Which Semonski Sister is having a birthday today?

In this picture, here's Diane and Valerie....

If you guessed Valerie, you're correct.

Happy Birthday Val!

Which Semonski Sister is having a birthday today?

Salute to Johnny Mercer

It's one of those episodes that some of you guys maybe able to see, and some of you would not thanks to those irritating pledge drives that have been happening lately.

So here's some of the highlights from the show!

Whenever there's a full moon, people in 1970s clothes start singing....

There's also a surprise pop quiz first thing tomorrow....

....oh and the Semonski Sisters make their presence felt.

SONGS BY JOHNNY MERCER - January 31, 1976

1. MOON RIVER - Ken, Mary Lou, Anacani, Tom, Gail, Jimmy, Bobby & Cissy (also dancing)
2. GOODY GOODY - the orchestra featuring Bob Havens on trombone and Henry Cuesta on clarinet
3. DEARLY BELOVED - Norma Zimmer
4. TANGERINE - Guy Hovis & Ralna English
5. AUTUMN LEAVES - Anacani with Bob Ralston at the piano

  
6. ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE - Sandi Griffiths, Gail Farrell and Mary Lou Metzger with Ken Delo
7. FOOLS RUSH IN - Tom Netherton with Ralna, Guy, Norma, Dick, Gail, Ken and Mary Lou
8. CHARADE - danced by Bobby Burgess and Cissy King
9. YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY - Larry Hooper and Jimmy Roberts

10. PARDON MY SOUTHERN ACCENT - Ava Barber
11. THE SWEETHEART TREE - Joe Feeney with Bob Ralston at the Thomas Organ
12. SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE - danced by Arthur Duncan
13. I'M AN OLD COWHAND - Ken Delo

14. JEEPERS CREEPERS - Dianne, Donna, Jo Anne, Audrey, Valerie and Michelle Semonski
15. LAURA - the orchestra
16. RACHMANINOFF'S PRELUDE IN C MINOR - guest star Sylvia Lin at the piano
17. DREAM - Tanya Falan with Charlie Parlato, Gail Farrell, Dick Dale, Curt Ramsey with Russ Klein at saxophone
18. AND THE ANGELS SING - Jimmy, Mary Lou, Bobby, Cissy, Tom, Anacani, Ken, Ralna, Guy and the orchestra's brass section

If you missed the show, you missed some great Johnny Mercer musical numbers plus a terrific guest appearance by Sylvia Lin who plays one mean piano.

So until next time, keep a song in your heart and accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and do not even mess with Mister-In-Between!

 

Salute to Johnny Mercer

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.

America On The Move

1976 Season Premiere

The 2008-09 cycle of shows (reruns) is now underway, and opening things up is the Season Premiere show from 1976.

Here are a few highlights.....

The Maestro leads the band with Glen Miller's "In The Mood"

Tanya sings "Love Will Keep Us Together".....

Arthur Duncan dances to "Doin' The New Lowdown".....

Ken Delo sings the Hawaiian Wedding Song, and that's Tanya in the background as a hula girl.....

And here's the Semonski Sisters having a slumber party and singing about "Sisters"

See you next week....I'm still getting used to real life after Branson!

1976 Season Premiere

Meet the Semonskis

You've heard about them....the six singing sisters from Hackettstown, New Jersey that were on the Welk show from 1975 to 1977.

Let's meet them, shall we?

Here's the eldest sister Diane

...and this one is Donna

here is Jo Anne....

....followed along by Valerie,

joined along by Audrey.....

....and the youngest of the group, Michelle

....and now you know who they are!

Meet the Semonskis

Workin' Nine to Five.....champagne style

We are a nation (the good ol' USA for those living outside our borders) of working people employed or self-employed in a variety of jobs. From last Saturday's episode, "Salute To The Working People", here's a sample of the jobs that keep our country going.

There's the teaching profession, here's Norma Zimmer teaches music to the Semonski Sisters.

Bobby & Cissy as dance instructors....teaching the latest disco steps to their students.

Also, we have the seminary....Tom Netherton as a man of the cloth.

Know anyone that has been working on the railroad, Charlie Parlato and Ken Delo have!

And finally, there's produce vendors Bob Lido and Charlie again with a satisfied customer (Tanya Falan).

No matter what your job is, it sure beats being unemployed!

And one thing is for sure, as evidenced by this program, the musical family enjoy their chosen profession both on and off camera!

Workin' Nine to Five.....champagne style