Person: Dick Clark
Dick Clark made his name with American Bandstand, still one of the longest-running programs in TV history. Uploaded by explorehistory.com.
It would be easy to pigeonhole Dick Clark as a dance show host or a game show host, or a New Year’s Eve host. And he is all those things, but he is so much more than that. He’s also an entertainment mogul whose company, Dick Clark Productions, produces the Golden Globes telecast, the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and even So You Think You Can Dance. (Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, purchased DCP in 2007.)
Of course, everyone got to know Dick Clark through American Bandstand which began its national run in 1957 and stayed on weekly until 1987. During that time he also started his $10,000/
Uploaded to Flickr by dtramos.
$20,000/ $25,000/ $50,000/ $100,000 Pyramid shows which earned him three Emmy Awards as best game show host. He also had a top 40 countdown show on radio in addition to the syndicated Rock, Roll & Remember.
These are just the highlights of a long and distinguished career in broadcasting that culminated in membership in these halls of fame: Rock and Roll, Broadcasting Magazine, Radio, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, as well as a Peabody Award and a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Because he retained his youthful looks forever, a long-running joke held that he was “America’s Oldest Living Teenager.” As we all know, that myth was shattered by a devastating stroke in 2004. Though rumors of his death continue to circulate, he is still alive as of this posting and recently celebrated his 81st birthday.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5aTiX4yZvc&playnext=1&list=PL7B54CB2B8E8BEB75&index=36]
I didn’t fully appreciate Dick Clark until I saw his successors try to carry on his work, particularly on New Year’s Eve and the imitation Bandstand shows. He makes the work look easy – the sign of a true professional.