Pluggers by Rick McKee for July 25, 2020

Remember the version of the show’s theme with the line “It felt so nice, I did it twice”?

Not quite all of the people but that’s what was on our TV Saturday nights. I remember the new ’57 Dodges being announced in the Fall of ’56. Back then, when they sang the closing song, “Hope You Had a Happy Time,” Larry Hooper with the deep voice always added, “Dodge had a good time too!”

Blargh! Good thing rock music was invented!

And a One ! …. and a Two ! I think that was the way Welk did it ;-)

Pluggers will continue to use Lawrence Welk as a joke long after people who become Pluggers were born after Lawrence Welk aired.

Now you’ve gone too far.

Wow! He is truly a plugger. I still love the music of Frank, Patti, Nat, Doris, Glen and all the great musicians of the forties and fifties; but I was so glad to see Rock ’n Roll push Lawrence off the scene.

My parents lived for Lawrence, right after Ted Mac’s talent hour, before Mitch Miller.. going back WAAY too far : D

Check out that gold wristwatch he sports, too!

More my speed… https://youtu.be/9FkGBBuBDLA

There was an older male singer, good-looking, with silver hair, who was very popular. LW said they got more letters about him than anybody else on the show. He was so popular with the ladies that the show wouldn’t allow him to sing “love songs” because they’d be buried in mail. I remember he sang “Little White Duck”, but I don’t remember his name. Any guesses?

The Irish tenor, Joe Feeney. My parents watched it every time it was on. And, one grande time, they polka’d in the living room to Myron Floren’s mad, wild accordian playing! I loved “The Lovely Lennon Sisters”. And Larry Hooper, with that deep, deep, DEEP bass voice.

Lawrence Welk is still run locally every Saturday night at 6pm here in our neck of northern MN… my brother’s kids were shocked to find out that THIS was THE Saturday night entertainment for the older people back in the day :-P

Lawrence Welk (aka bubble ears) and Sing Along with Mitch were my dad’s favorite shows. Dad had a great singing voice, none of us kids inherited it.

I remember Lawrence Welk, a little surprised we still have his fans among us. More power to you.

Also the original members of the Mickey Mouse club without looking at their shirts or sweaters.

Not me, hated that show.

I wonder if Mr. Thornley listened to Polka 1010 am WJSW.

Some people love to mock Lawrence Welk and knock his music, but truth is he was a super-successful musician, band-leader and business man in his time. And reruns of his show still air on PBS, making a total of 60+ years on television. Yes, the acts can sometimes be kind of hokey, but all in all, there was an amazing amount of talent on his show. I’m a fan of pretty much all types of music, but basically rock of the late 60s, early 70s, but I still watch the Lawrence Welk show every week, both for the music and for the nostalgia it brings me of a more innocent time and better days watching as a kid with my parents, rest their souls.

Myron did play a mean accordion, and Henry Cuesta played a mean clarinet, also, as well as Big Tiny Little and Joanne Castle on ragtime piano. Oh, yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnk5BDEFTWg

I knew in the early days, but as the originals “retired”, I lost track and interest in the replacements.

“Calcutta” was the only thing Lawrence Welk ever did that appealed to me.

All excellent musicians. Sadly, Welk was so corny that he tainted swing music forever. Music is a giant smorgasbord and people who only go for rock or country are missing A LOT!

The band was very accordion forward: Myron, Lawrence himself, JoAnn Castle, I know I’m leaving some out…

That’s me.

It comes on here in the middle of dinner prep time. My 78 year old, kitchen-useless husband insists on watching it. Threats of divorce don’t work.

I thought I was a plugger until I read this. Now I know pluggers are REALLY old such as my grandma who used to love LW and all I could think of was “WHY???”

I’m quite fond of Floren’s work (and the back-up musicians, the Soundstage Super Pickers) in his immortal “Disco Polka” LP. From shortly after the day I got it for 99 cents at a Woolco close-out sale, it’s been part of my life’s soundtrack.

Despite the cover picture of him in a white suit, I’m about 99% sure he recorded all his tracks perfectly straight, possibly for some other project or projects. The ‘disco’ part is all in the production work.

‘hold it, somebody stop the bubble machine…’