Ed Kelly was born in a section of Northeast Philly called Kensington and was an only child of his beloved mother and his father who was a Police Officer. Kensington wasn’t exactly Pleasantville. Kensington is best known for it’s large working-class Irish family community. And in the 1980’s became the birthplace of the K&A Gang - an Irish American organized crime network. Back in the 1950’s and ‘60’s when Ed was growing up deindustrialization was grabbing hold of the neighborhood, leading to substantial population loss, high unemployment, economic decline, and the abandoning of homes in the neighborhood. To say the least - it was an extremely rough and tough area to grow up in. To raise the stakes just a bit - by the age of 11, Ed absolutely knew something was very different about him.
Ed never liked sports or anything masculine. He liked hanging out with the girls and honestly - he really liked playing jacks and hopscotch most. He also loved to dance. Ed would go out on the stoop with his record player. Some kids from the neighborhood would gather around and they’d play music and dance. It was a wonderful innocent time.
At age 16, Ed went to American Bandstand and in a very short time, he became a regular on the show. For Ed, this was a dream come true because of his love for dance. Of course, he was still in High School so juggling school and the show was not easy but Ed was serious about both and would not let his parents down. So he worked hard. The great majority of the boys in his neighborhood attended an all-boys Catholic High School. Ed attended Northeast Catholic High and the principal there was Father Walsh aka “Knobby.”
It was a horrendous time for Ed. Being on Bandstand made life unbearable - just traveling to and from high school was a nightmare. Every day was filled with bullying and harassment. Kids would stand near the trolley Ed boarded and scream “BANDSTAND FAGGOT!” in his face. They would run along side him and sing the Bandstand theme song and laugh. It was humiliating and traumatizing.
During Ed’s sophomore year, he was called into Father Walsh’s office and given an ultimatum. His choices were to either stay in school and not continue with American Bandstand or he would be asked to leave the school if he were to choose to continue on Bandstand. Ed was devastated as he felt this was a great injustice. He went home and immediately explained the situation to his father. Ed’s father demanded a meeting with Father Walsh and wanted Ed to be present. He bravely said the church should not be telling his son what he can and cannot do - and with that Mr. Kelly removed Ed from Northeast Catholic High School and enrolled him in Adelphi Business School. Although Ed remembers fondly how his father was always in his corner - the question remains: why were the two other members of Bandstand who also attended Northeast Catholic High School never given an ultimatum - why weren’t they asked to leave? Was there something else, specific about Ed that Father Walsh did not like that would cause him to cast Ed out of the school? A strange feeling, nonetheless Ed attended Adelphi Business School from which he graduated.
In Philadelphia - you were automatically labeled gay if you were on Bandstand and the girls were considered whores and/or lesbians. Ed’s not sure if it was because Philly locals were jealous of the national attention they were getting or if they were just stereotyping them because these boys were dancers and not football players. The only logical conclusion would be that they must be gay. Whatever the case the town hated them. And hate is an understatement.
While Ed and other castmates would be waiting to enter the studio, the neighborhood kids would throw light bulbs from an overhead railroad train down at them, glass shattering all around. It was violent and nerve-wracking.
In Philly - American Bandstand regulars were not welcomed at record hops. Again because they were hated by the town. Except for the hops at St. Alice’s. This was an exception. Ed feels they were lucky enough to be welcomed there. He feels the difference was that St. Alice’s resided in a neighborhood that was more influential and the children there were raised well with empathy.
One of my Ed’s most horrific memories - because of his popularity on American Bandstand is when he visited “The Grady and Hurst Show” on Steel Pier at Atlantic City in NJ. And some of the male members picked Ed up and held him over the side of the pier threatening to throw him in the ocean. They said they just didn’t like that he was visiting their show. He now wonders if that was the only reason. It was a terrifying experience and he feared for his life.
Dick Clark was adamant about having to protect the reputation of American Bandstand because the public did not know about the percentage of regulars who were homosexual on the show. If they found out, the ratings would drop and the show would be canceled. Especially since America was tuning in because they were interested in the supposed romance the “couples” were involved in.
Dick barred Ed from attending American Bandstand twice for three weeks each time for stepping in front of the camera. These were Mr. Clark’s passive-aggressive ways of punishing Ed along with Mary Beltrante for what Mr. Clark considered “hogging the camera” while it was permitted for others to do the same without being penalized. As if these sorts of reprimands would change who they were? Not the case. It was obvious that Dick had his favorites. Ed was not one of them. Ed and his castmates found American Bandstand to be a safe haven for homosexuals. He felt he could be himself with others that were like him. But Dick Clark went to extremes to protect the show. Many gay men and women would visit Ritten House Square (which is a public park) - and it was rumored that Mr. Clark had spies monitoring the Square to make sure none of the series regulars were frequenting the park. Everyone was careful around the square - Ed would never even go there as not to take any chances.
All was not awful between Ed and Dick Clark - over the years Mr. Clark always featured Ed in his anniversary shows and also included him as a guest in his 33-1/3 Anniversary Special in Los Angeles - 1985. Ed was a teenager while on Bandstand and in retrospect Ed realizes Dick had to deal with the spontaneity of many young people during those dancing years which could not have been easy. The men mellowed over time and put things behind them.
Ed regrets not sharing the fact that he was gay with his mom but knew his dad would never understand. Although through it all Ed’s father remained on his side.Many gay clubs were raided numerous times and young gay people would have to give their names to the police.
Police officers would then escort them out to the paddy wagon to take them to the police station. Ed considers himself “one of the lucky ones.” He was able to escape this horrible treatment because his father was a detective. And Mr. Kelly made it very clear that if they came across an “EDDIE KELLY” - to understand that - this was his son and not to take any further action. So very fortunately - Ed never experienced the unwarranted abuse some of his friends had to go through. Ed was never arrested for being gay.
As we approach 2018 - Bandstand being over 60 years ago, Ed feels extremely happy and joyful that we have made as much progress as we have. Things can sometimes seem hard but never as hard as they once were! GO GIRL!!! He lives happily in North Hollywood, CA with his partner of 46 years Tony Paradise.
You can read more about Eddie Kelly in “Bandstand Diaries - The Philadelphia Years 1956 - 1963 Collector’s Edition.” This book should be in everyone’s collection as part of “American Bandstand.” Also included are the following subjects: popular music, rock musicians, fans, diaries of many other American Bandstand regulars and artists. The book is filled with so many wonderful memories and insights one will never forget.
Please do not forget to purchase this book at: www.BandstandDiaries.com
Elizabeth Regen is an actor/writer born and raised in Tribeca, New York City. She’s a 3rd generation Manhattanite, the mother of 3 amazing daughters, wife to a teamster and daughter to her fantastic mother and heroic late father.Her acting career spans over 30 yrs and you can see most of her acting work on her website at www.elizabethregen.com .Elizabeth is an acting and writing instructor in Los Angeles. You can sign up for her classes at www.thestreetsmartsofacting.com . She is also the author of her column #thewayiseeit in the online magazine Feminine Collective. http://www.femininecollective.com/the-way-i-see-it/
