Because the Lawrence Welk Show was on national television from 1955 to 1982, over one thousand shows were produced -- 1,065 to be exact - and that's not counting re-runs! An amazing achievement! LAWRENCE WELK'S TV TREASURES, the 80-minute program now in production for broadcast in March, 2007, is the 14th brand new Welk special produced for public television, a number unmatched by any other artist to be featured on PBS fundraising programs. This grand total of 1,079 new shows is an all-time record for any musical variety series! With over one thousand programs to choose from, the producers of the program are, indeed, on a treasure hunt, looking for the most entertaining and rarely seen musical numbers from the Welk television show archive. Viewers can expect to see performances by their favorite members of the Musical Family, starting with the earliest days on the show. Segments from the first black and white program on July 2, 1955 to the last show on February 24, 1982 will be included, and many of them will mark major milestones along the way such as the 500th show, the 20th year, and the 25th anniversary program. One of the "priceless" moments featured in LAWRENCE WELK'S TV TREASURES is from the pen of nationally syndicated cartoonist, Joe Martin. In November, 2006, his character, "Mr. Boffo," had something very funny to say about the Welk Show and the producer couldn't resist asking for permission to use it. Mr. Martin created a special animated version of the cartoon and it will be seen for the first time on the public television program.
