https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/lawrence-welk-reference-new-york-post-still-resonating-01et2pj6gzgt

On Sunday Night Football last night, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth reacted to the New York Post using the headline "Lawrence? Welp" (https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1340863860832497665) as a pun on Welk's name in reaction to the New York Jets possibly losing out on top QB prospect Trevor Lawrence by upsetting the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. But how many viewers would get the reference to a TV personality whose The Lawrence Welk Show ended in 1982? Over the past decade, Saturday Night Live has done numerous sketches mocking The Lawrence Welk Show (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=snl+lawrence+welk) that have attracted millions of views. "But here's the question: Does Welk still resonate with the masses? I am 36, an oldish soul, and my only frame of reference is Fred Armisen playing him in an Saturday Night Live sketch," says Kyle Koster. "Logically, a newspaper audience is going to skew a little older as the kids are all getting their news online these days. So I've heard. If Welk is still connecting, though, that's big news. News we can use. That would mean a Mamie Van Doren or Art Linkletter headline allusion would be worth the SEO hit."

I would say no. Great majority of people don't know Lawrence. I have vague memory of Guy Lombardo and New Years Eve of 50+ years ago. My brother and I were chatting about him and he remembers Guy strictly for the older set far different than today when you have a Ryan Seacreast hosting New Years Eve for the younger set. It is great that we can google say Mary Pickford and find a little info on her but the great majority of us are more interested in the lives of Brad Pitt. Every generation has their likes of their age group.

I agree. The interest would have been in my mother's (1920-2017) generation (shr really liked his show), and most of these people have died.

PBS still plays reruns, I think. Not sure who would be watching.

I know that my PBS affiliate plays reruns every Saturday night at 6:00 PM.

i sure don't remember him. I'm 56. I didn't watch him, that's for sure. I mean, I've heard of him but that's all.

My grandparents watched that show every week. They passed on 20 years ago.

my 91 year old Father still watches it

I've always liked Lawrence Welk, I watched his show in Chicago during the 1970's when WGN ran it. Nowadays, replays of the show can be seen on some PBS channels.

I don't think he is well known as he once was.

That is my take on Lawrence Welk, when I was a child in the 1970's he was popular with elderly people, of the 1970's. As in people born between 1890 and 1910 old. I think that Welk would have been old fashioned to my parent's generation who were born in the early 1930's.

I am from Memphis, which is famous for the home of Elvis Presley, who died way back in 1977. His house became a tourist mecca since the 1980's, but I wonder how many years it has left since his fans are dying (Elvis would be 87 if he were still alive). I was born in 1967 and I dont think even my generation is that interested in seeing the place, some are however since Elvis was a part of rock our parents listened to. Our children and grandchildren moving forward have no connection with him, he has been dead for 45 years, and they never listened to his music and if they have, to them it would be hackneyed and old fashioned.

Times change and people who were famous are no longer so and people famous now will be forgotten in fifty years.

I watch occasionally to see my crushes in their prime.

Sandi Griffiths:

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Ralna English:

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Mary Lou Metzger:

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Cissy King:

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So my interest begins after the Lennon Sisters left, though I can appreciate the older shows too.

Oh, yeah, I “fondly” remember “The Lawrence Welk Show” airing on Saturday nights during the 1960s. My parents never missed it. I think Stevea is right-on with his comment that that generation of faithful Lawrence Welk viewers is now all gone.

As a kid, I would rather have watched “Shindig” or even “Land of the Giants,” but on Saturday nights, “The Lawrence Welk Show”was THE family show to tune into to.

Although, I have to say that I thought that the singing Lennon Sisters were very cute. However, I was dismayed to learn that the Lennon Sisters bailed out of the show when Mr. Welk declined their request for a raise in salary. Apparently, Mr. Welk was known to be as “frugal,” if not as parsimonious, as Fred MacMurray, another noted Hollywood tightwad.

Also, I could never figure out Mr. Welk’s somewhat curious accent. Comedian John Byner once observed that although Mr. Welk was born and raised in North Dakota, he sounded as if he just got off the boat from Hamburg.

I almost wished that in perhaps trying to expand his audience, particularly with the younger crowd, Mr. Welk had invited younger performers to appear on his popular show. Wouldn’t it have been cool to see Rolling Stones lead guitarist Keith Richard, jamming with the Lawrence Welk band, and with accordionist Myron Floren backing the Stones’ musician in a rocking
version of Wayne Newton’s seminal hit song, “Danke Schoen”? Or how about seeing Lawrence Welk dancers Bobby Burgess and Cissy King getting down with the legendary Tina Turner for a rock-the-house song and dance rendition of “Proud Mary”?

Alas, what might have been.

About 30 years ago, I randomly met one of Sandi Griffiths' daughters. She was about my age and I immediately recognized the connection with the Welk show. Others in the small group of my same age cohort had no idea who Lawrence Welk was. So even among a group of Gen X, Welk's popularity had already begun to fade.

My mom is 99 and in assisted living. I have been watching the Welk show with her every Saturday evening for the last couple years. It airs on the local PBS station. The show isn't my cup of tea, but my mom enjoys it. I have to admit the musicians and dancers were really good. PBS seems to be reluctant to air the early black and white shows. A lot of performers from that era were gone by the time it switched to color in the mid 60s.

I believe Welk did try to expand his audience in later years by adding country singer Clay Hart, country/gospel singers Guy and Ralna, black tap dancer Arthur Duncan, cute little Hispanic hottie Anacani and the tall blond stud Tom Netherton.

I really love seeing older Welk shows with Natalie Nevins (1925-2010). She was a hottie, with her little white gloves and regal bearing. This beautiful & talented lady had a brief tenure on the series, but she made a lasting impression.

With her riveting presence and formal gowns, this woman was so foxy:

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Beautifully trimmed bangs adorning her pretty face with high cheekbones. Lovely:

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‘The Lawrence Welk Show’ Turns 70: A Bubbly TV Flashback (https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcberman1/2025/07/02/the-lawrence-welk-show-turns-70-a-bubbly-tv-flashback/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky)

By Marc Berman, Senior Contributor.

Jul 02, 2025, 10:59am EDT

“Wunnerful, wunnerful!.” “Ah one, and ah two”…let’s get started on this TV flashback.

Naturally, this tribute is about the legendary Lawrence Welk, the "Champagne Music" maestro, known for his family-friendly show and his signature "A one, and ah two" introduction to musical numbers. Beyond long-running The Lawrence Welk Show (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125326/http://www.jumptheshark.com/l/lawrencewelk.htm), which debuted on ABC on this day in 1955, Welk was a bandleader, an accordion player, and a shrewd businessman synonymous with squeaky-clean (and older-skewing) entertainment.

Let’s go back to July 2, 1955 for the premiere of The Lawrence Welk Show. I Love Lucy finished the season as the top-rated television series in primetime (with a staggering average 49.3 household rating, according to Nielsen). The Jackie Gleason Show at No. 2 led the then overpopulated category of variety. And classic crime drama Dragnet ranked third overall.

At a time when the summer was a breeding ground for leftover programming, ABC aggressively brought Lawrence Welk into primetime. Initially billed as the Dodge Dancing Party in 1955 and 1956, The Lawrence Welk Show became a staple for ABC for 16 years, particularly as a Saturday night option. The variety series featured the band, singers, and dancers, all showcasing a range of musical styles from big band to polka. Many episodes included a theme, like songs of the 40s or music from famous groups, with the cast performing related numbers. Segments highlighted individual performers. And then there was the Lennon sisters, who were dubbed "America’s Sweethearts of Song." They were…all together now…"Wunnerful, wunnerful!"

Life After Cancellation

In response to the show’s demise, Welk started his own production company and continued producing it for first-run syndication. Fun factoid: The success of Lawrence Welk and Hee Haw in syndication, and the network decisions that led to their premature cancellations, were the inspiration for a novelty song called “The Lawrence Welk-Hee Haw Counter-Revolution Polka.”

After 11 additional seasons (and 30 seasons in total), Lawrence Welk retired and production of the weekly television program ended in 1982.

With bubbles floating around accompanied by a sound effect of a bottle of champagne opening at the beginning of most episodes, The Lawrence Show was not the “coolest” or “trendiest” television series. But its wholesome, family-friendly entertainment left an indelible impact. And today we remember this “wunnerful, wunnerful” variety series.