The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
The Porter Wagoner Show #269 featuring special guest ventriloquist Alex Houston and Elmer.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #269 featuring special guest ventriloquist Alex Houston and Elmer. Spot opens on wide shot of Wagon House set where Porter announces guests and regulars while Dolly Parton and Speck Rhodes square dance. Amazing shot of Speck in his checkered suit, yellow shoes and white bowler hat, dancing crazily and looking like a real live cartoon. If only real life were like this. Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #269. 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 white Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "You Can't Make A Heel Toe The Mark" accompanied by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes, all but Speck in matching red Nudie suits. MWSs Buck's banjo solo and Mack's fiddling. Colorful shot of audience applause.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Porter introduces "two of the finest entertainers I know of anywhere," ventriloquist act Alex Houston and Elmer. Pretty standard routine where dummy and his puppet trade insults with one another, but a couple jokes are specific to popular country hits including "The Carroll County Accident," "Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn," and "Ruby." Then Elmer sings one of Speck's favorites, "In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Backed by The Wagonmasters, Mack Magaha fiddles us out of the commercial break on the instrumental "Liberty." At the very end Mack sings a few "dum-de-dum-dum"s along with the number in the classic "shave and a haircut/two bits" rhythm.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Now it's time for a real pretty song from miss Dolly Parton. Dolly plays guitar and sings "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy." Nice atypical overhead wide shot featuring Dolly in pool of light while Porter and Wagonmasters are half visible in reflected light.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
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 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. Shot of audience applause at head of number.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Porter introduces gap-toothed rube comedian Speck Rhodes, who ambles in wearing his usual checkered suit and bowler hat and tells a silly joke. Then backed by The Wagonmasters, Speck sings "Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed." Speck dances to Buck's banjo solo.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
It's sacred song time. Accompanied by The Wagonmasters and the dramatic dimming of lights, Porter plays guitar and sings the perennial favorite "I Thought Of God." Consistently one of Porter's loveliest inspirational songs.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Porter reintroduces Alex and Elmer, who do a corny bit about Elmer's "little black book." A few jokes at Speck's expense, chauvinistic stuff about the girl he's supposedly dating. Elmer sings a brief parody of "Green Green Grass Of Home."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 269
Porter calls on Mack to play a bit, so backed by The Wagonmasters, Mack treats us to a few seconds of an untitled instrumental before Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental show outro, Don Howser signs off, and Mack fiddles and dances us off the air as credits roll.