Mary Beltrante Mary Marie Beltrante was born in 1943 and was the middle of the three sisters in her family; She also had a younger brother, Joey. She attended South Philadelphia High School.
Mary's closest friends on Bandstand were
Frani Giordano, and Carol Scadeferri. Her regular dance
partner and date was Steve Colanero. Mary is estranged
from her sisters, but they know she lives in New Jersey. Susan
Beltrante Susan was the youngest of the three Beltrante daughters. Rosalie the oldest became a mother figure who watched her sisters and younger brother while her mother, a waitress, was working the afternoon 3:00 PM to midnight shift at s local restaurant. Susan's father was a boxer and factory worker.. Her sister Rosalie took her to American Bandstand when she was 12. Dick Clark knew her true age but told her not not say she was under 14 or she'd have to leave the show.
Sue would sit in the bleachers much of the time. She came to the show more often when she was 13 to 15. Her dance partner was Ed Kelly She moved to New York after high school and became a dental assistant, a department store cashier, and a clerk at a bank. Susan has been married 47 years and lives in Florida. She has two children and four grandchildren. She speaks to her sister Rosalie every Sunday but is estranged from her sister Mary. All above was current as of 2017 Frank
Levins Frank came from a large and loving (albeit strict) Irish-American family, having been born on Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in historic Philadelphia, he had seven brothers and sister; Mary, Robert, Charlotte, Thomas, Gerard, Michael and Richard. Frank Levins was one of eight children, the oldest boy in a tight knit family. His mother a homemaker encouraged him to go to American Bandstand in the summer of 1957 after he had danced on the local Grady and Hurst dance show for about six months. As an adolescent, he danced on the Philadelphia-based show, American Bandstand, from 1957 until 1961, an impactful period of his life which resulted in many lifelong friendships. Frank went on the show to dance and meet girls. He wasn't interested in becoming famous or popular, but he became one of the most popular and well-liked Regulars among fans. Initially he dated Frani Giordano for four months. When Frank was sixteen, Pop Singer brought a birthday cake to the show and the crowd sang happy birthday to him. After the show Frani and Frank walked to Pop Singer's. Frani was holding the cake and suddenly asked, "Why am I carrying this cake?" Frank replied "Because I'm carrying all the mail cards." At that point she dropped the cake and said. "you carry your own cake." They never spoke again.
Frank also had a serious romance with Pat Molittieri and they were engaged two and half years. Frank's friends were Larry Brunbach, Harvey Robbins, Frank Branciacco, Mary Ann Cuff, Peggy Leonard and Arlene Sullivan. After going into the military service in 1961 - he served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina - Frank attended Spring Garden College and then graduated from Drexel University. He was a mechanical engineer for forty-plus years and retired in 2014, with the latter part of his career spent mostly in sales Frank was part of of the Yo! Philadelphia, a Labor Day event at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. The show was led by Joanne MonteCarlo in the mid-1990s.
Widowed in 2000, Frank later married Elisabeth Videira in 2002. They had met during at ballroom dance weekend in the Catskills. Frank and Elisabeth lived in Newtown, Pa. Frank had one son Frank, and adopted daughter Antoinette, and five grandchildren; Brianna Gramm, Brittni Crivaro, Michael Conville, Lilianna Conville, and Olivia Conville; and a grandson Logan. Frank was happily married for 14 years up
to his death on Saturday, December 21, 2019 at the age of
76. Larry Brumbach Larry grew up in North Philadelphia with an older sister and younger brother. He lived one block away from life-long friend, Frank Levins. Frank persuaded Larry to go to the American Bandstand show after they had dance on a local show, Grady and Hurst. They had also met Pat Molittieri at at a local lunchette, and she encouraged them to attend the national dance show. On the American Bandstand Larry was friends with most of the regulars including Carole Scaldeferri, Barbara Lewick, Peggy Leonard, Dottie Horner, Joanne MonteCarlo and Justine Carrelli.. His guy friends were Frank Levins, Joe Fusco, Frankie Lobis and Lenny Natale. His social life revolved around the show and attending weekend parties and dances . Larry was divorced after 40 years of
marriage with two daughters, Marissa and Jannine and
three granchildren, Carter, Elizabeth and Samuel. He
oftens vacations with Fran Levins and Frank's wife,
Elizabeth. Larry currently lives in South Philadelphia. Lou Solino
Lou went to high school with regular Charlie Zamal. He grew up with two sisters, but it was his mother who taught him to dance. Lou always wanted to be a professonal dancer. On American Bandstand he danced with and dated Mary Ann Cuff. He also dated Pat Molittieri briefly. Lou was the only American Bandstand Regular who became a profesional dancer. Lou dropped out of high school in the 11th grade to go to drama school and take ballet and modern dance classes. Lou studied at the Maratha Graham School and studied professional ballet with the Joffrey Scool in Manhattan. His professional debut was at a Carnegie Hall performance where he was the only dancer on stage with 150 singers and a piano player. In 1968 he joined the Limon Dance Company for a two-week tour thst turned into being an eleven-year tour through America, Europe, Soviet Union, and Middle East.
Lou met dancer/choreographer Paul Jenden in 1980 and moved to New Zealand to work with him. They were partners for 35 years until Paul passed away. Lou moved back to the U.S. and.lived in New Jersey. Lou lived his last years with family in
New Jersey, and died January 5, 2022 after a long
illness. He was 78. Larry Giuliani Larry was on American Bandstand
from 1957 to 1960. He appeared with several Regulars when
they were featured on Oprah Winfrey Show. He owned a hair
styling salon in Lancaster, Pennsylvania., for 29 years,
He died unexpectedly at 62. Myrna Horowitz Myrna Horowitz was born February 25, 1942. Myrna graduated from West Philadelphia High. Afterwords went Temple University' Community College to become a private secretary, Worked for Swan Records and local government. wrote a column for Teen Magazine Myrna Horowitz was a Bandstand favorite. Myrna Horowitz was not a great dancer. Nor was she a great dresser. She never had a regular dance partner on American Bandstand. Myrna was well known and extremely popular with both the regulars and fans. She stood out from the rest of the dancers because she wore a leg brace and limped from having polio at the age of seven. She loved America Bandstand when it was a local Philadelphia program, but her parents were opposed to her appearing on the show, fearing her physical limitations would open her to ridicule from her peers. Her parents' fears about reaction from Horowitz's peers were borne out, but in terms of jealousy rather than ridicule.When she was bedridden for 16 weeks following leg surgery in late 1958, Dick Clark regularly reported updates on her recovery to his American Bandstand audience. Myrna origially went to the show because her friend Harvey Robbins told her Tab Hunter was going to appear one day. At first she went occasionally, unitl the summer of 1957 when she danced everyday.
On her sixteenth birthday, Febrary 25, 1958. she became a member of the "Committee." Later that year Dick Clark disbanded it, replacing it with the Bandstand Chapter of the Dick Clark Fan Club, with Carol Higbee as its president.
Eddie Kelly, persuaded Horowitz to enter the teen magazine wars, competing against Pat Molittieri at Teen Magazine and Arlene Sullivan (and a rotating cast of regulars) at 16 Magazine. In 1960, Horowitz started a monthly column for Teen Screen Magazine, pocketing $25 a month for her writing and $5 for every photo publisher Sheldon Heiman decided to print. Horowitz helped the magazine triple its circulation before it would end under three years later. Even though Pat Molittieri was banned for writing for Teen Magazine, Clark allowed Myrna to stay on the show. Myrna graduated from West Philadelphia High School. After graduation she went to Temple University Community College to become a private secretary. In Philadephia she worked three days a week at Swan Records and for the local government. Myrna later moved to Palmdale, California. In the the following years her health continued to fail and she returned to the East where she had friends who could look after her and help with her care.
Myrna Horowitz passed away in 2009 at the age of 64. Carole Gibson Carole Gibson grew up with her brother in an upper middle-class home in South Philadelphia. Her family had one of the first television sets in the neighborhood and her mother let neighborhood kids came watch kids' shows like Howdy Doody. Fabian who lived three blocks away, went to school with her from first grade and all through high school. Her brother went to American Bandstand first and showed her how to get on the show. By the time she was sixteen, she and Frani Giordano were dancing three times a week. During her last class she, Carole would set her hair, and put a scarf over the curlers. Carole met Bobby Rydell at a Boys' Club dance and they began hanging out together several times weekly. Caole asked Rydell , who was a year older, to her junior prom. Carole went to cosmetology school and owned a beauty salon. She became a dealer and supervisor at the Playboy Casiono, Caesars, Claridge and Showboat in Atlantic City. Later Carole became a real estate agent. Carole has been maried twice and has five
grandchildren. Joe Wissert
Wissert was born 1942. He was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Bishop Neuman High School. Wissert appeared on the American Bandstand when Frank Levins and Frank Brancaccio were on the show. At the age of 15 he started his career in the music business by getting a job at a record company called Cameo Parkway. A year later he started producing albums though in an uncredited manner. During 1964 he left Cameo Parkway, moving to New York. Joe Wisset appeared on the show when Frank levins and Frank Brancaccio were on the show. Joe became an internationally known record producer with credits by such artists as Earth, Wind and Fire, Helen Reddy, The Righteous Brothers, The J. Geils Band, Gordon Lightfoot, Boz Scaggs and The Turtles. Wissert moved from the US to Australia in 1986, but has since returned to the U.S. and is now living in Santa Monica, CA Danced on American Bandstand as Regular in the late 1950s and early 1960s Frankie Vacca was born in 1944, and lived in South Philadelphia with his three brothers and parents. He attended Bishop Nuemann High School in West Philadelphia, along with Louie Lucas and Frank Ruggerio. He lives in a Philadelphia in a row house and works as a haidresser. Joe Fusco Joe's parents were William and Frances and was brother of Rosemarie, Peter and Josephine. Joe Fusco appeared on American Bandstand between 1958 to 1960. The popular dancer, a hairdresser, stayed friendly with many Regulars long after the show over over. He was godfather to Betty Romantini's daughter. Joe was known for extravagant Tuesday night dinners he created for many Regulars. He helped organize the American Bandstand Original Dancers. Joe Fusco passed away January 10, 2009. Joe Ahern Joe grew up modestly as an only child. His father drove a laundry truck and usually picked him up after the show., but sometimes he was too busy. Those days Dick Clark, who took a liking to Joe, would frequently drive him home. Joe would go onto manage televison stations. Among the was Chicago's local ABC affiliate where he helped launch The Oprah Winfrey Show. Currently, Joe is Chief Executive Officer of the "100 Club of Chicago" which raises money to help families of fallen first responders. Joe is married and has three daughters. He lives in Chicago.
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Janet Hamill Janet Hamill was the only child of an auto mechanic and housewife from northwest Philadelphia. She attended Lincoln High School. She first appeared on the Grady and Hurst show, before on friend Barbara Levick's suggestion, on American Bandstand. Janet became a regular the same day Carol Scaldeferri did. She would do her homework on the subway after leaving Linoln High School at 2:15 in the afternoon. Good grades were important to her and her family.
Hamill met met Eddie (Tex) Connor on the show and they dated for three years. They were involved in two of the show's dance contests; placing second in 1959 Jitterbug Contest to Tallahassee Lassie by Fredy Cannon and a third 1958 Slow Dance Contest to The End by Earl Grant.
Janet studied classical music for twelve years and wanted to be a classical pianist. Instead she went to New York and became one of the first junior petite models. She did a lot of print work and commercials. Janet also went to acting school. in 1965. She appeared as a mermaid in a nation television commercial for Groom & Clean. She also appeared on the covers of True Detective, Modern Romance and True Romance magazines. If you remember the Miss Rheingold Beer contests, she was a contestant in 1967.
When she moved to California for work, she dated Fabian, Gene Pitney, Tony Orlando and Jan Berry from Jan and Dean. Janet Hamill passed away April 4,
2022. Charlie Zamal Charlie Zamal grew up in South Philadelphia. the son of a labaratory worker at Phillips Petroleum and a housewife. He had one sister. At Bishop Neumann High School he was good friends with Lou Solino.
Before American Bandstand Charlie danced on the radio show 950 Club, a radio version of American Bandstand. On the show his male friends were Lou Solino, Joe Fusco, and Frankie Lobis. Chuck was "head over heels" with Carmella MonteCarlo and dated her for two years. After graduating, Charlie lived in Philadelphia, California, New York, St. Croix, and New Jersey. He became a hair dresser, then went into banking, worked on Wall Street, and finally became a graphic artist.
He opened a graphic arts business in 1971 with his friend Dom Alperti. Upon until fallling in love with with Dom, Charlie always believed he was straight. Chuck and Dom have been together for 46 year and married in October 2014.
Above current as of 2016 Terry Celie A South Philadelphia resident, Terry loved watching American Bandstand because she wanted to be a professional dancer. As a youngster, she took tap and ballet lessons. She watched to show daily and adored Rosalie Belantrante. When she first came on the show she and Carole Scaldeferri wore their Catholic school uniforms in former dancer Sally Starr's dressing room. They became good friends right up to Carole's passing in December 2013. She was also close friends with Joe Fusco.
After High School, Terry became a secretary in a real estate company. She's been married for 55 years to Tommy DeNoble's younger brother Lou DeNoble, a (1955 to 1956) Bob Horn Regular. Above current as of 2017 Betty
Romantini Betty grew-up in West Philadelphia with three brothers and an older sister. Her parents were middle-class first-generation of Italian immigrants. Betty went to West Catholic Girls High School, which was directly around the corner from American Bandstand studio. At fourteen she left her freshman classes at 1:30 P.M., stood in line until she got onto the show. She went in 1958 to see favorite Regulars Arlene Sullivan, Justine Carrelli, Lenny Natale, and Joe Fusco -- before the show went national. Betty, quickly became a Regular, a member of the Committee.
Betty and Larry Natale were the only regulars to marry each other during the Philadelphia Bandstand years. They had a daughter Debbie. Betty said of her five year marriage "I was about 19 when Lenny and I got married. Everyone would tell me how handsome he was, but after five years of perfect life together I woke up and realized how unhappy and lost I was feeling. The couple had two children. After the divorce she waitressed for several years. As her daughter Debbie and son Darren grew older, she began taking college courses. Then she became a child care worker for a group home for emotionally disturbed children. At that time she knew she wanted to become a social worker She also worked for 11 years as a Community Outreach Manager at a local hospital. Betty and her husband Richard, have been married for 42 years and have one daughter Ericka. They have grandchildren ages one to 20 years old. Above current as of 2017 Kenny
Rossi Kenny Rossi was born September 9, 1943 in Philadelphia, PA. American Bandstand regular from 1957-58, who gained teen idol status as a dance partner with Arlene Sullivan. A brief recording career followed.
Rossi went to West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys. He once told a reporter that he had 250 fan cubs nationwide and received 200 letters a day. On his 15th birthday fans sent 150 pairs of cufflinks.
Rossi with Arlene Sullivan entered the 1958 Cha Cha Contest which they won. The prize was an Isetta 300 car.
A brief recording career followed. While in high school he was contacted by a Canadian Record company and recorded Problem Child on it's Adelphia label. After Dick Clark found out about the record he was told told that as a professional, he could no longer dance on the show. Although sad, he thought it was a good time to find out if he wanted to go into show business.
Rossi switched to Roulette Records where he recorded "But I Do" and "I'll Never Smile Again", Mercury Records. After his brief recording career Rossi joined the National Guard and spent some time in the advertising business.advertising. At 30 he decided to get into into the to return to the only craft thing he knew than dance and music He worked for his former manager for several years before he left to start his own waterprrofing business US ProCoatings in Philadelphia. US Pro Coatings is a professional painting company based in Phoenixville, PA, specializing in a wide range of coating services for residential and commercial properties. Rossi married, had a daughter Nicki. The marrriage ended in divorce but Kenny won custody of his daughter. He remarried 1981with that union producing a baby boy Jonathan. Rossi was grandfather of a boy and girl. Kenny Rossi, age 80, passed away on Friday, March 8,
2024. Barbara Levick Barbara Ann Levick was born in 1943. She had a brother Ronnie. On American Bandstand she danced with Walt Grzelak, Mike Balara, and Billy Cook.
She graduated fron Kensington High School. She won first place with Billy Cook in the Jitterbug Contest. in 1960. Barbara stayed out of the lime light, lives in California. She and Walt Grzelak placed second in the 1958 Slow Dance Contest, behind Pat Molittieri and Bill Ettinger. Jimmy Hudson lived in Southern New Jersey. Altough his parents weren't too happy he appeaered on the show, the self-taught dancer did dance four to five times a week. He dated Carmella Raffa on the show Jimmy was still friends with Barbara Marcen, Terry Schreffler and Peggy Thompson. He lived in Center City, PA. Jimmy had been in the restaurant business for 45 years an was bartender of Snockey's Oyster and Crab House.
Jimmy Hudson passed away at the beginning of August 2020 Bob Bradley The oldest of four children, Bob lived in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. His first dance was with Bobbie Young, and he also danced with Arlene Sullivan and sisters Joanne and Carmella MonteCarlo. He dated Carole Higbee for 2 1/2 years, Bob was on the first national broadcast of American Bandstand. After high school, Bob enlisted in the Army, went overseas to Germany, and worked undercover for many years. He lives in Florida, and is married with two children and two grandchildren, above current as of 2017 Norman Kerr was known to Americabn Bandstand fans as Joyce Shafer's steady dance partner. He grew up in New Jersey. He started going to the show in June 1959 because of his love of dancing. The show also offered him something special to do in the afternoon after school. Norman's secret desire was to go to California and attend acting school. Norm and Joyce placed second in the 1961 Pony Dance Contest. Each won a hi-fi and 50 record albums Norman passed away on December 6, 1990,
six weeks shy of his 47th birthday. Norman was born on
January 18, 1944 Bill Ettinger Bill Ettinger II was born in Philadelphia on December 15, 1941, the son of the William II and Betty Ettinger. He was a graduate of Bensalem High School. Bill continued his education at both the University of Miami and Villanova University, balancing academics with athletics. He had a remarkable gift for swimming and carried that into collegiate success. Bill was a teenager when he first stepped onto the floors of American Bandstand. It was a time when the world felt bigger, music felt newer, and every dance was a conversation between generations. Tall, athletic, and friendly, Bill brought both skill and sincerity to the floor. He didn’t need dramatic moves—his calm command of rhythm and gentle charisma made him stand out in his own quiet way. In a sea of teens chasing attention, Bill represented a different kind of presence: cool, composed, and genuinely enjoying the music. He formed friendships with many other Regulars, becoming a part of the extended Bandstand family. For viewers across the nation, he was one of “those kids” they felt they knew—trustworthy, pleasant, the kind of boy mothers would hope their daughters would dance with. When Bill’s time on the show ended, it wasn’t marked by headlines or controversy. Like many of the Regulars, he simply moved forward. But unlike many teen TV personalities, Bill found satisfaction not in extending his fame—but in building a meaningful life outside the public eye. Bill married Margaret “Peg” Ettinger, and together they built a life filled with love and laughter. The couple had one son, William “Chip” Ettinger IV, and two grandchildren who became the lights of Bill’s later years. Bill proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy as a deckhand aboard the USS Proteus AS-19.
Bill Ettinger died at his his home on Friday, August 5, 2016. |
