"The Lawrence Welk Show" (1955) TV series 1955-1982

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

James Hobson

Writer:

Bernice McGeehan (-1982)

Seasons:

3 | 5 | 18 | 22 | 25 | unknown

Release Date:

2 July 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Music

Plot:

One of the most successful and fondly-remembered shows in TV history, "The Lawrence Welk Show" featured musical numbers and skits, with host Welk leading the band.

Plot Keywords:

Variety | Concert Film | Non Fiction | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Lawrence Welk	...	Himself / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1982)
The Lennon Sisters	...	Themselves (2 episodes, 1957-1959)

Also Known As:

"Memories of Lawrence Welk" (USA) (repeat compilations title)
"The Dodge Dancing Party" (USA) (new title)
"The Plymouth Show" (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1955-1965) | Color (1965-1982)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Palladium - 6215 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Teleklew Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sanford and Son: Blood Is Thicker Than Junk (#2.10)" (1972)

Soundtrack:

Bubbles in the Wine

Reminds me of every trip I ever made to my grandparents' house.

And maybe that's why I still find myself checking out a few minutes of it most Saturday nights on public television. You can't listen to that stale band, bland numbers, or tawdry accordion playing without wondering how in the hell people back then didn't die of boredom. But like clockwork, whenever I was visiting my grandparents in Sioux City, IA, when this show came on their world screeched to a halt and anyone in the room over 60 was mesmerized. They watched this thing as closely as I watch a football game I have money on. And the younger family members would frantically search out a TV in another room so as not to hear even one tap of that black guy's shoes. Let alone an entire lifeless song.

When you look at the band members, it looks like Nixon's Silent Majority all picked up instruments and decided to beat back the minions of anything un-American with their phony smiles and mellow tones. The audience members were mostly elderly folks without much taste in either clothing or music themselves. Every now and then, some of them would be invited on stage to dance with Mr. Welk himself. My grandmother even claimed she once danced with Mr. Welk, though this story has never been authenticated.

Frankly, there's nothing really like this on television today. It's so earnest and squeaky-clean that it either makes you cringe or long for the days of decades long ago when someone could be taken off television for simply saying the phrase "water closet". There were no doubt edgier shows on television at the time this show was at its peak, but most old folks I've known were watching this instead. None of my grandparents are left, so watching this show is actually one way to channel their memory. But I just cannot take more than a couple minutes of the blandness. I'll be generous and give it 7 of 10 stars since it has meant so much to so many people.

The Hound.