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May 4, 1957…America’s First Prime Time Rock n Roll Show Debuts

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Eyes Of A Generation.com

May 4, 1957…America’s First Prime Time Rock n Roll Show Debuts

On this day in 1957, ABC brought radio’s top DJ, Alan Freed to television, and that made “The Big Beat”, the first nationally-televised rock ’n roll dance show. Freed’s 30 minute, Friday night show came four months before Dick Clark’s afternoon show, “American Bandstand” debuted nationally on ABC that August.

Freed’s show was a summer replacement test of sorts, and ran with the understanding, that if there were enough viewers, it would continue into the 1957-58 TV season. Early reviews in June and July were positive, and ratings for the first episodes were strong.

Freed and his show seemed to be on course for a long run…BUT…his TV show came to an abrupt end. It seems that on the episode which featured a live performance by Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, Lymon (who had appeared with Freed in some of his films), was shown dancing with a white girl. The biracial dance scene enraged ABC’s Southern affiliates, and the network cancelled the show despite its growing popularity.

A little later, Freed struck a deal with Dumont’s WABD to televise “The Big Beat” show again locally. Even as WABD became WNEW, the show continued, until the Payola charges started, not only flying, but landing on Freed. -Bobby Ellerbee


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10 responses to “May 4, 1957…America’s First Prime Time Rock n Roll Show Debuts”

  1. Edward Mutchnick

    This is a direct quote from “The Complete Directory of Primetime Network TV Shows, 1946-present”/Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh.Copyright/first Edition May 1979:

    The Big Beat
    First Telecast: July 12, 1957
    Last Telecast: August 2, 1957
    B pad cast History: jul 1957 – Aug 1957, ABC Fri 10:00-10:30
    Host: Alan Freed

    Alan Freed was the New York City disc jockey who is credited with coining the term “rock ‘n’ roll” and who did much to popularize “the big beat” in the mid-1950s. A flamboyant showman and promoter, Freed packaged this series of four rock spectaculars for ABC in the summer of 1957. The list of guests reads like a Who’s Who of rock in the 1950s; the first show alone starred Connie Francis, The Everly Brothers (“Bye Bye Love”)’ Ferlinghetti Husky “(Gone”), Don Rondo (“White Silver Sands”), the Billy Williams Quartet (“I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”), Nancy Wiskey (“Freight Train”), and Johnny and Joe (“Over the Mountain”). Later guests included Andy Williams, Chuck Berry, Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers, Bobby Darin, the Fontane Sisters, Fats Domino, Clyde McPhatter, Dale Hawkins, Gogi Grant, Mickey and Sylvia, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more-all in four half-hour telecasts! The Big Beat was probably a better representation of the current hit parade, all with original artists doing their own hits, than was ever heard on Your Hit Parade. In addition to serving as host, Freed led his own orchestra on the show, which included star saxophonists “Big Al” Sears and Sam “the man” Taylor.

  2. Moe Thomas

    … and then there was Milt Grant here in DC!

  3. Moe Thomas

    Frankie Lymon

  4. Bob McKay

    Found this on YouTube..
    https://youtu.be/er-Dv-tvcd8

  5. John Leone

    Please identify the 2 cameras please.

  6. John C Hill

    Didn’t know that. How we’ve changed.

  7. Michael Carraher

    Are you sure this was a network, not local New York show? The schedule for that time shows ABC running “The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin” Fridays at 7:30pm. The following fall, Dick Clark had two prime time shows, an evening version of Bandstand on Mondays and a Saturday night show from New York with a music variety format.

  8. Michael Carraher

    One of broadcasting’s great travesties of justice – right down there with Armstrong. Freed thrown under the bus in the “payola scandal” and Dick Clark given a free pass. And Freed wasn’t the only DJ pushed into oblivion. As a result, DJ’s couldn’t collect from record companies but management could and management controlled playlists. Until record companies decided they didn’t need radio promotion and started demanding that stations pay them.

  9. Maureen Carney

    Debut Ad – At least initially it was titled “Rock ‘N’ Roll Review”

  10. Richard Warner

    I did not know that…

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