderful tales like this. For those of us brought up appreciating the two art forms of rock music and television, Station to Station is a terrific read, as it rolls easily from one thrilling chapter to another. Weingarten’s topics range from Dick Clark to Don Cornelius, from Soultrain to Saturday Night Live. He writes about the television appearances of The Monkees, The Partridges and The Beatles, and later the cartoon rock of The Archies and Josie and the Pussycats, which featured then-aspiring actress Cheryl Ladd. Michael Jackson and the emergence of MTV are not forgotten either.

And there are some wonderfully well written stories in this book. For instance, Ed Sullivan really did not want Elvis on his show. Still, he paid him the then unheard of sum of $50, 000 for three appearances, after Elvis’ guest shots on competitors shows sent ratings through the roof. And it worked for Ed Sullivan, too. The 21-year old Elvis’ performance of "Don’t Be Cruel" in January 1957, the one ordered shot from the waist up by CBS’ standards and practices, was viewed by 84 percent of all Americans who owned TV’s, some 54 million viewers.

The Beatles, on the other hand, were a bargain basement prize for Ed Sullivan, who had them appear for just $3,500 per show for two shows. When The Beatles appeared on February 9, 1964, and sang "All My Lovin’," 70 million viewers tuned in. But the Beatles knew they had to crack The Ed Sullivan Show, in order to crack America.

Weingarten’s stories are all like this – richly detailed and carefully researched. He has created the kind of book that is hard to put down, and once read, will need to be re-read. My friends are already lining up to read my copy.

Mike Gange teaches media studies and journalism at Fredericton High.