


Detractors called it tinkly Mickey Mouse music dispensed to geriatric audiences.įans adored the sentimental show as a constant in a changing world and as a reassuring time capsule of a simpler, happier time. Well, I guess you never really know what goes on behind the scenes until you pull the curtain. Lawrence Welk: Televisions Music Man was the first special produced for public television (1987) and it kicked-off the craze for Welk on public television. And, that Jo Ann Castle covered up for her husband's child molestation. But, I would have never guessed that Bob Ralston was a child molester.
#Lawrence welk show series#
Celebrating its 50th year anniversary this year, The Lawrence Welk Show remains the highest rated syndicated series on public television, according to Nielsen ratings. The magazine couldn’t have been more wrong.

#Lawrence welk show tv#
The Welk dance band offered an easy mix of pop, swing, Dixieland, country, Latin, polkas and inspirational music. Damn, I used to watch 'The Lawrence Welk Show' with my family as a child. After band leader Lawrence Welk made his debut on ABC with a summer replacement show on July 2, 1955, TV Guide said it was a fine temporary series but would never go further. The heart of the real estate empire was the Lawrence Welk Village, a 1,000-acre resort-and-retirement complex at Escondido, Calif., near San Diego. Welk became, after Bob Hope, the second-wealthiest performer in show business, and his band and production company became the second-biggest tourist draw of Southern California, behind Disneyland.Ĭomponents of the multimillion-dollar Welk conglomerate include a large music library and ownership of the lucrative royalty rights to 20,000 songs.Īmong them are the entire body of Jerome Kern`s work, which Mr. In 1971, following two decades on air, ABC cancelled the Lawrence Welk Show, a musical variety show led by the German-accented bandleader and accordionist.
