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The Situation Room
Dick Clark Dies of "Massive Heart Attack"; Secret Service Resignations Amidst Scandal
Aired April 18, 2012 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Dick Clark, entertainer and host, has died at the age of 82. He is being remembered as a pioneer in the world of broadcasting and is the forever young-looking host of two TV classics, "American Bandstand" and "New Year's Rockin' Eve." Clark died this morning of a massive heart attack. He had suffered from a stroke in 2004. Here's CNN's Sandra Endo with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was known as the world's oldest teenager. Dick Clark began his career on the weekly dance party that would later be known as "American Bandstand" in Philadelphia in 1956. The show became a national and later, an international sensation after it was picked up by ABC one year later.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ENDO: In spite of racial attitudes at the time, Clark was a pioneer in promoting African-American artists like Percy Sledge, The Silhouettes, The Supremes and Gladys Knight and the Pips. An appearance on "American Bandstand" launched many a musical career and from Jerry Lee Lewis to Janet Jackson, they all wanted Dick Clark to give their record a spin.
DICK CLARK, AMERICAN ICON: If you look at the history of "American Bandstand," it covers everything, from popular music back to the big band days when we started in 1952, it Was Perry Como and Eddie Fisher and the Four Aces and so forth, through the rock 'n' roll period, country music, rhythm and blues, rap music, heavy metal. It is everything.
ENDO: But music wasn't his only beat. Clark proved to be a prolific businessman and television icon, hosting the game show "The $25,000 Pyramid," "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes," and of course, the annual "New Year's Rockin' Eve" broadcast. He turned his Dick Clark production into a multimillion dollar media empire.
CLARK: There'll be some other surprises along the way.
ENDO: Clark also had a hand in the global fundraiser live aid, and in a grassroots, farm aid. He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
CLARK: That's a nice beat. See? You said the magic words. ENDO: From the days of early rock to the present, Dick Clark had a way of bringing us the tunes that had a good beat and memories of Saturday afternoon sock hops.
I'm Sandra Endo reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: We want to go back out to California now, and our entertainment reporter, Kareen Wynter. Kareen, have we heard from the family?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, they put out a statement a short time ago. I'll read that to you, Candy, and also, just a plethora of tweets coming from those in the entertainment industry. As for the family's statement, it reads, "Entertainment icon, Dick Clark, passes away this morning at the age of 82 following a massive heart attack."
It was announced by his family, Clark 82, had entered St. John's Hospital. That's a hospital here in Santa Monica, California, Candy. He went in last night for an outpatient procedure, but attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. He's survived by his wife, Kari, and his three children.
You know, another icon in the industry, not yet to the status of -- or the height of Dick Clark, yet, but he's well on his way, Ryan Seacrest, he put out a statement. As you know, he worked very, very closely with Dick Clark over the years with Dick Clark's "New Years Rockin' Eve Bash." Let me read that to you, Candy.
It says here, "I'm deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend, Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. I idolized him from the start. And I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel. When I joined his show in 2006, it was a dream come true to work with him every New Year's even for the last six years."
He described Dick Clark as smart, charming, funny, and always a true gentleman, and that's really how the world remembers this amazingly talented entertainer. Dick Clark -- Candy.
CROWLEY: Kareen, thanks so much. I know you're busy doing some phoning, so we'll let you go, but we want to bring in our CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, as I'm reading some of this stuff coming in, not only did Dick Clark have a stroke. We learned that he also had diabetes, and he was 82.
What interests me a little bit about this statement is the fact that he had some sort of outpatient surgery last night, unspecified, and then had a massive heart attack this morning. For someone with those -- working with those complications, I can imagine that any kind of outpatient procedure might come with risks.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Absolutely, Candy, and that caught my eye as well, and so, you have to wonder, was there a relationship between that procedure and the heart attack? You know, that's really difficult to know. You would only know if you were in that inner circle.
I mean, certainly, Dick Clark had health problems. He went on "Larry King Live" in 2004 and revealed for the first time that he had been diagnosed with diabetes ten years before and actually what he had to say was really prescient, and so, I really want to listen to that. So, let's take a listen to what he had to say on "Larry King Live" in 2004.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARK: Larry, two-thirds of people with diabetes don't realize the seriousness that it can cause their heart. They don't realize they can have a stroke and drop dead of a heart attack, so you've got to get this thing under control. The other portion is two-thirds of the people with diabetes die from heart disease so that two-thirds number is kind of bothersome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: So, Candy, just months after saying that on "Larry King Live," Dick Clark did have a stroke, and of course, today, we've learned that he's had a massive heart attack. And he was on Larry King talking about that relationship between diabetes, strokes, and heart disease. As he said, two-thirds of people with diabetes die from heart disease and that appears to be what happened to him -- Candy.
CROWLEY: I was just looking at some of these pictures. I tell you, he -- so many times, you looked at him and he just seemed to be the picture of health. And, I don't know how long he'd been suffering from diabetes, perhaps, you have, but that's a very serious disease to carry through the years.
COHEN: Yes. He said he was diagnosed in 1994, so that would have made him approximately in his mid-60s. So, he had type 2 diabetes, you know, for a good two decades or so before he, unfortunately, passed away. Type 2 diabetes is a very serious illness. It is, unfortunately, all too common in this country.
And I think he was trying to really make a public health point. So, maybe what we can add to his list of incredible achievement to this lifetime, we can add list -- we can add public advocate, because he was really trying to tell people get type 2 diabetes under control because it does leave you so vulnerable to strokes and heart attacks.
CROWLEY: Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. Thanks, Elizabeth.
Joining us on the phone, Alan Osmond, the oldest of the famous Osmond Brothers. He worked with Dick Clark for years. Mr. Osmond, thank you so much for joining us. I am struck by the number of people we have spoken to that have -- and this is normal when someone dies to say nice thing, but these are glowing things, and the word mentor and influence comes up so often. Is it the same with you? ALAN OSMOND, OSMOND BROTHERS: Absolutely. Not me only, my brothers, Donnie and Marie and Jimmy. There are a whole lot of us. Dick Clark and his sweet wife were very important part of our lives. And you know, he was meant -- he knew the industry better than anybody. He not only gave the awards out. He helped people like you just talked about.
He was most gracious, and he also had a booking agency. The book does (ph) and the Jackson 5 at the same time around the country for several years. I know him as a wonderful man, a gracious man, and as someone that I'm very -- we have fond memories of. He is -- he helped our career tremendously.
CROWLEY: It sounds like he did that for a lot of young artists. What do you think overall is his music legacy?
OSMOND: Well, he knew the music. He controlled the industry, basically, and he awarded those that were successful. The funny thing is that he helped make them successful. We love being with Dick Clark, and we've been to his home and we knew him as a wonderful man. We had laughs together.
We strategized together, and he would tell us what he thought, and, boy, I tell you, he didn't do anything except what Dick Clark said to do. So, we're glad that we were a part of his life and that he was a part of ours.
CROWLEY: It seems like he did have a magic formula of some sort. Can you remember the first time you met him, were you in awe or did he set you immediately at ease?
OSMOND: Oh, of course, everyone wanted to meet Dick Clark. And, he was just very open to everybody. He wasn't -- you know, he knew he was kind of up on top of the industry, and he knew everybody -- he'd call a favor and anyone would say yes. And that's the way he was, and we tried to be the same back to him, but just an honor to know him as a friend.
CROWLEY: And it seems as though he was a friend. I mean, personally, it seems as though we did ser on TV what he was really like. Is that true?
OSMOND: Oh, yes. He and his sweet wife. We'd go and we'd have -- we were at his house one day and also his office and on the phone constantly, he'd call and give us advice. We'd be on tour and we'd just always check in, and he was just always at work, and yet, had a very peaceful and happy way about him.
CROWLEY: What do you think accounts for his longevity on television? It's not necessarily a medium that is kind to people over the years, and yet, he had more than 40 years on TV. What was it about him?
OSMOND: Well, I don't know. He had an intuition. He had a gift. I would say Dick Clark was gifted. He had a way of seeing through from one point to the next and how to get there, and that's not only in the industry of music and TV, but also in the touring industry of which we worked with him for quite a few years. So, I just honor him as a very bright and a very loving and kind man that had a gift.
CROWLEY: Alan Osmond, oldest brother of the Osmond Brothers. Thanks for joining us this afternoon.
OSMOND: You bet. Thank you.
CROWLEY: Alan Also on the phone, Tony Orlando of Tony Orlando and Dawn. So much of my childhood seems to be hitting me in the face here today. Mr. Orlando, thank you for joining us. Your reflections, please, on the man that I am learning was, perhaps, as kind in private as he appeared to be on TV.
TONY ORLANDO, TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN: Well, he was, Candy. And you know, it's amazing when you said your childhood. My childhood began with him. I was 16 years old the first time I ever did "American Bandstand." I'm now 68. Fifty-one years ago, I met this man, March 15, 1961, the day my first record was released for the "Paradise."
I think it was Carol King's first as a writer, and Dick had us on the show -- had me on the show as a 16-year-old newcomer. I mean, I think Dick Clark, without a question -- I think only God is responsible for making more stars than Dick Clark. I really do. I think he really was the manufacturer of the music business as we know it today.
He was the pied piper. He was the guy who created careers, but like Alan just mentioned, he was also a mentor and cared about you as a person, Candy. He would definitely, without question, call you. If you did a show -- if you did "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson or you were on Letterman, he would be the first one to call you.
His wife, Kari, who I know is really sad today, and she has been a dedicated wife, and she's been an amazing friend to all of us. My heart goes out to her. My prayers go out to her, but Candy, this is an American icon in the truest sense of the world where he is the fabric of the music business.
He is the guy who weaved the tapestry that we know of as the music industry whether it be Tony Orlando as a 60-year-old kid, whether be chubby checker doing the twist or the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. You had to go through the world and the universe of Dick Clark in order to be part of the record business.
And of course, as a man -- my gosh, I don't think I've ever met anybody in the industry who is exactly on stage as he was off stage. He was humble, he was a genius, he was kind, he was caring. He was all those things that you hoped someone like that would be, and you know what, Candy? Right to the very last day of his last breath, just recently along with another Osmond, Marie Osmond on the daytime Emmys, we both did a tribute to him two years ago.
And I watched Dick cry as we made the tribute to him, and I don't think too many people got a chance to see Dick cry, because he was one of those stoic kind of personalities who always had a driving force to complete it, but he showed that he -- when that audience stood and we finished our tribute to him and to see him shed his tears on national television is a moment I will never forget.
I will miss him. I know the country misses him, and I'm glad to see, Candy, that you're hearing it, as you put it, in glowing report about what a wonderful, incredibly talented and wonderful genuine human being Dick Clark is and was.
CROWLEY: Tony Orlando of Tony Orlando and Dawn. Thank you so much for your remembrances today. We appreciate it.
ORLANDO: My pleasure and honor. Thank you.
CROWLEY: Once again, Dick Clark, icon, entertainer, host, star of so many shows of his own and so many others. You're looking now at Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That, of course, is Dick Clark's star. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: We are following today's big news, the death of entertainer, Dick Clark. We want to go out to Los Angeles and CNN's Paul Vercammen who is at the Walk of the Stars.
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Candy, right below me is Dick Clark's star, and they've already started to put flowers on it. We expect more to arrive and an official sort of dedication soon by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. We are right in the heart of Hollywood and some Hollywood tourists are right here.
Philip Mershon come on here. If you hang around here long enough, you'll meet people who've actually worked for Dick Clark when you were in, I guess, the wardrobe business, you worked on a project.
PHILIP MERSHON, TOUR GUIDE AND MET DICK CLARK: I did. I worked almost 20 years ago on a TV movie that he executive produced that was depicted the unfortunate relationship between Elvis and the colonel.
VERCAMMEN: And what were your impressions, and emotionally, how are you tied to Dick Clark?
MERSHON: Emotionally, I'm tied to him, because he was in my house every weekend from the time I was a tiny, tiny child. He -- you know, I was thinking that he really bridged the generations because, as I just said to her, you know, when my parents weren't quite sure yet about the Beatles and they weren't quite sure yet about the Stones, they were sure about Dick Clark.
And he kind of enabled, I think, the older generation to move on to what was happening in music. So, he's been with me since I can remember. To work with him, he was a kind and wonderful man. I only ever saw him upset once, and it was when he was giving his opening remarks for the screening because he felt so tied to Elvis and was really upset on how Elvis' life had gone. VERCAMMEN: Thank you so much, Philip. Let me bring Beth in here real quick, because Beth, you actually attended some of Dick Clark's award shows here in the Hollywood area. What was it like when you got to see him at work?
BETH LEWIS, TOURIST: He was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Professional, direct, one of the best behind the scenes that I could ever expect.
VERCAMMEN: And you also have a familial tie to Dick Clark. Generations of you now used to watch Dick Clark.
LEWIS: Absolutely. I was sharing my story with Philip is that that's how we introduced our parents, my brother and sister and I to the music we listened to, and they were accepting because he hit it right on the head. They trusted Dick Clark, and that's what I do with my niece now in this day and age.
VERCAMMEN: Great. I thank you so much for taking time out. Just some of the impressions of Dick Clark from here in Hollywood right next to his star on the Walk of Fame. Back to you now, Candy.
CROWLEY: Thanks so much. Paul Vercammen out there at the Walk of Fame. We appreciate it.
I want to play you something so many people have talked about Dick Clark with remembrances, and we wanted to bring you something. This was from 2004 at the Emmys when Dick Clark got the lifetime achievement award.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARK: I don't have time to thank every person that has helped me along the way. I want to thank a thing, "American Bandstand," because I grew up with it and most of you did.
(APPLAUSE)
CLARK: Some -- you know, it's hard to explain how a silly little dance show with the guy playing records and kids dancing could have any long-lasting significance. And I don't want to get long or heavy about this, but think about what happened there. For almost 40 years, kids got together in a social atmosphere, they got to know one another.
They exchanged cultures, and they didn't hurt each other, and there wasn't any violence. And we could all learn a little something from that show. It was a good one.
(APPLAUSE)
CLARK: I must thank all the network, people and the sponsors, the cable people, all the people that helped me live a lifetime dream. I want to thank my mother and father, because a lot of it happened to me in my life, a lot of it good and some of it not so good, and they taught me how to get through it. I have three wonderful children, RAC, Duane and Cindy of whom I am very proud and a woman to whom I am married who works with me every day and helps me live out that dream and I hope that the good Lord is willing, I can continue to do so. Thank you, Kari. Thank you all very much. Thank you, academy.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: Dick Clark, and if I'm not mistaken, that was Gladys Knight along his side giving him that lifetime achievement award at the Emmys in 2004. Dick Clark died today at the age of 82 of a massive heart attack. We want to bring in our Jack Cafferty.
Jack, I have been inundated not just with the tweets, but with the people we've had on the air about what a kind, warm, generous, interested in other people, you know, career this man had. It's almost too good to be true in so many way, but he appears to have been the real deal.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, he was a classy guy, and I was just watching that clip you add on. Pick up the tabloids and the rags that report on the show business community today, and class isn't the word that you would apply to a lot of the folks you'd find in the pages of those things. He was the roll deal.
I interviewed him a number of times here in New York on a local program I hosted called "Live at 5." He would call when he was going to be in town to promote "Rockin' New Year's Eve" or the game show or whatever he was doing, and he would come on the show and he had the ability to make you feel like he knew you even though he didn't and how many people did Dick Clark meet over the years?
And that was the way, I think, he made viewers of his television products, particularly, the bandstand show feel. He made kids feel like he absolutely got them. He was pure class on the air, smooth, very cool, kind of like Johnny Carson, and I was looking at a clip from the Ed McMahon, Dick Clark, the bloopers show they did, and there was a little of that Johnny Carson-Ed McMahon give and take on that show.
He, though, I think, is probably going to be remembered and rightfully so for changing the landscape of the music business. This country, in 1954, when "American Bandstand" started in Philadelphia, was a very segregated place. Go back and research the early careers of people like Muddy Waters or Ray Charles or Chuck Berry. They played segregated clubs.
If they did concerts, the audience was segregated, White kids on one side (INAUDIBLE), Black kids on the other, cops in the building. There was tension, and a lot of racial tension. It was kept out of the press and kind of below the radar, but it was very much there. Dick Clark was colorblind. "American Bandstand" was colorblind.
If you look at this all Black and White clips of the kids dancing, there were Black kids, there were White kids, there were Hispanic kids, whoever happened to show up and get in into the audience that day. He gave exposure to Black artists who couldn't get it in very many other ways. In the mid-1950s, the White radio stations wouldn't play what they called race music, the Black artists, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Ray Charles.
They wouldn't play the records. So, those artists couldn't get exposed to the White audience, which was the audience that had the money to buy the records to make them successful.
Dick Clark put these people on his show right along with, you know, the White recording artists, and he got them exposed to a wider, more broadly, more diverse audience and created a change in the opportunities for Black recording artists across the spectrum of rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, even country music to become successful where the social climate of this country was holding him back.
So, I think if you're going to remember him for one thing, that might be -- he was a shrewd businessman, he was a great, natural television talent, but he did something that mattered and most of us in this business don't.
CROWLEY: Absolutely. And, you know, it is amazing to see those pictures and realize that look so normal to us now except for the clothing they have on and to realize what a pioneer he was proving beyond the doubt, the power of both music and dance to bring people together. Jack Cafferty, thank you so much.
We want to make one correction. That clip we showed you of Dick Clark receiving the Emmy lifetime achievement award was actually in 1994, not 2004 which was ten years off there, but he still looked great. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: Some breaking news for you at this hour. The U.S. secret service reportedly is set to make some announcement about agent resignations following that prostitution scandal in Colombia in advance of the president's trip there. This is according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
We are told that the resignations could come as early as this evening, that some of the agents involved will resign and others will not. So, again, we are expecting the U.S. secret service, perhaps, to announce as early as this evening the resignations of at least some of those agents involved in the prostitution scandal in Colombia.
We, of course, are on top of that as well as today's other breaking news and that is the death of Dick Clark at the age of 82. He died of a massive heart attack in California. The Twitterverse is alive with memories of him as are so many people calling in to CNN, talking about their very fond memories of Dick Clark.
We want to show you the lighthearted side of this man. This comes from a 30-year anniversary special of "American Bandstand." It first aired back in 1982. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DICK CLARK, 1829-2012: That's what you call an impressive medley. Now tonight you're going to be hearing a lot of medley of hits from wonderful performance, but unfortunately not from Dick Clark, I don't even have a medley of one hit, but would you believe a medley of a lot of misses and my melody contains several different kinds of numbers. The first one is one I call my clouded crystal ball. What do you think of girls in bikinis? Do you endorse this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it.
CLARK: I'm with you, you know but it will be interesting. I honestly don't think American girls are going to go for this stuff.
(LAUGHTER)
CLARK: Then there are some really good old, everyday mistakes. And now we'll roll along once again with -- it should be Jerry Lee -- no -- Danny and the Juniors (ph).
You know we have so much to remind you about, the Monkees today on Bandstand next -- (INAUDIBLE) there's a slip. The Beatles today on "Bandstand". For the first time we have two of the top 10 songs here tonight. You've heard Johnny B. Goode. Not yet. (INAUDIBLE) I gave it away!
How about manual dexterity? Take a look at the very nice machine provided by the Ross Electronics (ph) people of Chicago. They give us three of these a show. Oops, what have I got here?
(LAUGHTER)
CLARK: You can carry it about with you and you can run it on batteries, too, take a little top off here and I'll show you the top (INAUDIBLE) microphone tucked under my arm when I can't do anything.
(LAUGHTER)
CLARK: Have the wildest looking little AM/FM portable radio and phonograph, it all goes together here. I probably put the cover on too soon. Let me take it off (INAUDIBLE) --
(LAUGHTER)
CLARK: How about oral dexterity? That's right (INAUDIBLE). Off to (INAUDIBLE) new start in the new year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) we had a big final in New York City and it was --
CLARK: Is there a difference between the people -- (INAUDIBLE) -- I knew I'd run out of words (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEOTAPE) CROWLEY: A man very much at ease in front of the camera. He did make it look awfully easy. I want to bring in our Donna Brazile and talk about some of this, but first I want to play a couple of things. This is, first of all, Dick Clark and Chubby Checker (ph). Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARK: -- the country all over the place, hottest dance sensation in the last four years. The thing called the twist. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Chubby Checker (ph).
(APPLAUSE)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, SINGING: Come on baby, let's do the twist. Come on, baby, let's do the twist. (INAUDIBLE) little hand and go like this. Yea, twist baby, twist --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: You know Donna, I hope when my time comes that you will do a little dance. No greater tribute there. Listen, there's been so many people talking about what Dick Clark did to help break down racial barriers. What are your thoughts on that?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know Dick Clark was instrumental in bringing so many Motown acts and other acts to the national stage. Yes, we knew about Aretha. We knew about Ray Charles. We knew about Chubby Checker and Chuck Berry (ph) and Jack Wilson (ph) -- I can tell my age, as well, but you know what, Dick Clark had them on Saturday morning and right after cartoons.
This was back in the day when we had black and white TV sets and it was like part of the furniture. We would clear the floor, meaning take the rug and we would just get out there and just dance because he really introduced the country to many of these remarkable singers and artists that the world did not know simply because they were black, and so he deserved a lot of praise and credit, and I'm sure if you get a chance to hear from men like Barry Gordy (ph) and Clarence Avant (ph) with Motown and others they will tell you his story, long before "Soul Train" with Don Cornelius (ph), where of course we learned how to do the jerk. I (INAUDIBLE) all my dances from "American Bandstand", I can do all of them still.
CROWLEY: I want to pick out another moment, sort of along the same lines and this is an interview Dick Clark did with some folks I think you'll recognize.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARK: Would you be kind enough to introduce me to your brothers starting with the gentleman on the end, with -- is it a bass or a guitar? I can't see -- guitar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, OK, first, we have --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I get with you on the mike (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Jackson.
CLARK: (INAUDIBLE) Who is the man over here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Marlon.
CLARK: All right and the next man?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Jackie.
CLARK: Hello, Jack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jermaine.
CLARK: Hi. Now let me ask you a question. (INAUDIBLE) I feel very naked without a microphone. I've been holding one of these things (INAUDIBLE) at people for a long time. Two gentlemen in the back are not your brothers, but they're related, are they not?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. So we have Ronny on the organ and Johnny on the drums.
CLARK: Hey, Mike, can I have the mike back just for a second? You don't feel comfortable without it either? How long have you been singing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three years.
CLARK: So you went to grab it right away, got to snatch it right out of my hand there. Was I right, are you 9 or 10? I forgot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine.
CLARK: You know it's very difficult. What's with the oh's and the ah's? There are a few girls over there that want to take you home with them and who knows. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have three sisters and six brothers.
CLARK: How come there are no girls in this act?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, (INAUDIBLE) girls they get kind of shy --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Jackson. The young Michael Jackson.
CROWLEY: Music history there. BRAZILE: Oh that was back when he was singing "I want you back" and "Mama's Pearls" and of course the "Jackson 5" was again another act that we saw not only on "The Ed Sullivan Show", but "American Bandstand" and later "Soul Train", but you know he had a remarkable way of figuring out who was hot, the talented people. On Friday night we would all get our little 45s out and the next day Dick Clark would put those songs on and we would learn a new dance. Dick Clark used to say on Saturday, he'd say, it's not just the music. This is not the direct quote, but it's the beat and so you can hear the music and you know he just made you want to dance.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Yes.
BRAZILE: Nowadays, you know --
CROWLEY: Some of it you can dance to and some of it you can't. Let me ask you, when you sat in that -- in your living room as a young girl and watched "American Bandstand", was it such a big aha moment that blacks and whites were dancing together and that (INAUDIBLE) singers and entertainers were coming on and introduced by a white host, did it strike you as a big thing or was it just seemed natural?
BRAZILE: No. I mean I grew up in the segregated deep south, and so this was -- this was really a very important moment to see you know black stars appear on "American Bandstand" and young, white teenagers and young black teenagers dancing together. I mean people were still trying to figure out they had to sit at the back of the bus and all of a sudden on "American Bandstand" they were dancing together. They were holding hands and you know what? It wasn't about color. It was about the beat and that's what Dick Clark helped us to understand.
CROWLEY: Yes which is why I love music.
BRAZILE: Yes. That's why I still love to dance. Beyonce, watch out.
CROWLEY: Donna Brazile thanks so much.
BRAZILE: Thank you.
CROWLEY: We appreciate it.
We want to bring in on our other breaking story we told you about a little earlier, the Secret Service, the prostitution scandal in Colombia. It's Fran Townsend, our national security contributor who is joining me from New York. Fran what can you tell us?
FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR (via phone): Candy, I am told by a source with first hand knowledge of the investigation that the Secret Service is preparing an announcement that they intend to release this evening talking about some personnel action against some of the agents who were involved. I believe some of them they will announce are resigning. Others obviously will -- are not prepared to do that now and are awaiting personnel action. CROWLEY: So -- so as I hear you, some of the Secret Service people will resign in order to avoid the investigation. Others will stay on while the investigation is ongoing. This is not the result of the investigation?
TOWNSEND: That's right, Candy. The investigation is ongoing. Again, the source said to me that there are agents, Secret Service personnel on the ground doing interviews and looking to interview the prostitutes who are involved, the hotel workers, you know reviewing the records that would have been kept by the hotel about the overnight guests, so the investigation is very much ongoing. I think it's fair to say that you know as with any investigation, one person is looking to see if they can't get some of the agents and those involved to cooperate and provide additional information and insight into the investigation, but clearly, some of the agents who were involved who have been implicated in this incident have chosen -- are choosing to resign and the Secret Service is preparing that announcement for this evening.
CROWLEY: Fran, while I have you here, just to check in with you about this -- all the allegations as we know them now, it occurs to me a lot of people talked about the image of the United States when the president is traveling to other countries, but the danger it seemed to me was if there really were this many people involved that they seemed unaware that there might be someone willing to go back to the room with them that could be part of a spy network. That's what sort of shocked me more than anything.
TOWNSEND: Candy, I agree with you completely. The agents are trained to be alert of their surroundings and individuals around them and to be wary of those who approach them who may be seeking that kind of information. We should remind our viewers though the way that this works, right, when the agents get on the ground there's a control room set up in a hotel, usually on the same hallway, that's manned 24 hours a day where weapons are left where it's classified or secured documents that need to be secured or left and that's guarded 24 hours. So there's very little other than the agent himself and his clothing, his personal effects in that room. But still, Candy, look this violates all sorts of their security protocol and is a vulnerability that these agents should have been aware of.
CROWLEY: So as far as you know or as far as we can surmise from knowing what the procedures are, it would not have been the president's schedule or any of what we used to call the bible which is when they just hand out with all the he arrives here -- he does this -- he does that, so none of that would have been in an agent's room.
TOWNSEND: No, that's correct. And everything we've heard so far that had not been distributed yet and that makes sense. The president was not yet on the ground and he wouldn't have done that. He wouldn't have handed out the line by line schedule that far in advance.
CROWLEY: So once again just repeated what out national security contributor Fran Townsend has told us we do expect tonight that the Secret Service will have some announcements of resignations of at least some, but not all of the agents involved in this scandal. Fran Townsend, thank you so very much for your time on that, and so obviously, CNN will continue to follow that story as well as the ongoing story of the death of Dick Clark. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now here he is the star of our show, Dick Clark!
CLARK: Thank you. Thank you, Celine (ph). You have the most magnificent eyes I've seen in a long time. Nice job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: For those of you just joining us, that, of course, is entertainer Dick Clark who died today of a massive heart attack at the age of 82. Social media is blowing up over the news of this death. Our Lisa Sylvester is taking a closer look. Lisa, what are you finding?
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Candy. Well we all know the power of social media and at 3:40 p.m. Eastern Time, this was just moments after word got out that Dick Clark had passed it became the number one trending topic on Twitter and it remained there. In fact, it still is in the top five topics that are trending including along with "American Bandstand" and "New Year's Eve Rockin' Eve."
Just a sample and this is a small, small sample of some of the tweets -- Ryan Seacrest tweeting "I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life." Also we've got some of these other ones. Sinbad saying, the entertainer Sinbad saying "OK, people, we just lost Dick Clark. He gave me one of my first jobs in Hollywood. I will always be grateful. Going to miss you brother Clark."
Here's another one -- if we can get this moving down here -- Russell Simmons saying -- we just missed the Russell Simmons one there, but Danny Bonaduce saying "You may remember Dick Clark as the world's oldest living teenager. I'll remember him as the man who beat me in a push-up contest. He was 74", so using a little bit of humor there.
And we also have a number of politicians who have also been tweeting about this topic -- not surprising there -- Speaker John Boehner saying "condolences to the family of Dick Clark. We join them in the mourning of his passing and will never forget his achievements in entertainment and music." And there are some great other ones. You can certainly go on to Twitter, a lot more interesting ones -- Candy.
CROWLEY: Lisa Sylvester, thank you very much. We'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CROWLEY: We are covering breaking news today, the death of an entertainment legend, Dick Clark. Clark was a fixture in TV screens for decades as the host of "American Bandstand" and "New Year's Rockin' Eve," "$25,000 Pyramid", "Bloopers". He also was a huge force behind the scenes as a producer and a businessman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN AND PRES., THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Well Dick Clark was a great friend of mine. He lived in one of my buildings for many years in New York. He was just a real icon and so sad to hear but this is a special place because we're here for the Olympics today. This whole Times Square, this whole place and Dick Clark was such a powerful person and such a great representative, and this was the place it really took place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever stay home on a New Year's Eve and watch him? Do you have any memories of that or even "American Bandstand", though I don't want to date you at all?
TRUMP: I would watch "American Bandstand" and I would also watch ever New Year's Eve, Dick Clark was the one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rocking -- rocking the world. There aren't many impresarios like that left.
TRUMP: No, there's no impresario like that. He's a -- he was a unique guy. Again, a really quality person I knew him very well because he lived in my buildings and he just a spectacular man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Our Brian Todd is looking into Clark's businesses. Just incredible and I think Anderson was the first to say listen this guy, you know, wasn't just the guy that came on the screen; he owned the shows he was on.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He had it all as far as business, you know to that title America's oldest teenager, Candy, you can easily add one of America's best known and recognizable chairman and CEOs. Dick Clark became without question one of the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry for his business holdings alone. Much of that involved shows produced and owned by Dick Clark Productions.
He's been so well known for so long for the show "Dirk Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve", of course in recent years that was titled "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest", Clark actually started hosting the New Year's Eve celebrations from Times Square, get this, 1972, replacing Guy Lombardo. He created the American Music Awards in 1974. His company still produces that. It produces the -- excuse me -- the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, though the company has been in some legal battles recently for control of that program.
But there are some other entertainment shows out there. Very popular, you might not necessarily associate with Dick Clark Productions but here they are. The show "So You Think You Can Dance", the elimination dance-off show on FOX. The show "Deadly Sins" on Investigation Discovery and Dick Clark Productions is partnering with Generate Entertainment (ph) to produce Jim Rome's new sports talk show on CBS Sports Network and Rome's entertainment series on Showtime. Those are going to air later this year.
But also just outside TV, Clark had a stake in a chain of music- themed restaurants, The American Bandstand Grill. And in 2006, he opened Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri. A short time later, a theater and restaurant in Branson called Dick Clark's American Bandstand Music Complex. Of course that brings you back to the origins of all this, "American Bandstand". We've been talking about it now for two hours. He started hosting that in Philadelphia in the mid 1950's.
It lasted more than 30 years, making it one of the longest running music and variety programs in TV history, Candy. Amazing you see those old stock footage shots of him as a young, young guy. And it started from there in Philadelphia. It moves west in the 1960's. Then his business empire just takes off from there, unbelievable.
CROWLEY: It is and let me tell you, there's one thing I've learned over the past two hours with so many people calling in and talking about him, big names in the music industry and show business. They all said he was such a nice guy --
TODD: Right.
CROWLEY: -- such a great guy. He mentored. He did all of these things. What kind of a businessman was he? It's hard to stay nice all the time if you're -- have that much at stake.
TODD: It is. Apparently he ran a very tight ship. There's an article in "Hoover's Business Directory" (ph). People who did business with him and knew him, executives, said he ran a very tight ship. He scheduled things like 12-minute meetings, 12 minutes, he would time it. He would schedule meetings at 17 minutes after the hour. One executive said he's not the kind of guy who is going to sit there for two hours and ruminate over a cup of coffee. He ran a very tight ship. That was probably one of the big secrets of his business success.
CROWLEY: Twelve minute meetings --
TODD: Twelve minute meetings --
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: The 2012 battle for the White House, it's going to the dogs. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CROWLEY: And now the 2012 presidential campaign headed for the dogs. Here's Jeanne Moos. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After all those jokes about Mitt Romney putting his dog in a carrier on the roof of his car --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Americans out of work (INAUDIBLE).
MOOS: Now the joke's on President Obama. It's not a man bites dog story, it's a future president eats dog story, no, not Barack Obama. A conservative website, "The Daily Caller" (ph), dredged up an old quote from President Obama's memoir, "Dreams From My Father" about his diet as a boy in Indonesia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a way from the dinner table I was introduced to dog meat, tough, snake meat, tougher, and roasted grasshopper, crunchy.
MOOS: Now Romney supporters could say at least I didn't eat my dog. Overnight Hashtag (ph) Obama dog recipes became a Twitter sensation. Recipes such as Golden Fried Retriever, Chicken Poodle Soup, Eggs Rover Easy. Did someone say Pug Chops?
(on camera): the menu of doggie delicacies kept expanding by the minute.
(voice-over): One conservative blogger contributed a four-course meal. Great Danish, Beagle with lox and cream cheese, Collie-flower and German Shepherd pie. (INAUDIBLE) Romney supporters fired off jokes. What does Obama call a dog riding on the roof of a car? Fast food.
What does Barack Obama call a dog show? An international buffet. Even the campaigns got into the act. Weeks ago top Obama aide David Axelrod tweeted this photo of Bo riding with the president in his limo with the caption "how loving owners transport their dogs". Now a Romney adviser has retaliated with a revised caption "in hindsight, a chilling photo". It had some commentators in stitches.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Mitt Romney himself commented --
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think this campaign is going to ultimately become about jobs, not dogs (INAUDIBLE).
MOOS: Maybe ultimately, but on this day it was a dog-eat-dog campaign.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": Obama did not put the dog in the pot. He just ate the dog because that's what they fed him in Indonesia.
MOOS (on camera): It was probably inevitable that the first dog, Bo, would start sending out his own tweets. (voice-over): I'd take the roof of Mitt Romney's car over the roof of Barack Obama's mouth any day. Already, we're feeling overstuffed with Leg of Lab and Rin Tin Tin Tartare, not to mention takeout from Boston Terrier Market.
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
(DOG BARKING)
MOOS: -- New York.
CROWLEY: I'm Candy Crowley. "JOHN KING, USA" starts right now.
