Jimmie Roberts, "Lawrence Welk" Singer
Brad Ferguson
Jimmie Roberts, a long-time member of the musical "family" organized by
Lawrence Welk, died earlier this year of cancer.
I did a web search to put some meat on the bones of this, but I can't
find a thing. (Apparently Lawrence Welk fans are as bad as I am about
updating their web sites.)
I don't know how you'd describe Roberts' singing range, but I think he
was a baritone. My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
DeeEss57
>Jimmie Roberts, a long-time member of the musical "family" organized by
>Lawrence Welk, died earlier this year of cancer.
Was he the tall dark haired guy?
DES
LadshawTom
>
>DES
>
>
I think he was the clean-cut guy in the polyester outfit.
Oh....waitaminnit....
Tom.
Brad Ferguson
<deee...@aol.comnospam> wrote:
> >it was announced that singer
> >Jimmie Roberts, a long-time member of the musical "family" organized by
> >Lawrence Welk, died earlier this year of cancer.
>
> Was he the tall dark haired guy?
>
> DES
He was tall and looked beefy. His hair was that kind of brown you get
from using Grecian Formula.
One or the other of the Welk fansites probably has a pic of him, but
there are many such sites, and I didn't look at more than half a dozen.
ra...@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us
>From: Brad Ferguson <thir...@frXOXed.net>
>Subject: Jimmie Roberts, "Lawrence Welk" Singer
>Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 17:58:39 -0400
>During a PBS pledge break this weekend, it was announced that singer
>Jimmie Roberts, a long-time member of the musical "family" organized by
>Lawrence Welk, died earlier this year of cancer.
>I did a web search to put some meat on the bones of this, but I can't
>find a thing. (Apparently Lawrence Welk fans are as bad as I am about
>updating their web sites.)
>I don't know how you'd describe Roberts' singing range, but I think he
>was a baritone. My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
>and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
Here's some LW trivia.
Did you know that the baritone who sang at the end of the show: "And, DODGE
had a good time, too." was Kathy Lee Crosby's Dad?
steve
gjw
> My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
> and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
That makes two of us. Hated it at the time. But I must admit I find it
somewhat nostalgic now...
(Photo of Lawrence Welk's grave - with his image on it! - at
http://www.seeing-stars.com/ImagePages/LawrenceWelkGravePhoto.shtml )
Gary
PSierut
(the Champagne Lady.) They frequently sang hymns together. A couple weeks
ago PBS ran a brand new Welk program devoted to songs of faith and inspiration.
It was hosted by Norma, Mary Lou Metzger, Guy Hovis, Ralna English (the
married pair who sang duets; they are now divorced, but appeared on this show
together), Bob Ralston (the piano player), and Tom Netherton. They showed
clips from old shows and reminisced about the old days. They included a
tribute to Jimmy Roberts, and said he died of cancer in February. They ended
the segment showing a still photo with the words "Jim Roberts, 1924-1999."
From what I understand, he continued working at Welk's Champagne Theatre in
Branson, Missouri until shortly before he died.
To...@fred.net
: Brad Ferguson wrote:
:> My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
:> and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
: That makes two of us. Hated it at the time. But I must admit I find it
: somewhat nostalgic now...
Me three. Saturday nights at 7 with my mom and dad and great aunt
watching, instant flashback to faily time together.
--
To...@Fred.Net http://www.fred.net/tomr
"Faith Manages....
... But Willow is in Tech Support"
[http://slashdot.org/features/99/04/29/0124247.shtml]
John Lupton
>This <37C1D0...@loop.com>-ing article from gjw on Mon, 23 Aug 1999 22:51:52
> +0000 has warped my fragile little mind:
>: Brad Ferguson wrote:
>
>:> My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
>:> and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
>
>: That makes two of us. Hated it at the time. But I must admit I find it
>: somewhat nostalgic now...
>
>Me three. Saturday nights at 7 with my mom and dad and great aunt
>watching, instant flashback to faily time together.
When we used to visit my grandparents, Saturday nights were devoted to
Lawrence Welk, Perry Mason and Gunsmoke. Yeah, lotta memories. By 1950s
standards, the Lennon Sisters were real hot babes <g>...
Anyone know if Welk's accordion sidekick Myron Floren is still squeezing the
box??
**********************************************
John Lupton, Network Services Manager
School of Arts & Sciences Computing
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
**********************************************
jlu...@sas.upenn.edu
Kathy O'Connell
worked with him several years ago, and said he was lovely to work with.
John Lupton (th...@space.for.rent) wrote:
: When we used to visit my grandparents, Saturday nights were devoted to
Terrymelin
>standards, the Lennon Sisters were real hot babes
Well considering today's standards include Sinead O'Connor, the Spice Girls,
Alanis Morrisette, and K.D. Lang I think the Lennon Sisters were bigger babes
than we ever realized.
Terry Ellsworth
LaneyII
they were definitely easy on the eyes.
My grandmother and my great aunt (sisters) spent my childhood telling me they
wanted to see me on the Lawrence Welk Show someday (I'm a musician). My great
aunt died last year so reruns of the show are pretty nostalgic.
L
gjw
> Anyone know if Welk's accordion sidekick Myron Floren is still squeezing the
> box??
As far as I know, he is still alive and playing with the Welk band.
When I was in college, in the 70's, Myron Floren showed up at a small
awards banquet where I was receiving an award. He was just there as one
of the regular parents/guests/diners who make up the crowd for that sort
of event - I didn't get a chance to speak with him, but it appeared that
his daughter or grandaughter was in the same graduating class and she
was also receiving an award. Small world...
Gary
Brad Ferguson
> Brad Ferguson wrote:
>
> > My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
> > and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
>
> That makes two of us. Hated it at the time. But I must admit I find it
> somewhat nostalgic now...
Yeah, a little bit.
My wife noticed during the PBS tribute that all the dresses in the show
clips looked to be really tacky bridesmaids' outfits. (They all
matched, they were frilly, and the colors went from lime green to
Velveeta orange.) It made me wonder: Welk was notoriously tight with a
buck, and the dresses _did_ look like really tacky bridesmaids'
outfits. I wonder if Welk's people went to some wedding surplus house
to get clothes for the show.
Brad Ferguson
<th...@space.for.rent> wrote:
> In article <yXvw3.284$c34.3...@news.abs.net>, To...@Fred.Net wrote:
> >This <37C1D0...@loop.com>-ing article from gjw on Mon, 23 Aug 1999
> >22:51:52
> > +0000 has warped my fragile little mind:
> >: Brad Ferguson wrote:
> >
> >:> My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
> >:> and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
> >
> >: That makes two of us. Hated it at the time. But I must admit I find it
> >: somewhat nostalgic now...
> >
> >Me three. Saturday nights at 7 with my mom and dad and great aunt
> >watching, instant flashback to faily time together.
>
> When we used to visit my grandparents, Saturday nights were devoted to
> Lawrence Welk, Perry Mason and Gunsmoke. Yeah, lotta memories. By 1950s
> standards, the Lennon Sisters were real hot babes <g>...
>
> Anyone know if Welk's accordion sidekick Myron Floren is still squeezing
> the
> box??
I understand that Myron is not only fine, but is running the musical
side of the operation now.
In a bit of serendipity, I went past a Disney Channel rerun of MICKEY
MOUSE CLUB just last night, and there were the Lennon Sisters, circa
1959. They were singing songs from some forgotten Disney flick called
PERRI.
PSierut
<<My wife noticed during the PBS tribute that all the dresses in the show
clips looked to be really tacky bridesmaids' outfits. (They all
matched, they were frilly, and the colors went from lime green to
Velveeta orange.) It made me wonder: Welk was notoriously tight with a
buck, and the dresses _did_ look like really tacky bridesmaids'
outfits. I wonder if Welk's people went to some wedding surplus house
to get clothes for the show.
>>
The costumer on the Welk show was named Rose Weiss and she hosted one of the
PBS shows a couple years ago. She talked about how they came to find the
various outfits, and apparently she did everything from buying them off the
rack at fancy stores, to getting them from surplus houses for group numbers,
renting from costume houses for novelty numbers, and of course making clothes
from scratch. What I find interesting in watching the PBS shows (which are
culled from about twenty years' worth of programs) is that some of them
definitely look like they were created "on the cheap," with no sets and tacky
clothes. Other programs (particularly theme shows like "A Trip to Italy" or
"Small Town America," etc.) had some really impressive sets and beautiful
costumes.
Brad Ferguson
<psi...@aol.com> wrote:
Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.
Terrymelin
They all look cheesy and tacky. The LW Show was not an exception.
Terry Ellsworth
Louis Epstein
: >By 1950s
: Well considering today's standards include Sinead O'Connor, the Spice Girls,
: Alanis Morrisette, and K.D. Lang I think the Lennon Sisters were bigger babes
: than we ever realized.
:
: Terry Ellsworth
Morrisette's a pretty girl,but absolutely NO sense of style.
ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM
>
> I also suggest you look at the wardrobes from most shows of the 1960s and 70s.
> They all look cheesy and tacky. The LW Show was not an exception.
>
..
A lot of the 'cheesy' and 'tacky' look was part of the look of the day,
however some of the strange colors were due to the way the original
color came out when broadcast...for instance blue was used and it came
out white when observed on a color TV set of the day.
Ray
Thomas Coleman
> of the look of the day, however some of the
> strange colors were due to the way the
> original color came out when broadcast...for
> instance blue was used and it came out white
> when observed on a color TV set of the day.
> Ray
it also turns out they did some things on that show sometimes that were
really bizarre! Once the ultimate symbol of all that was square,
cornball and unhip, alot of it still looks pretty bad but sometimes its
brilliant. The program is now starting to get respect among alternative
perfomance circles and of course the older episodes actually have some
very energetic musicianship as well like Jo Anne Castle the honkey tonk
pianist. I have 1965 Hallowee episode on tape that is really
incredible.
Brad Ferguson
Coleman <tho...@webtv.net> wrote:
> >A lot of the 'cheesy' and 'tacky' look was part
> > of the look of the day, however some of the
> > strange colors were due to the way the
> > original color came out when broadcast...for
> > instance blue was used and it came out white
> > when observed on a color TV set of the day.
> > Ray
The colors used in TV of that era were chosen with a careful eye as to
how they would look in black and white; in 1966 (e.g.), only about 3%
of TV homes in the U.S. had color sets. (Now it's more than 98%.) The
colors had to contrast well with each other in monochrome. It's kind
of fun to look at how they handled this in old Star Trek episodes,
where the background walls of the sparsely dressed sets are washed in
colored lights designed to produce a textured gray in monochrome.
Blue actually looked white on b&w sets, not color. Men who appeared to
be wearing white shirts were actually wearing blue shirts -- maybe 20%
blue, in computer-coloring terms. This was to prevent glare, which
could "burn" the pickup tube in the camera. (This kind of thing hasn't
been a problem since about 1975.)
> The LW show was one of the best color shows ever I always thought, and
> it also turns out they did some things on that show sometimes that were
> really bizarre! Once the ultimate symbol of all that was square,
> cornball and unhip, alot of it still looks pretty bad but sometimes its
> brilliant. The program is now starting to get respect among alternative
> perfomance circles and of course the older episodes actually have some
> very energetic musicianship as well like Jo Anne Castle the honkey tonk
> pianist. I have 1965 Hallowee episode on tape that is really
> incredible.
The Welk show was no lightweight. I don't think anyone faults the
standard cast's ability, to tell you the truth; it's just that the
repertoire was too retro for the boomer generation. The show may be
coming back into its own, though; there was something very comfortable
about that PBS thing I saw last weekend.
I remember that Welk once played a dance number that dated from the
1950s (this in the early 1970s) and then saying to the camera, "We hope
you don't mind if, once in a while, we play something for the kids."
And Jo Anne Castle was, and is, terrific.
S.J.Carras
>From: th...@space.for.rent (John Lupton)
>Date: Tue, 24 August 1999 09:47 AM EDT
>Message-id: <7pu7p4$kct$1...@netnews.upenn.edu>
>
>In article <yXvw3.284$c34.3...@news.abs.net>, To...@Fred.Net wrote:
>>This <37C1D0...@loop.com>-ing article from gjw on Mon, 23 Aug 1999
>22:51:52
>> +0000 has warped my fragile little mind:
>>: Brad Ferguson wrote:
>>
>>:> My parents used to watch Welk's show when I was a kid,
>>:> and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
>>
>>: That makes two of us. Hated it at the time. But I must admit I find it
>>: somewhat nostalgic now...
>>
>>Me three. Saturday nights at 7 with my mom and dad and great aunt
>>watching, instant flashback to faily time together.
>
>When we used to visit my grandparents, Saturday nights were devoted to
>standards, the Lennon Sisters were real hot babes <g>...
I agree-I have an album of theirs
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S.J.Carras
>From: Brad Ferguson thir...@frXOXed.net
>Date: Mon, 23 August 1999 05:58 PM EDT
>Message-id: <230819991758397524%thir...@frXOXed.net>
>
>During a PBS pledge break this weekend, it was announced that singer
>Jimmie Roberts, a long-time member of the musical "family" organized by
>Lawrence Welk, died earlier this year of cancer.
>
>I did a web search to put some meat on the bones of this, but I can't
>find a thing. (Apparently Lawrence Welk fans are as bad as I am about
>updating their web sites.)
>
>I don't know how you'd describe Roberts' singing range, but I think he
>and I had no trouble recognizing Roberts even after several decades.
>
>
>
I enjoy Welk>NTW he is on tomorrow,on PBS (here in Southenr Calif.,Channell
28/Orange County,Huntington Beach), KOCE. His show was very versatile and
great.I have a LennonS isters album and Welk's 1961 million-seller CAL:CUTTA,
and taped off a few big band stations THE POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS (Les Baxter's
top hit) and TWILIGHT TIME.
We lost Larry Hooper, Alladin, Roberts, and Welk himself, and others;let's hope
Jo Ann Castle, the Lennon Sisters, Sandi and Salli etc. will live for a long
long time to come.'
"
Keep the bubbles coming!