Terry Schreffler Lofland featured in book about American Bandstand
More than half a century ago, Terry Schreffler Lofland was kicking up her heels and jitterbuggin' across the American Bandstand stage in Philadelphia.
Her days are quieter now at the Millsboro ranch house she shares with her husband, John, but her American Bandstand memories remain vivid.
“Those were the days,” Lofland said. “We were celebrities. People would tell us they learned how to dance by watching bandstand.”
Lofland, 75, started dancing on the televised show when she was 13 – a year younger than was allowed, but no one was telling, she said with a wink and a smile. Ballet and tap dancing lessons in her early years served her well as she performed all the latest dances of the 1950s. “My favorite was the jitterbug,” she said. The calypso, cha-cha and the show's signature line dance were also favorites. All that dancing kept her in shape for various modeling jobs at Sears, Wanamaker’s and several boutiques in Philadelphia.
When she started performing on American Bandstand, Bob Horn was the host, but legendary Dick Clark soon took the helm. “He was a fantastic guy,” she said, fondly recalling dances at the New Jersey shore when Clark would drive Lofland and other dancers to the venue.
Then there was the time Clark announced her Sweet 16 party on air and kids from all over Philadelphia showed up at the fire hall. A fight broke out, and Clark later apologized on air.
Her ebullient personality made her a fan favorite over the six years she danced with the group. She lights up when she talks about all the famous people she met and all the great times she had on American Bandstand.
She got to meet all the upcoming singers: Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, Bobby Rydell and Tony Orlando and Cher. She also met Elvis Presley.
“I had signed records from all the artists that came in,” she said. A fire in her brother's basement, where she later stored her keepsakes from the show, destroyed everything. “All my memorabilia went up in smoke,” she said.
With a sigh of regret, she wishes it never happened, but she rolled with the punches and moved on.
Lofland married at 18 after graduating from high school, had two children, divorced, remarried and had a third child before divorcing again. With three young kids, she moved to Delaware and then Maryland before returning to Delaware. She also ended up meeting her future husband, John, and the two eventually built a home in the Maplewood development near Rehoboth. “I was never going to get married again, but I did,” she said with a smile. They married in 1993, a year after moving into their new home, and have been together ever since. She smiles as she recalls her grown sons walking her down the staircase of her new home. “The staircase was so wide, they could both walk me down,” she said. “I loved that house.”
Her mother eventually moved into an apartment on their property, but after she passed, Lofland said, the house was too much to take care of.
All the heavy dancing in her early days took a toll on Lofland. She has a new hip and two new knees. Her back aches now and then, and she recently nursed a sore ankle.
She's downsized a bit now, but she fondly remembers growing up in the Philadelphia area. “I still miss the old neighborhood and old friends,” she said.
On Nov. 4, she reunited with some of them when the original American Bandstand crew met at the old studio in Philadelphia. There they signed a new book written about the early years and talked with about 350 fans who attended the event.
“Everyone came by with their copies, and you signed your name on the page where you were featured,” Lofland said.
Fans at the book signing gave Lofland and 20 other former American Bandstanders a trip down memory lane. “It was wonderful talking to everyone,” she said.
Lofland said she keeps in touch with 10 of her best friends from the show. They are planning a get-together soon, and she can't wait.
“It's a great time when we get together. We catch up, and even try to do some dancing,” she said. “I've had a really good life.”
Bandstand Diaries: The Philadelphia years 1956-1963 written by Arlene Sullivan is on sale for $35 at www.BandstandDiaries.com. The book contains interviews with former regulars, and more than 700 photos.
