On October 28, 1959, the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars was scheduled to come to the Minneapolis Auditorium.  The show was to include all the WDGY disk jockeys and:

• Paul Anka
• Lloyd Price
• Annette
• Duane Eddy
• Jimmy Clanton
• LaVern Baker
• The Coasters
• The Drifters
• The Skyliners
• Bobby Rydell
• The Jordan Bros
• Phil Phillips
• Arnold Dover (emcee when Dick Clark could not appear; Clark was not scheduled to appear in Minneapolis)

 

 

On October 19, 1959, the front page headline in the Minneapolis Star read, “Dick Clark’s Show Barred From City.”   Police Chief Milton E. “Buzz” Winslow cancelled this show “for the peace and welfare of this city.”

Reasons for this action included a riot that broke out the previous Saturday at the Caravan of Stars show in Kansas City.  However, there had been violence at four similar shows in Minneapolis.

1. On November 21, 1958, eight policemen were hospitalized when violence broke out at the armory.  (This did not show up in a search for the word armory.)

2.  On December 6, 1958, during a private teen-age dance at the armory, five teenage girls were hospitalized.  (Not newsworthy either)

3.  On October 28, 1958, five squad cars had to be sent to the Minneapolis Auditorium when a gang of youths prepared for an attack of 12 officers hired to provide security at a teen-age dance.   (Nope)

4.  On April 25, 1959, Buzz cited yet another case where a musical show got out of hand when the audience began dancing in the aisles and on the stage.  If this was at the Minneapolis Auditorium, this was the Stars of the Grand Ole Opry.  Yee Ha!

“I am certain violence will occur again,” Winslow told the Associated Press.

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HOLD ON THERE, BUZZ

It turned out that Buzz didn’t have the authority over the Minneapolis Auditorium, which was owned by the City, so he appealed to the Committee that oversaw it to shut the show down.

On October 21, the City Council Buildings and Grounds Committee decided that the show could go on it 30 policemen (the number Winslow said he would need) could be provided.  However, by then the promoter, T.B. Skarning, had thrown in the towel and cancelled the show.  Ticket sales had stopped, and he said that “scare publicity” after the riot in Kansas City had led to the cancellation.

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KANSAS CITY IN CHAOS

Blogger Jerry Fuentes describes the Kansas City show, which took place on October 17, 1959:

The Caravan gains its first negative notoriety when midway through the show, fights break out among the 12,000 plus audience and police moved in to break up the melee.  In all, 49 men were arrested ranging in age from 17 to 50 for disturbing the peace and public drunkenness.  Although Dick Clark was not at the show, his association with the show drew lots of press and he held a news conference in New York to defend the Caravan.  He denied that the performers were responsible for what happened and said, “What happened was certainly unfortunate, but it only reflects the attitude of a few of the thousands of people there.”