Waters: We used to go to the hotel and hed say, Come in, and hed be in bed with a cleaning woman smoking pot., It was Tracy saying to Link: Please dont look at my legs without the benefit of nylons.. As well, a show was broadcast from a local farm in Westminster, Maryland. WJZ's show aired from 1957 to 1964 and was popular among Baltimore teens, promoting dances like the twist, mashed potato, and the Madison. Deane hosted a morning show at WITH. 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. Was it really twenty years ago? However, unlike during the song "The New Girl in Town" where the Dynamites get there song stolen by 3 committee members, the Buddy . Waters took inspiration from the real-life Buddy Deane Show, a local dance party program that ran from 1957 to 1964 in the Maryland area. Mary Lou laughs at the memory of doing a pimple medicine spot on camera. They all thought all the girls were pregnant by Buddy Deane, remember several. Ironically, The Buddy Deane Show introduced black music and artists into the lives of white Baltimore teenagers, many of whom learned to dance from black friends and listened to black radio. With the rising pressures of integration, the producers decided that the show must either be integrated or canceled. Committee members included Mike Miller, Charlie Bledsoe, Ron Osher, Mary Lou Raines, Pat(ricia) Tacey, and Cathy Schmink. Mary Lou, the Annette Funicello of the show, was the talk of teenage Baltimore. The show's format mirrored Philadelphia's . It was maddening: the Mashed Potatoes, the Stroll, the Pony, the Waddle, the Locomotion, the Bug, the Handjive, the New Continental, and, most important, the Madison, a complicated line dance that started here and later swept the country. The best little jitterbugger in Baltimore. Based loosely on the 1988 film by John Waters, Hairspray centres on Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad (Carmel Rodrigues), who in 1962 wants nothing more than a chance to dance on the local pop music TV. Hairspray was the actors first film, before Dead Poets Society, which came out the next year. Only white teens became members of the elite Committee the Buddy Deane equivalent of the Mouseketeers. Arguably the first TV celebrities in Baltimore. The first stars I could identify with. The films executive producer Craig Zadan argued that what makes Hairspray work is, you never feel like were on a soap box, or were preaching to you, or were saying this is a lesson you need to learn and yet, hopefully, you come away from it with something serious to talk about afterwards. There is no guarantee that viewers will take up these discussions, but Hairspray offers plenty of material for those who choose to do so. "Buddy" Deane was a broadcaster for more than 50 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 radio. We would always do The Dirty Boogie, the one you arent allowed to do, he said. Checking back with the studio, no one had information concerning footage of African American dancers. See, the fictional Corny Collins Show is actually based on the real Buddy Deane Show, which aired on WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland from 1957 to 1964, and was the inspiration for John Waters . It is hosted by the titular Corny Collins, with the exception of the monthly Rhythm and Blues special which is hosted by Motormouth Maybelle . [citation needed]. It was a fluke. Buddy called me up before the cameras, and I wasnt dressed my best. Once a Deaner, always a Deaner, as another so succinctly puts it. Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, John Waters Shares His 10 Favorite Films of 2022, 'Peter Von Kant' Tops List, John Waters to Write and Direct 'Liarmouth' from His Own Novel, Quentin Tarantino's Favorite Movies: 50 Films the Director Wants You to See, Oscars 2023: Best Animated Feature Predictions. The big garage-type door they remember would open, and theyd all pile in, past George and Mom, the Pinkerton guards who used to keep attendance, and crowd into Arlenes office to comb their hair, confide their problems, and touch up their make-up. 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. The regulars . Then we made up on camera.. 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. Image Credit: OzNet.com. A big strong line!) up the hill to the famous dance party set, the one that now houses People Are Talking. . 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. It's not just about police brutality. three, two, one. On August 2, 1924, Winston Joseph Deane was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I wasnt going to go on and not be seen. But even Evanne turned bashful on one show, when Buddy made a surprise announcement: I was voted prettiest girl on this whole Army base. Deane also played songs that other disc jockeys, including Dick Clark, refused to present to mostly white teen TV audiences because the acts sounded "too black" (e.g. 1 DJ in 1962 by Billboard mag. 'The Buddy Deane Show' was over . Im a typical housewife, says Peanuts. Ten seconds to airtime. In early 2003, Deane sold KOTN and three other stations he had acquired over the years. Soon after, he and his family moved to Memphis, Tenn. Other vices were likewise eschewed. Many top acts of the day, both black and white, appeared on The Buddy Deane Show. Buddy Deane, a native of Pine Bluff, was one of the first radio hosts to understand the appeal of Rock n Roll in its infancy, the host of a popular 60s teen dance show, the inspiration for a film and musical character in Hairspray, and so much more. In 1984, he sold the station to a local college but bought it back in 1996. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Buddy returns on a pilgrimage from St. Charles, Arkansas, where he owns a hunting and fishing lodge and sometimes appears on TV, to spin the hits and announce multiplication dances, ladies choice, or even, after a few drinks, the Limbo. "Hairspray" will continue at East Ridge High School through April 23. Last spring, five hundred people quickly snapped up the $23 tickets to the third Buddy Deane Reunion, held at the Eastwind, in Essex, to raise money for the Baltimore Burn Center. The first big stars were Bobbi Bums and Freddy Oswinkle, according to Arlene, but no matter how big anyone got, someone came along who was even bigger. Joe Cash and Joan Teves became the shows first royalty. It suggests a way of understanding race that allows viewers to disavow bigotryframed in the story as the belief that white and black Americans should live in separate sphereswithout acknowledging, confronting, or seeking to overturn the actual structures of discrimination. 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! The inspiration for this movie was born out of an afternoon teen dance show, The Buddy Deane Show, which aired on Baltimore's WJZ-TV from 1957-1964 until it was taken off the air because the owner did not want to integrate. I didnt mean to, because I never would have messed up the makeup.. 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. While other radio hosts thought rock 'n' roll music was just a passing trend, refusing to play it in favor of pop songs, Deane played rock 'n' roll music on a regular basis. It would be a treasure to pass down to my future generations. Teenagers who appeared on the show every day were known as "The Committee". The Nicest Kids in Town! From 1968 into 1973, the public television variety show SOUL! Everybody wanted to kick a Buddy Deaners a, says Gene, recalling thugs waiting to jump Deaners outside the studio. Kings mention of Funtown is preceded by references to lynch mobs, police brutality, and the airtight cage of poverty, and followed by references to hotel segregation and racial slurs. This Article is related to: Film and tagged Divine, Hairspray, IFC Center, John Waters. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I still believe that footage is out there somewhere. Black and white together on local TV. We are kind of like Ozzie and Harriet, says Gene Snyder as Linda nods in agreement. Deane died in Pine Bluff on July 16, 2003, after experiencing complications caused by a stroke. I got a little power-crazed, admits Joe. My parents didn't talk much about racism, and as a result I grew up learning to love everybody. He got a great review in The New York Times. Motormouth Maybelle, a fictional black deejay and civil-rights activist played in the NBC version by Jennifer Hudson, sings: You cant stop today as it comes speeding down the track / Child, yesterday is history and its never coming back / Cause tomorrow is a brand new day and it dont know white from black. In the films narrative, this utopian vision of a colorblind future solves the problem of segregation and racial injustice. I had to get up there on time. MPT did a segment which included interviews with former African American dancers who appeared on the show. Originally aired 11/5/1986. It was a family: Buddy was the father, Arlene was the mother.. It was similar to Philadelphia's American Bandstand. Youre in Baltimore. Almost all dancers wore swim wear and beach attire, with music provided by WJZ-TV. There are other socio-cultural comments in various YouTube comments threads about the Madison dance. 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. I appreciate the contribution that you and NOBLE BRUN, and other Black dancers on the Buddy Dean dance show made on that series. Ninfa O. Barnard wrote this article for explorepinebluff.com. That's what really happened, and the show shut down." 3. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. On this day in 1979, Sweeney Todd first opened on Broadway . They just wanted to know if you were real. The more hair spray, the better. The show featured only white kids dancing, so Scruggs wrote him a letter in the fall of 1958 to . Buddy wanted it to end happily, but WJZ angered Deaners when it tried to blame the ratings. Dick Clark patterned his ABC-TV show, Where the Action Is, after local remotes done by Deane in Maryland. . It was even in the papers. 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 still go to the Buddy Deane reunions," he says. Waters grew up with "The Buddy Deane Show" in Baltimore, and modeled his fictitious "Corny Collins Show" after it. You are out of here. . It was difficult with your peers, recalls Peanuts. All the choreography in the movie prior to this was segregated by race, and now its all together, which is a very, very subtle reference to the theme of this movie.. The first page of the essay, for example, features a full-page picture of black protestors in 1962 in Times . Gene calls it a big loss. It was living in a fantasy world, says Helen. "Hairspray" is set in the 1960s and is based on a TV show called "The Buddy Deane Show," which featured Baltimore-area teenagers dancing to popular music but was canceled in 1964, after the . I got these letters from the Naval Academy, Helen remembers, so I went there one day, and all the midshipmen were hanging out the windows. 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. It was a real kick! Her fame even brought an offer to join the circus. "I remember it well," recalls Evanne. How The Buddy Deane Show really went off the air is the white kids crashed Negro Day to integrate it. and later on, growing up, it was a definite blow: reality. I still have a whole box of fan mail, says Evanne. But something unforeseen happened: The home audience soon grew attached to some of these kids. "If you first appeared on The Buddy Deane Show then you could not appear on The Dick Clark Show," Deane said. 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. Also, read the comments in that same excerpt about the series only wanting "attractive" teenagers as featured dancers. The buddy dean show debuted on Sep. 9. Helens fans flocked to see her at the Buddy Deane Record Hops (Committee members had to make such personal appearances and sign autographs.) In a long list of reasons why we find it difficult to wait for freedom, King writes: When you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. ', Although many parents and WJZ insisted that Committee members had to keep up their grades to stay on the show, the reality could be quite different. Still, as an historian of the television era that Hairspray so lovingly recreates, I believe the story also presents a more nuanced vision of how popular culture helped to educate white and black teenagers about racial hierarchies. By representing this realityin bubble-gum, technicolor clarityHairspray does something that pure documentation, at times, cant: It makes a difficult part of a nations history accessible (and entertaining) to millions of viewers. . This sort of nearsighted, if not disingenuous, framing persists today, whether in affluent parents in New York City insisting their opposition to school rezoning proposals is not about race, or in arguments suggesting that the best way to address racism is to stop accusing people of being racists.. I was Tracy, said Waters. 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. That show featured local teens who danced to the. If I have one regret in life, its that I wasnt a Buddy Deaner. We hung around with black and whites together, which you couldnt do. Buddy Deane was the host of a Baltimore dance show that ran on TV from 1957 to 1964 six days a week. John Waters, a Baltimore filmmaker and Deane Show fan, loosely based "The Corny Collins' Show" in his movie "Hairspray" on Deane's show. . All Rights Reserved. We got more mail: Oh, please dont break up! Somebody even sent us a miniature pair of boxing gloves. Like many couples, Joe and Joan met through the show and became an item for their fans. I saw the show as a vehicle to make something of myself, remembers Joe. Buddy Deane used to boast that every major rock 'n' roll star of the era appeared on the show, except Elvis Presley and Rick Nelson. Nicknamed "Buddy" as a child, Deane developed an early love for radio. From 1996 to 2003, he hosted dance events in Baltimore, Pennsylvania and aboard cruise ships. This town just wasnt ready for that. There were threats and bomb scares; integrationists smuggled whites into the all-black shows to dance cheek to cheek on camera with blacks, and that was it. The Corny Collins Show is based on the real Buddy Deane Show which, interestingly, was cancelled in 1964 for refusing to integrate black and white dancers, a core theme in this musical. In addition to creating teenage dancing sensations, "The Buddy Deane Show" also featured musical superstars of the day, including Buddy Holly, Domino, the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Fabian and many others. Pixie was barely five feet tall, but her hair sometimes added a good six to eight inches to her height. 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. The star system was born. His show became one of the highest rated stations in the country. Washington D.C.'s The Milt Grant Show offered "Black Tuesday" and Baltimore's The Buddy Deane Show had "Negro Day" because . 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, Clark's memories of American Bandstand are nested in an overview of important events in U.S. history from the 1950s and 1960s. 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