In the '60's, Stan Freberg recorded this spoof of the Lawrence Welk Show as it existed in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Welk, who was the purveyor of pure midwestern corn set to treacly music with an orchestra led by accordians and clarinets, was adored by our parents and grandparents back in the those days, and was ripe for satire.
Many Boomers as helpless children were forced to watch the show at gunpoint; Freberg's radio spoof, with its iconic "Wunnerful-a wunnerful" and "Turn off the bubble machine!" typified the show.
It is said that Lawrence Welk was the reason rock n roll was invented.
Freberg parodied pop music. radio and teevee for 70 years. According to Wikipedia, he's still at it.
This short clip puts a faces to the personalities spoofed on his record, and to pay tribute to both Stan Freberg and the personalities on the Lawrence Welk Show that he spoofed.
oh man, this brought back some memories of visits at grandma's house in the late 60's/early 70's.
thanks blam.
ps: some of those musicians used the welk show as their day job and would go out and play some fairly good jazz in local clubs on the weekends/nights.
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | January 28, 2012 at 08:43 AM
Let us not forget Payolla Roll Blues or Green Christmas. "We wish you a merry christmas. And please buy our beer!"
Posted by: Ryder | January 29, 2012 at 09:01 AM
And we can thank Saturday Night Live for bringing a NEW audience to Lawrence Welk thanks to their Lennon Sisters parody (featuring Kristen Wiig).
Posted by: Eric | January 29, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Stan Freberg = genius
Posted by: casual observer | January 29, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Remember that ghastly "Carter's Little Liver Pills" tv spot of the 1950's? It was created by Rosser Reeves of the Ted Bates advertising agency. Stan Freberg called Reeves "the dean of the gastrointestinal school of advertising."
Posted by: Joseph | January 29, 2012 at 03:10 PM
Classic Stan Freberg - nice parody. May have heard this a few years after it came out. Was wondering if there is any recent Stan Freberg - will have to check on YouTube.
I can relate to feeling like a hostage because the parents and sometimes grandparents were enthralled with watching it and i had the fight or flight thing only briefly then quickly ske******d out of there.
Posted by: KS | January 29, 2012 at 06:37 PM
Maybe our parents just watched it to torture the kids ..... ????
Posted by: AprilMayJune | January 29, 2012 at 07:33 PM
My grandparents, both sets, LOOOOVED this show. Never missed it. On the other hand, my mother the music teacher HATED the Lawrence Welk show with a passion...always got up and left the room. Reruns are on PBS on Saturday evening, and sometimes, just to tease her when she is here visiting, I turn it to LW while she has gone into the other room. She comes back in and yells "NOOOOOOOOO!!!" The singing was pretty bad..a lot of them were very flat when they sang..a lot of them still perform together in Branson.
Posted by: sparky | January 29, 2012 at 08:24 PM
Now Sparky
Sounds like you saying that the Lennon Sisters are 'flat'
Posted by: Puget Sound Blathers | January 30, 2012 at 05:42 AM
ROFLOL...
Posted by: KS | January 30, 2012 at 06:43 PM
Sparkler, I am thrilled to hear that your mom was a dissenter. I thought this Welk phenomenon was an inscrutable feature of the generational schism...while we were ingesting drugs and r&r, they were under the influence of a neurological "Welk-o-mone" that caused hysterical "Lennon-love" (Janet, not John). Glad to learn that it's not congenital and your mom was able to "just say no" and come to her senses! Thanks!
Posted by: Fremont | January 31, 2012 at 11:37 AM