They were the squeaky-clean Kardashians of their era, and “Bandstand” could easily claim the title as the first reality show. Millions of kids from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills ran home from school every weekday to watch them dance, imitate their styles and fantasize about their lives. What they didn’t know was that Arlene and several of the other female dancers, and most of the handsome teen boys, were gay.Ĭlark, known as America’s oldest teenager, knew. But he feared that if the show’s secret ever came out, Middle America would change the channel. I kissed a girl, and I liked it!” Sullivan, now 74 and long out of the closet, reveals in a fascinating self-published book, “ Bandstand Diaries” - billed as “The Book You’ve Waited Over 50 Years to Read!” “I knew I was different early on, but being with all these friends, I came to terms with my feelings. Sullivan’s co-author, Ray Smith, recently retired after 40 years as an Emmy-winning “Today” show producer. He debuted in Studio 3B at WFIL-TV, near the El train stop in West Philadelphia, in 1956 when he was a 13-year-old junior high school student.īut back in the “Bandstand” days, Smith was one of the show’s secretly gay dancers.
He would dance on the show until early 1960. Ray Smith was one of the show’s secretly gay dancers.