Teens forever, they came to dance

The original Bandstand Studios at 4548 Market Street were open to the public for tours, dancing. A group including Richard Dulisse, right, dance to Chubby Checker's "The Twist". ( Charles Fox / Staff Photographer )
The original Bandstand Studios at 4548 Market Street were open to the public for tours, dancing. A group including Richard Dulisse, right, dance to Chubby Checker's "The Twist". ( Charles Fox / Staff Photographer )
By Kristin E. Holmes, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Posted: April 21, 2012

Hundreds of people gathered at the original home of "American Bandstand" in West Philadelphia on Saturday to recreate the televised dance party hosted by Dick Clark who died Wednesday.

"My biggest thrill was dancing with Patti Page," said Tommy Davis, 70, of Jenkintown, who danced on the show from 1965 to 1967. "Dick pulled me down from the bleachers,"

Clark, 82, died in Los Angeles of a massive heart attack. He was 82.

The death of the man affectionately known as the "world's oldest teenager" prompted scores of former dancers and "American Bandstand" fans to file into Studio B at the old WFIL-TV station.

The building at 4548 Market Street now houses the Enterprise Center, a non-profit group that helps minority and disadvantaged entrepreneurs start businesses. The studio is rented out for events such as parties and wedding receptions.

The center opened for public tours Saturday because officials had received so many requests to visit the building since Clark's death.

Inside Studio B, "Bandstand" fans bopped, strolled and jitterbugged in memory of Clark.

"I'd leave high school at 2:15 p.m., run across the street, grab the bus to City Hall, and the El to 46th Street," Davis said of his days as a dancer. "Dick was a great guy. He was a clean-cut straight-shooter."

Contact Kristin E. Holmes a 610-313-8211 or kholmes@phillynews.com.

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