By The Time I Get To Phoenix; Tanya's version

We all know that amongst the staple of contemporary pop songs covered on the Lawrence Welk Show, By The Time I Get To Phoenix (written by Jimmy Webb and made famous sung by Glen Campbell) has been one of the more popular songs featured, covered by a good number of the Music Makers.

Tanya Falan is one of them...

Here she is from 1971's Salute To The U.S.A (the very first syndicated Welk episode) giving that song her treatment.

By The Time I Get To Phoenix; Tanya's version

Have you ever met a real live girl?

Dick Dale has, here in this musical number with Gail Farrell from 1971 singing about being with a real live girl.

 

Have you ever met a real live girl?

Bandstand of the Week

From 1971, like a rose the Music Makers sound very nice....

 

Bandstand of the Week

No No Nanette....you can't drive through a snow storm

The last few days for yours truly have been miserable....

It started on Tuesday when my grandmother passed away. I left Friday morning to Baltimore, my sister lives and works there, to bring her back to Toledo to attend the funeral on Saturday. 

This was the weekend 15 to 30 inches of snow struck Maryland, Pennsylvania and the Mid Atlantic region....it struck when we left Charm City causing traffic slowdowns, delays, accidents and then some, and because of that....we missed the funeral.

And on top of that....my cars headlights burned out, so we took her car on the trip back. Right now, as I write....somewhere in Baltimore, a green Chevy convertable is parked on the street buried under 30 inches of snow.

Right now, I just want to be happy, to borrow a line from one of Vincent Youmans songs.....and it just happens to be the theme of this week's Welk show! 

So let's join Mary Lou Metzger and recap some highlights....

Lawrence Welk is selected to be the Rose Bowl Parade's Grand Marshall for '72 and recieves the world's largest scalped ticket to the game

The girls pose for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue....

....and the Music Makers get funky with their bad selves

TRIBUTE TO VINCENT YOUMANS - September 25, 1971

1. (IT'S GONNA BE A) GREAT DAY - Ken, Jimmy, Dick, Bobby, Cissy, Gail, Sandi, Sally & Mary Lou
2. OH LONESOME ME - Clay Hart
3. A FINE ROMANCE - the orchestra
4. LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE - danced by Bobby Burgess and Cissy King
5. ROSE GARDEN - Sandi Griffiths & Sally Flynn

 
6. MOON RIVER - Charlotte Harris on cello with Bob Ralston at the organ
7. THE SWEETEST SOUNDS - Jimmy Roberts with orchestra
8. THE BEER BARREL POLKA - Myron Floren on accordion, danced by Bobby & Cissy with Lawrence cutting in
9. REAL LIVE GIRL - Dick Dale and Gail Farrell
10. HINDUSTAN - Peanuts Hucko at clarinet with Neil Levang on banjo

11. I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW - danced by Arthur Duncan
12. WITHOUT A SONG - Joe Feeney with Bob Ralston at the piano
13. TEA FOR TWO - the orchestra
14. TOO MANY RINGS AROUND ROSIE - Sandi Griffiths, Cissy King, Mary Lou Metzger and Gail Farrell
15. BY THE SEA - Ken Delo

16. I CONFESSED TO THE BREEZE - Guy Hovis & Ralna English
17. NO NO NANETTE - Bob Lido, Mary Lou Metzger and the Hotsy Totsy Boys
18. TAKE A LITTLE ONE STEP - Dick, Sandi, Ken, Mary Lou, Bobby, Cissy, Gail, Jimmy, Sally & Bob (Ralston)
19. I WANT TO BE HAPPY - sung by Tanya Falan, danced by Mary Lou, Jack, Arthur, Bobby & Cissy
20. FINALE: REPRISE OF I WANT TO BE HAPPY - danced by Charlie (Parlato), Ralna, Guy, Myron, Sally, Kenny (Trimble), Sally, Jimmy, Dick, Charlotte, Bob (Ralston), Bobby, Cissy, Ken, Mary Lou, Joe, Arthur, Gail and Jack

I really enjoyed this episode, it was great seeing all those Music Makers dance together.....who knew that Kenny Trimble and Myron Floren were such the hoofers!

And it was great getting to see Mary Lou sing "No No Nanette"....maybe one day she'll sing it live at a Welk concert down the road.

Right now, I'm gonna sit back, relax and watch the Super Bowl....we'll be pulling for the Saints and feast on thirty pounds of food and sodas.

For now, keep a song in your heart and a snow shovel in your car....if you happen to live in Baltimore, DC or anywhere in Pennsylvania.

Oh and Stanford defeated Michigan 13-12 in that '72 Rose Bowl

No No Nanette....you can't drive through a snow storm

Welkin' across the USA in a new syndicated frontier

The year was 1971.

Movies like Shaft and Diamonds Are Forever ruled the box office, and folks were watching All In The Family and The Brady Bunch on the boob tube.

And on September 11th of that year...America was anticipating the debut of the syndicated version of the Lawrence Welk Show.

 

It was a brave new world, and after being canned by ABC....no one knew what to expect, but when the lights came on, the horns were a blazin'...the Music Makers didn't miss a beat.

 

Here this week, it was also the debut show of the 2009-2010 season on public television. Unlike recent years, there's no interview segments, no wraparounds of members of the Musical Family sharing memories, family and career updates...just Mary Lou as host saying "Hello" and enjoy the show.

 

Yes, it's pretty stripped down....but the basic core remains the same.

And Mary Lou as always does a great job hosting and sharing her thoughts..plus I liked the return of the "Coming Soon" segments of upcoming episodes.

Back to 1971, the show was titled "Salute to the USA", here's some highlights and a rundown of the musical numbers featured.

The Maestro is in search of new talent as seen here...

Tanya shows off her flower collection.....

 

Clay Hart and Buddy Merrill are sweet talking to the boss....

 

A wild polka with Myron Floren along with Bobby and Cissy.....

 

....and Bob Lido and Mary Lou Metzger go Hotsy Totsy on your keyster

 

 

SALUTE TO THE USA - original airdate: September 11, 1971

1. Thank You Very Much - Mary Lou, Gail, Norma, Ken, Tanya, Dick, Jimmy, Joe, Sally, Sandi, Ralna, Guy, Arthur, Cissy & Bobby

2. Carolina In The Morning - the orchestra

3. By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Tanya Falan

4. Do You Know The Way To San Jose - Bob Smale at harpischord with Buddy Merrill at guitar and vocals by Gail, Mary Lou and Norma

5. Everything's Up To Date In Kansas City - Sandi Griffiths and Sally Flynn

6. New York Medley - Bob Ralston on piano

7. Moon Over Miami - Ralna English & Guy Hovis

8. Chicago - the orchestra with dancing by Cissy King and Bobby Burgess

9. On The Banks of the Wabash, Far Away - Joe Feeney with Mary Lou, Ken, Gail, Jimmy, Dick, Sally, Guy & Ralna

10. Meet Me In St. Louis - tap dancing by Arthur Duncan

11. Tennessee Waltz - Ralna English

12. St. Louis Blues - Peanuts Hucko on clairnet backed by the rhythm section

13. Tiny Bubbles - Dick Dale & Gail Farrell with Buddy Merrill on steel guitar

14. Alabamy Bound - Bob Lido and Mary Lou Metzger plus the Hotsy Totsy Boys

15. Oklahoma! - Ken Delo

16. Missouri Waltz - Bob Ralston on organ and Charlotte Harris on cello

17. M-O-B-I-L-E - Clay Hart (vocals) with Buddy Merrill and Neil Levang all on guitars

18. Beautiful Ohio - Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts

19. Pennsylvania Polka - Myron Floren on accordion with polka dancing by Cissy & Bobby

20. America The Beautiful - Mary Lou, Norma, Tanya, Sandi, Sally, Ralna, Jimmy, Ken, Arthur, Joe, Guy & Dick

 

Keep a song in your heart, and those hot pants looking sharp!

Welkin' across the USA in a new syndicated frontier

The day the champagne music was corked....for now

This week's news of the long running soap opera Guiding Light's cancellation brought forth alot of parallels with the Lawrence Welk Show. It kinda reminded many of the day when word came 38 years ago when ABC cancelled the Welk Show.

The date was March 19, 1971....the Maestro was in the middle of a golf game at his Escondido resort when he was summoned to a phone call. It was reporter Rick DuBrow from UPI asking Lawrence how he felt that his show was cancelled. His response, according to the TV Treasures documentary was he was disappointed, but more so for his Musical Family than for himself.

Not long after, Welk's cancellation made headlines across the country

And the response from the public was swift.....

Side note: This was during the time in television when networks purged shows from their prime time schedules that were deemed too rural and slanted mostly towards older demographics (examples included The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Ed Sullivan and Mayberry RFD), in other words....it was younger, more sophiscated demographics that advertisers and networks crave.

The ABC network was deluged with millions of calls to their switchboards, fans protesting the cancellation. The Welk offices in Santa Monica received over one million pieces of mail expressing sorry and support from their fans.

That led Lawrence that his show can go on, through syndication....thanks to an FCC rule that networks had to give one hour of programming to local stations, and along with the support of his sponsors led to oppurtunity!

So on September 11, 1971....the Lawrence Welk Show debuted in it's syndication form, in more than 200 stations in the US and Canada, where it would thrive for eleven more years.

Maybe Guiding Light can have that same happy ending?

The day the champagne music was corked....for now

This date in Welk history

On this Valentine's Day back in 1971.....

A musical family match was made in heaven, or in this case Hollywood....

Bobby Burgess married Kristi Floren, one of Myron Floren's five daughters.

Today, they have been married for 38 years!

And have given Grandpa Myron four children. Daughters Becki and Wendi, plus Sons Robert and Brent.

Happy Anniversary and Happy Valentine's Day!

This date in Welk history

Oh Thank You Very Much

On the 1971 Academy Awards show, this is how the episode ended on public television, Joe Feeney and the cast singing "Born Free"

But there's a number after that in the original broadcast that got cut to make time for the interview segement.

Thanks to the efforts of YouTube and a dedicated Welk fan, we now get to see the original closing number!

It's titled "Thank You Very Much"....and we thank you, very much.

Oh Thank You Very Much

It's Oscar's Night....

No....not this Oscar, we're talking Academy Awards here

And that is also the topic of this week's Lawrence Welk Show on public television, the same weekend of this blogmaster's birthday (which is today).

God I feel old.....

This show originally aired in April 1971, a few highlights from the show include Guy Hovis in the solo spot singing the theme song from "High Noon".

Here's Myron Floren and the boys playing "Never On Sunday"....a little Escondido brass to jazz up your day I might add.

And here's comic legend Jack Benny appearing as tonight's special guest, trying to play the violin.

Finally, here's Tanya Falan in the solo spot with "For All We Know", which of course one of many hit songs by the Carpenters....and a Oscar contender for Best Song.

And speaking of Tanya, she was Mary Lou's guest in the interview segment as well.

Very fine show indeed....according to my PBS station's broadcast guide, next three weeks are in pledge mode, good news is that the Welk shows prempted are all repeats I've seen many times before.

Take care now, while I go have some birthday cake.

It's Oscar's Night....

Fashion Hits Through The Years

This week brings us a really fun episode, "Fashion Hits Through The Years" from 1971 which included with your regular song, dance and champagne music....a sample of fashions from the 1920s to the 1970s.

It's time for the show to start! Here's the gang in their raccoon coats with "Button Up Your Overcoat".

Straight from the 1940s, the duo of Gail and Dale with "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree"....in which they are dressed staright out of a scene from Ken Burns' latest documentary "The War".

Here's Mary Lou Metzger complaining to talior Charlie Parlato that "Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long" as Jack Imel and Bobby Burgess show why.

Also, Clay Hart gives us a visual reason why "Everything Is Beautiful" and it's not just the fact he sings Ray Stevens' most popular hit song so very well.

And now it's time to go down to the Cabaret with Bob Lido and his gang of Hotsy Totsy Boys!

Other fine numbers in this show include Tanya's "Hey There" along with band instrumentals of "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "Get Me To The Church On Time". Also included are "Anything Goes" by Sandi & Sally, "Puttin' On The Ritz" by Cissy and Bobby, "Shine On Your Shoes" danced by Arthur Duncan and a great polka by Myron Floren with "Hoop De Do".

A very wunnerful show indeed, and this week's interview was pleasant and fun!

Speaking of that, Mary Lou herself was interviewed....and no, she didn't interview herself (that would really make for great TV!), instead it's Bob Allen from OETA that stepped in and conducted the interview.

Until next week, may your trouble be few and may your dress shirts be anything but pink, orange or green!

Fashion Hits Through The Years

Picture of the day (5-30-07)

From 1971, here's Cissy and Bobby dancing to the sounds of "Calcutta" with Mary Lou, Norma and Gail clapping them on.

And dig those short skirts the ladies are wearing....totally foxy!

Picture of the day (5-30-07)

Academy Awards....Oscar's Biggest Night

It's Oscar Night! What better way to celebrate Champagne Style than to watch this week's offering "Academy Awards" from April 3, 1971, lets join the rest of the gang for some fun with Oscar!

The show opens with "High Hopes" featuring the music makers, then Guy Hovis comes out as a deputy from the Old West...singing "Do Not Forsake Me" from the film "High Noon", then he's joined by Ralna for "Buttons and Bows", both do a great job with that song.

As you can see....the set is not on fire (do not call the fire department), it's just Cissy and Bobby dancing to the theme from "Love Story" with Bob Ralston at the piano...and the effects and dancing were visually stunning! There were plenty of instrumental numbers by the orchestra, such as "Never On Sunday" with Myron Floren on the squeezebox and "Georgy Girl" tinged with alot of brass from both the trombone and trumpet sections.

I wonder that's how Cheech and Chong got the idea to name one of their albums "Up In Smoke?"

Halfway throught the show, the Maestro brings out his special guest star...the legendary Jack Benny for a monologue that is best described as Benny-esque, with "cheap" jokes and a violin solo....but sadly, no references to his upcoming "39th birthday".

"Oh Rochester....I'm rocking this joint tonight!"

After ten minutes of Mister Benny, things return to being the Welk show with great numbers such as Arthur Duncan dancing to "The Continental", Tanya Falan's torch solo of "For All We Know" and Clay Hart's rendition of "Jean".

We also hear from Norma Zimmer and Jimmy Roberts with "Three Coins In A Fountain" and later Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (It's really Sandi & Sally, not Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick) with the popular B.J Thomas hit "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head". The show concludes with a medley of Disney songs, such as "Wish Upon A Star", "Chim-Chim Cher-ee" and "Zippedy Doo Dah" ending up with a stirring finale by Joe Feeney with "Born Free" to put a kabosh on this Oscars/Jack Benny show.

I also find out that there was another number, "Thank You Very Much" that was cut from the show...I'm very interested in how that number went.

This week, it's Tanya Falan (or Tanya Welk Roberts) being interviewed by Mary Lou. She talked about how as a kid, she played "Mansion" instead of "House" plus how she started singing, first at Disneyland as leader of "Tanya and the Mustangs" which later led her to being on Lawrence Welk's show. She also talked about her kids, her family, the fun she had on the show...such as not remembering the words to "Matchmaker", and when she went out as a solo act.

Hope you enjoyed this week's show, and tonights Academy Award show! Next week is the big one....the debut of "Lawrence Welk's Television Treasures!"

And by the way, here's Tanya singing "Matchmaker"....see for yourself!

Academy Awards....Oscar's Biggest Night