Rated R used to make fun of me because I didn’t watch TV. When I spent the weekend at her house, however, the joke was on her because I was enamored with their Antenna TV. I could have watched for hours. Primarily because the public television station was running a Lawrence Welk marathon. I was in heaven. Rated R was in hell.
“I would rather stare at a blank wall in silence,” Rated R told me as I snapped photo after photo of Lawrence’s Musical Family. When the sister act came on I informed Rated R and Cream Of Tartar, “Lawrence has inspired so many.” We then showed Cream Of Tartar one of the Saturday Night Live Finger Lakes skits – he was mesmerized. “There’s no looking away from the little hands,” he told us. So true, so true. In fact, for me, there was no looking away from any of Lawrence Welk. You know you’re watching TV magic when the shows main sponsors are companies pushing sleep aids, laxatives, denture cleanser, aftershave and multivitamins – to name a few.
Rated R and Cream Of Tartar, however, disagreed. As a non-musical family they were very ready to change the channel to something more upbeat, like Dateline. As popular as the Champagne Lady might be, it’s hard to compete with ‘baffling crimes and compelling real-life dramas.’
Sadly, just like forty plus years ago, Lawrence Welk lost out to the younger crowd. Good night, good night, until the next public television station marathon Lawrence and, “though its always sweet sorrow to part, you know you’ll always remain in my heart.”