did chet ever appear on the lawrence welk show

[David Elliott]

It was JOKE ! ! !

Polka Mania was ficticious Weird Al Yankovic album from the movie UHF . . .

I guess I must have missed that one! Of course I also never saw "Beach Blanket Bingo" or "The Creature From The Black Lagoon"...I've led a sheltered life down here on Hollywood Blvd. don't'cha know?

[Sholmst]

In the early 70s when I really got into Chet I was fascinated by Swedish Rhapsody and looked for other versions to see where he got it from. The only one I found at the time was on an album by Myron Floren. So that's a little Welk connection. Chet may not have been in Lawrence Welk's budget.

[Mike Nye]

Chet may not have been in Lawrence Welk's budget.

FYI . . . Welk was one CHEAP ASS ! ! !

A friend of mine sister in law was one of Welk's singers back in the late 60s, up until he died.

She'd told him that Welk had a vacation/gig for he, his band and other performers at some lake aka FREE vaction.

At the end of their week-long vacation all of the lake's staff lined up as his band loaded their instruments on the bus nearby the lake.

Welk started out at one end, thanking the lake's staff for accommodating them for the week. After thanking the first person he reached in his pocket and pulled a miniature Hohner harmonica inscribed: 'Complements of Lawrence Welk'.

Welk had given everyone a harmonica and NOT A PENNY for a gratuity ! ! !

Finally the buses moved out, and after about 1000ft. down that road she'd turned around to take one last look at the scenery, seeing about twenty harmonicas being chucked in the lake . . .

TRUE STORY ! ! !

[David Elliott]

Chet may not have been in Lawrence Welk's budget.

I had thought the same thing when I first read this post and subsequent thread.

Over the years I became acquainted with several people in the Welk organization, Joe Feeney (Irish tenor), and Johnny Zell, (trumpet player), both of whom lived here in Simi Valley. I believe Mister Welk was pretty 'tight' with the buck, and paid pretty much 'scale' for at least most of his orchestra members. I'm sure that those members who frequently were featured as 'solo' artists were paid more, but I doubt many of them commanded anything close to what Chet Atkins was paid for a personal appearance!

While Lawrence Welk may have been a "cheapskate" when it came to pay-scales, I can tell you that he commanded a lot of affection from those who worked for him, and all of his organization really cared a lot for him. He ran a very 'tight' ship, and had zero tolerence for any type of disrespectful behaviour, 'hanky-panky' between employees, suggestive language or material, etc. and was always fair and strictly adhered to the highest standards of the entertainment industry. He was definitely from the 'old school', and I've been told he was always formal and very professional in his relationship with virtually everyone he dealt with!

I think if Lawrence Welk were alive today he'd be thoroughly disgusted with most of the crap and corruption that passes for 'entertainment' in today's show business.

David

[Mike Nye]

That's right . . . Welk only paid SCALE -PERIOD ! ! !

[Norm]

I think scale for TV appearances was not an inconsequential sum. And i have a feeling Welk kept his organization working relatively steadily. There is some security being part of a herd where you only have to show up for rehearesal and showtime and do your job properly. The headache of backstage bookkeeping, paying royalties, arrangements, booking lodging etc is Someone Else's Problem but ultimately gets paid out of the Headliner's corporation. People like Chet and Welk usually formed corporations of themselves for tax and management issues.

We tend to get it into our heads that somehow musicians must make a lot of money having fun. Or should.

Of course, some of the "stars", particularly if they write a hit song that gets covered a lot, make a healthy income but the expense of hiring and feeding a band usually comes out of the high fees the headliner gets. Musicians are not always the most stable group to deal with so many of the headliners like Welk and Fred Waring and probably Bob Wills tend to keep their journeyman musician crew on a short leash. For every rank and file guy working in the orchestra there are six just off the bus wanting their job.

It's business. What you see when you turn on the TV or go to a show is the end product of a lot of hard work and full of complex (and tempermental) personalities. Some of the higher paid principals had alcohol or drug demons to deal with. It doesn't get put together like the 'shows' Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney assembled so happily, easily and seamlessly in the movies.

The end product is an illusion and to us watching it it looks airy and fun and games. It may be satisfying but it is a business after all.

Was Welk a tightwad? Sure. There are lots of tales about it. Chet didn't tip very well I understand and tended to be bargain oriented. He was a frugal man in many ways because he had been painfully poor and never really got over it. But he was a multi millionaire in the end although I think much of the estate fortune was and is in real estate as opposed to liquid assets. He was privately a very generous man, too, sometimes to relative strangers but kept that quiet.

But you do have to shake your head over the thought of Welk passing out harmonicas and feeling generous about doing so...

[David Elliott]

Was Welk a tightwad? Sure. There are lots of tales about it. Chet didn't tip very well I understand and tended to be bargain oriented. He was a frugal man in many ways because he had been painfully poor and never really got over it.

I can recall two incidents in my years of following Chet, which made it clear that he had been very poor in his youth, and "valued" money, as there are some things one never forgets, no matter how successful (or wealthy) one becomes.

One of them, was a comment that Margaret Fields (the organizer of the original 'Chet Atkins Fan Club') made about visiting Chet and Leona way back in the early 1950's, and that while she was there, Leona asked Chet if "she needed to wash his shirt". When Chet was out of the room momentarily, Leona told Margaret that Chet only had two shirts, and that she always tried to make sure he had a 'clean one', in case he needed it!

Another one was when Chet and Paul, and several other people were at a 'Crackerbox' restaurant in Nashville, (one of Chet's favorite hang-outs). When everyone was through eating Chet asked for a 'Doggy Bag', because there was quite a bit of food leftover, and he didn't like to see food go to waste, and he thought "Momma" (Leona) would enjoy it"!

Really, can you just picture Frank Sinatra, or Bing Crosby, or Judy Garland, asking for a Doggy Bag? Even though, in the guitar world, he was probably just as famous as they were!
I can't!

David

[Mike Nye]

Really, can you just picture Frank Sinatra, or Bing Crosby, or Judy Garland, asking for a Doggy Bag? Even though, in the guitar world, he was probably just as famous as they were!
I can't! David

Forty years ago, I valet parked cars at some of Palm Springs' finest restaurants and night spots.

I remember Sinatra would reserve half, if not the whole restaurant for he, his wife or anyone that he'd invited.

When finished, he'd start walking out of the place with a handful of hundred dollar bills, handing one to the waiter or waitress, the busboy, the Maitre d' or hostess and valet attendant who'd parked his car. And his guests usually tipped between $20.00 to $50.00 a car . . .

AHHHHHHHHHHH . . . Those were the days ! ! !

Sinatra -NOT a Doggy Bag kinda guy . . .