Sights from the Midway

Out doing some people watching from the "Carnival" episode in 1981

 

Anacani and Elaine Balden

Ron Anderson and Gail Farrell

 

The Aldridge Sisters and Roger Otwell

 

Norma Zimmer, Jimmy Roberts, Michael Redman and Bobby Burgess

Sorry guys, I still think Cedar Point's midway is way much better

We're off to the Midway!

I'll be spending today at Cedar Point....going on all the coasters.

 

  

  

And what a coincidence....this week's episode is "Carnival"

Talk about perfect timing! 

A Very Musical Haiku

Boyce, let's take it from the top...

 

Bob Lido's singing

Everyone is out dancing

And the band played on

 

A birthday salute to Andra Willis

Happy Birthday Andra!

 

  

  

 

I now present to the world....LOL welk

These are actual quotes or "Welkisms" said by the Maestro himself...

 

  

  

 

 

I Can Has Welk

The blog master takes a stab at the internets latest thing, the fail pic and lol cats.

You've may have seen them in one form or another, now I proudly give some of my own with a Welk twist.

Here's a FAIL pic....

 

....and here's a WIN pic

 

This is an LOL Cat....

 

...and here's Sally Flynn with Sadie the Wonder Dog part of a LOL Dog

For more FAIL & WIN pics, visit FAILBLOG.ORG

or for Lolcats and Loldogs....visit I Can Has Cheezburger.com

A Hair Raising Inspirational Poster

And that's one to grow on.....

 

Caption This!

Start your day right at the produce cart....

Add your own funny caption by clicking on the comments link below

Memories of Joe Feeney

Spend your Saturday with the most famous Irish tenor ever to come out of Nebraska...

 

 

  

And here's Joe from 1962 singing "My Wild Irish Rose"

 

A Michelle Semonski haiku

The youngest Semonski Sister gets her very own haiku!

 

Smile on her face

Hams it up for the camera

It's all so cutesy

 

Maybe she'll like it...assuming she reads this blog

Gonna head on back to that certain honey shack

...over in Southtown USA

 

From the Dot Record album, Lawrence Welk Early Hits of 1964....here's some listening enjoyment titled Southtown USA, another great example of the Welk Orchestra's great 1960s sound!

 

America On The Move

The year was 1975, America was crippled with gas shortages and a energy crisis...

Who cares? The Musical Family is on the move regardless, with a salute to transportation that first aired in syndication on November 1st of that year.

Great songs, such as "Red Sails in the Sunset", "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "The Banana Boat Song" will keep your toes a tapping as you gotta travel on.

And since it's a mid-1970s show, it does feature the Semonski Sisters....which by the way today is Michelle Semonski's birthday (Happy Birthday Michelle!)

 

1. GOTTA TRAVEL ON - Bobby, Cissy, Mary Lou, Ken, Anacani, Tom and Gail

2. STRANGER ON THE SHORE - Henry Cuesta on clarinet with orchestra

3. LEAVIN' ON A JETPLANE - Guy Hovis and Ralna English

4. FLY ME TO THE MOON - Tom Netherton with Myron Floren on accordion, Neil Levang on guitar, Richard Maloof on bass and percussion work by Jack Imel and Bob Lido

5. WHEELS - danced by Bobby Burgess and Cissy King

6. LAZY RIVER - the orchestra
7. ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE - Gail Farrell, Sandi Griffiths, Tanya Falan and Anacani
8. MEDLEY OF SONGS FROM THE SHOW "THE BAND WAGON" - orchestra
9. CUANTO LE GUSTA - The Semonski Sisters
10. CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO - sung and danced by Mary Lou Metzger and Jack Imel with Sandi, Gail and Ken

 

11. RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET - Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts

12. TIJUANA TAXI - the orchestra featuring Jack Imel and his horn

13. THE RAILROAD COMES THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE - Larry Hooper with comedy assist by Tanya and Anacani

14. TAKE THE "A" TRAIN - danced by Arthur Duncan with Sandi, Gail, Ralna and Norma

 

15. BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX - Ava Barber
16. THE BANANA BOAT SONG - Dick Dale with Sandi Griffiths, Gail Farrell and Mary Lou Metzger
17. CHARLIE ON THE MTA - Ken Delo
18. THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES - Larry, Arthur, Bobby, Anacani, Joe, Tom, Tanya, Jimmy, Gail, Guy, Ralna, Mary Lou, Cissy, Norma with Bob Havens on trombone, percussion work by Jack Imel, Richard Maloof on tuba, Russ Klein on saxophone and Charlie Parlato on trumpet

 

EPISODE FACTS: Joe Feeney does not have a solo number, which is rare during his tenure on the show, he only appears in the show's closing number.

 
Hoopie's number, "The Railroad Comes Through the Middle of the House" is a very cute and interesting number. As a youngster, I had dreams of if such a thing ever happened where I lived....most of the time as a nightmare.

It's very doubtful such a thing would happen today, the closest I would think if one would call a subway station his or her home. 

Maybe they can actually give Charlie that nickel so he can finally get off that damn train.

The Rose Weiss Collection

Every Welk fan as always asked, "How do the singers and musicians look so sharp and pretty?" during each episode?

The answer comes in two words.....Rose Weiss

She's been outfitting the Music Makers in threads that makes the men look handsome, the girls so pretty and all of them very colorful indeed!

Here are some examples....

And now, your Dancing With The Stars lineup for Season Nine

It's one of my favorite times of the year, Dancing With The Stars returns for Season Nine next month!

Here's the lineup announced yesterday on ABC's Good Morning America, let's just say the cast is well....interesting

MACY GRAY - a popular singer from that nostaglic decade known as the 1990s

MELISSA JOAN HART - star of Clarissa Explains All from the Golden Age of Nickelodeon, also later became a TV witch

KATHY IRELAND - SI model from my days of youth, also star of the movie Alien From LA

MYA - an R&B singer who was in the Chicago movie

MARK DACASCOS - Food Network personality

ASHLEY HAMILTON - George Hamilton's son, married to Shannon Doherty for about ten seconds

MICHAEL IRVIN - Dallas Cowboys HOF receiver, ESPN broadcaster known to wear some of the three piece suits from the Rose Weiss collection (just kidding!)

DONNY OSMOND - Marie's brother, and he can sing pretty good

TOM DeLAY - Former House Majority Leader, I guess Newt Gingrich wasn't available

NATALIE COUGHLIN - US Olympic gold medal swimmer not named Michael Phelps

JOANNA KRUPA - model, covergirl and actress....and Terrell Owens' BFF

DEBI MAZUR - a famous actress from days gone by (the 1980s and 1990s)

KELLY OSBOURNE - Ozzy's daughter

AARON CARTER - singing teen idol from the good ol' days of the 90s

CHUCK LIDDELL - UFC fighter, expert in Mixed Martial Arts and he's NOT related to Barney Liddell

LOUIE VITO - snowboarder from the ESPN's X-Games

It has everything, interesting stars, hot ballroom action and possibities of a train wreck, all in the name of entertainment! Coupled with the new season of Lawrence Welk shows and football, this will be my favorite time of the year and you know my DVR will be humming!

Oh, and I'm still holding out hope for any of the Welk Stars to appear in the Macy's Stars Of The Dance segment

The Bob Havens T-Bone Exercise Workout Routine

Want to get in shape but regular exercise doesn't cut it for you?

From 1960, Bob Havens can show you how to play the trombone and feel the burn with the musical number "Tiger Rag" as he is joined by his friends Russ Klein, Don Bonnee and Jack Dumont from the Welk Orchestra!

Let's see Richard Simmons try that...

Postcards from Hawaii

Just arrived off the plane

 

Checking at the hotel

Time to catch a little sun.....

 

...and take a dip in the water!

 

Just sailing away on a yacht

 

Now we'll learn how to hula dance....

 

Boy I'm hungry, time for a Hawaii-style dinner!

 

Aloha! Wish you were here....