This Is Only the Beginning!

by Bill Goode

"You ain't seen nothin' yet!" was what the late, great al Jolson used to tell his wildly applauding audiences when his act was just getting warmed up. And the consensus today is that those same words apply to multi-talented Bobby Rydell. Bobby is currently at a point in his fabulous career where many a performer would give his eye teeth to be. But he is by no means tontent with his accomplishments. For Bobby, there are many peaks to be scaled. From the high point he has reached in his brief 21 years Bobby can look back on:

• A bew gut recird for Cameo, "Butterfly Baby."
• A sensational performance in Columbia Pictures' Bye, Bye Birdie.
• The possibility of a new TV show, Rockabye the Infantry, for Screen Gems, with William Bendix and Fred Clark.

But with all this under his belt, Bobby isn't even stopping to catch his breath. He's too busy!

And he's still the same "nice guy" he was when his dad got him started in show business at the tender age of 9. Not long ago, Bobby very carefully gave credit to his pal Bobby Darin for helping him out during his debut at the Copacabana night club in New York. Bobby's publicity people ran into difficulty getting the columnists out to see Bobby's act and reviewing it in their newspapers. So the office sent out an SOS to Bobby Darin in Hollywood. Darin made a few phone calles and wielded his influence, and a short time later Bobby Rydell was getting the raves he deserbed.

People in show business have always shown a willingness to give a helping hand to Bobby Rydell, beginning with Paul Whiteman.

Bobby 's father first thought of the possibility of Bobby becoming an entertainer after he watched his young son mimic a number of TV performers with great exactness. Convinced that his son had talent, he took. Bobby the Paul Whiteman TV Teen Club for an auditioned when the boy was nine years old. "Pops" Whiteman liked the youngster's imitations, thought he had a real flair for shwomanship, and signed him to the show.

In the thirteen years since his show business debut, Bobby Rydell -- he changed his name at Whitemen's suggestio -- has come a long way. Today the handsome athletic young entertainer has fulfilled his dad's daydream...with interest! He's appeared on almost every major TV show, and is tagged as one of the top young singers in the nation.

Teenagers sigh and scream when he performs, and avidly gobble up his records; veteran entertainers and disc promoters praise his singing talent, say he's a "natural" as showman and performer. Reed Skelton, Danny Thomas and George Burns think he's a "natural comic." And manager Frankie Day's hapy grin says that the long, hard hours of coaching and preparation seem worthwhile.

Bobby Rydell, who is considered the "King of the Teens," is one of today's tune-talented teenagers who is climbing high on a sold support of musical training and experience. After his initial success with Whiteman, young Bobby started entertaining in local Philly nightclubs, always accompanied by his dad. His repertoire -- imitations of various singers and actors -- Johnnie Ray, Sammy Davis, Jr., (his idol), Red Skelton, Louis Prima, Jerry Lewis and a host of others.

"I remember," Bobby smiles as he says, "how nervous I would be before a show, but as soon as I saw how nice the audience was, I'd forget to be afraid and have a wonderful time myself. Those nightclub audiences were always great. I guess they thought a ten-year-old kid imitating a grown man was cute." Says a Philadelphian who remembers Boobies act, "Cute, nothing! The kid got ovations because he was darned good!"

A few years later, Bobby joined a rock 'n roll group called Rocco and the Saints. One of his teammates and buddies: a young trumpet playing-singer named Frankie Avalon. It was when he was 15 years old and performing with this group at a New Jersey night club that Bobby met Frankie Day -- an introduction that was to really launch his entertainment career.

"We were on the same bill with a group called Dave ("Bunnyhop") Apple and the Applejacks," Bobby recalls. "While we were performing, I noticed that the Applejack' bass player, Frankie Day, was watching me closely. Later, he talked to me and my dad about my making a record. I think Dad was even more excited than I," he grins. "I remember saying 'sure' and I guess Dad and I had both decided at the same time that we wanted Frankie as my manager."

While he recognized a basic raw talent in Bobby, Frankie wisely decided to make Bobby into a polished performer before he cut any discs. He set up a rigid, grinding schedule for his young protege: dancing lessons, vocal coaching, guitar and drum practice, adding bass lessons a few months later...all the little things whose perfection makes the difference between a real performer and an amateur. He also arranged for Bobby to sign a long-term recording contract with Cameo Records. The hard work paid off.

Bobby's first disc, "Please Don't Be Mad," met with modest success. His second, a tow-sided single ballad, "All I want is You," backed with a catch calypso, "For You, For You," exploded him into the pop world. The song hits that followed made record industry history. He was established as a recording star!

But the lessons continued, even when success was his. Red Skelton invited Bobby back to his TV programs three times in one season -- so did Perry Como. Between his hectic TV schedule, and event-filled personal appearance trip around the world, and time-consuming rehearsals for his nightclub act, Bobby signed a non-exclusive seven-year movie contract with Columbia Pictures. Bue, Bye Birdie is his first film debut for the studio.

Where will Bobby go from here? The sky is the limit, for to parahrase Al Jolson, "This is only the beginning!"