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. Helen Crist Swift 1943 - 2007. . Vicki Defeo: Now, I think kids would say, You cant tell me what to do. But we knew we could be replaced in two seconds. For many of them, it was the highlight of their life, and I get why. We (DC Hand Dance Club of Delmarva) (www.dchanddanceclub.com) meet currently Monday nights starting at 5 pm. The Buddy Deane Show: With Channing Wilroy, Buddy Deane. The Buddy Deane Show was over. 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. All on Pulaski Highway. . At school, we were just one of the other kids, but we used to get fan mail. 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. And we became very close to Arlene. I remember it well, recalls Evanne. * Indicates person was on the show until the last episode. It was 1961 and I was on television, successfully building my teen-aged reputation. The best little jitterbugger in Baltimore. The committee members could dance with each other only every third or fourth dance: the other songs were reserved for dancing with the guests, 30 or so of whom appeared on the show every day. . I hate to say this, but they wanted attractive young people. . His childhood nickname was Buddy. 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. Bob Mathers: Were looking at the times of 1963, and in 1963, what overrode ratings and popularity were the feelings about race in Baltimore City. Frani Hahn: I can remember times when we would go downtown shopping and wed stop in at Reads Drug Store and have Cokes, and people came up for our autographs! Art Space: The Drawing Zoo Combines the Joys of Art and Nature, How to Build an Art Collection, According to Local Experts, First-Ever Waverly Book Festival Set for This Weekend, Baltimore Photo Space Makes Room for Art Photography in Remington, Movie Review: Are You There God? They all thought all the girls were pregnant by Buddy Deane, remember several. To be a local celebrity like that, you always had to look your best when you went outside because people would see you. 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.. [1] He was 78. This is a home for all of the dancers from the Buddy Deane Era (1957 - 1964) to meet up and keep in touch. 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 . And many of them are not comfortable talking about it, and Hairspray made them, in a way. Plus they used us for commercials. The Committee is back in session. Every rock n roll star of the day (except Elvis) came to town to lip-synch and plug their records on the show: Buddy Holly, Domino, the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian, to name just a few. In mixed marriages (with non-Deaners), many of the outsiders resented their spouses pasts. Debuting at a mere 11 years of age, taking three buses every day to get to the show, wearing that wonderful white DA (created by her hairdresser father), and causing the first real sensation. Almost all dancers wore swim wear and beach attire, with music provided by WJZ-TV. Why not do The Deane Show on TV again? 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. They were both Committee members back then. We really sprayed it, remembers Mary Lou today from her home in Pennsylvania. Committee Member 1961 Billy Givens Little Italy. Linda Snyder: Every young star that had records out would come and promote their records. If the boys dared to sport chino pants, the crease had to be razor sharp. . She was the one of the biggies who refused to be on the Board (they had power; a liked because of it). We appreciate your interest. I have two mixed-race grandchildren whom I adore. ". Or Snuggle Dolls? I had trunks of it. A big strong line!) up the hill to the famous dance party set, the one that now houses People Are Talking. 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. Frani Hahn: The fascinating thing about it is that we all still get together, and its not like we live in the past. . But it was OK. We knew every kid in town wanted to be on the show. Wayne Hahn: If you were late, you couldnt get in the door. But by far the most popular hairdo queen on Buddy Deane was a 14-year-old Pimlico Junior High School student named Mary Lou Raines. 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. I was a square. "Oooo, you sweated on me!" We answered everything back then, except people like Mary Lou, who got bags of fan mail. Buddy Deane, center, with the Committee and teen dancers. Buddy himself, the high priest, returned for the event. Members of the committee attended Reunion Dances and other events soliciting the support of . . She attended Goucher College and then went to law school at the University of Maryland; shes currently a practicing attorney in Baltimore. We were from all over the city, Ann Boyer recalled. Romance was one thing; sex was another. As with the drapes and squares of the previous decade, she explains, there were two classes of people thenDeaners and Joe College. 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. We have a telegram, Buddy would shout almost daily, for Mary Lou to lead a dance, and the cameraman seemed to love her. The guys who wore sport coats with belts in the back from Lees of Broadway (10 percent discount for Committee members), pegged pants, pointy-toe shoes with the great buckles on the side, and drape (greaser) haircuts that my parents would never allow. 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. What he left us was an early introduction and enduring devotion to rock and roll. (One female committee member supposedly teased and sprayed her hair so much it caught fire one night as she slept. 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. An then there was teased hair, replacing the 50s drape with a Buddy Deane look that so pervaded Baltimore culture (especially in East and South Baltimore) that its effect is still seen in certain neighborhoods of this great Hairdo Capital of the World. To be selected you had to bring a character reference letter from your pastor, priest, or rabbi, qualify in a dance audition, and show in an interview (the Spotlight) that you had personality. At first the Committee had a revolving membership with no one serving longer than three months. Over lunch at the Thunderball Lounge, in East Baltimore, Kathy remembers, I could never get used to signing autographs. . I hated to see so much emphasis put on the integration plot, but I do understand that that was a part of what happened. . You are history. . The Deane program set aside every other Friday for a show featuring only black teenagers. Many regulars, with nicknames like "Termite" and "Peanuts," converted the short-lived glory of local television stardom into success later in life. So the rules were bent a little; the big ones, the ones with the fan mail, were allowed to stay. He eventually became one of the most respected programmers in the country and was even written up in Time magazine. Buddy called me up before the cameras, and I wasnt dressed my best. Helen was my idol when I started watching the Buddy Deane show with my sister in 1958. Snyder said she choreographed the Madison, a popular line dance of the time, for . The school tried to throw me out before. . To say that the Buddy Deane Show was the centerpiece of every teen's life in Baltimore would be a stretch. . 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 think Im honoring their great stardom. They were the Mouseketeers! I used to get death threats on the show. And coming from John Waters, I thought, that is a really nice compliment! Frani Hahn: I remember being called into a meeting and [being asked] if our parents would allow us, if they integrated the show, to dance with a black person. Buddy offered to have three or even four days a week all black, but that wasnt it. 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. . 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. That she has an affluent life-style surprises no one on the Committee. For many of us, Deane will always be there, standing ramrod-straight, an electronic maestro with a microphone, introducing Brenda Lee or hyping sponsors like Kit-Kat and the Etta Gown Shop. On the air before Dick Clark debuted, the show was a hit from the beginning, says Arlene today. (backrow) Joe Loverde, Vicki Defeo, Bil Bertazon, and Marie Fischer Cooke Shapiro. "Uhhh, I had a long basketball practice and I had to take extra foul shots," I lied. Theyd stand outside my home. 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. . The Committee to Honor Buddy Deane. Deane's show was one of the highest rated local television shows in the nation and girls didn't care as much for my corner jump shot as they did my ability to cha-cha or do the bop. Big hair was a plus. Marie Fischer was the first Joe to become a Committee memberchosen simply because she was such a good dancer. Mary Lou, now a successful Realtor and grandmother living outside Philadelphia, said there were three important guiding forces in her life then -- "my hair, dancing, and who I was going steady with.". No long hair, only pompadours, hurriedly combed during commercials. . [The meeting was with] the Committee members and Arlene and Buddy and the producer of the show. 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. No videos, backdrops or posters have been added to Buddy Deane Show. The one thing everyone seems to remember about The Buddy Deane Show is its ending: amid calls to integrate the almost all-white program (as in Hairspray, there was one day a month when African Americans could dance on the show), Buddy Deane was canceled. 1 talking about this. Or the Bob-a Loop? There I was under the burning lights of the WJZ-TV studio, slow-dancing with a Buddy Deane Show committee member. From 1957-1965, Deane was chosen as host of WJZ-TV, Baltimore's "The . He went steady with committee member Bobbie Lanham, a heartthrob to legions, and got lots of telegrams inviting him and Bobbie to lead dances. Teenagers who appeared on the show every day were known as "The Committee". Truth is, the era wasn't as innocent as some might contend. . Arguably the first TV celebrities in Baltimore. John Waters: [The Deaners] were the most important people I wanted to like the movie. [citation needed]. As Marie puts it, The rewards were so great emotionally that you didnt have to ask for a monetary award., Many had difficulties dealing with the void when the show went off the air. Actor: Hairspray. Rich and I didn't get together until 1989 and, like some other "Deaners", I had the attitude that no one would remember me after . Being a Deaner lifted a committee member into the rarefied air of being a star at 16. It reminds me of the way people think now of gay marriage, how so many people are shocked about it and they dont agree with it. His dance party television show debuted in 1957 and was, for a time, the most popular local show in the United States. I guess Helen Crist was the first drapette: the DA, the ballet shoes, oogies [tulle scarves], eye shadoweyeliner was big thenand pink lipstick., Helen Crist. Some committee guys bought their shoes at Manchester's on Howard Street, pointy-toed footwear that sported various buckles, flaps and other avant-garde touches. and my version of it is very different from theirs. I watched it for the fashion and for the drama, because Buddy Deane encouraged them to [date and] break up on film. But the second the camera moved away from my partner and me, she too pulled away, as if I had whispered into her ear that I had hand grenades taped to my legs. Once I was off the show for a while, and they said I had joined the nunnery, says Helen, laughing. Once a teenager joined the Committee, he or she had to abide by Deanes rules, which Deane described in a letter to the cast: Your clothing will be befitting a lady or a gentleman, and your habits, no smoking or gum chewing, will set standards for the future.. Marie Shapiro: I think they even asked for a note from my minister. Joe started working for Buddy as teen assistant and, along with Arlene, oversaw the Committee and enforced the strict rules. my father inquired as I walked into our rowhouse. Gene calls it a big loss. It was living in a fantasy world, says Helen. Seven year old's Egg My Yard! When you dance you'll squeeze her, yes, with all your might. . Vicki Defeo: Ive tried to think this through, because it sounds ridiculous, but [integration] was a non-issue to us. Buddy Deane and his kids flashed into our living rooms nearly 40 years ago. The protesters wanted the races to mix. Dance lessons are provided by certified "Hand dance" instructors , Phil & Diane", from 5:30 till 6:30 and then we dance until about 9pm.