KPIX Dance Party was an afternoon television show hosted by Dick Stewart which was broadcast on CBS KPIX-TV 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. 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.Billboard Music Week, March 20, 1961 - Page 110 TV JOCKEY PROFILE He joined the outfit in 1961.Radio Daily-television Daily, Volume 88, Radio Daily Corporation, 1961 - Page 190 It was announced in Billboard in the January 1963 edition that the show which was being aired 5 afternoons a week had been cut back to one.Billboard, January 12, 1963 - Page 35 Despite Teens' Protest, Their DJ Idol Cut Down
The four years that Stewart spent with the show elevated his popularity.Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, By Derrick Bang - Page 138
Acts Barbara Bouchet was a dancer on the show when she was a teenager.Mymovies.it - Barbara Bouchet, Nudi, splatter e fitness: le passioni della Bouchet She later went on to act in films such as Sweet Charity,The Movie Guide, By James Monaco - Page 923 and The Diamond Connection.Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973, By Tom Lisanti, Louis Paul - Page 83 Bouchet
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.Black Is the New White, By Paul Mooney - Pag 66
Joe Piazza and the Continentals were one group that played regularly on the show, and were essentially considered the show's house band.Reverb Central - Janet Errico and the Twilights - It Was A Lie c/w Come Along With Me The lineup was Johnny Johnson, Dan, Joe Piazza, Jim Lufrano and Jerry Martini.Discogs - The Continental Band The group provided music for events such as the Twist Party, which was hosted by Dick Stewart.Daily Independent Journal, Friday, April 20, 1962 - Page 2 TWIST PARTY At one stage, Sylvester Stewart was a member of the group,The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul, Virgin, 1998 - Page 304 and they even played on the song "Yellow Moon" which was a hit for his group The Viscaynes.Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950-2000, By Bob Leszczak - Page 326 SLY AND THE FAMILY STONEDiscogs - The Continental BandThe 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World, edited by David V. Moskowitz - Page 603 Sly and the Family Stone (1967 - 1983) They had also backed Janet Ericco on an early recording, "It Was A Lie" bw "Come Along With Me" using the pseudonym The Twilights.Reverb Central - Janet Errico and the Twilights - It Was A Lie c/w Come Along With Me
Lynn Facciola and Frank Pisa were frequently on the show.
Anne Randall 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.
References
External links
KPIX Dance Party .org RICHARD EUGENE STEWART .com