Top Songs From Broadway Shows

Hello again everybody, this is Ted Husing with another trip down the Great White Way....

Actually, this is just your friendly blogmaster doing his lame impression of Mr. Husing, the famous announcer of radio and newsreels of the 1930s and 40s who coined the term "Great White Way" for Broadway.

I have no idea why it was called that, but one thing is for sure, we'll salute some of the best Broadway showtunes in this week's Welk episode and as ol' Ted would say, "It's OK Mr. Doorman, we have special permission to watch and waiter a ringside table please!"

And on with the show!

Here's Mary Lou pondering about what the critics think of her performance in "The Music Man".....

George Cates has got Boogie Fever with Anacani.....

....and seconds after this musical number, a food fight breaks out at the catering table.

TOP SONGS FROM BROADWAY SHOWS - September 21, 1974

1. ON A WONDERFUL DAY LIKE TODAY - Ken, Jimmy, Tom, Bobby, Gail, Tanya, Mary Lou & Cissy
2. AS LONG AS HE NEARS ME - the Orchestra
3. I CONFESSED TO THE BREEZE - Guy Hovis & Ralna English
4. TILL THERE WAS YOU - Norma Zimmer
5. DANCING IN THE DARK - danced by Bobby Burgess & Cissy King

  
6. CAN'T HELP LOVIN' DAT' MAN - Tanya Falan with Bob Smale at the piano
7. I'LL NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - Sandi Griffiths, Gail Farrell and Mary Lou Metzger
8. WUNDERBAR - Tanya, Dick (Dale), Anacani, Bobby, Norma, Jimmy (Roberts), Ava, Joe, Ralna, Guy with Cissy dancing with Lawrence
9. THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM - Ken Delo

 
10. MEDLEY OF SONGS FROM "ROBERTA" - the Orchestra with George Cates conducting
11. TEA FOR TWO - sung in Spanish by Anacani
12. HELLO! DOLLY! - danced by Arthur Duncan
13. ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE - Tom Netherton

   
14. BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS - trumpet section of Johnny Zell, Mickey McMahan, Laroon Holt and Charlie Parlato
15. A BUSHEL AND A PECK - Ava Barber and her husband Roger Sullivan on drums
16. SUNRISE, SUNSET - Joe Feeney
17. SHALL WE DANCE? - Myron Floren on accordion with vocals by Jimmy, Norma, Cissy, Bobby, Guy, Ralna, Ken, Tom, Mary Lou, Gail, Sandi, Dick, Tanya and Larry Hooper

We got to see Ava Barber sing a Broadway song for the first time, since she had been with the show for a few months at the time, and "Bushel and a Peck" was very cute and lively, especially when she's joined by her husband Roger Sullivan on the drums.

Mary Lou hosted tonight's show, and as for the Music Man reference, she was actually in that famous Meredith Wilson play. When she was a kid, she played Amaryllis in the National Touring Company's production and before that was in Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible".

So you can see why Mary Lou has a fondness for the music of Broadway and so do we!

So until next week, keep a song in your heart and as Ted Husing would say "Song long from the Great White Way."

Top Songs From Broadway Shows

Champagne On Broadway

This week, the Champagne Music Makers are taking Broadway by storm, as they sing and perform some of the more popular showtunes.

So let's go back to 1971 and relive some wunnerful memories!

This number, first made famous in the 1931 show "The Band Wagon", is "Dancing In The Dark" which as you can tell that Cissy & Bobby are dancing to in the bright lights.

Next is Myron Floren at the accordion playing "With A Little Bit Of Luck" from the show "My Fair Lady".

Next, here's Sandi & Sally trying to get into show business by singing "Put On A Happy Face".

And finally, we see the cast from the Jazz Age dancing to the latest Roaring Twenties fad known as the Black Bottom!

Next week, it's a musical salute to Bing Crosby, a new one....I wonder if the Maestro will be playing golf on the show?

Champagne On Broadway

Meredith Wilson

Here's a nice shot of famous composer and playwright Meredith Wilson with Lawrence.

Of all his works, Wilson is perhaps best known for "The Music Man" in which many of its musical numbers were performed quite frequently on the Welk show.

For example, here's Jack Imel and Mary Lou Metzger performing "Gary, Indiana".

And here's Jack again, this time with the whole cast performing "You Got Trouble".

Meredith Wilson

No No Nanette

It's Friday once again, we look into my record collection and find another wunnerful Lawrence Welk album, "No No Nanette."

This one has always been one of my personal favorites, the selections are from the popular Broadway play of the same name and it's very pleasant listening done champagne style!

And I also like the episode where the Welk stars perform the songs, their excitement and enthusiasm shows in their performances.

It also features Mary Lou Metzger's singing the title track, which I do believe has been released by Decca as a 45 single in 1971.

Here's the whole breakdown of the album, find it either on ebay or your record swap shop and you "want to be happy" too!

LAWRENCE WELK: PLAYS SELECTIONS FROM THE BROADWAY MUSICAL SMASH!

NO, NO, NANETTE

SIDE ONE

TEA FOR TWO - featuring Norma Zimmer, Jimmy Roberts & Chorus

TOO MANY RINGS AROUND ROSIE - Girls Chorus

I'VE CONFESSED TO THE BREEZE - Guy & Ralna

I WANT TO BE HAPPY - Tanya Falan Welk & Chorus

SIDE TWO

NO, NO, NANETTE - Mary Lou Metzger, Bob Lido with The Hotsy Totsy Boys

YOU CAN DANCE WITH ANY GIRL AT ALL - Sandi & Sally with clarinet solo by Peanuts Hucko

"WHERE HAS MY HUBBY GONE'' BLUES - Guy & Ralna

CALL OF THE SEA - Ken Delo

TAKE A LITTLE ONE STEP - The Lawrence Welk Singers

GIRLS CHORUS: Norma Zimmer, Ralna English, Sandi Griffiths, Sally Flynn, Tanya Falan Welk & Gail Farrell

BOYS CHORUS: Guy Hovis, Ken Delo, Dick Dale, Bob Lido, Charlie Parlato & Curt Ramsey

Released by Ranwood Records (1971), produced by George Cates, Lawrence Welk and Randy Wood

No No Nanette

Broadway Musicals

This week's episode is really a fun one, it's from the Golden Age of Welk called "Broadway Musicals" which originally aired on November 27, 1971....here's Myron Floren getting the joint jumpin with "With A Little Bit of Luck".

And of course, Myron's talents is not a result of a little bit of luck, but rather the result of practice, practice and hard work!

The orchestra had alot of work tonight....kicking the show off with a medley of songs from The Sound of Music and great instrumentals of "Getting to Know You" and "This Can't Be Love". We also have Cissy & Bobby doing a nice dance to Dancing in the Dark which of course it was with a lot of light to see.

And there were great vocal numbers as well, such as Ken Delo's "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face", Norma Zimmer's inspirational "You'll Never Walk Alone" and Clay Hart's "Try to Remember" from that great Off-Broadway show The Fantastiks.

What 1971 show would not be complete without Sandi & Sally and their rendition of "Put On A Happy Face" which for this blogmeister has no problem with.

The finale of tonight's program has the whole cast in 1920s wear, and my favorite....the girls in flapper dresses, WHO HOO! They performed well with numbers such as "Are You Having Any Fun?" and danced to the Black Bottom. You also had Arthur Duncan doing a dance to "This Is My Lucky Day" and Tanya singing about the Birth of the Blues.

But there are no blues here on this show, it was nothing but 100 percent fun!

Mary Lou Metzger's interview corner was next, and in the hot seat is Norma Zimmer who talked about her family, working in the showbiz with Bing Crosby and Nelson Riddle and her life on the Welk show. She also talked about the heart attack she had after the taping of "Precious Memories" but thankfully....she is doing great. Regretfully, our Champange Lady had to alter her diet, no more ice cream and cheese!

Here's an interesting factoid, one of Norma's first fan letters when she joined the music makers came from the Coz himself, Bill Cosby!

Hope you all had a pleasant Veterans Day weekend so far, let us honor those who have served our country well and never forget.

And for next week, Musicial Family of Nations is on the docket, see you all then!

Broadway Musicals