By Bruce Klauber
Atlantic City has long been one of the country’s major entertainment centers, so it’s only natural that the iconic resort would play host to a television program focused on visiting celebrities.
Two legendary broadcast/media figures realized the singular opportunities that Atlantic City presented for such programming, and produced and hosted innovative and entertaining television programs that did just that. One show featured the stars; on the other program, the venue itself was the star.
“Curtain Call,” hosted by the late David Spatz, beloved columnist and entertainment reporter who passed away in January of 2023, was one of the programs that took advantage of the big names Atlantic City had to offer.
A touching tribute to Spatz, written by columnist/broadcaster Scott Cronick, and published in these pages last February, Cronick, noted that Spatz’s “terrific interview series, ‘Curtain Call with David Spatz,’ ran for more than 200 episodes, was syndicated in 82 cities in North America and was the first and only program produced out of Atlantic City to win an Emmy Award.”
In a post on Spatz’ blog, which went by the same name as his TV show, he described the beginnings and the evolution of the show and described how his TV career began turning around in 1991.
“Merv Griffin, who owned Resorts Casino Hotel, asked me to be the roving reporter on his live and nationally televised New Year’s Eve special; and I began working with Jake Glassey, Jr. We didn’t become a production team until 1992, when, at the urging of Merv, we produced and aired ‘The David Spatz Show,’ a series of casual conversations and unguarded moments with popular performers.
“First we taped my old friend Ann-Margret, then followed it up with a sit-down by a real stand-up guy, Jay Leno, who was celebrating his first anniversary as Johnny Carson’s replacement as host of ‘The Tonight Show.’ Two years later, we syndicated the show nationally and changed the name to ‘Backstage Pass.’ We were on the air for five years in almost 90 markets.”
In 2003, Spatz and Glassey revived the idea. It was first sold to an NBC affiliate in Spokane, Wash., and later Atlantic City’s WMGM, where it began airing on Saturday nights in 2005.
“Two years later,” Spatz remembered, “all those years of hard work paid off. ‘Curtain Call’ won an Emmy Award for outstanding interview/discussion series.”
A look at the list of “Curtain Call” celebrity guests through the years is astounding. That list includes The Beach Boys, Jim Belushi, Tony Bennett, Lewis Black, Carol Burnett, James Brown, George Clooney, Bill Cosby, Art Garfunkel, Larry King, Eartha Kitt, Don Knotts, Barbara Eden, Darlene Love, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, Willie Nelson, Bob Newhart, Anthony Newley, Luciano Pavorotti, Regis Philbin, Joan Rivers, Brooke Shields, Ronnie Spector, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Torme’, and Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Looking at this list and the history of the program and its host, one thing becomes clear: If you performed in Atlantic City, you had to appear on David Spatz’s program.
Ed Hurst
Unlike Spatz, Ed Hurst did not make a name for himself as a newspaper columnist. Hurst, along with his longtime partner, Joe Grady, and later as a solo broadcaster, came out of radio. An Atlantic City native, Hurst’s radio career began in 1943 at Atlantic City’s WFPG radio. He made his name via his tenure in Philadelphia at WPEN radio, but transitioned to Philadelphia television as early as 1952. He was an influential and well-liked broadcaster, and his ratings, on radio and television, were consistently impressive.
In 1958, Hurst began “Summertime on the Pier,” broadcast live from the Steel Pier’s Marine Ballroom for two hours weekly during the summer months.
The format was simple: It was a teenage dance program that also featured segments with special guests. The show was broadcast on Philadelphia’s WRCV television. The television signal was so strong that “Summertime on the Pier” had devoted viewers as far away as Maryland.
There was no show in 1959, but it returned in a big way in 1960. It moved to WCAU television in 1966 and in the following year, to WPHL television, where it was syndicated to New York, Boston, Cincinnati, Washington, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington. In 1970, it was broadcast on WPVI television and renamed “The Steel Pier Show,” where it lasted until 1978. Special guest co-hosts through the years included television personality Jim O’Brien, and Jerry Blavat.
The program could be incongruous at times. Hurst was no youngster, and seeing him on-screen and interviewing contemporary rockers who were appearing at the Pier was always interesting. But, ever the good-natured pro, he always pulled it off.
The actual production of the show could be challenging. Originating from the Pier’s Marine Ballroom, the producers had to take into account that the act performing in the ballroom, usually a big band like the Glenn Miller ghost band conducted by Buddy DeFranco, always had to play a Saturday and Sunday afternoon matinee, which was just after the actual, live broadcast time of “Summertime on the Pier.” That meant that the dance floor, populated by hundreds of teens who were too young to dance at Memories in Margate, had to be cleared before the big band came on. That could sometimes be difficult, and depending on who the big band was, some of the teens would stay, though many would leave. I was there when they stayed for Gene Krupa and left when Glenn Miller’s band was setting up.
The treasure trove of material broadcast live from the Pier through the years would be priceless, had it been saved. Sadly, nothing exists from the 1960s shows, and that was something that always disappointed Ed Hurst.
“Who knew?” was the only thing Hurst could say when I asked him about the whereabouts of vintage broadcasts of Ellington, Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson and the like.
Ed Hurst continued broadcasting until he was about 90 years old. He ended his career here in Atlantic City on WPG radio, the station where he started in 1943. This broadcasting legend passed away in 2020 at the age of 94.
While there were other Atlantic City media personalities who briefly tried their hand at television, including columnists Pinky Kravitz and Sonny Schwartz, none of these programs made it beyond local cable and certainly none had the impact of “Curtain Call” or “Summertime at the Pier.”
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
