Was the same at my grandparents house,they had an old G.E. black n white T.V. That they bought new in the 50's that lasted until the early 70's then they got a wood consol Zenith color set,i still remember my grandfather would say every time they turned it on: My God Stella,look at the colors ! Did you ever think we d see such a thing? My God, will ya look at that,GUNSMOKE in color! They liked to Watch Disney,Wild Kingdom and Lawrence Welk,but my grandfather HATED Lawrence Welk with a passion,loved the show,hated him.All he did was yell at the T.V. ," I wish that mumbling bastard would shut the hell up!""why the hell does he have to talk all the time?" Fun times with Bryers ice cream in the living room.I m sitting in that very room right now.
I read a while back that old tightwad only paid those full time musicians $110 a week. Guess they sucked it up for the exposure, for whatever that was worth on that gay ass show.
I don't know what they were paid per show - but they were getting union scale or better and it was 1971 - so how many hours did they work for that $110 ?
That was the scale I referenced.
“Still others left the show over money disputes with Welk, who paid the minimum union scale to his cast. “We worked at group scale, which was $110 a week, for 10 years,” Kathy Lennon recalled. “After that he agreed to pay us solo scale, $210 a week. That’s what we finished out at. When we told him we’d stay if he’d pay us double scale, he told us, ‘No act is worth a penny over scale to me.”
Hated Lawrence Welk. But I don't mind that schitty accordian music when they play it in a Mezcan restaurant. For some reason, it is a lot harder to tolerate it on tv in English than it is when the singing is in gibberish at the restaurant.
Only had 3 channels, 3, 11 and 32. Black and white in the early tears until we got a Curtis Mathis color unit. Lawrence Welk I didn't like, Porter Wagner I hated. Here is a rundown on the other shows of my youth.
Shows I liked High Chaparral, Linda Crystal as Victoria is responsible for my lifelong admiration of brunette women The Partridge Family, same for Susan Dey Sonny and Cher Hee Haw on Saturday nights. Got Misty Rowe's autograph at a car show later in life, she was hawt in person Laugh-In Gunsmoke, I liked Miss Kitty Bugs Bunny/Road runner/Foghorn Leghorn cartoons The Monkeys Captain Kangaroo Scooby Doo Abbott and Costello on Sunday mornings
Shows I didn't like Porter Wagner Lawrence Welk The Wide World of Sports Star Trek Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Wonderful World of Disney Woody Woodpecker cartoons
Only had 3 channels, 3, 11 and 32. Black and white in the early tears until we got a Curtis Mathis color unit. Lawrence Welk I didn't like, Porter Wagner I hated. Here is a rundown on the other shows of my youth.
Shows I liked High Chaparral, Linda Crystal as Victoria is responsible for my lifelong admiration of brunette women The Partridge Family, same for Susan Dey Sonny and Cher Hee Haw on Saturday nights. Got Misty Rowe's autograph at a car show later in life, she was hawt in person Laugh-In Gunsmoke, I liked Miss Kitty Bugs Bunny/Road runner/Foghorn Leghorn cartoons The Monkeys Captain Kangaroo Scooby Doo Abbott and Costello on Sunday mornings
Shows I didn't like Porter Wagner Lawrence Welk The Wide World of Sports Star Trek Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Wonderful World of Disney Woody Woodpecker cartoons
The vertical hold didn't work well on our TV. You'd see the black band steadily grow and grow. Get the first roll...pause. Hoping it would stabilize.,,it never did. The rolling gets progressively faster.
And then dad would yell for one of us kids to adjust it and change the channel while we're at it.
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
The vertical hold didn't work well on our TV. You'd see the black band steadily grow and grow. Get the first roll...pause. Hoping it would stabilize.,,it never did. The rolling gets progressively faster.
And then dad would yell for one of us kids to adjust it and change the channel while we're at it.
My Nana used the smack the hell outta the side of the TV with a yardstick.
The vertical hold didn't work well on our TV. You'd see the black band steadily grow and grow. Get the first roll...pause. Hoping it would stabilize.,,it never did. The rolling gets progressively faster.
And then dad would yell for one of us kids to adjust it and change the channel while we're at it.
My Nana used the smack the hell outta the side of the TV with a yardstick.
Yup! That's funny! If dad thought we were out of earshot, we could hear him get up, cuss, and smack the side of the TV.
We had terrible ghost images on the set too. Watching any sporting event wasn't for the inattentive.
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
Good morning to you all, I trust that despite a childhood filled with accordion polka music you're all as well as can be - again taking the musical influence into account.
Sometimes on the show, either the producers wouldn't tell Lawrence what the songs really meant or perhaps - perhaps - Lawrence was a closet hemp hedge smoker?
How else does one explain this Brewer and Shipley classic ending up on the show?
I'd pay a big bundle to spend this upcoming Saturday evening watching Lawrence Welk with my dad's parents and then as the sun went down walk the block and a half to my mom's folks and sit on my Grandpa's lap and watch Hee Haw while we ate popcorn out of a roaster pan.
If I'd only known the last time would be the last time.
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin.'"
Tenna-Rotor! When the Pittsburgh channels weren't enough, and you needed duplicate channels from Johnstown, Wheeling and Steubenville LOL. I think I could still dial that damn thing without looking at it 50 years down the road.
Good morning to you all, I trust that despite a childhood filled with accordion polka music you're all as well as can be - again taking the musical influence into account.
Sometimes on the show, either the producers wouldn't tell Lawrence what the songs really meant or perhaps - perhaps - Lawrence was a closet hemp hedge smoker?
How else does one explain this Brewer and Shipley classic ending up on the show?
Stay well as can be all.
Dwayne
At the end of that clip, ol’ Larry thanks them “for that spiritual”!
It’s got “sweet Jesus” in the lyrics, so it’s got that going for it!
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
When I was a teenager I'd practice on my drums while watching the Lawrence Welk Show. I'd play right along with the band and beat off to the Lennon sisters.