Lennon Sisters with Sha Na Na

My good friend Peter MacNeil gave me the heads up on this, it's a You Tube clip featuring the Lennon Sisters on Sha Na Na's syndicated variety show in a ballroom skit.

Hard to believe that Sha Na Na was one of the acts that appeared in Woodstock.

I kinda wish that Dee Dee, Peggy, Kathy and Janet Lennon appeared as well....

Lennon Sisters with Sha Na Na

Overlooked Nuggets from Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures

It has pledge week in my viewing area for the last two weeks....and today on WBGU out of Bowling Green, we got to see the classic pledge special Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures.

But here are some TV treasures from the special that didn't make the final cut, so right here....a Welk Musical Family exclusive, more musical memories you didn't get to see.

 

There's the 1980 episode where Johnny Zell had problems blowing into his trumpet....looks like the fellas played a practical joke on him by stuffing his horn with chewing gum. 

 

There's also the show from 1969 when a car used in a musical number ran out of gas.....

 

.....and who can forget a Silver Champagne Special when Bob Lido realized that he's not supposed to put his lunch in the microwave wrapped in tin foil?

 

And finally, when Tanya was scheduled to do a number with her playing the flute....but since she accidentally left the instrument at home, she had to improvise.

It's all in good, clean fun....

Keep a song in your heart and enjoy the week ahead!

Overlooked Nuggets from Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures

Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio

Usually means Lawrence Welk on my public television station....

For some reason, they showed the TV Treasures special in place of this week's program, Music Memories of 1969.

Must be working out the bugs for that switch to digital television.

Some highlights from '69....Cissy & Bobby are getting the audience involved...

Also we have the twin pianists of Bob Ralston and Frank Scott.

The Curt Ramsey Quintet....with Andra Willis as a member

And finally, Bob Havens making some trombone magic....

Hopefully, by next week....the bugs will be worked out both at WGTE and me, nothing says winter more so than a nasty cold, and I just happened to catch one!

Someone pass the tissues please.

Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio

TV Treasures....a real gem!

I have twice watched the all-new special "Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures" and from this blogmeister's perspective, the program really lives up to it's name!

There are plenty of milestones and memories to choose from...so let's begin.

Part one deals with the origins of the show and it's star, Lawrence Welk as told by his son, Larry Jr. He talks about the beginning of the Welk Show, complete with vintage clips of the very first show broadcasted on ABC...how the musicians were also talented singers...complete with interviews with Dick Dale and Rocky Rockwell....and how the Lennon Sisters became regulars, which led them to being stars!

There's also a neat clip from 1958 where 18-year old Larry Jr got to lead the band, which gave clairinet player Pete Fountain a good chuckle!

Part Two deals with the popularity of the show, and how the musical family became objects of attention of many popular celebrity fan magazines, such as TV Picture Life and Photo Play just to name a few....in fact, I have several of those magazines in my collection....especially the ones that have the Maestro and his music makers on the cover!

They also touch on the marriages between certain music makers....like Bobby Burgess & Kristie Floren, Peggy Lennon & Dick Cathcart and Mary Lou Metzger & Richard Maloof, we also get to see rare clips like the episode where Guy & Ralna first show Julie's baby pictures...singing to "You Light Up My Life".

Part Three deals with the behind-the-scenes aspect of the show, in where Dee Dee and Janet Lennon talk about that the show was first done live and later when it was done on tape...with some great insight from Mary Lou Metzger and Jack Imel. And don't forgot about those crazy, colorful outfits they wore! Rose Weiss, the show's costumer, goes into detail about that.

They also aired a clip of the Lennon Sisters singing, "Up Up And Away"....I have got to find what album they recorded that song on!

And finally in Part Four, we look into some of the comedic numbers and hi-jinks from the show....like the gang's rendition of "The Lawrence Welk-Hee Haw Counter-Revolution Polka", Rocky Rockwell's rendition of "Sadie Brown" and Ken Delo splitting his pants on the 1975 Halloween show!

And of course, they discussed about the end of the regular series, which aired on April 17, 1982 (it was taped on February 24th....my 5th birthday by the way) and how the show's popularity has endured to this day....on public television.

It was a wunnerful show...I did phone in to pledge a hundred smackers to my local PBS affiliate which means in a few weeks....I'll get the TV Treasures photo memory book.

Next week, Ralna English's From My Heart will air....I'm thinking of ordering her cookbook with my forthcoming pledge.....see you all next week!

TV Treasures....a real gem!

Just watched TV Treasures....

I just finished watching Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures tonight....and I must say it was wunnerful, wunnerful production. They are indeed musical treasures, many of them I haven't seen in a long time!

It's a brilliant musical documentary, kinda like VH1's "Behind The Music" minus the sex, drug abuse, financial problems, booze and back stage in-fighting...all of it is clean, wholesome family fun...just like Mr. Welk would have wanted.

I'll have the whole report later tommorrow, since I taped it....I watch it again later tonight to savor every champagne morsel.

Just watched TV Treasures....

Lawrence Welk TV Treasures Update!

Good news for all of us Northwest Ohio viewers! Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures, in addition to being shown on this March 17th, will make it's debut early a week from now on March 3rd at 7:00pm....both on WGTE and WBGU at the same time!

Now that's a great birthday present so far....get those VCRs warmed up.

Lawrence Welk TV Treasures Update!

Ralna and TV Treasures...coming to Toledo in March

I just got a reply back from WGTE, my local public broadcaster with some great news! All of Toledo and Northwest Ohio will be getting both Ralna English: From My Heart and Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures! Here's the lowdown...

Ralna English: From My Heart will air Saturday on March 10th at 6:30 pm (Toledo time that is....)

And Lawrence Welk's TV Treasures will air Saturday, March 17th at 6:00 pm.

Don't forget to program your TiVos and VCRs, those two weeks will be one for the milestone and memory books!

Ralna and TV Treasures...coming to Toledo in March