The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
The Porter Wagoner Show #304 featuring special guest Cal Smith.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #304 featuring special guest Cal Smith. "Ike, Mike & Spike" (i.e. Buck, George, and Mack) sing "Ashes of Love" as Porter introduces them and Smith and invites us to tune in. Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #304. 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 turquoise Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms" accompanied by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes, all but Speck in matching tangerine Nudie suits of their own. MCU Mack's fiddling and Buck's banjo-fying.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Porter welcomes audience and introduces Cal Smith, who plays guitar and sings "The Difference Between Going and Really Gone " backed by The Wagonmasters. CU Buck's guitar.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Coming out of the commercial interruption, Mack Magaha fiddles up a storm on an unidentified instrumental with The Wagonmasters backing him up.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Porter displays one of the prized possessions from his home. It's an acoustic guitar that was birthday gift from Dolly Parton, and as one might expect it's decorated in Dolly's inimitable style, covered with illustrations of wild flowers and doves. Porter hands it to Dolly so that she can use it on the next song, but before she begins Porter makes a point of introducing a man in the audience who was one of Porter (and Dolly's) earliest supporters and "without prejudice, one of the finest men I have ever known," future Country Music DJ Hall of Fame inductee "Smilin'" Eddie Hill. Porter mentions that Hill had been ill and is now recovering (Hill suffered a stroke in 1968). Dedicating her solo performance to Eddie Hill, Dolly plays the fancy guitar she gave Porter and sings "one of my favorite songs that I've written," the lovely ballad "All There Is To See."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Porter returns and once again honors Eddie Hill, then backed by The Wagonmasters plays guitar and sings a pretty, slowed-down bluesy version of "Blue Moon Of Kentucky." XCU Mack Magaha fiddle. Nice shot of Mack's fiddle solo as Porter strums guitar in background.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
As the band plays "Oh, Pretty Woman," Porter introduces gap-toothed cornpone comedian Speck Rhodes, who scuttles in wearing his usual checkered suit with bow tie and bowler hat. Speck tells a corny joke about drinking, then sings the novelty number "The Little Shirt My Mother Made For Me." Audience shot at tail features wider angle on Eddie Hill.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
For the week's serious song Porter sings and recites Hank Williams' "Luke The Drifter" morality tale, "Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals," backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 304
Porter reintroduces Cal Smith, who plays guitar and sings "Destination Atlanta GA" backed by The Wagonmasters. Then Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental outro, Don Howser signs off, and the whole cast dances and horses around as credits roll.