For all the yeas and nays that I have read about this kids' show from the early seventies (I was six when it came out), I really liked this program as the Sid and Marty Krofft shows were the most remembered and best loved shows of my childhood. Too many people read too much into these programs - they are designed for children and for even young adults as FANTASY with no underlying themes or something that would be a "gotcha" like many things are today. They are not violent and are good for any child of any generation. I loved these shows and look forward to sharing them with my young relatives and I recommend them for any group of children. I loved "Lidsville", but also "PufNStuf", "Land of the Lost", and "The Lost Saucer". Sid and Marty will be remembered for generations to come.
Reviews
6 Reviews
The Wilburn Brothers Show
(1963–1974)
Wilburn Brothers Show
10 February 2006
This program was the very best in country music entertainment by two folks - Teddy and Doyle Wilburn - who knew how to entertain. Among many other things, this program was responsible for launching the career of Loretta Lynn. She was a regular on the show for it's entire run, and joined the great comedian and banjoist, Harold Morrison (who played banjo on some of Loretta's hits, of which "Blue Kentucky Girl" was one). The great Don Helms was a regular steel player for most of the years that this show was on television, and Hal Rugg played on the rest of the programs when Don was not there. The band also included such greats as Buddy Spicher on fiddle and brothers Lester and Leslie Wilburn who played guitar and bass. I do not recognize the drummer. You may still see these great shows (as of Feb 2006) on the RFD TV channel on satellite. Many great performers from the world of country music have been guests on this show, such as Roy Acuff, Bashful Brother Oswald, Karen Wheeler, Dottie West, Sammi Smith, Dave Dudley, Del Reeves, and many others too numerous to mention. I give it five stars.
Grand Ole Opry
(1985– )
Weekly Opry televised show
10 February 2006
Here is the first time in the history of the Grand Ole Opry that it was telecast live on a weekly basis, beginning Saturday night, April 13, 1985. I happened to be in the audience for that very first night and was there many Saturday nights, as I spent a lot of weekends at the Opry during the 80's and 90's, and this show telecast live at 7 pm in the beginning. By the end of the eighties, the show time was moved to 7:30 and an interview segment was added to the show beginning at 7 pm. The entire cast of the Opry was given a slot on the live show and you saw different ones each week rotated, but by the end of the nineties, the owners of the show decided to go more uptown with the show, and more and more of the unknown names were placed on the televised segments, the announcers who were staples on the show were let go, and New York came in to take over the production of the program. The stage set was redesigned in 2002 and the Opry continues to be telecast to this day, only the interview segment of the live Opry show was discontinued and the stage show now runs for one hour. If you want to witness history as it happens at the Opry, watch the televised segment of the Opry. But if you want to see a real Opry show, go and see what the televised segment no longer shows, especially in the winter. The televised segment no longer represents truly what is regular on the Grand Ole Opry anymore.
Sadly, I must state, after over thirty years as a fan and also an employee in the eighties, that this show is not as good as it once was. I give it three stars.
Sadly, I must state, after over thirty years as a fan and also an employee in the eighties, that this show is not as good as it once was. I give it three stars.
Grand Ole Opry
(1953– )
The first time for the Opry on syndicated TV
10 February 2006
Here is a show that lasted one season and many different videos from this show are floating around out there. Actually, this show only was on for one week a month during the summer of 1955 on ABC, and was in black and white (as opposed to the Grand Ole Opry color films that were made form 1954 to 1958 by Al Gannaway shown on television as "Stars of the Grand Ole Opry" as far in the future as the late seventies). The other three weeks were featuring "The Ozark Jubilee".
It is a televised incantation of the famous radio show that had been going for thirty years prior to this, and was a great idea. Loved the music featured on it, even though it was ten years before my time, and it was a great look into what made the Grand Ole Opry so famous to begin with. Five stars.
It is a televised incantation of the famous radio show that had been going for thirty years prior to this, and was a great idea. Loved the music featured on it, even though it was ten years before my time, and it was a great look into what made the Grand Ole Opry so famous to begin with. Five stars.
The Porter Wagoner Show
(1961–2016)
The Thin Man From West Plains
10 February 2006
The Porter Wagoner Show is one of the first television programs to become a staple in many Ameriucan homes every week. It was not only the music, but the warm personality that Porter gave to all of his listeners during the 23 years he was on television. Watching the Porter Wagoner Show was like watching a portion of the Grand Ole Opry, especially in the early years when Black Draught was a sponsor (and later sponsored by a laundry detergent company) and the commercials were a part of the show.
Porter Wagoner always had the most wonderful guests and excellent regular performers to be a part of his show. Norma Jean was his female counterpart from 1961 through 1966, and many folks even to this day prefer her over Dolly Parton on his earliest programs. Of course, when Norma Jean left the show, Dolly came in after a year of different female guests were tried out on the show (which included Jeannie Seely and Dottie West, among others). Along with Norma Jean and Dolly, there was the great electric banjo sound of Buck Trent, the "Dancing Fiddle Man" Mac McGaha, and Don Hauser doing the emcee work. George Riddle also would play guitar through most of the later programs, and of course, the Porter Wagoner Trio was on there the first few years of the show's run. Speck Rhodes was on the show for much of its run beginning in 1964, and who can forget the funny phone conversations he would have with "Sadie"? After Opryland USA was completed, the Porter Wagoner Show was filmed from there in the park for many years (from different locations including the Showboat, the Roy Acuff Theatre, the television studio in the Opry House, and the Country Music USA show in the park). I saw it as a kid at the showboat in 1975, and again saw Porter a lot in person when I worked in Opryland USA in the mid-eighties.
This is a historic show to say the least and gave much credence to other country music shows that came before and after it. Television needs more new shows produced like this one was. I give it five stars all the way.
Porter Wagoner always had the most wonderful guests and excellent regular performers to be a part of his show. Norma Jean was his female counterpart from 1961 through 1966, and many folks even to this day prefer her over Dolly Parton on his earliest programs. Of course, when Norma Jean left the show, Dolly came in after a year of different female guests were tried out on the show (which included Jeannie Seely and Dottie West, among others). Along with Norma Jean and Dolly, there was the great electric banjo sound of Buck Trent, the "Dancing Fiddle Man" Mac McGaha, and Don Hauser doing the emcee work. George Riddle also would play guitar through most of the later programs, and of course, the Porter Wagoner Trio was on there the first few years of the show's run. Speck Rhodes was on the show for much of its run beginning in 1964, and who can forget the funny phone conversations he would have with "Sadie"? After Opryland USA was completed, the Porter Wagoner Show was filmed from there in the park for many years (from different locations including the Showboat, the Roy Acuff Theatre, the television studio in the Opry House, and the Country Music USA show in the park). I saw it as a kid at the showboat in 1975, and again saw Porter a lot in person when I worked in Opryland USA in the mid-eighties.
This is a historic show to say the least and gave much credence to other country music shows that came before and after it. Television needs more new shows produced like this one was. I give it five stars all the way.
Pop! Goes the Country
(1974–2016)
Pop Goes the Country
10 February 2006
Here is a great show that features not only music but interviews with the artists appearing on thew show from week to week, talking about their new projects, things they have been involved in, and what is coming up for them int he near future.
Of course, the star of this program was always Ralph Emery. He was famous from being a radio personality at WSM AM 650 in Nashville where he excelled at this very kind of programming during the late night hours (on Opry Star Spotlight during the late sixties into the seventies), and this television program was almost like an extension of his earlier duties there. The difference? You could see him and the artist he was talking to and also the reactions of newer artists that came on his show.
The basic premise of this show was to reflect what was already happening to country music by this time - the infiltration of pop music - although you could see some pretty great country performers here as well. The performers included Billy Crash Craddock, Mel Tillis, Janie Fricke, a young Crystal Gale, Sue Thompson, Del Reeves, Bob Luman, Jerry Reed and his daughter Sadina, and many, many other country music artists.
The band was top notch and included the direction of pianist Jerry Whitehurst and guitarist Leon Rhodes (both from the Opry Staff Band), as well as other great musicians of the time that were in and out throughout the production of this show.
The show was originally filmed in the studio in the Grand Ole Opry House until 1980, when it was moved out into the Opryland USA theme park and hosted by Tom T. Hall. It was filmed in the Gaslight Studio there, and I had the pleasure of being in the audience for one of these tapings when I was 15 years old. The set in the Gaslight Studio was of a night club.
I never did see the Jim Varney hosted programs, so I cannot comment on them, but these were all very great shows and I recommend them highly. I give this show five stars.
Of course, the star of this program was always Ralph Emery. He was famous from being a radio personality at WSM AM 650 in Nashville where he excelled at this very kind of programming during the late night hours (on Opry Star Spotlight during the late sixties into the seventies), and this television program was almost like an extension of his earlier duties there. The difference? You could see him and the artist he was talking to and also the reactions of newer artists that came on his show.
The basic premise of this show was to reflect what was already happening to country music by this time - the infiltration of pop music - although you could see some pretty great country performers here as well. The performers included Billy Crash Craddock, Mel Tillis, Janie Fricke, a young Crystal Gale, Sue Thompson, Del Reeves, Bob Luman, Jerry Reed and his daughter Sadina, and many, many other country music artists.
The band was top notch and included the direction of pianist Jerry Whitehurst and guitarist Leon Rhodes (both from the Opry Staff Band), as well as other great musicians of the time that were in and out throughout the production of this show.
The show was originally filmed in the studio in the Grand Ole Opry House until 1980, when it was moved out into the Opryland USA theme park and hosted by Tom T. Hall. It was filmed in the Gaslight Studio there, and I had the pleasure of being in the audience for one of these tapings when I was 15 years old. The set in the Gaslight Studio was of a night club.
I never did see the Jim Varney hosted programs, so I cannot comment on them, but these were all very great shows and I recommend them highly. I give this show five stars.
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