The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
The Porter Wagoner Show #96 with special guests Kitty Wells, her husband Johnny Wright, and their daughter Ruby Wright.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Promo for Porter Wagoner Show #96 with special guests Kitty Wells, her husband Johnny Wright, and their daughter Ruby Wright. Opens with the trio singing "Is Love Worth All The Heartaches" pulling out to reveal Porter inviting us to join him and watch the show.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Introduction to Porter Wagoner show #96. Program opens with Wagoner and Wagonmasters Speck Rhodes, Don Warden, and George McCormick as well as Norma Jean onscreen singing "Howdy Neighbor Howdy." Over title card decorated with drawing of Wagoner, announcer Hairl Hensley introduces Wagoner and The Wagonmasters, show regulars Speck Rhodes and Norma Jean, and "your favorite songs and stars of the Grand Ole Opry!" Wearing garish rhinestone-studded two-tone Nudie suit, Wagoner welcomes audience, then plays guitar and sings "Long Journey Home" backed by The Wagonmasters. MS of Mack and Buck's crazed, supernaturally cheerful solos. Magaha's cracks up Porter, who makes a point of calling Mack the "blue-eyed dancin' fiddle player."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Porter introduces "the head man of the Tennessee Mountain Boys," Johnny Wright. Wright says "I'd like to sing a love song today... you know what love is, don't you?" which cracks up Porter, who says "Well, I know my version." Wright says "It's something that comes over a man and a woman just before marriage, and leaves immediately afterwards." Backed by The Wagonmasters and joined by his daughter Ruby and George McCormick on vocals, Wright plays guitar and sings "Is Love Worth All The Heartaches."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Mack, Buck, and George play us out of the commercial break with a feisty old-time breakdown. Lots of fast & furious playing from the boys. Afterwards, Porter seems just plain tickled by their talents, saying they get better all the time.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Porter introduces Pretty Miss Norma Jean, who comes in and cracks wise about Magaha: "Mack is the only man in the world who wears his pants out from the inside." Backed by The Wagonmasters, Norma plays guitar and sings the title track from her 1966 LP "Please Don't Hurt Me."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
In an unusual visual departure for the show, Porter sits in front of a plain backdrop rather than the usual custom of standing in the Wagon House, as he introduces his own recent hit "Green Green Grass Of Home." He sings/recites the number backed by The Wagonmasters. Near the end, the lights dim in an evocative manner, then we fade to black as the song ends.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
We return from commercial to an empty microphone. Porter rushes in saying "stand by," as what appears to cigarette smoke escapes between breaths. Porter introduces "My old friend in the chicken suit, Speck Rhodes -- c'mon, Speckle!" Rhodes enters wearing his trademark checkered suit with bow tie and bowler hat, then poses a riddle: "Do you know what the donut said to the birthday cake? If I had your dough, I wouldn't be a-hangin' around this hole." Speck sings the cornball novelty number "How Much Is That Hound Dog In The Window" backed by The Wagonmasters, who also make animal noises and do a little call-and-response bit with him. At one point Speck blows a line but proceeds undaunted, as if nothing had happened. Norma Jean comes on and thanks Speck, doing a subtle impersonation of Porter as she says "That's a good job Speck, real good." Norma plugs the show's souvenir booklet #4, "The Porter Wagoner Show Hits The Road!", containing songs and stories and pictures. It can be yours for only fifty cents by mail. Nice graphic of an envelope addressed to Wagoner.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Norma introduces one of her big musical heroes, Kitty Wells, telling how she plans to record an album of Kitty's songs (which she, later that year). Wells enters and thanks Norma, then plays guitar and sings "Let's Regain The Garden," from her 1965 album "The Kitty Wells Family Gospel Sing." Kitty is joined on vocals by Johnnie Wright and daughter Ruby, and backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
After the commercial break, Porter thanks the audience for tuning in, then exchanges bland pleasantries with Kitty and Johnny about life on the road and the 200-odd shows the couple and their family plays each year. Then, backed by The Wagonmasters, Kitty plays guitar and sings "A Woman Half My Age" from her 1966 LP "Country All The Way." What a voice! MS Speck, Don, and George.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 96
Porter returns and gathers the Wagonmasters around him to perform a quick version of "The Crawdad Song" as one big happy family before Porter wraps up the show. As the Wagonmasters play instrumental show outro and announcer signs off, Wagoner shakes hands with Kitty and Norma Jean, then waves goodbye as Magaha fiddles and dances us off the air. As the end title super reads: "Produced by Show Biz in cooperation with WSM-TV," Johnny Wright takes a turn dancing with each of the ladies, square-dance style.