The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
The Porter Wagoner Show #225 featuring special guest Charlie Walker.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #225 featuring special guest Charlie Walker. Spot opens with Walker singing "Honky Tonk Season," then camera pulls out to reveal tangerine Nudie suit-wearing Wagoner, who announces Walker and regulars and invites us to tune in. Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #225. 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, Mel Tillis, 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 tangerine Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "Fireball Mail" backed by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes (though only Mack is seen in this segment, soloing on fiddle and wearing a white western outfit with red shirt and blue tie).
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Porter welcomes the audience, then introduces "stutterin' lad" Mel Tillis. Mel plays guitar and sings "I Ain't Never" (which would become his first #1 hit, but not until 1972) backed by The Wagonmasters and accompanied on harmony vocals by Don Warden and George McCormick. MS Buck's rockin' guitar solo. Afterwards Mel makes a joke about Porter looking like he got a lot of sleep last night, a seeming non-sequitur that's actually a continuation of a joke made about George McCormick and his new baby in the previous episode (show #224, shot earlier the same day).
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Buck Trent plays us out of the commercial break on the zippy banjo instrumental "Ain't We Havin' A Good Time," backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Mel Tillis stutters humorously through his introduction of Dolly Parton, who giggles adorably, then plays guitar and sings "He's A Go-Getter" from her LP "In The Good Old Days" backed by The Wagonmasters. MCU Mack Magaha fiddlin'.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Porter introduces his special guest and golfing buddy Charlie Walker, who plays guitar and sings "Honky Tonk Season" backed by The Wagonmasters. MS Don Warden's steel guitar.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Dedicating the number to "Tilly," Porter plays guitar and sings "Dear John (I Sent Your Saddle Home)." CU Don's steel guitar. Individual shots of Wagonmasters Mack, Jack, George during the call-and-response chorus.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Porter introduces gap-toothed hayseed comedian Speck Rhodes. Wearing his trademark checkered suit and bowler hat, Speck calls his fictional girlfriend Sadie on an old-fashioned wall-mounted crank style telephone and tells a corny old-fashioned shaggy-dog joke. Great shot after punch line of women in audience laughing and clapping (blonde woman in front at right is most likely Don Warden's wife Ann; brunette in blue is either Jack Little's wife or Pat Trent, wife of Buck; and brunette in back in red dress is Mack Magaha's wife Shirley).
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Porter introduces a song from his "Confessions Of A Broken Man" LP, then backed by The Wagonmasters, recites Hank Williams' "Men With Broken Hearts." Dare you not to get choked up as Porter reads "Some lose faith in love and life, as sorrow shoots her darts..." Nice split screen effect halfway through number. Porter has never looked more earnestly serious, and it's a great reading (especially considering that it's coming from a man wearing a sherbet-colored suit).
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Porter reintroduces Charlie Walker. After the nice intro Walker says "muchas gracias, amigo," and a slightly confused Porter can only answer "uh.. Yes, uh-huh." They chat about the nicknames they gave each other way back when: "Polk Salad" Walker, "Bones" Wagoner, and "Gus" Tillis. Backed by The Wagonmasters, Walker plays guitar and sings "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" from his LP "Born To Lose." Outstanding harmony singing from George McCormick-- these two are naturals!
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Dolly returns for a quick duet with Porter, and together they sing "Yours Love" backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 225
Porter calls on Don Howser to show off Don's stubby tie. Howser says "Boy down in Memphis told me, said this is the latest style, I said 'Hoss, Ernest Tubb's been wearin' that for 25 years." Then Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental show outro, Don Howser signs off, the credits roll, and Mack fiddles and dances us off the air.