Fabian Forte

Fabian Forte was born on February 6, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born to Italian-American parents, he is the son of Josephine and Dominic Forte. His father was a Philadelphia police officer.{{cite book| first=John| last=Tobler| year=1992| title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years| edition=1st| publisher=Reed International Books Ltd| location=London| page=68| id=CN 5585| isbn=978-0-6005-7602-0}} He is the eldest of three brothers and grew up in the South Philadelphia's Lower Moyamensing neighborhood.

Forte was discovered in 1957 by Bob Marcucci and Peter DeAngelis, owners of Chancellor Records. At the time, record producers were looking to the South Philadelphia neighborhoods in search of teenage talents with good looks.

Marcucci was a friend of Fabian's next-door neighbor. One day, Fabian's father had a heart attack, and, while he was being taken away in an ambulance, Marcucci spotted Fabian. Fabian later recalled, "He kept staring at me and looking at me. I had a crew cut, but this was the day of Rick Nelson and Elvis. He comes up and says to me, 'So if you're ever interested in the rock and roll business...' and hands me his card. I looked at the guy like he was out of his mind. I told him, 'Leave me alone. I'm worried about my dad.'"[http://www.popentertainment.com/fabian.htm Fabian Forte interview]. PopEntertainment.com (2007-09-19). Retrieved on 2015-05-29.

When Fabian's father returned from the hospital he was unable to work, so when Marcucci persisted, Fabian and his family were amenable, and he agreed to record a single. Frankie Avalon, also of South Philadelphia, suggested Forte as a possibility. Fabian later said, "They gave me a pompadour and some clothes and those goddamned white bucks and out I went."{{cite news| url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20113193,00.html| title=Where Are They Now?| magazine=People| date=1992-07-27| access-date=2015-05-29| archive-date=2015-04-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133102/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20113193,00.html| url-status=dead}} "He was the right look and right for what we were going for", wrote Marcucci later.[http://www.classicbands.com/FabianInterview.html Interview With Fabian Forte]. Classicbands.com; retrieved 2015-05-29.

File:Ed Sullivan Fabian The Ed Sullivan Show 1959.jpg, 1959]]

Fabian was given an allowance from the record company of $30 a week ({{Inflation|US|30|1957|fmt=eq}}). He also kept working part-time at a pharmacy as well as studying at South Philadelphia High School, while practicing his singing. Fabian later said "I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew my goal, to try to make extra money. That meant a lot to our family. I rehearsed and rehearsed, and I really felt like a fish out of water. And we made a record. And it was horrible. Yet it got on Georgie Woods. For some reason, Georgie Woods played it."

The song was "Shivers", which was a local hit in Chicago. This helped Fabian meet Dick Clark, who agreed to try Fabian at one of Clark's record hops, where singers would perform to teenage audiences. Fabian lip synched to a song and Clark wrote "the little girls at the hop went wild. They started screaming and yelling for this guy who didn't do a thing but stand there. I've never seen anything like it." Clark told Marcucci "you got a hit, he's a star. Now all you have to do is teach him to sing."{{cite book| title=Rock, Roll & Remember| url=https://archive.org/details/rockrollremember0000clar| page=59| publisher=Crowell| year=1976| isbn=978-0-6900-1184-5}}

Clark eventually put the young singer on American Bandstand where he sang "I'm in Love". Fabian later admitted this song "was not very good either"{{cite magazine| url=http://www.goldminemag.com/article/a-tale-of-two-idols-fabian-and-neil-sedaka| title=Fabian, Neil Sedaka took different paths to teen-idol status| magazine=Goldmine| date=February 15, 2012| access-date=2022-03-01}} but "the response – they told me – was overwhelming. I had no idea. All during that period, I was doing record hops. Not getting paid for it, but for the record company promotions. Just lip synching to my records. The response was really good."

Marcucci gave a song written by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus to Fabian, "I'm a Man" (not the Bo Diddley hit), which Fabian later said he "liked a lot and was very comfortable with. It was giving me more experience, but I still felt like a fish out of water."

Pomus' biographer later wrote Fabian's "labored reading of a macho lyric lent him a vulnerability that couldn't have been missed by his pubescent fans."Halberstadt p 111 The song made the top 40.

Marcucci heavily promoted Fabian's next single, "Turn Me Loose", using a series of advertisements saying "Fabian Is Coming", then "Who is Fabian?" then finally "Fabian is Here".{{cite news| author=Grimes, William| date=2011-03-18| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01EEDA1E3EF93BA25750C0A9679D8B63| title=Bob Marcucci, 81, Backer Of Fabian and Frankie Avalon – Obituary| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=2015-05-29}} It worked and "Turn Me Loose" went into the Top Ten, peaking at number 9.{{cite book| first=Thomas| last=Doherty| title=Teenagers And Teenpics: Juvenilization Of American Movies| publisher=Temple University Press| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FxvntQaGcgC&q=fabian| date=June 4, 2010| page=175| isbn=978-1-5921-3787-9}}Halberstadt p. 113

This was later followed by "Hound Dog Man", (US #9; UK #46),{{cite book| first=David| last=Roberts| year=2006| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCM5AQAAIAAJ&q=editions:Xr7TDBZfCXcC| title=British Hit Singles & Albums| edition=19th| publisher=Guinness World Records Limited| location=London| isbn=978-1-9049-941-07| page=192}} and his biggest hit, "Tiger",{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19761/m1/ |title=Show 12 – Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 2] }} which reached No. 3 on the US charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.{{cite book| first=Joseph| last=Murrells| year=1978| title=The Book of Golden Discs| edition=2nd| publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location=London| page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/113 113]| isbn=978-0-2142-0480-7| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/113}}

A review in Variety of a concert featuring Fabian in early 1959 declared the singer "was undoubtedly the standout of the show, who floors the kids with his gyrations and groans of “Hard Headed Woman,” “I'm a Man,” “Turn Me Loose” and, for an encore, “Stop Thief”."{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Fabian's Fx, Brooklyn|date=1 April 1959|page=62|url=https://archive.org/details/variety214-1959-04/page/n61/mode/1up?}}

Other singles that charted included "String Along", "About This Thing Called Love" (written by a man who went on a crime spree{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1961-11/page/n304/mode/1up?|magazine=Variety|title=Philly songwriter who cleffed Fabian song|date=29 November 1961|page=1}}) and "This Friendly World", which reached No. 12 on the US charts. At age 15, he won the Silver Award as "The Promising Male Vocalist of 1958". His first album, Hold That Tiger reached the top 15 within two weeks.{{cite news| author=Daly, Sheila John| title=New Idol of the Rock 'in' Roll Set| newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune| date=June 7, 1959| page=C 18| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96750069/chicago-tribune/| access-date=March 1, 2022}} The song "Think of Me", although it did not chart in the US, was a big hit in some Asian countries including Sri Lanka in 1964. A review of Hold That Tiger in Variety stated, "Fabian is a hardbelting rocking singer who has the faculty of projecting his emotions. Fabian's voice is only adequate but be delivers with a beat that is undeniably commercial. Fine backing by combo and chorus lend an important assist."{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Hold That Tiger|date=13 May 1959|url=https://archive.org/details/variety214-1959-05/page/n117/mode/2up?|department=Album reviews|page=54}}

In October 1959, he toured five major cities in Australia{{Cite news |date=1959-10-14 |title=FABIAN IS ON HIS WAY |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47511348 |access-date=2024-07-10 |work=Australian Women's Weekly}}{{Cite web |title=FABIAN Forte And the lesson he was taught - The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) - 28 Oct 1959 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44799325 |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Trove |language=en}} including several concerts in Sydney that were turned into the Australian film, Rock 'n' Roll. Due to a contractual dispute, however, his appearance was quickly removed from the film. That same year, Forte told a judge he was earning $250,000 a year ({{Inflation|US|250000|1959|fmt=eq|r=-3}}){{cite news| title=Fabian Given Legal Approval for New Movie| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=December 19, 1962| page=27| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96750251/the-los-angeles-times/}} though an earlier report put this at $137,000.{{cite magazine| magazine=Variety| url=https://archive.org/details/variety220-1960-11/page/n218?q=fabian+marcucci| page=1| date=23 November 1960| title=Fiscal Facts About Fabian}} He kept up his studies and graduated from high school in June 1960.{{cite news| first=Thomas| last=Macdonald| title='Old Grad' Crosby Cuts A New Campus Caper| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/04/24/archives/-old-grad-crosby-cuts-a-new-campus-caper.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=April 24, 1960| page=X 9| url-access=subscription}}

During the payola scandal of the 1960s, Forte testified before Congress that his recordings had been doctored electronically to "significantly improve his voice".{{cite book| last1=Bogdanov| first1=Vladimir| last2=Woodstra| first2=Chris| last3=Erlewine| first3=Stephen Thomas| title=All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&q=payola| publisher=Hal Leonard Corp| year=2002| page=384| isbn=978-0-8793-0653-3}}{{cite web| url=http://www.music.com/person/fabian/1/biography| title=Fabian| website=music.com| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311064716/http://www.music.com/person/fabian/1/biography/| archive-date=11 March 2007| date=July 31, 2010}}

His career in music basically ended when he was 18 after he bought out of his contract{{cite web| url=http://www.storyofthestars.com/fabian.htm| title=The Music Index – Fabian Interview| publisher=Story Of The Stars| access-date=2012-04-11| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310070932/http://www.storyofthestars.com/fabian.htm| archive-date=2012-03-10| url-status=dead}} with Marcucci for $65,000.{{cite news| author=Hopper, Hedda| author-link=Hedda Hopper| title=Fabian Chucked His Singing Career To Follow a Dream| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96752056/san-antonio-express/| newspaper=San Antonio Express| date=August 2, 1964| page=6 H}} This was announced in July 1963.{{cite magazine|title=Fabian to merc|page=57|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1963-07/page/n121/mode/2up?|date=July 1963}}

In 1974, he said, "I felt controlled. I felt like a puppet. It was frightening, like a three-year nightmare."{{cite news| first=Dennis| last=Hunt| title=Fabian Back in Singing Biz| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96752265/the-los-angeles-times/| date=July 5, 1974| page=F 11}}

Marcucci later admitted to punching Fabian on one occasion when the singer sat in the aisle of a movie theater, not in the middle of the row like Marcucci had asked; Fabian was spotted by a teenage fan who screamed. Marcucci was angry that he did not see the film and hit the singer.{{cite news| author=Farley, Ellen| title=The Story Of Frank And Fabe And Bob| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96752827/the-los-angeles-times/| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=November 23, 1980| page=X 30}} In 1963, he signed a contract with Dot Records.{{cite news| author=Hopper, Hedda| title=Fabian's Forte May Be Singing--Acting Is Next| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=April 21, 1963| page=N 6}} He spent the next thirteen years concentrating on acting.

Fabian later said in 1971 that "I must say I never knew [Marcucci] to cheat me out of any money due me and he never promised me anything he didn't deliver." He stated he left his manager because "all the songs were sounding the same. So I bought myself out of the contract. It cost me plenty – a lot more than I thought it would."{{cite web| url=https://archive.org/stream/cashbox33unse_24#page/14/mode/1up/search/%22love+in+a+goldfish+bowl%22| website=Cash Box| date=18 December 1971| page=14| title=Hollywood Hold That Tiger}}

20th Century-Fox had enjoyed success casting teen idol pop stars in movies, such as Elvis Presley and Pat Boone. They decided to do the same thing with Fabian and signed him to a long-term contract. His first leading role was Hound-Dog Man (1959), based on the novel by Fred Gipson (who had written Old Yeller) and directed by Don Siegel. He co-starred with the more experienced Stuart Whitman and sang several songs, including the title track. The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film featured a photo of Forte's screen test where he appeared in the same outfit that Elvis Presley wore in Fox's Love Me Tender.Weldon, Michael, Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film 1987 Ballantine Books "Acting came natural to me. I don't know why", Fabian later said.

Fabian's recording of the Hound Dog Man title song was a top ten hit but the film was not a financial success – in contrast to Presley and Boone's first films. The studio, however, tried again in two smaller roles, supporting a bigger star – High Time, with Bing Crosby, and North to Alaska, with John Wayne. Both films were popular especially the latter and in November 1960 his contract with the studio was amended with an increase in salary – it was now a seven-year deal with an option for two films a year.{{cite news|title=Fabian Signs Contract for Seven Years|work="The Washington Post|date=November 26, 1960|page=A15}} He later said that "acting wasn't like the singing, because it was very private – quiet on the set. No screaming [teenage fans]. It was a wonderful experience. I got to meet and work with John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Peter Lorre. Elvis came over to meet me when I was on the lot. Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood and Gary Cooper were also on the lot. I was on the plane with Marlon Brando for eight hours coming back from Tahiti."{{cite web| url=http://www.popentertainment.com/fabian.htm| title=Fabian Forte interview| website=PopEntertainment.com| date=2007-09-19| access-date=2016-03-14}}

The Fox contract included television series as well as films. Fabian was cast by director Robert Altman as a psychotic killer in "A Lion Walks Among Us", an episode of the television series Bus Stop. This episode was highly controversial due to its violent content, with many affiliates refusing to run the program, so much so, that it was even mentioned in the US Senate.Laurent, Lawrence. "New Chief at ABC Indicates a Change", The Washington Post, March 21, 1962, pg. C 8. However, the series was good for Fabian's acting career, and saw him regarded with more respect.{{cite news| author=Humphrey, Hal| title=Bus Stop Flop Flips Fabian Into High Gear| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=June 17, 1962| page=N19}} He later said he regarded this as his best performance.Mitchell Zuckoff, The Oral History of Robert Altman, p 115-116

Paramount borrowed him from Fox to co-star with teen idol Tommy Sands in Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961). In 1961, Bob Marcucci announced that Fabian and Avalon would star in Virginia Ridge by Clarence Fillmore about the Battle of New Market, where Virginia Military cadets took on union soldiers.{{cite news| author=Scheuer, P. K.| title='A fever in blood' ingenious in plot| date=January 26, 1961| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| id={{ProQuest|167817748}}}} The movie was never made. In April 1961 Fox announced Fabian would star in Blue Denim Baby and Bachelor Flat; the former was never made and the latter was made with Richard Beymer.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1961-04/page/n3/mode/1up|date=5 April 1961|title=20th Fox decision|page=4}}

Instead Fabian co-starred opposite Tuesday Weld in an episode of The Dick Powell Show, titled "Run Till It's Dark". In Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962), he romanced (and sang with) the daughter of a family man played by James Stewart; this was a big hit. So too was The Longest Day (1962), Fox's all-star epic about the D-Day landings; Fabian appeared among a number of other teen idols as US Rangers. Less popular, though still widely seen, was Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962), Irwin Allen's take on Jules Verne; Fabian sang one song but again it was a supporting role.

In April August 1961 Fabian had to go to court to get his contract with Fox approved. It was for six years, covering nine films for a gross sum of $545,000.{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1961-08/page/n106/mode/1up?|magazine=Variety|date=9 August 1961|title=Orphans court learns of 20ths deal with Fabian|page=3}}

In October 1962 Fabian changed management to Jack Spina, who managed Pat Boone.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1962-10/page/n194/mode/1up?|date=17 October 1962|title=Jack Spina now holds Fabian managerial reins|page=41}}

When Fox temporarily shut down following cost overruns on Cleopatra, Fabian was one of the first actors whose options were exercised after the studio re-opened. He was to have supported Stewart again in Take Her, She's Mine (1963) but did not appear in the final film. Samuel Z. Arkoff of American International Pictures said he wanted Fabian to play the lead in Beach Party (1963) but was unable to do it because of his Fox contract.Arkoff, Samuel Z. & Richard Turbo, Flying Through Hollywood By the Seat of My Pants, Birch Lane Press, 1992, pg. 129 Filmink argued the film might not have been as successful with Fabian in it.{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=4 December 2024|magazine=Filmink|title=Beach Party: An Appreciation|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/beach-party-an-appreciation/|access-date=11 December 2024}}

Fabian had not become a film star but was in demand as an actor, appearing in episodes of series like The Virginian, Wagon Train, The Greatest Show on Earth and The Eleventh Hour. Variety described his performance in Wagon Train as "most effective".{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1963-09/page/n180/mode/1up?|title=Wagon Train|date=18 September 1963|page=29}}

He had a good role in a surf movie made for Columbia, Ride the Wild Surf (1964) (with Tab Hunter), and was reunited with James Stewart for Fox's Dear Brigitte (1965) – the film failed to repeat the success of Hobbs. Harry Alan Towers cast him as one of the victims in Ten Little Indians (1965).

In October 1965, Fox announced it had picked up Fabian's option to make three more films for the studio, starting with Custer's Last Stand.{{cite news|author=Martin, Betty|title='Waterloo' Set Next Year|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 7, 1965|page=D16}} However, that film was not made and Fabian made no further films for Fox.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

In November 1965, he signed a seven-picture deal with American International Pictures (AIP).{{cite news|author=Martin, Betty|title='Bloomer Girl' on 20th Slate|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 29, 1965|page=C-23}} His first film for the company was alongside Beach Party stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in the 1966 stock car racing film Fireball 500. AIP then sent him to Italy to play a role originally intended for Avalon in Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), supporting Vincent Price and directed by Mario Bava. Back in the United States, he made another stock car racing film for AIP, Thunder Alley (1967), opposite Funicello and directed by Richard Rush. His fourth movie for AIP was Maryjane (1968), where Fabian played a school teacher fighting the evils of the marijuana trade.

He returned to racing car dramas with The Wild Racers (1968), partly financed by Roger Corman and shot in Europe. This was not a big hit on release but has developed a cult following; Quentin Tarantino described it as his favorite racing car movie.{{cite news|url=http://f1socialdiary.com/2013/08/21/quentin-tarantino-my-favourite-racing-movies/|title=QUENTIN TARANTINO: MY FAVOURITE RACING MOVIES|work=F1 Social Diary|date=August 21, 2013|access-date=July 5, 2014|archive-date=July 7, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140707073733/http://f1socialdiary.com/2013/08/21/quentin-tarantino-my-favourite-racing-movies/|url-status=dead}}

The Devil's 8 (1968) was an AIP rip-off of The Dirty Dozen (with a script co-written by John Milius). His seventh and final film for the studio was A Bullet for Pretty Boy (1970).

Fabian also played Josh Ashley in Little Laura and Big John (1973) for Crown International Pictures.

He performed in John Loves Mary in summer stock in 1962.{{cite news|title=Age Can't Wither|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 29, 1965|page=C11}}

Forte later admitted the pressures of his career and home life caused him to start drinking in the 1960s.Kiersh, Edward. Where Are You Now, Bo Diddley?: The Artists Who Made Us Rock and Where They Are Now, Random House (2010). {{ISBN|978-0-307-76844-5}} From June 1969 onwards he was billed as "Fabian Forte".{{cite news|title=Fabian Makes It Legal – It's Fabian Forte|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 7, 1969|page=A-9}}

In 1973, he began singing again. To raise his profile, he posed nude for Playgirl magazine. "I knew it was a mistake the minute I saw the thing sold in a paper bag. I could barely live with myself."

In January 1974, he started an act at the MGM-Grand in Las Vegas.{{cite news|title=Diamond boycotts 'Jonathan' premiere|author=Norma Lee Browning|work=Chicago Tribune|date=November 1, 1973|page=b14}} He was managed at this stage by Allan Carr. In March 1974, he performed at the Blue Max of the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago. A review said "he seems rather lost in the act he was putting on... he's giving it the old beach party try. But all that, unfortunately, can't distract for long from the basic lack of talent."{{cite news|title=Music: Fabian isn't exactly bobbin' along|author=Lynn Van Matre|work=Chicago Tribune|date=March 6, 1974|page=d6}} In October 1974, Carr – by then no longer his manager – said that Fabian was "a sensational lounge act in Nevada and shouldn't play anywhere else except on prom nights. He's not a middle of the road act in a middle of the road room. At the 12.30 am show at the Blue Max, when the conventioneers had had a few drinks it was terrific... This boy probably made $18,000 last year; this year he'll make about $270,000."{{cite news|title=Allan Carr, counselor to the stars|author=Clifford, Terry|work=Chicago Tribune|date=October 13, 1974|page=j18}}

He often performed in Las Vegas in the mid 1970s until he fell into difficulties with the authorities after attacking a Las Vegas district attorney, and resultant bankruptcy.{{cite book|last=Kiersh|first=Edward|title=Where Are You Now, Bo Diddley?: The Stars Who Made Us Rock and Where They Are Now|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-OjW6joAc0C&pg=PT163|date=29 December 2010|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-76844-5|page=163}}

He retired once more in 1977, then resumed performing in 1981.{{cite news|author=Bob Ross|title=Written Off 20 Years Ago, Fabian Is Back|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 11, 1983}} He never regained his teenage popularity, but has continued performing.

The film The Idolmaker (1980), written by Edward Di Lorenzo and the first feature film directed by Taylor Hackford, was a thinly disguised biography of Fabian (called Caesare in the film), as well as songwriter/producer Marcucci (called Vinnie Vacarri) and Frankie Avalon (called Tommy Dee). In the movie version, singer Caesare—a pretty boy with little singing talent—goes through a whirlwind of success in a short time, and in a fit of pique, he abruptly fires his songwriters and quits his record label. The real-life Fabian launched a $64 million lawsuit at the time of the picture's release, claiming the film made him look like "a totally manufactured singer, a mere pretty face without any singing ability or acting talent."{{cite news|author=Pollock, Dale|title=FILM CLIPS: PARAMOUNT'S EISNER CAN'T FIND A BOOTH|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 30, 1981|page=G-1}} The filmmakers insisted that the movie presented only fictional characters (although Marcucci was a paid consultant on the film). Forte claimed they settled out of court, where he and his wife received apologies and Marcucci's 7.5% ownership of the film passed to Forte.

He appeared in a 1982 television commercial for The Idols of Rock n' Roll and in the documentary film The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania (2005). In the 1980s, he developed some sitcoms for television.{{cite news|author=Van Matre, Lynn|title=FABIAN: Troubled Odyssey of a Teen-Age Heartthrob Fabian|work=Chicago Tribune/The Washington Post|date=July 31, 1983|page=C1}} Forte hosted and headlined in the hit show The Original Stars of Bandstand at The Dick Clark Theater in Branson, Missouri.[http://www.dickclarksabbranson.com Dick Clark's AB Theater – Branson Missouri], Dickclarksabbranson.com; retrieved 2015-05-29. The show starred Forte and Bobby Vee and featured The Chiffons, Brian Hyland, Chris Montez and rare footage of the performers and Dick Clark. As part of a long-running concert tour, Fabian has toured with fellow Philadelphian 1950s teen idols Bobby Rydell and Frankie Avalon as Dick Fox's Golden Boys.

On January 8, 2002, Forte was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his achievements in live theatre.

He was drafted, but rejected, for military service during the Vietnam War. According to USMC Lt. Col. Arthur Eppley, Forte was declared 4F (unfit for service).

In 1982, he was arrested for reportedly sticking his cigarette into a passenger {{clarify|date=March 2017}} who asked him to put out the cigarette in a non-smoking section of an aircraft. The passenger turned out to be a district attorney, but ultimately no charges were brought.

In 1978, Fabian was participating in a charity racing event in Watkins Glen, New York. He was practicing at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park under the instruction of professional driver Bill Simpson when he rolled his car and suffered minor cuts and bruises.{{cite news|title=LATE NEWS: Stocks Slump|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 14, 1978|page=A-1}}

In 1982, a jury found him 40% liable for the accident (Fabian testified that Simpson repeatedly urged him to drive faster while Simpson testified that Fabian suddenly accelerated wildly in spite of his orders to slow down).{{cite news|author=Doug Smith|title=Jury Splits Blame in Fabian Crash|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 11, 1982|page=sb1}} He received $32,000 in an out-of-court settlement ({{Inflation|US|32000|1982|fmt=eq|r=-3}}).{{cite news|author=Doug Smith|title=Fabian Settles Out of Court for $32,000|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 22, 1982|page=ws4}}

Forte has been married three times. His first marriage was to model Kathleen Regan in September 1966.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836465,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220082004/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836465,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 20, 2008|title=Milestones: Sep. 30, 1966|date=September 30, 1966|magazine=Time|access-date=December 24, 2012}} They had two children together, Christian and Julie, before separating in June 1975.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_xVaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NksNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3481,6370669&dq=fabian+forte+kathleen&hl=en|title=Fabian Forte, Wife Separate|date=June 27, 1975|work=Waycross Journal-Herald|page=10|access-date=December 24, 2012}} In October 1975, when Forte and Regan were estranged, he was arrested after an argument with her and her mother. He was accused of hitting them.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OD4pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5WUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2137,1244185&dq=fabian+arrested&hl=en|title=Fabian Arrested After Row|date=October 8, 1975|work=The Lewiston Daily Sun|page=14|access-date=December 24, 2012}} He was put on probation for two years. The couple divorced in 1979. "My fault", said Fabian.{{cite news|author=Lynn Van Matre|title=Fabian: A 'real perplexing 10 or 15 years': POP|work=Chicago Tribune|date=June 26, 1983|page=L 24}}

He married Kate Netter in 1980; they divorced in 1990.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

In 1998, he married Andrea Patrick, a former Bituminous Coal Queen and Miss Pennsylvania USA.{{cite news|title=Former Connellsville Beauty Queen weds Fabian|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=1998-09-22|first=Jean|last=Bryant|page=G 1}} He and Andrea were later sued for unpaid bills, by the resort where they were married .{{cite news| url=http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20001203fabian4.asp| title=How Fabian found peace (but not exactly quiet) in Fayette County| first=Cindi| last=Lash| newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| date=September 19, 1998| access-date=March 1, 2022}}

Fabian relocated from Los Angeles to southwestern Pennsylvania, to be closer to his wife's family; he and his wife were sued by the builder of their house, also for unpaid bills. They live on {{convert|20|acre|ha}} in Dunbar in a home that his wife designed. In 2013, he said he played "25 shows a year. It gets me out of the house ... I've never been happier. [At home] I ride my ATV and tractor and cut the grass. Where I grew up, there wasn't any grass."[http://blogs.sacbee.com/dining/archives/2013/03/lunch-at-waterb.html Appetizers: Lunch at Waterboy, a chat with former teen idol Fabian Forte] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201152935/http://blogs.sacbee.com/dining/archives/2013/03/lunch-at-waterb.html |date=2014-02-01 }}. Blogs.sacbee.com; retrieved 2015-05-29.

He and Andrea Patrick also work for Gladys Magazine.[http://www.gladysmagazine.com/homepage/our-staff Our Staff]. Gladysmagazine.com. Retrieved on 2015-05-29.

Fabian and Andrea Forte are actively involved in the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association and Forte has helped raise money for veterans with his Celebrity Golf Tournament in North Carolina.

All albums use Forte's mononymous name Fabian. Before going to Chancellor records, Forte cut two albums on his own, one of which contained the original version of the song "Old Time Rock and Roll", but both albums were commercial failures.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

• Hold That Tiger (May 1959)
• The Fabulous Fabian (November 1959)
• The Fabian Facade: Young and Wonderful (1959){{cite news| url=https://archive.org/details/variety220-1960-11/page/n113?q=fabian+marcucci| title=Album Reviews| date=November 9, 1060| page=50| magazine=Variety}}
• The Good Old Summertime (1960)
• Rockin' Hot (1961)
• Fabian's 16 Fabulous Hits (1962)
• Fabulously Grateful (1963)

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Hound-Dog Man (1959) – Clint McKinney
• High Time (1960) – Gil Sparrow
• North to Alaska (1960) – Billy Pratt
• Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961) – Giuseppe La Barba
• Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) – Joe Carmody
• Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) – Jacques
• The Longest Day (1962) – U.S. Army Ranger
• Ride the Wild Surf (1964) – Jody Wallis
• Dear Brigitte (1965) – Kenneth 'Kenny' Taylor
• Ten Little Indians (1965) – Mike Raven
• Fireball 500 (1966) – Sonny Leander
• Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966) – Bill Dexter
• Thunder Alley (1967) – Tommy Callahan
• Maryjane (1968) – Phil Blake
• The Wild Racers (1968) – Joe Joe Quillico
• The Devil's 8 (1969) – Sonny
• A Bullet for Pretty Boy (1970) – Charles Arthur 'Pretty Boy' Floyd
• The Hard Ride (1971) – Police officer (uncredited)
• Soul Hustler (1976) – Matthew Crowe
• Little Laura and Big John (1973) – John
• Getting Married (aired 17 May 1978 TV movie) – Wayne Spanka
• Katie: Portrait of a Centrefold (aired 23 October 1978 TV movie) – Emcee
• Disco Fever (1978) – Richie Desmond
• Crisis in Mid-Air (aired 13 February 1979 TV movie) – Billy Coleman
• Kiss Daddy Goodbye (1981) – Deputy Blanchard
• American Pop (1981)
• Get Crazy (1983) – Marv
• Runaway Daughters (aired 12 August 1994 TV movie) – Mr. Rusoff
• Up Close & Personal (1996)[http://www.fabianforte.net/movies.htm Fabian's Movies]. Fabianforte.net. Retrieved on 2015-05-29. – Himself
• Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story (aired 31 October 1999)

{{div col end}}

• Bus Stop – 2 December 1961 – episode "A Lion Walks Among Us"
• The Gertrude Berg Show – 8 February 1962 – episode "Peace Corps"
• The Dick Powell Show – 9 October 1962 – episode "Run Till It's Dark" with Tuesday Weld
• The Virginian – 23 January 1963 – episode "Say Goodbye to All That" – with Lee J. Cobb
• Wagon Train – 16 September 1963 – episode "Molly Kincaid Story" w/Barbara Stanwyck, Carolyn Jones
• The Greatest Show on Earth – 29 October 1963 – "Uncaged"
• The Eleventh Hour – 22 January 1964 – episode "You're So Smart, Why Can't You Be Good?" – with Fay Wray
• The Virginian – 6 January 1965 – episode "Two Men Named Laredo"
• Daniel Boone (1964 TV series) – 9 December 1965 – Season 2 Episode 12 "The First Beau" – David Ellis with Veronica Cartwright
• The Virginian – 2 October 1966 – "The Outcast"
• The Rat Patrol – 30 January 1967 – "The B Negative Raid"
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1967) – episode "Wipeout"
• The F.B.I. – 3 January 1971 – episode "Unknown Victim" – with Tom Skerritt{{cite news| title=3 Sign for 'Victim' Episode of The FBI| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=November 3, 1970| page=F 12}}
• Love, American Style – 23 February 1973 – episode "Love and the Crisis Line/Love and the Happy Family/Love and the Vertical Romance" – with Ed Begley Jr.
• Laverne & Shirley – 22 November 1977 – episode "Laverne and Shirley Meet Fabian"
• The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries – 26 February 1978 – episode "Mystery on the Avalanche Express" – with Deborah Walley
• Fantasy Island (1980) – episode "PlayGirl/Smith's Valhalla" – with Leslie Nielsen{{cite news| title=Guest List for 'Fantasy Island'| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=January 7, 1980| page=E 18}}
• The Love Boat – 20 February 1982 – episode "New York, A.C./Live It Up/All's Fair in Love and War" – with Edd Byrnes, Jill St. John, Bobby Sherman and Annette Funicello
• New Love, American Style – 3 January 1986 – "Love and the Girl of My Dreams"
• The Facts of Life – 21 February 1987 – "62 Pick Up"
• Rags to Riches – 5 April 1987 – episode "Business is Business"
• Amen – 30 March 1991 – episode "Deak Scam"
• The Wild West – 22 March 1993 – documentary (Fabian co-executive produced)
• Blossom – 14 & 21 February 1994 "Beach Blanket Blossom"
• Murphy Brown – 6 April 1998 – episode "Opus One" with Chubby Checker and Lesley Gore

• American Bandstand – 19 June 1958 – sang "I'm in Love"
• American Bandstand – 20 June 1958 – sang "I'm in Love" again
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 28 June 1958 – sang "I'm in Love" – with Paul Anka
• American Bandstand – 30 June 1958 – did not sing
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 13 September 1958 – sang "Lilly Lou"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 6 December 1958 – sang "I'm a Man"
• American Bandstand – 12 December 1958 – sang "I'm a Man"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 17 January 1959 – sang "I'm a Man" and "Hypnotised"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 7 March 1959 – sang "Turn Me Loose" and "Stop Thief!"
• American Bandstand – 12 March 1959 – sang "Turn Me Loose"
• The Perry Como Show – 4 April 1959 – sang "Turn Me Loose"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 18 April 1959 – sang "Turn Me Loose" and "Hold Me in Your Arms"
• The Ed Sullivan Show – 24 May 1959
• The Ed Sullivan Show – 21 June 1959
• This Is Your Life – Dick Clark – 24 June 1959
• American Bandstand 2nd Anniversary Show – 5 August 1959 – makes congratulatory phone call
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 22 August 1959 – sang "Got the Feeling" and "Come On and Get Me"
• The Red Skelton Show – "Freddie and Fabian" – 11 November 1959 – sang "This Friendly World"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 14 November 1959 – sang "Hound Dog Man"
• What's My Line? – 15 November 1959 – as the mystery guest
• "Startime" The Dean Martin Variety House – 12 January 1960 – sings "I Love the Love" (with Martin) and "All of Me"
• The Red Skelton Show – 2 February 1960 – appears in a sketch and sings "About This Thing Called Love"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 12 March 1960 – sings "String Along" and "About This Thing Called Love"
• The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show – 27 August 1960 – sings "King of Love" and "Tomorrow"
• The Perry Como Show – 5 October 1960 – sings "Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech", "Buckle Down Winsocki Buckle Down", "Saturday Afternoon Before The Game" (with Frankie Avalon and Como), "Long Before"
• American Bandstand – 16 December 1960 – sang "Kissin' and Twistin'" and "Long Before"
• Candid Camera – 1961 – goes to Hackensack High School in Hackensack, New Jersey where he is introduced to a female student to see their reaction
• Here's Hollywood – 3 August 1961 – guest on talk show
• The New March of Dimes: The Scene Stealers – 2 January 1962 – guest star on charity revue
• American Bandstand – 30 November 1962
• Pantomime Quiz – 26 August 1963 – Julie London v Fabian
• Fractured Flickers – 1963 – special guest
• American Bandstand – 8 August 1964 – sang "Cream Puff"
• American Bandstand – 22 August 1964
• Hollywood Squares – 1–5 May 1967
• Hollywood Squares – 25–29 September 1967
• Tattletales – 1974: one week/5 episodes with first wife Katie
• Good Old Days – 11 October 1977 – with Dick Clark and Frankie Avalon
• Rock and Rollers – 1978
• Sorority '62 – 1978
• Hollywood Squares – 1979
• Rock and Roll: The Early Days – 1984
• Good Time Rock 'n' Roll – 1985
• Hollywood Squares – 6–10 April 1987
• Hollywood Squares – 14–18 March 1989
• Let's Rock Tonight – 1989
• Lost in the '50s – 6 October 1989
• Remember – 29 June 1991 – PBS
• Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955–70) – 2 July 2000 (documentary)
• At the Drive In – 28 November 2003 (host)

• John Loves Mary (1962)
• Love is a Time of Day (1971) – Windmill Dinner Theatre{{cite news|title=Fabian's New Fling|first=Rena M. |last=Pederson|newspaper= The Washington Post and Times-Herald |date=September 6, 1971|page=B 5}}
• Grease (1998) – touring theater productions{{cite news|title=Grease; Philly's fabled Fabian remains pretty slick after all these years; Fabian File|first=Liz|last= Nicholls|newspaper= Edmonton Journal|date=November 5, 1998|page=C 1}}

• The Beardless Warriors (1960) – for 20th Century Fox based on the novel by Richard Matheson{{cite news|title=Fabian Wins New Contract at 20th: Another Rooney Heard From; Lasky Daughter Sells Script|author=Scheuer, Philip K.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 24, 1960|page=C 15}}
• A Summer World (1961) – for 20th Century Fox with Dolores Hart and Bradford Dillman about a high school student who falls for an older woman (Suzy Parker), based on a script by Howard Koch from the novel by Richard Dougherty – directed by Franklin J. Shaeffner{{cite news|title="Looking at Hollywood: Brad Dillman to Co-Star with Fabian"|author=Hopper, Hedda| newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=July 3, 1961|page=a3}}{{cite news|title=Fabian Will Team With Dolores Hart: Bridges 'Joins' Peace Corps; Donald Buka Living Anomaly|author=Scheuer, Philip K.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 30, 1961|page=A 11}}{{cite news|title=TV Ace With 20th; Vallee Goes Legit: Movies for Children Listed; Debbie May Play Ruth Roland|author=Scheuer, Philip K.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 12, 1961|page=A 11}} – allegedly postponed when Dillman refused to appear next to Fabian{{cite magazine| first=Eunice| last=Field| url=https://archive.org/details/radiotvmi00ma/page/n333?q=fabian+marcucci| magazine=Radio TV Mirror| page=25,77–78| title=If You Think Fabian is Only Kidding| date=March 1962}}
• Take Her, She's Mine (1963) – Fabian was originally announced for the male lead{{cite news| title=Sandra Dee to Co-Star with Stewart, Fabian| author=Hopper, Hedda| work=Chicago Tribune| date=February 25, 1963| page=A 4}}
• Robin Hood Jones (1965) – for AIP
• Custer's Last Stand (1965) – an often-postponed film for Fox where Fabian was to play an Indian scout{{cite news|title=Fabian Likes to Know What's Cookin'|author=Zylstra, Freida|work=Chicago Tribune|date=December 29, 1964|page=B 7}}
• a migrant farm labourer in a biopic written by Alex Grasshoff, who had previously made a documentary about him for David L. Wolper – this was a passion project for Fabian who spent weeks researching the film (circa 1967){{cite news|title=Fabian an Ex-Singing Idol Learning the Actor's Art: FABIAN|author=Thomas, Kevin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 4, 1967|page=C 1}}
• The Oblong Box (1969) – Fabian originally was announced as Vincent Price's co star
• Bury an Angel (1970), film made by Burwalt Productions starring Robert Fuller and Sherry Bain{{cite news|title=O'Neal to Produce, Direct|author=Martin, Betty|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 29, 1970|page=G 13}}
• Golden Boy (1972) – produced by David Roseman and William Lieberman under the direction of Herbert Hantman from a screenplay by Lory Patrick – also starring Paul Micale and Jacqueline Bosordi{{cite news|title=Movie Call Sheet: 'Outside In' – First Project for Robbins|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 3, 1972|page=F 9}} – also known as Murder Can Be Fatal{{cite news|title=Movie Call Sheet: Kitty Winn Set for 'Exorcist'|author=Murphy, Mary|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 5, 1972|page=B 8}}
• Fabian was also reportedly considered for roles in West Side Story (1961) and The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone.[http://crawleyscastingcalls.com/index.php/component/actors/index.php?option=com_actors&Itemid=56&id=986&lettre=F All the Actors in Tony Crawley's Casting Calls]. Crawleyscastingcalls.com. Retrieved on 2015-05-29.

{{Portal|Philadelphia|Pennsylvania|Biography}}

• Mononymous persons
• History of the Italian Americans in Philadelphia

{{Clear}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

;Additional sources

• {{cite magazine|first=Helen|last=Bolstad|url=https://archive.org/details/screenlandplustv61unse/page/n128?q=fabian+marcucci|title=What Makes Fabian Fabulous|pages=45–46|magazine=Screenland|date=September 1959}}
• {{cite book|first=Dick|last=Clark|publisher=Crowell|title=Rock, roll & remember|url=https://archive.org/details/rockrollremember0000clar|url-access=registration|year=1976|isbn=9780690011845}}
• {{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Denis|title=Fabian!|url=https://archive.org/details/modernscreen53unse/page/n392?q=fabian+marcucci|magazine=Modern Screen|date=June 1959}}
• {{cite magazine|first=Eunice|last=Field|url=https://archive.org/details/radiotvmi00ma/page/n333?q=fabian+marcucci|magazine=TV Radio Mirror|title=If You Think Fabian is Only Kidding|date=1962}}
• {{cite book|title=Lonely avenue : the unlikely life and times of Doc Pomus|url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyavenueunli00halb|url-access=registration|last= Halberstadt|first=Alex|year=2007 |publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=9780306813009}}
• {{cite magazine|url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-cinema-of-fabian/|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=The Cinema of Fabian|magazine=Diabolique Magazine|date=26 August 2019}}

• {{official website}}
• {{allMusic|id=fabian|label=Fabian}}
• {{IMDb name|id=0003104|name=Fabian}}
• {{Tcmdb name|name=Fabian}}
• [http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/fabian.html Fabian] at Brian's Drive In Theater
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140201144116/http://www.universalattractions.com/artists/Artist-Roster-Page/fabian Biography] at Universal Attractions

{{Authority control}}

{{Fabian Forte}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forte, Fabian}}

Category:1943 births

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Category:20th-century American male actors

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Category:Chancellor Records artists