Music in Maine

Along side party guests, Dave Astor and Esta Astor (center) blow out candles on a Dave Astor Show anniversary cake.

The Dave Astor Show aired on WCSH, Portland's NBC affiliate, through 1971. Originally titled "For Teenagers Only," Astor's program first broadcast on WGAN (now WGME). It moved to WCSH by 1963.

Willie Stewart, a student at Deering High School and a regular on the Dave Astor Show, is shown doing the twist on a piano in May 1962.

In addition to regular guests like Stewart, students from Kennebunk High School were also featured on this episode.

By 1962, the Astor show had been on the air for six years and was an established local favorite.

Connie Bruley and Sharon Morris, two performers on Portland's Dave Astor Show, pose with Astor in the early 1960s. Dave Astor's television program featured local teenagers dancing and singing along to popular hits and is often described as a local version of Dick Clark's American Bandstand.

Originally named For Teenagers Only, the program was broadcast from 1956 to 1971 and filmed in its early years in the Congress Square Hotel. Astor was known for the high standards he set for performers, some of whom went on to professional careers.

Mary Lou Hatch, Ellen Warren, Don Brown and Stan York, all regulars on the Dave Astor Show, were from among the students from local high schools including Portland High School and Thornton Academy in Saco, who danced to popular music on the show.

The Dave Astor Show began when WGAN (now WGME) executives invited Astor, a car salesman, to create a family show of his own design. He said he called the program For Teenagers Only because, "I considered everyone a pre-teenager, a teenager, or a post-teenager because they control what goes on in the house."

An American Bandstand-type program, The Dave Astor Show aired in Maine on Saturday afternoons from 1956 through 1971.

On March 31, 1962, Freeport High School students were guests on the show. In this photo, host Dave Astor talked with series regular Pam Johnson.

The Dave Astor Show aired on WCSH, Portland's NBC affiliate, from 1956 through 1971. Originally titled "For Teenagers Only," Astor's program was first broadcast on WGAN (WGME) and moved to WCSH in 1963.

Local television personality Dave Astor talks with Deering High School students and featured guests during a taping of The Dave Astor Show at the WCSH-TV studios in Portland. The Dave Astor Show featured local area high school students on its weekly program. On April 7, 1962, students from Deering High School were on set.

An American-bandstand type program, The Dave Astor Show aired locally each week on Saturday afternoons from 1956 through 1971.

The Dave Astor Show was a locally produced television program featuring high school students from surrounding schools. Series regulars, such as Lorraine Edwards on the left, pantomimed a duet on set.

The Dave Astor Show aired from 1956 through 1971.

The Dave Astor Show was a locally produced television program which featured high school students from surrounding schools. On the March 24, 1962 episode, Mechanic Falls High School student guests were on set.

The Dave Astor Show aired on local affiliates from 1956 through 1971.

The Dave Astor Show was a locally (Portland) produced television program featuring high school students from surrounding schools. On April 14, 1962, Lewiston School student guests appear with a stereo and album, likely as part of a sponsor promotion.

The Dave Astor Show aired from 1956 through 1971.

The Dave Astor Show was a locally (Portland) produced television program featuring high school students from surrounding schools. Student guests examined a sponsor's album display while on set on March 24, 1962. This episode featured Mechanic Falls High School Students.

The Dave Astor Show aired from 1956 through 1971.

The Dave Astor Show was a locally produced television program featuring high school students from surrounding schools. Four South Portland High School student guests performed as a quartet during the March 17, 1962 episode.

Originally known as "For Teenagers Only," The Dave Astor Show aired from 1956 through 1971.

The on-set audience of The Dave Astor Show surrounded a Lewiston High School student performer on the April 14, 1962 episode.

The Dave Astor Show aired from 1956 through 1971. Originally titled "For Teenagers Only," Astor's program was first broadcast on WGAN (which became WGME). It moved to WCSH by 1963.

Local area high school students were chosen each week to appear as guests. This episode featured Lewiston students.

The Dave Astor Show was a locally produced television program featuring high school students from surrounding schools. The program aired its final show on June 26, 1971. Series regulars and past guests returned for a final celebration.

The program, which reached nearly 35,000 Portland area homes at times, began on WGAN-TV in 1955 and later moved to WCSH-TV.

The Dave Astor Showaired on WCSH, Portland's NBC affiliate, from 1956 through 1971. Originally titled "For Teenagers Only," Astor's program was first broadcast on WGAN (now WGME) and moved to WCSH by 1963.

In the earlier years, student guests performed pantomimes of popular songs. Later in the program's run, the show featured live music.