The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
The Porter Wagoner Show #244 featuring special guests Joe and Rose Lee Maphis.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #244 featuring special guests Joe and Rose Lee Maphis. Spot opens with two-shot of Dolly facing Wagonmaster Jack Little. Jack has a tearful, terrified expression on his face as Dolly admonished him fiercely: "Now Smiley, I have told you and told you and told you to watch the Porter Wagoner Show every week on this channel, and our special guest this week is Joe and Rose Lee Maphis. Now stop laughing, I'm serious, now listen!" she says as she lightly slaps his crying countenance. Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #244. Standard pre-recorded opening begins with CU of Porter s shiny red boots walking down hallway, which cuts to rear view of Wagoner s garish green Nudie suit festooned with rhinestone wagon wheels and cacti. Montage of smiling Porter happily walking through WSM-TV studio as stage hands and technicians prep show. Don Howser s voice over reads: "Direct from Nashville Tennessee, here s The Porter Wagoner Show!" Quick shots of regulars as Howser announces them: "Starring Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Speck Rhodes, Don Howser, The Wagonmasters, and today s special guest star." Momentary pause in VO (presumably left for Howser to read the guest star s name on air), then prerecorded segment ends with Howser s "...and now, here s Porter." Cut to live portion as Porter, wearing dazzling, rhinestone-studded blue Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "Ole Slew Foot" accompanied by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes, all but Speck in matching red Nudie suits. Porter screws around with the lyrics a few times mid-song, and snakes in a reference to Dolly Parton "making herself at home." Medium shots Buck's banjo solo and Mack's fiddling. Ends with pan across audience applauding.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Porter welcomes audience then introduces "two of the nicest people in all the world, and two of the greatest show people I've ever met," Joe and Rose Maphis. What a great-looking couple! Smiling Rose strums guitar and wears a flowery old-fashioned country dress, while toothily grinning Joe sports a dark blue suit and picks his trademark double-neck guitar with his name inlaid in mother of pearl on the necks. Backed by The Wagonmasters, Rose sings and the couple performs "It's Genuine." Nice CU of Joe's fancy double-necked picking. If these two aren't still in love after being married 17 years, they fake it awfully well. Afterwards Porter returns and says the couple is his favorite to travel with as Rose is such a good cook.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
We return from the commercial break to find Joe Maphis joining The Wagonmasters in the "wild instrumental" Porter promised in the last segment. First Mack Magaha, then Joe, then Buck Trent trade licks on a version of Joe's 1955 breakthrough "Fire On The Strings," his guitar-based version of the fiddle standard "Fire On The Mountain." Porter says "Outta sight!" and he knows from whereof he speaks. Breathtaking!
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Porter welcomes Dolly Parton, who plays guitar and sings "I Wish I Felt This Way At Home" from her "Just Because I'm A Woman" LP, backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Porter points the spotlight at "the fellow who fronts the band," Stop Recording artist and Wagonmaster George McCormick. Backed by the rest of the Wagonmasters, George plays guitar and sings the b-side of his latest record, the tearjerker "What I'd Give To Hear A Baby Cry," about a man who's drinking caused him to accidentally squeeze a child to death. They just don't write 'em like that anymore. Shot of audience applause at head of number.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
"There's a lot of funny folks in this ol' world," Porter says by way of introducing gap-toothed hayseed comedian Speck Rhodes, adding: "and this didn't happen to be one of 'em here, I don't reckon." Wearing his trademark checkered suit and bowler hat, gap-toothed hayseed comedian Speck calls his fictional girlfriend Sadie on an old-fashioned wall-mounted crank style telephone and some awfully corny old-fashioned jokes about drinking ensue. Shots of audience laughing throughout.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Porter introduces the week's sacred story song, a number he recorded with the Blackwood Brothers Gospel Quartet for their LP "In Gospel Country." Backed by The Wagonmasters, Porter recites Mel Tillis' seethingly angry piece "Pastor's Absent On Vacation." The lights dim evocatively.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Porter goes all bug-eyed as we return from the unseen commercial that he thanks us for watching. He then reintroduces Rose Lee and Joe Maphis, who perform "Maple On The Hill" backed by The Wagonmasters. Porter returns and says there's only a minute left, but asks the couple to play the song Rose wrote for Joe, "Guitar Pickin' Man," until time runs out. They seem genuinely surprised, but quickly treat us to a minute of it. More hot picking from Joe in this sweetly autobiographical number.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 244
Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental show outro, Don Howser signs off, credits roll over shot of applauding audience, Don lifts Speck into the air, and Mack fiddles and dances us off the air.