Edward J. Yates, 87; Director Helped Make TV’s ‘American Bandstand’ a National Hit

Edward J. Yates, who directed “American Bandstand” for 17 years, from a fledgling Philadelphia TV show to a national institution that made Dick Clark a star, has died. He was 87.

Yates died Friday at a nursing home in Media, Pa., where he had been for two months, Donohue Funeral Home said in a statement.

In October 1952, Yates volunteered to direct “Bandstand,” a new show on Philadelphia’s WFIL-TV. The show, featuring local teens dancing to the latest hits, debuted with Bob Horn as host and took off after Clark, already a radio veteran at age 26, took over in 1956.

It was broadcast live in its early years, even after it became part of the ABC network’s weekday afternoon lineup in 1957 as “American Bandstand.” Yates pulled records, directed the cameras, queued the commercials and communicated with Clark.

“Ed was an extraordinary director.... He managed to grab every exciting moment on ‘American Bandstand,’ ” Clark told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The pictures he created influenced a whole generation of young people across America.”

As the show became a national hit, Clark became a household name and the mostly working-class teens who were regulars on the show were bombarded with fan mail.

In 1964, Clark moved the show to Los Angeles, taking Yates with him.

Yates retired from “American Bandstand” in 1969, and moved his family back to the Philadelphia area.

Survivors include six sons: George, Edward, Joseph, Philip, Gregory and John; and two daughters, Patricia McCann and Teresa Petrecz.