CLARK RESISTS STROKE EFFECTS TO ACCEPT TRIBUTE.

Byline: SANDRA BARRERA Staff Writer

When the Emmys called and asked if Dick Clark would walk out and say a few words about the tribute that was paid to him Sunday night during the three-hour telecast, his wife joked, ``Walk?''

And so the 76-year-old Clark -- ``America's oldest teenager'' who is still recuperating from a 2004 stroke -- began to acknowledge the honor and a standing ovation during Sunday night's Emmys telecast while sitting on a stool.

Speaking with a slight slur, Clark joked, ``I've just begun to learn to walk again and the show might run a little long.''

He then told the audience that before having his stroke he had reflected on all his accomplishments: music, comedy, drama, game and talk shows, even reality TV.

``I now realize that I have accomplished my childhood dream: to be in show business,'' he said. ``Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true.''

The tribute was presented by ``American Idol'' bad boy Simon Cowell, who called Clark one of the most successful executives and entrepreneurs, even as an actor.

``He owned his shows,'' Cowell said. ``He even owned a holiday, making `New Year's Rockin' Eve' his very own.''

``He'd much rather be out there producing this thing than sitting there,'' Barry Manilow told reporters backstage. ``This is a stroke. Everybody gets it in a different way. He's a communicator and it stopped him from communicating.''

Born Richard Wagstaff Clark in 1929 in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Clark studied business administration at Syracuse University but lived for radio and television. His big break came in 1956, when he took over as host of the Philadelphia-based live music and dance show ``Bandstand.'' ABC picked up the show a year later, changed its name to ``American Bandstand'' and began broadcasting it across the country.

And it was a hit.

The show aired every day through 1963, then weekly through 1987 with the charming, clean-cut Clark as host and producer.

Clark has since produced thousands of hours of television with Dick Clark Productions and ventured into other areas of show business as well turning out Emmy-winning game shows like ``The $25,000 Pyramid'' and such ongoing awards and entertainment specials as ``American Music Awards,'' ``Golden Globe Awards'' and the ``Academy of Country Music Awards'' to name a few.

One of his landmark specials is ``Dick Clark's New Year's Eve,'' which made its debut in 1972.

Clark hosted the show from above New York's Times Square for 32 consecutive years before he was sidelined by a stroke weeks before the New Year ball came down on 2005. That year Regis Philbin filled in for the still-hospitalized Clark.

Although his speech was slightly flawed and his body stiff, Clark returned for the 2005-06 festivities as co-host with ``American Idol'' emcee Ryan Seacrest and pop star Hilary Duff. Some 20 million people tuned in to watch him that night.

Sunday's Emmys marked Clark's second televised appearance since surviving his stroke.

``Music is the soundtrack of our lives,'' Clark he told the audience. ``Thank you for being a part of my life.''

Sandra Barrera, [phone]

sandra.barrera(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Barry Manilow, right, joins Dick Clark on stage during a special Emmy tribute to Clark at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer