Welk was never an innovator. His criterion for success was to keep it sweet and simple: Play the proven standards the people want to hear, in the simplest of arrangements, and in less than three minutes just in case someone did not like a particular song. It was safe-and-sane TV entertainment, predictable and stable and wholesome. For that, he went virtually without praise from within the television industry. Some ultimately grew frustrated by his methods, which included control over music and even costume selection.
Many quit. Lon was one of the television Champagne Ladies, the showcased singers intended to symbolize the essence of femininity. Welk frowned on that. Still others left the show over money disputes with Welk, who paid the minimum union scale to his cast. Still, most of the crew hung around. Welk did set up a generous profit-sharing plan for his performers while giving them freedom to appear on other television shows and to make personal appearances.
Not many, however, found extensive work outside of the Welk show. For one thing, they all had to be at the studio for the Saturday night show--the biggest night of the week for personal appearances. At first uneasy as a television personality, fearful that his fourth-grade education would betray him, he soon enough developed a love affair with his audiences. He was ever gracious to his fans and was the proud patriarch of his so-called musical family of studio musicians, dancers, singers, entertainers and support crew members, serving as a gentle but firm disciplinarian and preacher of conservative values.
If Welk played to the older generation, he was perhaps most pleased by the reception he received from younger listeners. The constitution resembled the Constitution of the United States, even repeating much of its The Toyota Motor Company announces on March 11, that it has sold over 1 million gas-electric hybrid vehicles in the U. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox.
On March 11, , one of the worst blizzards in American history strikes the Northeast, killing more than people and dumping as much as 55 inches of snow in some areas. New York City ground to a near halt in the face of massive snow drifts and powerful winds from the storm. Cops went on to become one of the longest-running shows in television history. It went off the air in The show, Capping his rapid rise through the Communist Party hierarchy, Mikhail Gorbachev is selected as the new general secretary of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko the day before.
Gorbachev oversaw a radical transformation of Soviet society and foreign On March 11, , Congress establishes the U. Army Corps of Engineers to help plan, design and prepare environmental and structural facilities for the U. Made up of civilian workers, members of the Continental Army and French officers, the U. Throughout the years on television, Welk's pathological shyness, due in large part to his thick Alsatian accent, caused him to keep his eyes glued to the TelePrompTer for even the briefest announcement.
He was known to be as bashful and wholesome off the camera as well. There could never be cigarette or beer advertising on his show, nor would Welk ever hire comedians, because he feared off-color jokes. The orchestra's material was combed for suggestive lyrics, and a female performer was once fired for wearing a miniskirt.
No matter how high the hemlines rose everywhere else, it was always the idyllic s to Lawrence Welk. But by sponsors felt, in the words of the New York Times, that the show's audience was "too old, too rural and too sedate.
He launched a heavy campaign for himself, signing up more than independent television stations in the United States and Canada and keeping the show alive until Although many of Welk's early businesses failed, he could still be shrewd off the dance floor. Throughout the s and s his entrepreneurial skills were at work in real estate and publishing.
Some of his investments included the Lawrence Welk Village, a 1,acre resort and retirement complex in Escondido, California; the s folk revival label Vanguard Records; a huge music library; and the rights to 20, songs, including all of composer Jerome Kern's work. Welk's best-selling biography, Wunnerful, Wunnerful, simply added to his riches. In time Lawrence Welk became the second wealthiest performer in show business, just behind comedian Bob Hope.
His band and production company became the second-biggest tourist draw of Los Angeles, following Disneyland.
Welk continued to make appearances until his advanced age ended his career in On May 17, , Lawrence Welk succumbed to pneumonia and died at age Welk's many recognitions included honorary doctorates, numerous awards for his orchestra, and the distinction of playing at President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural ball. Private sponsors eventually paid for refurbishing the North Dakota farm. A musical anthology of Welk's work spanning the years from to was well received. Although detractors called Welk's music corny, critics such as Jeff Tamarkin in Pulse!
Newsweek's Gates quoted Welk as saying, "Where I lived on a farm by a small town, poor, I always felt the other folks were--oh, maybe a little better.
He was there to say, Don't you believe it. Welk, who had been battling the effects of pneumonia, died peacefully on May 17, at his home in Santa Monica, California, with his family at his side. Mary of the Plains College, KS, Celebrates 25 Years on Television, c. Plays for a Dance Party, Dance to the Big Band Sounds,
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