The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
The Porter Wagoner Show #139 with special guest Stan Hitchcock.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Promo for Porter Wagoner Show #139 with special guest Stan Hitchcock. Spot opens with wide shot of Porter and The Wagonmasters on the Wagon House set wearing matching rhinestone-studded tangerine Nudie suits and playing "John Henry." Camera zooms in on Porter who names Hitchcock as his guest and urges us to tune in.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #139. Program opens with Wagoner and Wagonmasters Mack Magaha, Buck Trent, Speck Rhodes, Don Warden, and George McCormick as well as Norma Jean onscreen singing "Howdy Neighbor Howdy" in front of a set built to resemble a country barnyard. Over brightly colored title card decorated with drawing of Wagoner, announcer Don Howser exclaims: "And now, in color, it's The Porter Wagoner Show, starring Porter Wagoner and The Wagonmasters, with Speck Rhodes and Norma Jean. Special guest Stan Hitchcock. Bringing you your favorite songs and stars of the Grand Ole Opry!" Howser enters and shakes hands with Porter, who wears a tangerine Nudie suit covered in rhinestone cacti and wagon wheels. Howser introduces Wagoner, saying: "Here's one of my favorite singing stars, and from the mail we get, he must be one of yours too." Porter, backed by The Wagonmasters (in matching tangerine Nudie suits of their own), plays guitar and sings "Dooley." MS Buck Trent on electric banjo and Mack Magaha on fiddle. Mack's solo cracks Porter up so much he has to have George help him with the words.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Porter talks about how his shirt collar is too tight and is just about choking him to death, then introduces Stan Hitchcock. Backed by The Wagonmasters, Hitchcock plays guitar and sings "She's Looking Good."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Backed by The Wagonmasters, Mack and Buck on fiddle and banjo play us out of the commercial break with a short instrumental version of "Battle of New Orleans."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Porter introduces Pretty Miss Norma Jean, who plays guitar and sings the Loretta Lynn composition "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)," from her 1967 LP "Jackson Ain't A Very Big Town," backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Porter introduces a song that was mighty kind to him in the early days in Springfield, MO, when he was just getting started. Backed by The Wagonmasters, Porter plays guitar and sings his first big hit, 1955's "A Satisfied Mind." CU Don's pedal steel.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Porter introduces gap-toothed comedian Speck Rhodes, who enters wearing his trademark checkered suit with bow tie and bowler hat. They talk about going over to Don Howser's house and Speck says Don needs new furniture. Porter: "Don's got a living room suite of antique furniture, goes back to Louis the 14th." Speck: "That's nothing on me, I got a bedroom set that goes back to the finance company the 15th." Backed by The Wagonmasters, Speck sings the country novelty number "Shindig In The Barn."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
For the week's inspirational number Porter introduces "one of the real old songs." Backed by The Wagonmasters, Porter plays guitar and sings/recites a number he says he's never done on TV before, Hank Williams' "Luke The Drifter" piece "Too Many Parties And Too Many Pals."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
In the place where Speck usually does his bit, Porter introduces an act that he saw on his journeys, the pre-teen ventriloquist act of Catherine and her dummy Jerry. "Catherine and Jerry" do a routine of painfully ancient Borscht belt-caliber ventriloquist jokes, then sing a duet on "My Darling Clementine." Catherine's awfully stiff-- she looks terrified, but what a trouper. She can't be more than about 10 years old, and even though her material's stale as year-old bread, at least her lips don't move.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 139
Porter calls The Wagonmasters to back him as he plays guitar and sings "Fireball Mail." MS Mack and Buck's solos. Porter forgets the lyrics at the end and laughing, says "I'm gonna repeat the first verse, I don't know the last one." Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental show outro, Don Howser signs off, the credits roll, then George chases Mack around the mic stand as Mack fiddles and dances us off the air.