''KPIX Dance Party'' was an afternoon television show hosted by Dick Stewart which was broadcast on CBS

KPIX-TV KPIX-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving as the San Francisco Bay Area's CBS network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside CW ...

Channel 5 in San Francisco. It ran from 1959 to 1963. It featured teenagers dancing to popular music.

Background

The original host of the show was

Ted Randall TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Dep ...

. After he resigned from the position, KPIX held some auditions to find a replacement. The winner of the auditions which were broadcast was Dick Stewart. His actual starting date with the show was February 23, 1959. Stewart was a musician in his own right, having led his own band. He was also an actor. The director and producer of the show was Bill Hollenbeck, formerly of KGO-TV where he had held the positions of producer, director and program manager. He joined the outfit in 1961. It was announced in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' in the January 1963 edition that the show which was being aired afternoons a week had been cut back to one. The four years that Stewart spent with the show elevated his popularity.

Acts

Barbara Bouchet was a dancer on the show when she was a teenager. She later went on to be a prolific actress, acting in films such as ''

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...

'', and ''

The Diamond Connection ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

''. Paul Mooney was a dancer on the show. He skipped school one day and managed to convince the producer he could dance. He was told he would start at 3pm that day. Joe Piazza and the Continentals were one group that played regularly on the show, and were essentially considered the show's house band. The lineup was Johnny Johnson, Dan, Joe Piazza, Jim Lufrano and Jerry Martini. The group provided music for events such as the Twist Party, which was hosted by Dick Stewart. At one stage, Sylvester Stewart was a member of the group, and they even played on the song "Yellow Moon" which was a hit for his group

The Viscaynes The Viscaynes were an American doo-wop group from Vallejo, California, United States, that released a few singles in the early 1960s. They also had a regional hit with the song "Yellow Moon". One of their members Sylvester Stewart, later known as ...

. They had also backed

Janet Ericco Jan Errico is a drummer and singer who was a member of two San Francisco rock groups in the 1960s, The Vejtables and The Mojo Men. Background She is the daughter of Vincent Errico who, himself was an accomplished drummer. She is the cousin of G ...

on an early recording, "It Was A Lie" bw "Come Along With Me" using the pseudonym The Twilights.

Anne Randall Anne Randall (born Barbara Burrus; September 23, 1944) is an American model and actress. She was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its May 1967 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Mario Casilli. Career In 1959, Barbara becam ...

was one of "the regulars" on the show. She started on the show at the age of 14. She spent two years dancing on the show and was still attending school at the time. She would eventually become an actress as well as becoming host Stewart's wife.''Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles'', By Tom Lisanti
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References

{{reflist

External links

KPIX Dance Part website

1959 American television series debuts 1963 American television series endings 1950s American music television series 1960s American music television series 1950s American variety television series 1960s American variety television series Dance television shows Pop music television series Television in the San Francisco Bay Area