Halloween Party

It's that time of year to dress up in your scariest costume, whether your a witch, ghost, mummy, Lehman Brothers CEO or Frankenstein....this week's Welk episode from 1978 should put you in the trick-or-treating mood.

Here are the highlights, and some great costumes as well!

Bob Ralston as Count Chocula plays the organ to "Satan Takes A Holiday"

Norma and Jimmy is going medevial in the number "Make Believe"....

Only the Shadow knows when it's time for the cast to sing, "Me And My Shadow".....

The Aldridge Sisters and the Otwell Twins are riding in the saddle again with "Ghost Riders In The Sky"....

And what are Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou up to this time?

I think they are singing "This Old House".

Until next week....keep a song in your heart and don't get rocks in your trick-or-treat bag (like Charlie Brown does).

Halloween Party

Salute to Sinatra

This week, the Welk stars pay tribute to Frank Sinatra which originally aired on November 4, 1978....here are a few highlights!

The Aldridge Sisters and Otwell Twins with "Something Stupid".

And here's Bobby & Cissy dancing to "Chicago".....

Next is Ken Delo singing "That's Life" in true Sinatra fashion.....

Here's the duo of Gail and Dale doing the dishes and singing "Love & Marriage"

And here's the orchestra and singers with the closing number, "Night & Day".

Next week, it's a brand spanking new show.....a Thanksgiving show with Mary Lou Metzger's interview with Sandi Griffiths.

Take care....and keep a song in your heart!

Salute to Sinatra

Salute to Halloween

This week, we got the Halloween show from 1978....the musical numbers were good but the costumes the Musical Family wore really stole the show!

Here's a look at them, starting the Aldridges and Otwells as cowpokes.....

and here's Bob Ralston as Dracula.....

It's sorcerer Ken Delo making Love Potion Number 9 with his lovely assistant Anacani....

How about a little fire scarecrow?

It's Mary Lou Metzger and Jack Imel!

Now here's Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts going medieval......

And finally, three witches of Eastwick.....Gail Farrell, Sandi Griffiths and Mary Lou!

Until next week, happy trick or treating y'all!

Salute to Halloween

Salute to Sinatra

This week, the folks of public TV give us "Salute to Frank Sinatra" done Champagne style! Here's Lawrence getting things started by introducing the first number, "I've Got You Under My Skin".

The entire show was made up of the most popular songs Ol' Blue Eyes has sung (even Sinatra impersonator Joe Piscopo would love this show!) and then some. The boys in the band did great job with instrumental versions of "Young At Heart", "Ol' Man River" and "Just A Closer Walk On Thee" with great clarinet work by Henry Cuesta.

Tom Netherton should feel right at home on this episode, here he is with Johnny Zell with his rendition of "This Love Of Mine".

We also had Anacani with the classic number, "Strangers In The Night", along with Kathie Sullivan singing "I Only Have Eyes For You" and a great dance number by Cissy and Bobby dancing to "Chicago".

It was the Aldridge Sisters and the Otwell Twins' turn this week to tackle one of the Maestro's most popular numbers, and huge pop hit for Frank and daughter Nancy, with "Something Stupid", and with the acoustic accompanment by Roger and David Otwell combined with Sheila and Sherry Aldridge's angelic voices...made for a great musical number.

And there's Gail Farrell and Dick Dale with their cute version of "Love And Marriage" where we Generation Xers know better as the theme song of the classic TV show, "Married With Children".

You'll notice that our team of Gail and Dale is alot more friendlier than Peg and Al Bundy!

The hits and memories are priceless, from Ava Barber's flirty version of "A Bushel And A Peck" to Guy & Ralna's "The Tender Trap", Ken Delo's version of "That's Life", to the huge finale of "Night And Day" featuring the cast, it all makes for a wunnerful, wunnerful show for any Rat Packer, young and young at heart alike!

This week in the hot seat, Mary Lou Metzger interviewed longtime Welk producer for OETA Robert Allen. He talked about how the Lawrence Welk Show found a home on public televison, first when "Lawrence Welk: Television's Music Man" special aired which spurred interest by PBS affiliates...which since 1987, the place where the Welk Show has called home every Saturday night....and don't forget about those pledge week specials, which has helped the show to be the higest rated show on PBS!

That's the show for this week, next time....it will be "Transportation" and it will be Ken Delo having the pleasure of being interviewed!

Salute to Sinatra

Big Bands 1978

This week, the folks from Welk Syndication and OETA present the first Welk show of 2007, Salute To The Big Bands which was also the first show of the 1978-79 season!

Here's Lawrence Welk introducing Johnny Zell to get things started with a trumpet salute to Harry James.

Speaking of Johnny, he is also the host of the wraparounds for the show. He talks at length about his family and his career since Welk, touring the west coast with wife Laura and their kids as a family musical act and his knowledge of computers, where he teaches cyber trumpet courtesy of his webpage, Jazell.com

Speaking of his wife, it was Tom Netherton, who is one of Johnny's best friends on the show, that introduced him to Laura. He also mentioned that when the Zells married in 1977, Tom served as best man.

The music makers are without a doubt, a true musical family in every sense of the word.

And now, back to September 16, 1978 (original airdate of this episode) where Tom was next, along with his freshly new haircut singing "I'll Never Smile Again" made popular by Frank Sinatra and the Jordanaires. Bob Ralston played one of his popular piano selections "Cumana" and Guy & Ralna came out with their ever popular selection "Tangerine".

The Aldridge Sisters and Otwell Twins, in the Maestro's own words, were a little too young to remember the big band days so they did sung, "Knee Deep In Loving You" which was excellent.

Lawrence also paid tribute to the great Artie Shaw by having the orchestra play "Begin The Beguine" with Henry Cuesta leading the way on clairnet. He also had George Cates lead the orchestra and singers with the Paul Whiteman arrangement "When Day Is Done".

Also among the big band numbers featured on the show was "Sentimental Journey", sung by our favorite all girl trio of Gail, Sandi and Mary Lou.....both looking might nice in their yellow outfits.

There was Anacani, bring back memories of ex-Champagne Lady Jayne Walton by singing one of her signature hits "Eres Mi Amor" with Myron Floren at the squeezebox. Bobby and Cissy danced a fine mambo done Prez Prado style and Arthur Duncan doing a tap routine to the Shiek of Araby.

It was a wunnerful show, finishing up nicely with a bang with the orchestral arrangement of "Panama" which had the music makers getting their groove on.

I agree with Johnny here, this episode does get one huge thumbs up!

Next week, it will be "Time Was" I think....should be a good one.

Big Bands 1978