Lawrence Welk: Milestones & Memories - A Musical Family Reunion

This two hour reunion special from 2001 features 47 members of the Lawrence Welk Show's "Musical Family" including several Champagne Ladies prior to Norma Zimmer (and the late Alice Lon) who were with the Welk band prior to the national TV series debut in 1955. As one would expect, there is a lot of archive footage of Mr. Welk. Highlights include the opening segment featuring all the cast singing and dancing together leading to a taped opening sequence announcing each performer by year they joined the band/show; Bobby Burgess dancing with all three of his partners: Barbara Boylan, Cissy King and Elaine Niverson Balden; Norma Zimmer and then Guy Hovis serenading the (prior to 1955) Champagne Ladies; pianists Jo Ann Castle and Big Tiny Little performing a number together; a jam session featuring all the cast; and an "in memoriam" tribute to all the deceased members of the show. Sadly, there are a few who have passed away since this special was filmed, such as Myron Floren and Henry Cuesta. Astute viewers will notice that the Lennon Sisters are all the originals except for Mimi Lennon, the younger sister who replaces Peggy Lennon. I taped this in March 2001 from my local PBS station and watched it with my parents, who used to watch the show every Saturday night. It's a great nostalgic reunion special and a wonderful trip down memory lane. Highly recommended for all fans of the original series. 10/10

Milestones & Memories reunites 47 living Welk performers that have entertained us every Saturday night, mostly when we were watching with our grand-parents. Although the musical family may have gotten older, they still looked and sounded great at the Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, and for some members....it was the first time we seen them perform since their days on the show.

If you have two hours to spare, and you have nothing to do on a Saturday night....pop in M&M into your VCR and share wunnerful wunnerful memories with Myron, Jo Ann, Gail, Sandy, Sally, Mary Lou, The Lennon Sisters, Bobby, Cissy and many many more for a trip down memory lane!

MY RATING: TEN STARS OUT OF TEN

PBS habitually brings this out for fund raising. The decade since the previous review has not been kind to the cast. Numerous others have died: Pete Fountain, Joe Feeney, Big Tiny Little, Norma Zimmer, and many others who either appeared or did not on this show. In that sense the show is more of a memorial to them than to Welk, who had died nine years before it was produced.

PBS might do well to reedit the pledge breaks. Having the long-deceased Norma Zimmer hit people up for contributions is more than a bit out of place.