The Plymouth show was the first American television program to air in stereophonic sound. The second show's title was Lawrence Welk Presents Top Tunes and New Talent (1956–58) and then Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show, after another Chrysler vehicle (1958–59). From 1956 to 1959, Lawrence Welk was broadcast two nights per week. When the show debuted nationwide, The Lawrence Welk Show was billed as the Dodge Dancing Party in 19. The syndicated version of the program aired from 1971 to 1982. Eastern Time on Saturdays over some of the ABC affiliates on which he had previously appeared, along with some stations affiliated with other networks and some independent television stations. When the show was canceled by the head of programming there, Welk formed his own production company and continued airing the show, on local stations and, often from 7 to 8 P.M. The show also left the Prospect and Talmadge studios between 19, returning to the Hollywood Palace for one season, then moving to CBS's Television City studios in 1977 and staying for two seasons, before coming back to the Prospect and Talmadge studios in 1979 and remaining there for the rest of its run. Once a couple of studios at the ABC Prospect and Talmadge facilities had been converted to color in 1966, the show moved back there.
The 1965–66 season was taped at the Hollywood Palace because that was ABC's only West Coast TV studio at the time equipped for live or taped color production Welk had insisted that the show go color in 1965 because he believed that being broadcast in color was critical to the continued success of his program. For 23 of its 27 years on the air, the show would originate there.
The show made its national television debut on ABC Television on July 2, 1955, and was initially produced at the Hollywood Palladium, moving to the ABC studios at Prospect and Talmadge (stage 5) in Hollywood shortly afterwards. In 1954, Paramount announced plans to distribute the show nationwide, plans that never materialized due to Paramount's feuds with DuMont Television Network that led to the collapse of both. The original show was broadcast from the since-demolished Aragon Ballroom at Venice Beach. On May 11, 1951, The Lawrence Welk Show began as a local program on KTLA in Los Angeles, the flagship station of the Paramount Television Network and the first commercial television station in California and west of the Mississippi River.
The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 to 1971, followed by 11 years in first-run syndication from 1971 to 1982. The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk.
Since quitting live TV in 1982, after an astounding 27 years on network and syndicated television (reruns of the show still appear on some PBS stations), Welk, 85, has entrusted day-to-day operations of Lawrence Welk Resort Village, in Escondido, Calif., and other business interests to son Larry.īill Daly, the ''Stars'' promoter who first hired Welk`s dance band in South Dakota in 1952, said, ''He goes down to the office every day and shoots pool.Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen (1971-1982)Īmerican Broadcasting Company (1955–1971) He grew up poor on a farm, and that was how he was raised.'' He held onto the dollar pretty good and was never a person to be a gift giver. ''The orchestra musicians made more than we did because he paid by the hour.
Castle and English agreed without apparent malice that Welk was not extremely generous. But if they didn`t work hard and give 200 percent, he had no tolerance, no matter how good they were,'' Castle said. ''He couldn`t play the accordion very well, so he had to surround himself with musicians much better than himself. He learned from vaudeville, and he really knew the tricks.
But live, that man knew how to work a crowd. ''On TV, he always seemed frozen, reading cue cards. Fans who saw Welk only on the tube missed out on an essential part of his personality, Castle said.