Boppin’ At The Boston Ballroom, 1964
Who among us hasn’t heard of American Bandstand? The iconic TV show was part of our daily lives in the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s, and many idolized Dick Clark, knew the dancers and rated the records. During that same period, Bob Clayton hosted a wildly successful radio program on WHDH in Boston. An attorney by training, he transitioned into radio and hosted Boston Ballroom, which began featuring the pop hits of the day in the ’40s and lasted into the ’60s. Known as a skilled interviewer who appealed to younger and older listeners alike, Clayton had a natural talent for spotting hits and launched several artists’ musical careers by having them perform their latest song on his show. In 1957, the popularity of American Bandstand led to him taking Boston Ballroom to ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston, where it became a live dance program, aired on Saturdays at 1pm.
Unlike Bandstand, Clayton’s show showcased students from a different local high school each week. He traveled regularly to area schools to survey the students and determine their favorite songs, and sometimes invited students to appear on the show to deliver the survey results. Each week also featured a celebrity guest, and among those who appeared were Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis and Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon (who was a regular since he was a local, national and international celebrity).
Not yet old enough to drive, my friends and I persuaded one of our dads to drive us to dances at Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury. On one momentous night in 1964, we learned that the school was going to be on Boston Ballroom! Since it was an all-boys school, we hoped our chances of being chosen were better than if we were at our own public school in Norwood. By some miracle, my dance partner and I were selected. I’d love to think that our wholesome looks and excellent dance moves were what got us up on the stage, introduced as the official representatives of Catholic Memorial. In any event, we were on our way to our “15 minutes of fame.”
Apparently, however, the show’s producers and/or the school officials were not going to simply let us loose onto the dance floor. A few weeks before the show, we were required to meet with a dance instructor, who checked us out for ability and appropriateness. (After all, this was a Catholic school in Boston.) Then, much to our surprise, we were taught the bossa nova! Eydie Gormé’s “Blame It on the Bossa Nova” had been released recently and, evidently, we were going to be the only people under 40 who could actually do the dance. A couple was chosen to perform this “spotlight dance,” the big number for the day. A little coaching on how to move around the dance floor and we were ready.
The big day arrived and we were herded from a bus directly onto the dance floor. I remember wearing a yellow angora sweater and matching skirt; there was no way I was fading into the background. Our celebrity was Little Peggy March singing “I Will Follow Him,” which had hit #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in April ’63. She was only 15 and not quite as exciting as Freddy Cannon would have been, but we were close enough to see the heavy stage makeup and hair spray.
Very suddenly, though, it was all over and we were back on the bus and back to being normal teenagers. All of our friends and relatives got to see us on the small screen (probably a black-and-white one, now that I think about it). We became the only teenagers in history, I believe, to dance the bossa nova on a TV show. We had our moment to shine and a great memory that far outlasted Boston Ballroom.
(by Carol Starkey)
