16mm TV Network Lab Kinescope Live Television Network Print

LAWRENCE WELK'S

TOP TUNES AND NEW TALENT

BROADCAST LIVE ON MARCH 24, 1958

PRODUCED BY ABC-TV

Offered here is a 53-minute 16mm black-and-white kinescope sound print of the ABC television musical variety program Top Tunes and New Talent, starring the famed bandleader Lawrence Welk and originally broadcast March 24, 1958. During this period, Welk’s distinctive “champagne music” style was rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable sounds on American television. Programs such as Top Tunes and New Talent, broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, helped introduce millions of viewers to Welk’s orchestra and performers just before the long-running Lawrence Welk Show would cement his place in television history.

This lively episode showcases the broad range of musical styles that defined Welk’s variety programs of the late 1950s. According to the original program listing accompanying this broadcast, the show opens with a welcoming introduction followed by the orchestra performing “Soft Lights & Sweet Music.” Featured vocalist Alice Lon performs the popular tune “Sail Along Silvery Moon,” while novelty performer Jack Imel delivers a spirited rendition of “Indiana Rag.” The broadcast also includes a charming vocal performance of “Swinging Shepherd Blues” by the Lennon Sisters, reflecting the wholesome family-style entertainment that made the Welk programs so beloved by television audiences.

Additional musical highlights include “Coronet Sonata,” “April Love” performed by Maurice Pearson, and a lively instrumental version of “Music, Music, Music” featuring Big Tiny Little. The program continues with a strong lineup of orchestra and vocal features including “London Bridge,” “Moonlight & Roses,” “Danny’s Tune,” and “Ponytail” performed by Larry Dean. The broadcast also features “The Down Beat” by the orchestra and “Lonely As A Desert” sung by Joe Feeny, along with energetic ensemble numbers such as “Music, Music, Music,” “Hands Across the Table,” and the swinging “River Moss Blues.”

Kinescope recordings like this were created by filming a live television broadcast directly from a studio monitor prior to the widespread use of videotape, making surviving prints an important historical record of early television entertainment. As many live broadcasts from the 1950s were never preserved, surviving kinescope prints provide a rare opportunity to experience these programs as audiences originally saw them. This episode of Top Tunes and New Talent offers collectors and historians an engaging glimpse into the golden age of television variety programming and the early national television success of Lawrence Welk and his orchestra.

This vintage kinescope is a rare preserved recording of live television just before videotape became commonplace. The entire show plays out in its original broadcast sequence, with over 20 musical numbers, host banter, and much seasonal staging. A must-have for collectors of early television, vintage variety programming, or Lawrence Welk memorabilia. Feel free to ask questions. 

Remember... these kinescope shows are some the rarest episodes that exist today because often times it is the ONLY version that survives of the ad itself... so don't let it slip by... for they do not turn up for bid very often...

Not many of these turn up so happy bidding...  

About the print:

16mm b/w kinescope sound print...  at about 50 minutes long...  

ready to show... mounted on a 2000' reel...

NO vinegar smell and is NOT nitrate...

Condition: ok here's the deal... LOWER opening bid.... print really runs beautifully... BUT...  the first 25 minutes has moisture damage flashes present in the picture and audio track that occurs every 3 seconds that gradually clears up more and more until... and then it basically clear and smooth to the end...  only one ad in the print... the image is super crisp and clear for a kinescope...  BOOMING sound... this is KINESCOPE... sold AS-IS!!!!