There was a time — back in the 1950s— when 46th and Market Sts. in West Philadelphia was a site for all eyes.

It was where teens could literally rock their socks off, parents and children could catch the man on the flying trapeze and guys could hang out afterschool at Herman’s hoagie shop with the girls from a nearby high school.

Ahhh yes, the ‘50s. The era of poodleskirts and pegged pants, ponytails andpompadours, jukeboxes and soda fountains. And American Bandstand, in thethe old Arena, at 46th and Market (where the Circus used to come to town) … and Herman’s.

Later, a new kid moved onto theblock. Didn’t even have a name. Was known just by initials: WHYY (WiderHorizons for You and Yours).

Bandstand, the Arena, Herman’s — are long gone, but the new kid is grown up and still kicking.

And one of the ways that WHYY TV12,which frequently airs programs about days gone by, is celebrating its 50th anniversary all this year is by inviting members who love the golden oldies to the sock hops that “The Geator,” Jerry Blavat, hosts in Margate.

Who better to emcee and spin 1950 classics than The Geator, who knows more than a thing or two about sock hops and tunes.‘

Such fond memories’

“Many of our more than 100,000 members are from that generation,” said Kerri Hanlon, WHYY’s vice presi-dent and chief marketing officer. “They have such fond memories of that time.”

WHYY hit the airwaves in October,1954, as an FM radio station. From itsoriginal studios at 17th and SansomSts., it provided educational and cultur-al programming. Threeyears later, it launched atelevision station, Channel35, WUHY. In 1964, when‘UHY-TV became WHYYChannel 12, it moved intoBandstand’sold studios at46th and Market Sts.

That had been the headquarters of  WFIL before it moved to City Avenue.American Bandstand, hosted first by Bob Horn and later by the 26-year-old Dick Clark, eventually became a nationally popular ABC network show, broadcasting from 46th and Market before moving to Southern California. The building is now occupied by The Enterprise Center, a minority businessentrepreneurial program. WHYY eventually moved to its currentheadquarters near Independence Mall,on 6th Street near Vine.

Those Nifty Fifites

But many in its audience recall with fondness those Nifty Fifties, so they willbe WHYY’s and The Geator’s guests onFridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. when heheats up the floor at Memories inMargate, Madison and Amherst Aves.“It seemed like so much fun backthen,” said Hanlon.

It was.