LAWRENCE WELK

March 11, 1903

Lawrence Welk was born in the German-speaking community of Strasburg, North Dakota. He was sixth of the eight children of Ludwig and Christiana Welk, Roman Catholic Germans who emigrated from Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). He was a musician, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the television program “The Lawrence Welk Show” from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as “champagne music”. 

To make this concept visual, the production crew installed a bubble machine that spouted streams of large bubbles across the bandstand, imitating the fizzy bubbles in a glass of champagne. 

He was known for two verbal taglines: his downbeat countdown “A-one, a-two” before he started conducting a song; and his placid exclamation “wunnerful wunnerful” both said in his trademark German-American accent (he did not learn to speak English until he was twenty-one). Coincidentally, Lucille Ball also had a unique way of say “Wonderful”.  

In 1939 Welk made his screen debut in a Paramount short film (10 minutes) of his Champagne Music. He also did shorts for Universal in 1946 and 1949.  

“The Lawrence Welk Show” began in 1951 on KTLA TV but moved to ABC network in 1955, where it ran until 1982. 

 Welk was not an actor, and only appeared as himself in one scripted show: “Here’s Lucy” in 1970.  When Vivian visits, she expects Lucy to fulfill her promise to arrange a date with Lawrence Welk. Lucy doesn’t know Welk, so she borrows a wax dummy of the bandleader and convinces nearsighted Vivian to give up her glasses. 

When the kids secretly convince the real Lawrence Welk to come to dinner, confusion is on the menu! 

In the episode, Mary Jane tells Lucy that there is a wax figure of Lawrence Welk at the Movieland Wax Museum where her friend is the manager. The real-life museum was located in Buena Park, California. In addition to a wax Welk, a wax Lucille Ball was installed in 1963.

In February 1969, Lucille Ball had appeared on “The Jack Benny Birthday Special” which also featured Welk. Welk and Ball appeared in a sketch set in the old West. 

Welk was a big fan of golf and in 1964 founded a company known as Welk Resort Group which still operates properties in North America including golf resorts.

“Older people loved Lawrence Welk. They associated his music with their youth. Now he’s gone. It’s not fair.” ~ Lucille Ball, LOOK Magazine, September 7, 1971 

Welk married Fern Renner in 1931 and they were together until his death. They had three children. He died in 1992 at the age of 89.

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WELK WORDS ~ MENTIONS OF LAWRENCE ON “LUCYCOMS” 

Welk’s face was seen on a record album that Lucy Carmichael won at a bank picnic in “Lucy and Clint Walker” (TLS S4;E24) in 1966.

In “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (TLS S4;E20) in 1966, an old lady on a motorcycle asks Lucy where Elvis Presley lives. Lucy asks if she wouldn’t rather know where Lawrence Welk lived! Presley and Welk represented opposite ends spectrum of musical styles and tastes in the mid 1960s.

In “Lucy and the Starmaker” (TLS S6;E4) in 1967, Mr. Mooney cuts off Tommy Cheever’s (Frankie Avalon) ‘audition’ after just a few notes. Lucy remarks that “Dizzie Gillespie would have had a better chance with Lawrence Welk!”  Gillespie was famous for free-form jazz riffs on the trumpet, while Welk was best known for the polka, waltzes, and more structured genres of music.

In the second episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1968, when Kim and Craig are on vacation at Jack Benny’s home in Palm Beach, Kim compares her brother’s ping pong game with Lawrence Welk. 

In “Lucy’s Birthday” (HL S1;E18) in 1969, Welk was contrasted with Ringo Starr, the drummer for the Beatles, when the kids are trying to find their mother a date for her birthday.  

In “Lucy The Shopping Expert” (HL S1;E20) also in 1969, Lawrence Welk was the punchline of a joke when Lucy insists on shaking the canned goods and listening to the noise they make.

In “Lucy and the Drum Contest” (HL S3;E4) in 1970, Craig says that Buddy Rich is his favorite musician. Uncle Harry says his is Guy Lombardo, who Lucy tells the kids is the Lawrence Welk of Harry’s generation. Lombardo and Welk were both popular bandleaders and cultural icons. The above photo of the two men (and Gila Rosenhause) was taken in 1971.

Welk is just one of the many celebrity names dropped by Milton Berle in “Milton Berle is the Life of the Party” (HL S6;E19) in 1974.