When The New York Post published a story that a new coffee-table book, Bandstand Diaries, revealed stories about the secret gay lives of some of the dancers, sales of the book went through the roof.

PHILADELPHIA — Thom Cardwell, 79, of Philadelphia, a screenwriter, film producer, queer icon, and local celebrity, died Jan. 2 in Germantown after a yearlong battle with health complications. A ...

He joined “American Bandstand” in 1956 after Bob Horn, who’d been the host since its 1952 debut, was fired. A year later, Clark integrated the show with black dancers. “It still wasn’t acceptable for ...