The Dodge Dancing Party

When I was a 5 or 6 year-old child in the 1960's in South Dakota, I would watch The Lawrence Welk show with my parents on Saturday nights. Then when I was a teenager in the 1970's, I didn't think it was a "cool" show. When my daughter was a 5-6 year old child in the 1990's, we would dance together to The Lawrence Welk show. Now that she's a teenager in the 2000's, she thinks, as I did 30 years earlier, that it's not cool (although I think her term is "lame"). But I still enjoy watching it on PBS. It would be interesting to wonder whether my daughter will also start watching it again for nostalgia reasons when she's in her 30's and 40's and remember watching it with her Dad 30 or 40 years earlier (assuming it's still on PBS then).

I used to be forced to watch this show every saturday night or else go to my room and read. My mother just had to see Lawrence'a Walk'a and his'a Cham'apayne'a Band'a. I always wondered why he talked so weird, turns out his folks were from Germany or some place so he picked up their accent. I couldn't stand the show back in the 50's, but now wish I could see some of the old re-runs. Welk had some good musicians and dancers, and they always put on a very professional show. However, I could not stand Joe Feeney, the Irish tenor. He was most assuredly not wunnerful'a, wunnerful'a.

I'm a mere 16 year old, however my best friend and I love this show. Almost in a freakish sense. There's something timeless about the show that makes it a pleasure to watch, week after week. If you don't watch it... well you should... it's entertaining, enjoyable, and the retro- ness of it all is truly magical. Many of my Saturday nights are spent watching this show with friends on our local public television station. The music is always cool, and the variety of music that is featured makes it a very different show each week. Lawrence Welk is very gifted in his role of band-leader. I am quite happy that PBS is still showing it, and you should check it out. You will always find something you know on the show, and if not, you will grow fond of what you do hear.

Having lived for some time in southwestern Missouri, and having had many occasions to be in Branson - personally and on business - I was there when the Welk Resort was constructed (by Lawrence Welk, Jr.). The facility is away from the cacophony of noise from Branson's "main drag," has one of the finer theaters, as well as entertainment in the dining area.

We stayed there one week with friends, and it's the only hotel I've ever seen where the registration card has a place to check "if you have heart problems."

Now living in Tulsa, our Oklahoma public television organization is the producer of the Welk Show programs regularly public TV.

People have criticized Welk's music as corny and unimaginative - but while the folksy manner of the host and most of the performers may have seemed a bit excessive at times, one must remember this orchestra spawned Pete Fountain, whom I have seen at Welk reunion shows, both on TV and live.

One of the finest albums I have has an eclectic group of numbers, all by Johnny Hodges with the Welk orchestra. Hodges, of course, before he went on his own, was simply Duke Ellington's lead sax player.

The shows provide a lot of nostalgia, whether one may have seen them originally, and whether or not the viewer is a great fan of Welk's music. The older ones are several decades old, and present a variety of music which was contemporary then and nostalgic now. The shows which, say, 30- or 40-years-ago were nostalgia pieces then, are even more so now. If you watch the originals and then view the periodic current/special event/reunion shows, it is interesting to view the aging process at work. {One caveat - sometimes watching "Champagne Lady" Norma Zimmer (and a few of others, occasionally) warrants diabetics ensuring an extra dosage of insulin is nearby.}

One also might pose the riddle: What television show - at the same time - had the most and fewest bald and/or gray-haired performers? The answer surely would be this show. It displays more comb-overs, dye jobs and toupees, per capita, than anywhere on the planet. It presents more examples than a "Hair Club" or "Sassoon" catalog ever could. It's fascinating to watch the camera pan the group, and imagine everyone sans the comb-overs, pieces, and Clairol. Just an amusing bonus to this entertaining show.

The programs overall fall within a 7* to 10* range, so 9* is appropriate.

After a few years on local television, Lawrence Welk continues to host his Saturday evening song and dance variety program before a national audience for another 27 years (1955-82).

Wholesome, nostalgic, quality presentation become the order of the day, as Lawrence Welk, with his thick Germanic accent, introduces his Orchestra, singers and dancers, and sometimes comedy sketches each week, usually taking time out for one instrumental number to welcome a string of lovely audience females to spin around the dance floor.

Episodes often spotlight one select theme, with an occasional tribute to a famous songwriter, as Jerome Kern, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer or Harry Warren, or a tribute to a music genre, as Swing Bands, Country & Western, Patriotic Songs, Hymns or Show Tunes, or a tribute to a holiday or season, colors, states, flowers... oh, just about anything healthy and wholesome, with fashionable costuming to suit the occasion.

Lovely soprano Norma Zimmer joins the cast as Welk's "Champagne Lady" near the end of 1960, and thankfully doesn't follow up on her plans for an early retirement, which is often discussed for more then two decades throughout the program's run.

Other recognizable singers who achieve fame for many fine performances upon "The Lawrence Welk Show" include Jimmy Roberts, Bob Ralston, Bob Lido, Joe Feeney, (Dianne, Peggy, Kathy and Janet) the Lennon Sisters, Guy Hovis and Ralna English, Gail Farrell, Dick Dale and Tom Netherton plus many orchestra members and other vocalists (although it may be considered a mixed bag of sorts in that regard).

Myron Floren, the "Happy Norwegian" accordionist, stands out from the band with his friendly perpetual smile, while capably accompanying the orchestra, while standing in a well-deserved spotlight of his very own.

Jo Ann Castle also performs before the spotlight with her dynamic piano arrangements, her instrument often decorated for every event, and even igniting in flames on occasion.

Arthur Duncan steps to the beat with his famous tap dancing routines during his weekly segments, as do Bobby Burgess and Cissy King with their range of meticulously-choreographed dances, ranging from Ballroom to Country. Bobby remains upon the program a bit longer than Cissy and, therefore, has other dance partners, but when it comes to performance, these three (Arthur, Bobby and Cissy) rank right up there with the best of the all-time greats.

So, this series lives up to its promises of quality entertainment, spanning the 1950's with the 1980's, and holds up quite well today in PBS rerun packages, which are introduced by "Lawrence Welk Show" alumni, who also offer interesting behind-the-scenes commentary in lieu of commercial breaks.