The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
The Porter Wagoner Show #282 featuring special guest Grandpa Jones and guest MC Speck Rhodes.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #282 featuring special guest Grandpa Jones. Spot consists of Grandpa Jones naming the whole crew and saying "We gonna have a outlandish time." Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #282. 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 Dreamsicle-orange Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "Southern Bound" (from his LP "You Got-ta Have A License") accompanied by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes, all but Speck in matching green bean green Nudie suits. Colorful shots of audience applauding. Medium shots Buck's banjo solo and Mack's fiddling.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Porter welcomes audience and announces that due to "popular demand," they're turning the show over to Speck to MC for the day. Speck must've had some pretty good dirt on Porter, I tell you what. Accompanied by a few notes of "Folsom Prison Blues" gap-toothed rube comedian Gilbert "Speck" Rhodes ambles in wearing his trademark checkered suit and bowler hat and immediately tells The Wagonmasters to shape up as they're working for him for the next 30 minutes. Speck introduces one of his fave-oh-rite people, the star of the Hee Haw show, Grandpa Jones. Backed by the Wagonmasters, Grandpa plays banjo and sings the old-timey classic "Darby's Ram." MS Buck's guitar solo. Afterwards Speck returns and tells Grandpa how much he enjoyed that, by cracky.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Leading The Wagonmasters, dancing fiddler Mack Magaha plays us out of the commercial with the instrumental "Liberty." Speck jokes "Give me liberty or give me liberty." Oh, why cain't Speck host all the time?
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Speck introduces the prettiest girl he knows (besides Sadie, his fictional girlfriend, of course), Dolly Parton. Backed by The Wagonmasters, Dolly sings the creepy anti-inbreeding ballad "Robert" from her "Fairest Of Them All" LP.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Speck thanks Dolly for a beautiful job, then tells a goofy story about a snake molesting her. We won't spoil the punch line for you, but it's a beaut. Speck introduces "My boss Porter Wagoner and Miss Dolly" who sing their fussin' & fightin' duet "Run That By Me One More Time." Nice Buck Trent banjo solo. Porter and Dolly have their bickering shtick pretty well down now, must've been good practice for her leaving the show in 1974.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Coming back from commercial we find the new boss Speck Rhodes comically berating Buck Trent, saying "I'm the boss and you're nothing," to which Buck retorts: "Big deal, boss over nothing." Nice one, Buck. The phone rings and Speck answers the call from Sadie, his fictional telephone operator girlfriend. Speck tells the latest gossip (i.e. corny jokes) about life in Skunk Hollar, then explains that he's the show's MC today and hangs up awkwardly, giving the camera a nice wide toothless smile.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Speck introduces the week's hymn, and accompanied by The Wagonmasters, Porter plays guitar and sings "Tell Your Children."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Speck brings Porter in and says "Boy, I didn't realize how busy you were on this show!", obviously exhausted by the rigors of hosting. Porter tells him he's doing fine so Speck ambles over to "ol' leather" (Grandpa Jones). The two old coots chatter aimlessly until Grandpa chases Speck away saying "I want to talk a little," then gives a great little introduction to his next number by explaining the allegedly true story behind the old folk song "John Henry." Really nice bit.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Backed by The Wagonmasters, Grandpa Jones plays banjo and sings "John Henry," making the old chestnut breathe anew like only a true artist can.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 282
Speck brings Porter back to wraps up the show. Porter waves goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental show outro, Don Howser signs off, and credits roll as Mack dances and fiddles us off the air.