The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
The Porter Wagoner Show #277 featuring special guest Chill Wills.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Promo for The Porter Wagoner Show #277 featuring special guest Chill Wills. Spot opens with Porter and all The Wagonmasters singing the old show opener "Howdy Neighbor Howdy," then Porter announces Wills and the show's regulars, inviting us to tune in. Fade out over art card with colorful illustration of Porter.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Opening of Porter Wagoner show #277. 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 live on air), then prerecorded segment ends with Howser s "...and now, here s Porter." Cut to live portion as Porter, wearing dazzling, rhinestone-studded sky blue Nudie suit, plays guitar and sings "Long Journey Home" accompanied by Wagonmasters Buck Trent, Don Warden, Mack Magaha, George McCormick, Jack Little and Speck Rhodes, all but Speck in matching red Nudie suits. MS Buck and Mack's banjo and fiddle solos. Shots of audience applauding.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Porter welcomes audience, then for the second show in a row introduces his special guest, cowboy actor Chill Wills. Chill pretends to choke, then Porter brings him a drink. Wills spits it out: "That's water!" Then backed by The Wagonmasters, Wills performs the comedic recitation "Water." Porter returns and Wills invites Porter to visit his ranch with three acres, three station wagons, and three mortgages on it.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Backed by The Wagonmasters, Buck Trent plays us out of the commercial break with sizzling lead banjo on the instrumental "Stampede."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Porter introduces the pretty little lady Dolly Parton, doing "one of the prettiest songs you ever wrote." Backed by The Wagonmasters, Dolly plays guitar and sings "I Couldn't Wait Forever."
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Porter and Dolly duet on what Porter calls "the worst one you ever wrote." Backed by The Wagonmasters, Porter and Dolly perform the novelty bickering number "Run That By Me One More Time" from their "Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca" LP. At the end Dolly tells Porter "You ain't my boss!" and Porter laughs and gives her an "Oh, really?" look.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Porter introduces gap-toothed rube comedian Speck Rhodes, who skitters in wearing his usual checkered suit and bowler hat and tells a corny joke about going to Hollywood to be in the movies. Then backed by The Wagonmasters, Speck sings "When It's Long Handle Time In Tennessee," an old-timey novelty number about wearing long winter underwear. Speck dances to Buck's banjo playing. Shots of audience applauding.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Porter introduces the week's sacred number, playing guitar and singing "Old Camp Meeting Time" accompanied by The Wagonmasters.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
Porter displays Chill Wills' LP "Hello, Cousin," saying that one of the greatest songs is the one Chill is going to do right now. To a prerecorded backing track that practically buries Chill's spoken introduction, Wills recites the melodramatic and maudlin "Mama." Wills is weeping at the end of the number.
The Porter Wagoner Show No. 277
"Ike, Mike, and Spike" (i.e. Wagonmasters Buck, George and Mack) perform a hoped-up version of "Columbus Stockade Blues." Then Porter wraps up the show, waving goodbye as The Wagonmasters play the instrumental show outro, Don Howser signs off, Chill Wills swaps hats with Speck, and Mack fiddles and dances us off the air as credits roll.