Saturday night fever came to Rochester in April 1972.
No, we’re not talking about the disco craze. Instead, on this Saturday night of April 8, stars of the Lawrence Welk television show, a staple of Saturday nights in mid-America, were on stage at Mayo Civic Auditorium.
A near-capacity crowd of 3,725 was on hand to see performances by dancers Bobby Burgess and Cissy King, the singing couple Guy and Ralna, perky singer/dancer Mary Lou Metzger, marimba king Jack Imel, emcee Dick Dale and a host of other familiar names and faces.
Not on hand was the meister himself — at age 69, Welk no longer frequently traveled with his troupe of singers, musicians and dancers. Besides, there was work to do back in California, where his syndicated television program continued to be a hit with viewing audiences of a certain musical persuasion.
“The music experts may look down their noses and frown at Welk’s schmaltzy music, but the ex-North Dakota farm boy and his legions of fans could care less,” the Post-Bulletin said. “Welk has proven he knows what a large segment of the American people want in the way of music and entertainment.”
Indeed, at the tail end of the tumultuous Vietnam era, with Watergate about to infect politics, audiences could find comfort in the decidedly unchallenging entertainment Welk offered.
It was so enticing that some attending the Rochester show on that April Saturday night opted for a double dose. One woman waiting for an autograph from singer Guy Hovis told the Post-Bulletin, “I watched him on television tonight before coming to the auditorium.”
Hovis, who once said he began his career wanting to be the next Elvis, had settled into a comfortable niche singing alongside his wife Ralna on the Welk show. Romantic ballads with a tinge of country were their specialty.
Perhaps the revelation of the Rochester program was cellist Charlotte Harris, the only woman in Welk’s orchestra, who displayed a fine artistic touch with a solo on “Lara’s Theme,” the hit from the film “Dr. Zhivago.”
The topper, though, was the energetic dance routine by Burgess and King, followed by the finale: the entire company singing “God Bless America.”
After that rousing Rochester reception, there was no doubt that promoter Ben Sternberg would bring the Welk stars back to town. They returned on March 27, 1973, led by accordionist Myron Floren, who was the emcee for the night..
Advertisements for the show made sure to prominently state that “Mr. Welk will not appear at this performance.”
But Bobby and Cissy were back, as were Metzger and Dale. They were joined by singers Ken Delo and Gail Farrell and other familiar names from the show. A crowd of 2,300 turned up at the auditorium on a Tuesday night to see and hear more of the cozy comfort provided by Welk’s collection of performers.
Upon hearing that a woman in the audience was about to celebrate her 95th birthday, Floren led the cast and audience in “Happy Birthday.” It was that kind of night.
A few days before the show, King shared her recipe for fondue sauces with readers of the Post-Bulletin. An accompanying photograph showed her testing out a new fondue cooker.
Would entertainment ever again be as homey as that produced by Lawrence Welk?
Thomas Weber is a former Post Bulletin reporter who enjoys writing about local history.
Thomas Weber is a former Post Bulletin reporter who enjoys writing about local history.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.postbulletin.com ’
