Dec. 29, 2023

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve

The New Year's Eve torch passed from Guy Lombardo to Dick Clark and now Ryan Seacrest. Did you know there were some pre-Clark Rockin' New Years Eves?

A look back at the evolution of a New Year's Eve tradition.

The New Year's Eve torch passed from Guy Lombardo to Dick Clark and now Ryan Seacrest. Did you know there were some pre-Clark Rockin' New Years Eves?

A look back at the evolution of a New Year's Eve tradition.

WEBVTT

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Calarogus Shark Media. Hello everyone,
and welcome to a special edition of TV

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in the Basement as we step into
the world of glitz, glamour and countdowns.

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I'm Journey Joe Mitchell, and today
we're diving into the sparkling history of

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Dick Clark's New Year's Rock and Eve, a show that's been the centerpiece of

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America's New Year's Eve celebration since nineteen
seventy two. Let's rewind to the early

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seventies. Dick Clark, already a
household name from American Bandstand, decided it

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was time for a change in how
America celebrated the new year. He envisioned

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a show that combined live music with
the iconic times square ball Drop, a

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concept that was revolutionary at the time, and so New Year's Rock and Eve

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was born, offering a youthful and
vibrant alternative to the more traditional New Year's

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broadcasts. In nineteen seventy two,
American Irish rock band Three Dog Night kicked

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off the first ever New Year's Rock
and Eve. This inaugural bash, then

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broadcasted by NBC, paved the way
for a new era of holiday entertainment.

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In its second year, New Year's
Rock and Eve seventy four continued on NBC

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with the iconic comedian George Carlin at
the helm. This edition kept the audience

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grooving with pre recorded musical acts such
as The Pointer Sisters, Billy Preston,

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Linda Ronstadt, and Tower of Power, all performing from the elegant Queen Mary

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Ballroom. A significant shift occurred in
nineteen seventy four when the show transitioned to

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ABC. Here Dick Clark took over
as the host, marking the beginning of

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an era. The first ABC broadcast, known as Chicago's New Year's Rock and

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Eve nineteen seventy five, was part
of the network's wide World of Entertainment late

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night lineup. This inaugural ABC edition
featured the rock band Chicago as the headliner,

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and they were joined by a star
studded lineup including The Beach Boys,

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The Doobie Brothers, Herbie Hancock,
and Olivia Newton John With these vibrant segments

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all pre record at the famed MGM
Studios in Hollywood. Soon the show had

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found its forever home on ABC,
with Dick Clark taking the reins as host.

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His vision to meld the excitement of
live music with the spectacular ball drop

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in Times Square, Clark, a
master showman from his American bandstand days,

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knew just how to capture the nation's
heart. Throughout the years, New Year's

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Rock and Eve grew into a star
studded extravaganza featuring a who's who of music

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from the Begs to Mariah Carey.
After the passing of Guy Lombardo in nineteen

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seventy seven, CBS and the Royal
Canadians tried to maintain their New Year's Eve

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broadcast tradition from the Waldorf Astoria for
the nineteen seventy seven to seventy eight celebration.

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However, the absence of Lombardo's charismatic
presence led to dwindling viewership numbers.

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This shift in audience preferences was a
boon for New Year's Rock and Eve,

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which, in just its sixth year, began to eclipse the Royal Canadians in

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popularity. Sensing the changing tides,
CBS eventually decided in nineteen seventy nine to

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replace the Royal Canadians with a fresh
program, Happy New Year America, debuting

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on New Year's Eve of nineteen seventy
nine to eighty as New Year's Rock and

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Eve continued to rise in popularity.
Dick Clark envisioned his creation becoming a new

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tradition in its own right, one
that could rival the long established Waldorf Astoria

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festivities. His vision soon materialized,
with New Year's Rock and Eve surpassing Guy

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Lombardo's show to become the most celebrated
and widely viewed New Year's Eve special across

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the United States. Sadly, in
two thousand and four, Dick Clark suffered

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a stroke, leading to Regis Philbin
stepping in as guest host. It was

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a poignant reminder of Clark's enduring legacy. Starting in two thousand and six,

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Seacrest became a co host and eventually
the main host, infusing the show with

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his own style while maintaining the legacy
that Dick Clark had built. It was

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a passing of the baton from one
television legend to another, ensuring that New

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Year's Rock and Eve would continue to
be a staple of American celebration. On

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October twenty third, twenty thirteen,
Dick Clark Productions officially announced the continuation of

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New Year's Rock and Eve for the
twenty thirteen fourteen season. And revealed that

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Ryan Seacrest had committed to a multi
year agreement to remain as the host and

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executive producer for an unspecified duration.
Seacrest expressed his deep connection to the show,

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saying I will forever be both sentimental
and grateful about my involvement in the

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special, and shared his enthusiasm,
I'm excited to work together to create new

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traditions and fun moments on the show
that only live television can deliver. Mariah

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Carey, a marquee performer at Times
Square for the twenty seventeen show, encountered

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notable technical difficulties during her act.
Kicking off with her hit Emotions, Carrie

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was visibly troubled, expressing throughout the
performance her inability to hear the backing track.

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The situation escalated during her rendition of
We Belong Together, where she attempted

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to sing along with the backing track, but ultimately ceased singing abruptly. A

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spokesperson for Carrie later claimed that despite
notifying the production team about the malfunctioning in

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ear monitors, no action was taken, insinuating a setup for her performance to

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fail. Dick Clark Productions, however, refuted these allegations, firmly denying any

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role in the mishap and labeling the
accusations from Carrie's team as defamatory and baseless.

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Today, as we look back on
the decades of New Year's Rock and

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Eve, we see more than just
a television show. We see a cultural

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phenomenon, a part of our collective
history. It's where we've laughed, danced,

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and stepped into the new year with
hope and joy. It's where memories

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are made, where stars are born, and where America comes together to count

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down the final seconds of the year. Now, with over fifty episodes under

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its belt, the show has become
a multilocation spe featuring celebrations from across the

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US and dazzling performances. Despite challenges
and changes, Dick Clark's New Year's Rock

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and Eve remains a testament to the
timeless allure of ringing in the new year

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with music, excitement, and a
sense of unity. So as we count

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down to midnight and reminisce about the
show's storied past, let's raise a toast

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to New Year's Rock and Eve,
a show that's not just about the start

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of a new year, but about
the celebration of time music and collective joy.

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I'm Journey Joe Mitchell, wishing you
a rock in New Year. Right

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here from TV in the Basement