Donny and Marie – Behind the Music

Airdate: August 22, 1999 on VH-1 (cable music channel)

Executive Producer: Gay Rosenthal
Director: Jill Modabber
Narrator: Jim Forbes

Behind the Music is a regular series on VH-1 that focuses on the career of one performer or group per show. This particular edition covered Donny and Marie Osmond’s upbringing and fabulous show business careers from their youth right up to the present.

The Dapper Dans (John Borneman, Roger Axworthy, Fred Frank, T.J. Marker) are seen in Osmond home movie footage from the summer of 1961 as they perform on Main Street for the Osmond Brothers boys quartet. This was the day that would become instrumental in the Osmond Brothers’ road to stardom when the Dapper Dans helped them get "discovered." George and Olive Osmond took their boys to Disneyland after a cancelled audition in Hollywood for The Lawrence Welk Show.

After meeting and singing for the Dapper Dans on Main Street, the quartet took the boys to their Entertainment Director Tommy Walker who got them an audition for Walt Disney. After appearing in Disneyland After Dark, the Osmond Brothers then went on to be regulars on The Andy Williams Show, gaining widespread fame. Donny Osmond (at the time not yet singing with his older brothers) mentions the Dapper Dans by name in an interview with VH-1.

Donny Osmond: "And there was a barbershop quartet called the Dapper Dans, and they asked my brothers if they sang."
Marie Osmond: "They said, ‘yeah!’ and they started gathering this huge crowd, and their managers saw it and took them in and said, ‘Will you guys be in a little video [Disneyland After Dark] for Disney?"
Alan Osmond: "That was the show that Andy Williams’ father saw."

John Borneman (tenor), Roger Axworthy (lead),
Fred Frank (baritone), T.J. Marker (bass)
Osmond family home movie footage of the Dapper Dans on Main Street performing
"Carry Me Back To Old Virginny." Summer, 1961

Dapper Dan baritone Fred Frank (far right) admires the Osmond Brothers as they perform for a captivated audience on Main Street at Disneyland in this Osmond home movie footage. Summer, 1961

Home movie footage of The Osmond Brothers performing on The Golden Horseshoe stage in Frontierland at Disneyland in the early 1960s. They performed at many locations around the park. From left to right: Allan (bass), Wayne (baritone), Merrill (tenor), Jay (lead). The logo on the curtain is Pepsi Cola, the sponsor of The Golden Horseshoe at the time.

Performing at a chapter show in the Far Western District of SPEBSQSA.

Making their debut on The Andy Williams Show. They were a huge success, getting much fan mail which caused the producers to bring them back for more shows and an eventual regular role on the show.