The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
The Porter Wagoner Show #297 featuring special guest Stonewall Jackson.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #297 featuring special guest Stonewall Jackson. Porter and Dolly attempt a weird pseudo-comedy routine based on Stonewall Jackson's name that just makes no sense at all. Somebody must've have been hitting the moonshine. Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #297. 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 red Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "Another Day, Another Dollar" from his "Thin Man From West Plains" LP accompanied by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes, all but Speck in matching blue Nudie suits. MCU Mack's hot licks. Colorful shots of audience applauding.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Porter welcomes audience and introduces hard country stalwart Stonewall Jackson, who plays guitar and sings "Don't Be Angry" backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Plunkin' Buck Trent plays us out of the commercial with some sizzling banjo leads on an instrumental version of "John Henry," backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Now then let's welcome the beautiful little lady Dolly Parton to our show. Backed by The Wagonmasters (who jut about mess up the outro), Dolly plays guitar and sings the creepy bughouse ballad "Daddy Come And Get Me." Afterwards another one of those great audience shots where everybody looks as happy to be there as a drunk in church.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
"By popular demand" it's time for the trio of "Ike, Mike, and Spike," i.e. Wagonmasters Buck, Mack and George, who perform "Columbus Stockade Blues." Always fun to see these guys ham it up, even if you wish they'd learn a new song.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
It's time to check in on Speck and Sadie. Porter jokes that he thinks the phone fell off the wall, but sadly this is not the case, and instead we are treated to the usual round of cornball "jokes" from gap-toothed hayseed comedian Speck Rhodes. Playing as always a lady-killer despite his missing teeth, checkered suit, and bowler hat, Speck places a call on an old fashioned crank phone and chats with fictional girlfriend Sadie, the telephone operator. Some jokes are so humor-free in their lack of punch lines that they may actually be brilliant performance art in disguise, with Speck riffing abstractly on the idea of comedy without in fact provoking laughter. It's kind of Zen when you think about it.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
For the week's serious song, Porter and Dolly duet on the "most requested song we have ever done on our show," the chilling dead baby special "Jeannie's Afraid Of The Dark."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Porter reintroduces Stonewall Jackson, who sings his morbid #1 1964 hit "B.J. The DJ," backed by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 297
Backed by The Wagonmasters, Porter and Dolly duet on an abbreviated version of "The Last Thing On My Mind." Pandering to their audience's lower instincts, they ham up the great minor-key number as if it were one of their bickering songs, with Dolly talking over parts of the song and smacking Porter in the face with her hair brush and Porter almost losing his place as a result. Some things are better left alone. Then Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental outro, Don Howser signs off, the whole cast dances and cavorts as credits roll.