Adiós, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen.

I'm still thinking about Lawrence Welk, I'm afraid. And still stewing on the dinner conversation we had last night while continuing to not be able to look away from a Thanksgiving special that appeared to be from the late '70s.

We were talking about how much of the show was rooted in denial. The world had changed dramatically from the time it had first aired in 1951 to its finale in 1982, yet every week they continued to cling to the "good old days," virtually untouched by the cultural and sexual revolutions that had been raging right outside their production studio walls. Here's what was happening behind those doors:

 (sorry about the poor quality)

Yes, they were just giving the people (that is, a certain demographic) what they wanted. But they were also coddling them with a security blanket knit of 100% artificial materials. Though occasionally playing peek-a-boo with reality, it was often with disdain and disapproval:

  (quality is even worse on this one, but too interesting not to show anyway)

Unless it was on their terms, that is:

I was thinking I was a little tough on him with all that batshit/what the hell? language in my last post (after all, that Holiday for Strings performance was actually pretty cool), but after spending most of my morning doing this research, I have to say my accusations rest.