The Porter Wagoner Show #94 with special guests The Blackwood Brothers Quartet.
Promo for Porter Wagoner Show #94 with special guests The Blackwood Brothers Quartet. Opens with brothers singing "The Old Country Church," pulling out to reveal Porter and insisting that we and the whole family join him right here on this channel.
Introduction to Porter Wagoner show #94. Program opens with Wagoner and Wagonmasters Speck Rhodes, Don Warden, and George McCormick as well as Norma Jean onscreen singing "Howdy Neighbor Howdy." Over title card decorated with drawing of Wagoner, announcer Hairl Hensley introduces Wagoner and The Wagonmasters, show regulars Speck Rhodes and Norma Jean, and "your favorite songs and stars of the Grand Ole Opry!" Wearing garish rhinestone-studded Nudie suit, Wagoner welcomes audience, then plays guitar and sings a particularly frantic version of "Y'all Come" from his 1963 LP of the same name, backed by The Wagonmasters. CU Mack Magaha; funny moment as the fiddle seems to get away from him. MS Buck leading audience in call-and-response chorus that has Porter cracking up.
Porter displays a copy of The Blackwood Brothers Quartet's album "How Big Is God," then welcomes the group to the show. Backed only by their own piano player, the Blackwoods treat us to their trademark intricate four-part harmonies on "My Heart's Reserved For The Lord."
Happy Mack Magaha fiddles us out of the commercial break, sawin' up a storm and making hammy faces during an instrumental rendition of "Arkansas Traveler," backed by The Wagonmasters.
Porter welcomes "the Oklahoma traveler" Norma Jean, who plays guitar and sings "Go Cat Go," from her 1965 LP "Pretty Miss Norma Jean," backed by The Wagonmasters. Norma sports a new blonde hairdo that gives her a suspiciously Jeannie Seely-like appearance. Norma chuckles a few times at something off screen; probably Porter making faces at her.
Porter plays guitar and sings "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," from his 1965 album "The Thin Man From West Plains," accompanied by The Wagonmasters. MCU Magaha fiddling, MS Buck Trent and his electric banjo.
We fade back in from commercial break to find Porter genuinely caught unawares, and his reaction is easily as funny as anything in the antics of gap-toothed hayseed comedian Speck Rhodes, who Wagoner introduces as "our checkered-suited buddy." Speck tells a corny joke about a little kid in church, then sings his novelty number "When It's Long Handle Time In Tennessee," all about wearing long underwear in cold weather.
Porter returns and displays his "first all-hymn album," 1965's "Grand Old Gospel," which recorded with The Blackwood Brothers. Wagoner brings them back to join him in singing a song that appears on the album, "Rock Of Ages." This time the brothers' backing piano player is joined by The Wagonmasters.
After the commercial break Porter talks with James Blackwood about the quartet's travels all around the country. Backed by the Blackwood's pianist and George McCormick on guitar, Porter and The Brothers sing another song from their album together, "I See A Bridge."
Porter asks the Blackwoods for just one more, and they perform his request for his very special favorite, "The Old Country Church."
Porter wraps up the show. As the Wagonmasters play instrumental show outro and announcer signs off, Wagoner shakes hands with Norma Jean, then waves goodbye as Magaha fiddles and dances us off the air. End title super reads: "Produced by Show Biz in cooperation with WSM-TV." Porter and Norma Jean engage in a quick do-si-do right before we fade out.