buddy deane show committee members

John Waters: The most amazing thing about The Buddy Deane stardom was they would show up not knowing if they would fight or sign autographs. Its made more money playing all over the country than it did on Broadway, where it was a huge hit.". Special Thanks to Linda Snyder (committee member from the Buddy Deane Show) who shares many stories from the TV show, Richard Powers who provided the amazing photo from the set of the Buddy Dean Show, Lance Benishek (dance historian) who provided some ample questions and motivation when we began researching these dances in 2005. They wanted to know something about your religious affiliation. And according to Arlene, Buddy encouraged one popular Committee member (Buzzy Bennet) to teach himself to read so he could realize his dream of being a disc jockey. Now: After the show, Barber got married, had two children and three grandchildren. He was seventy-eight. Other vices were likewise eschewed. The Committee to Honor Buddy Deane. I think my father would definitely have not been agreeable to [integration] at that time. The 25th anniversary of the movie "Hairspray" provides an opportunity for members of the dance group of Baltimore's "The Buddy Deane Show" to get back together and reminisce about the TV . Over lunch at the Thunderball Lounge, in East Baltimore, Kathy remembers, I could never get used to signing autographs. Buddy called me up before the cameras, and I wasnt dressed my best. 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. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. And there was a big problem with that. 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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Everywhere we went, people would say Theres Mary Lou. I wondered if she had just been released from the penitentiary.. It was a different time, and a different generation, thats all., We had no problem with it, added Gene Snyder, who sat with his wife, whose maiden name was Linda Warehime. We usually hang out at: http://www.facebook.com/buddydeanecommittee It was a target maybe of people who didnt even watch the show. 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. Deane organized and disc-jockeyed dances in public venues across the WJZ-TV broadcast area, including much of central Maryland, Delaware, and southern Pennsylvania where tens of thousands of teenagers were exposed to live recording artists and TV personalities. As with the drapes and squares of the previous decade, she explains, there were two classes of people thenDeaners and Joe College. What happened to the teen stars of The Buddy Deane Show after the program that made them famous went off the air? 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. Shes been a Realtor for the past 20 years and lives outside Philadelphia. I lied! It was difficult with your peers, recalls Peanuts. I even won the twist contest with Mary Lou Raines (one of the queens of The Buddy Deane Show) at the Valley Country Club. . It's so funny that we were just talking about you a few months back. The best little jitterbugger in Baltimore. 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. His 1988 film Hairspray went on to inspire a Broadway musical of the same name. I got a little power-crazed, admits Joe. I think Im honoring their great stardom. . But something unforeseen happened: The home audience soon grew attached to some of these kids. She was one of the chosen few who went to New York to learn how to demonstrate the Madison, and was selected for the exchange committee that represented Baltimores best on American Bandstand. For those too young to remember this iconic show broadcast in Baltimore in 1957-1964, you certainly have heard of the movie inspired by the Buddy Deane Show known as 'Hairspray! With the show beginning at 2:30 in some years, cutting out of school early was common. They set the style for teens throughout Baltimore. Dick Clark patterned his ABC-TV show, Where the Action Is, after local remotes done by Deane in Maryland. And none are bitter. I had to take two buses to get there. At school, we were just one of the other kids, but we used to get fan mail. I think the guys had a harder time at it. The Committee members became Baltimore celebrities they were recognized on the street and received fan mail and they got to meet some of the biggest stars in music. Buddy noticed my eyes staring and said, Do the same eyes. And the camera got it. Kathy went even further. To say that the Buddy Deane Show was the centerpiece of every teen's life in Baltimore would be a stretch. She smelled like a garden of flowers and could crack her chewing gum discreetly. . Both entities launched on September 9, 1957. Almost all dancers wore swim wear and beach attire, with music provided by WJZ-TV. The Buddy Deane Show was a teen dance television show, created by Zvi Shoubin, hosted by Winston "Buddy" Deane (19242003), and aired on WJZ-TV (Channel 13), the then-ABC affiliate station in Baltimore from 1957 until 1964. The Committee, initially recruited from local teen centers, was to act as hosts and dance with the guests. The show was a teen dance and music show and ran from 1957 to until 1964 on WJZ-TV until the show was canceled. Pixie was barely five feet tall, but her hair sometimes added a good six to eight inches to her height. The pictures I've just posted are of the reunion dance for the Buddy Deane Committee Members with Buddy Deane playing the records. In the years following The Buddy Deane Show, quite a few Deaners have gotten hitched, including Linda Warehime and Gene Snyder, Concetta Comi and John Sankonis, Anne Boyer and Richard Tempera, Shirley Temes and Jim Joyce, Frani Nedeloff and Wayne Hahn, Joe Loverde and Joyce Tucker. "None of my friends dressed in the Continental style, it was uncool to be a Buddy Deaner," said Waters, whose movie Hairspray is based on that era in Baltimore and was adapted into the successful Broadway musical. If you leaned on one side, the next day youd just pick it out into shape. 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. Arguably the first TV celebrities in Baltimore. . The star system was born. With the 1960s came a whole new set of stars, some with names that seemed like gimmicks, but werent: Concetta Comi, the popular sister team of Yetta and Gretta Kotik. The more hair spray, the better. They would drive me nuts when theyd come in the door, and Id say Man, youre gone. she yelped. I took off my steady ring and threw it down. Dance was the thing. My mother wanted me to go, she took me down to the tryouts. When Maryland Public Television wanted to film the event, it mushroomed into an even bigger affair. www.bsomusic.org. He wanted me to go to a summer training session to be a trapeze artist. Im Joe, too. There was a change in the works., Part of that change was the racial integration movement. Oddly enough, few of the Deaners Ive talked to went on to show biz. We have a telegram, Buddy would shout almost daily, for Mary Lou to lead a dance, and the cameraman seemed to love her. ''The Buddy Deane Show,'' on WJZ-TV in Baltimore, featured teenagers dancing to live bands, many of which became major recording groups. 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 WJZTV in Baltimore, Maryland from 1957 until 1964. . She was sort of like a mother to us. 2003. ' And Evanne still shudders as she recalls, Once I was in the cafeteria. Id get hate mail. We used to wrap our hair in toilet paper at night. They were both Committee members back then. "The Nicest Kids In Town" -former dancers from the Buddy Deane Show (1957- 1964). Neither Deane nor Waters believes Baltimore was ready for an integrated teen dance program in 1964. ". Heavy-duty meetings. Being a teenage star in Baltimore had its drawbacks. We used to go to stand in front of Reads Drugstore, and people would ask for our autograph.. They first made their mark as teenagers dancing on the afternoon TV show, wearing their outfits from Lees of Broadway and Etta Gowns and dancing the cha-cha and the jitterbug and the Madison. Gene was a captain of the Baltimore City Fire Department and retired in 2000; Linda worked in advertising and retired in 2004. Oh, my God, its Evanne! Autograph books, cameras, this is what they lived for. Marie Shapiro (then Fischer): The first thing, theyd kind of look you over. . Marie Shapiro: I think they even asked for a note from my minister. (Editors note: The show requested a character reference from a priest, minister or rabbi; references from teachers or principals were also accepted.) Frani Hahn: The fascinating thing about it is that we all still get together, and its not like we live in the past. It was 1961 and I was on television, successfully building my teen-aged reputation. Im not sure an integrated Buddy Deane Show would work t oday. 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. She was the one of the biggies who refused to be on the Board (they had power; a liked because of it). Five days a week on Channel 13 (first known as WAAM, then as WJZ), it played for two hours a day, and on Saturdays, two and a half. Faced with pressure to integrate the show, something the station (and some Committee members parents) refused to allow, WJZ canceled Buddy Deane in 1964. The show was taken off the air because home station WJZ was unable to integrate black and white dancers. (They gave her a diamond watch at the last reunion.) The producers of Diner wanted to include Buddy Deane footage in their film, but most of the shows were live and any tapes of this local period piece have been erased. If you were a Buddy Deane Committee member, you were on TV six days a week for as many as three hours a dayenough media exposure to make Marshall McLuhans head spin. To a generation of Baltimore teen-agers, Buddy Deane was a pioneering rock 'n' roll disc jockey, host of a must-see television dance party in the '50s . 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. . The uncertain life of a high-schooler became more tolerable. We got more mail: Oh, please dont break up! Somebody even sent us a miniature pair of boxing gloves. I was just accidentally obsessed with something that was appealing to more people. He was 78. There were a lot of obscene phone calls., And the rumors, God, the rumors. Bob Mathers, who worked with Deane on three radio stations, was a close friend of Deanes and is an unofficial historian of The Buddy Deane Show.. 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. . When you dance you'll squeeze her, yes, with all your might. Now, no one would ever do a commercial for a profit company without getting some compensation. About a dozen of the old Buddy Deane gang showed up to watch a delightful, energetic production of the John Waters inspiration. Buddy could take his seat beneath the famous Top 20 Board, and the tension would build. That was our whole social life, being a Buddy Deaner, says Gene. Or the Bob-a Loop? Buddy Deane. One time I was going with this guy, and he was dancing with this guest I didnt like, says Evanne. Committee members had to look sharp, have a style and be willing to appear on weekends for Deane's dances from Westmin-ster to Salisbury. Id hook and have to dance in the back so the teachers couldnt see me, says Helen. raises funds for Alzheimer's Association, 2017 HD Heritage Softail for Sale in Bel Air, Democrat Ben Cardin Won't Seek Re-Election To Senate In 2024, Flour Recalled In MD For Salmonella Risk: What To Know, Latest Job Listings In The Essex-Middle River Area, Essex-Middle River Area: See 5 Nearby Properties On The Market. My dad use to pick myself and Eva Anne up from Gwynns Falls Junior High and her Mom would then pick us up after the show. Not show biz, Arlene answers, hesitating, but the record biz, the people. [citation needed]. The kids became celebrities. She smelled like a garden of flowers and could crack her chewing gum discreetly. Mary Lou laughs at the memory of doing a pimple medicine spot on camera. Im still a fana Deaner groupie. but Arlene [Kozak, his production assistant], actually did all the work. Gene calls it a big loss. It was living in a fantasy world, says Helen. . The Deaners didnt mind. Buddy Deane Committee This is a home for all of the dancers from the Buddy Deane Era (1957 - 1964) to meet up and keep in touch. He was to have been the host of the first Buddy Deane Fan Fair and Dance in September at the Fairgrounds in Timonium, an event that is still scheduled. You could throw her down on the ground, and her hair would crack, recalls Gene. Joe started working for Buddy as teen assistant and, along with Arlene, oversaw the Committee and enforced the strict rules. It was so painful. They wanted to know about bringing black kids on the show. Mary Lou Barber: My hairstyle was the biggest. Many came away from the movie Hairspray thinking that Buddy Deane, and not WJZ's management, was responsible keeping black teen-agers off the show. 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. 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. It was even in the papers. You werent one of them anymore. Outsiders envied the fame, especially if they lost their steadies to Deaners, and many were put off by boys who loved to dance. Frani Hahn: John always said he felt like we were a cult. Several marriages resulted from liaisons between Committee Members. 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. I was 10 years old and I just adored this dancer with the neatest DA haircuts. Some do remember a handful of kids getting high on cough medicine. Didnt you dance on the Buddy Deane Show? This is 50 years later.. I had to wear stockings and cha-cha heels. People laugh and I go, I remember that, I remember that.. Billy died earlier this month, at 60. Every major Rock and Roll performer (save Elvis and Ricky Nelson) appeared on his show. This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 19:01. Linda Snyder: We still love to go dancing. Acts that appeared on the show first were reportedly barred from appearing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, but if they had been on Bandstand first they could still be on The Buddy Deane Show. We are kind of like Ozzie and Harriet, says Gene Snyder as Linda nods in agreement. They stuck around after the performance to reminisce and answer audience questions. When you think about it, its funny. They were the Mouseketeers! He really was trying to make it authentic. Its Me, Margaret. We even did this hideous dance called the roach, where you would spray with an imaginary bug killer and "squish, then squash" the pests. 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. Please contact me. Another royal Deaner couple who met on the air and later married was Gene Snyder and Linda Warehime. In [Hairspray], Ricki Lakes character goes down to audition and they all make fun of her. I know he would love hearing from you! I wanted to dance., We had a saying: The show either makes you or breaks you,' says Kathy. . Kathy switched to a great beehive that resembled a trash can sitting on top of her head. As one report stated, the Deane show "Teeded [ sic] off last Monday and bowed an impressive array of guests, including Kitty Kallen, June Valli, Terri Stevens, Lou Monte, The Chordettes . Being a Deaner lifted a committee member into the rarefied air of being a star at 16. See production, box office & company info. . Deane, Kozak, Cahan, the . My email: frani@francescatravel.com Mary Lou Barber: Think of it: In the 60s, if they were to ask a black guy to lead a dance with me or some other white girl Baltimore wasnt ready for it yet. We all considered it a privilege, even though they never paid our bus fare.. I had trunks of it. Mary Lou was aware that in some neighborhoods it was not cool to be a Buddy Deaner. 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 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. Linda Snyder: Every young star that had records out would come and promote their records. . Buddy himself, the high priest, returned for the event. We thought it was just so cool. . Why not do The Deane Show on TV again? This production features a number of the committee members from the Deane program recalling those days. I must have had ten different phone numbers, says Helen, and somehow it would get out. Her hair color and styles changed very often, of which I later found out that her Dad was a major hairstylist in Baltimore. Just once. We appreciate your interest. I even named some of the characters in my films after them. Boy - do I wish I had. She became so popular that she was written up in the nationwide Sixteen Magazine. I have two mixed-race grandchildren whom I adore. When I get depressed, I dont go to the psychiatrist, I go to the jeweler, she says. If you made the short list, you were required to bring in a letter of reference from your parish priest, minister, rabbi or a teacher. . A big strong line!) up the hill to the famous dance party set, the one that now houses People Are Talking. . I hated to see so much emphasis put on the integration plot, but I do understand that that was a part of what happened. It was your personality and your thoughts. Mary Lou Barber: Arlene would throw a spotlight on you, and theyd throw questions at you: What do you like about yourself, what do you like about the show? Deane was named the No. Youre going to put it on TV? Or dancing with other Committee members when you were supposed to be dancing with the guests (a very unpopular rule allowed this only every fourth dance). Deane died in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 16, 2003, after suffering a stroke. Chubby Checker. 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. He just didnt understand., But some have dealt with the problems in good humor. She attended Goucher College and then went to law school at the University of Maryland; shes currently a practicing attorney in Baltimore. The day Weber was approached for autographs by girls at Eastern High School, I knew without a doubt that being on the committee carried as much cachet as running first string for Dunbar High School's basketball team or having your own car with four-on-the-floor. The Buddy Deane Show (the name was changed) created what sociologist Craig Calhoun . Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Deane helped numerous black record artists in their careers -- James Brown among them. Not a real one. Come share the songs & dances of the Buddy Deane Show with us! He had this dark olive green suit and I was thinking, Thats not what I expected, and then he opened up the jacket and it had red lining! If anyone knew him and could share some memories or even pictures that would be great. Eating the refreshments (Ameches Powerhouses, the premiere teenage hangouts forerunner of the Big Mac), which were for guests only. 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. When "The Buddy Deane Show" debuted on Baltimore's WJZ-13 on Sept. 9, 1957, it was an instant hit. [citation needed] In several instances, the show went on location to the Milford Mill swim club on the westside of suburban Baltimore County. Warner, Tony, Buddy's Top 20: The Story of Baltimore's Hottest TV Dance Show and the Guy Who Brought it to Life! (Marvin Joseph/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 watched it like a soap opera. [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. On the air before Dick Clark debuted, the show was a hit from the beginning, says Arlene today.

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