WUN'ERFUL, WUN'ERFUL! Stan Freberg Comedy

Many years ago Stan Freberg recorded a humorous spoof of the Lawrence Welk Show as it existed back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This short clip is an attempt to put a face to the personalities spoofed on his record, and to pay tribute to both Stan Freberg and the personalities on the Lawrence Welk Show that he spoofed. I hope everybody enjoys it!

[@ProfessorNeuwaveX]

I just met Stan Freberg's widow today while I was working at Best Buy, and sold her 2 Roku units. 'The Three Little Bops' was my favorite cartoon ever as a kid. I am in complete shock at his prolific legendary status. Life can be so amazing when you least expect it.

[@donaldcarletonjr.9047]

Always thought the "Three Little Bops" was up there with "One Froggy Evening" as one of the greatest animated shorts ever. Now I know why!

[@paulmasgalajian8102]

Probably one of the most hilarious skits ever recorded. My parents watched the Lawrence Welk show religiously every week when I was in grade school. I first heard this recording at a friend's house when I was 13 years old. I can recall laughing so hard, it doubtless looked like I was having a convulsion.

[@dwtpa97]

Yes, Stan Freberg really captured Lawrence Welk! Thanks for your comment and history -

[@mescko]

He did this bit first on his radio show, and the hysterical reaction he got convinced him to do a record of it.

[@spiff2268]

When I was a kid my dad would always say " Turn off the bubble machine!" when Lawrence Welk would come on and then laugh to himself. Now I know where it came from.

[@sooz9433]

Stan Freberg was a hoot... loved the way my Dad laughed himself senseless over his silly songs. Soundtrack of my youth 🎼🖤

[@ChuckWroste]

The story I heard was that Lawrence was going to sue Stan, Capitol Records and everybody else. However, his son sat him down and explained to him that the parody was a Top 40 hit record being played on hundreds of radio stations nationwide, and did he know much it would cost to buy that kind of publicity? Lawrence may have been somewhat hokey but he was a shrewd businessman and realized his son was right. All was well!

[@peace-yv4qd]

Stan Freberg's spoof of Dragnet is a classic.

[@delso-wk9sq]

Always gets a spin about this time.

[@klakatyklak6826]

yes! I just listened to it a minute ago. I do love "St. George and the Dragonet" also. all his parodies are so good. I really only heard the Christmas ones by him, "Nuttin' for Christmas and The hippopotamus song, when I was younger. Now 40 years later my dad has passed away, July 30th, 2024. "RIP dad". Anyway, I was going through his songs collections he has, and I came across more Freberg's stuff I never heard before. And I am just laughing so hard. this guy is really funny. I wish I could have shared this comedy with my dad. But I'm glad I found it now rather than not at all. And thanks for sharing this video "dwtpa90"

[@OdeeOz]

Stan and Bob Newhart are two of the greatest comics of the era. Thanks for sharing, and even more, thank you for bringing back so many good memories

[@carolynschneiderman4576]

Two National American Treasures

[@VoightComp]

Stan Freberg was a genius. I remember hearing this routine on the radio as a kid and laughing so much. And his La Choy commerical was side-splitting. Really miss him and his off-beat humor.

[@margaretfrost5982]

La Choy Chow Mein - quick cooked in dragon fire!

[@SpikeJonesEstate]

This is genuinely one of the funniest and best produced comedy records... ever.

[@dogon3]

And there you have it. The entire run of the Lawrence Welk Show, in a nutshell.

[@richardrice8076]

And they got 26(?) years out of it. With all the upheaval and unrest in '60's Larry just kept polka-ing along. Unreal.

[@Statick1]

I have to agree. Stan, along with June Foray and Daws Butler were indeed some of the great voice artists ever. The best, of course, being the late, great Mel Blanc.

[@fromthesidelines]

Stan originally presented this parody on his CBS radio show in the summer of 1957; he re-recorded it for Capitol, without the audience, but it's just as potent. He thought Welk and his brand of variety were too...as in "why DO people just sit there in their living rooms and WATCH this every week?". Peggy Taylor, Stan's vocalist on the radio show, sings all the female parts; Daws Butler and Stan are the "seamen" at the end. Billy May does an excellent job of "interpreting" Welk's arrangments...

[@donhancock332]

No matter what was on TV my Mom and Dad had to watch Lawrence Welk.Oh the suffering.

[@deenie1219]

I had this record. I loved Stan, a truly funny comedic genius. I also had Ken Nordine's "Word Jazz" set of albums. Both these guys were great. Oh, also Bob Newhart " Button Down Mind" too. These guys were so great with no vulgarity at all. Wunnerful fun.

[@sirstrongbad]

What I love is that these are some absolutely wonderful performances considering it's a parody.

[@dwtpa97]

You're right, sirstrongbad, even as a parody, it's got some great music! Thanks -

[@theJaydog]

Listened again for the 10 millionth time. Stan Freberg may be the one stand out ingenious who ever sold a set of encyclopedias. You know? I remember reruns of "Cecil" on tv as a kid. Cartoons, too.

[@Eezablade1]

Never had Lawrence Welk in the UK ( thanks for small mercies ) but this spoof by the great Stan Freberg is superb.

[@bakhirun]

Wow what a great job with the visuals - lots of work indeed. Most enjoyable counterpoint to that number. I laughed at it in 1959 and I'm laughing in 2015. Timeless humor (unless you're under 50 and never heard of Lawrence Welk).

[@dwtpa97]

Thank you, Byron. Appreciate your comment -

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I knew of Welk in the 80's (and I'm 40).

[@CrackedTroyster]

I'm 46 and listened to this back in the 1990's ON Dr Demento. My mother is also a devoted Welk fan. She even gets Christmas cards from Ralna English.

[@henrykujawa4427]

"Gee, the time is running out and we haven't even played the polka!"

[@UncleLouie867]

Stan Freberg was FANTASTIC!!

[@UncleFexxer]

I listened to this skit over and over again on Dr. Demento when I was a kid. Freberg... you were the greatest.

[@musicom67]

2:57 - Lawrence's 'mugging' and over-exaggerated painted smile for the camera is beyond bizarre and over-the-top. Must be the Geritol every day. Awesome video references. Makes it that much funnier.

[@aqacefan]

What lives in a conical shell and plays the accordion? Lawrence Whelk.

[@gladtobeopenminded]

Brilliant!

[@Setebos]

My mother considered Lawrence Welk to be just shy of the Deity. She would've machine-gunned Freberg for this. Me? I love it.

[@daschundloverable]

TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION: EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT AT OUR HOUSE, A ONE AND A TWO AND A THREE!!! AND 'MOONLIGHT IN SHADOWS' WAS THE FIRST SONG MY DAD TAUGHT ME TO PLAY ON THE PIANO.

[@vincentsartain3061]

@Setebos, LOL re: your mom "would have machine gunned Stan Freberg!" 🤣

[@vincentsartain3061]

@@frackstonwilson685 Wow, Welk could really go into overkill when he had a mind to, couldn't he? On the other hand, the so-called "family hour" of TV from the 50's through the 70's was a really rigid way for anyone in to make a living in television. Welk had his fan mail of "concerned viewers" and his equally nervous sponsors to deal with, during an era when people were still looking for work after being blacklisted over some stupid party or "Red" meeting they'd went to on a lark thirty or forty years prior. I think most of Welk's stable of performers & crew knew their bounds and stayed in them.

[@MrMatteNWk]

@@vincentsartain3061 Re:your last sentence, except for Bob Ralston...

[@vincentsartain3061]

@@MrMatteNWk Key words being "most of Welk's stable." He did make "an example" of someone now and then, lest any of the rest should get any ideas he wasn't comfortable with.

[@hourlynewscaster]

Freberg was a perfectionist and surrounded himself with some of the most talented people in radio and music. Too bad what is on radio today pales by comparison.

[@tontoschwartz6916]

Stan was absolutely hilarious, the best!!

[@pamashby694]

A comic genius. I cut whatever clever teeth I have by growing up with him. "Dear John", "John and Marsha", "Saint George and the Dragonet"... truly memorable! RIP in that place where the great comedians go.

[@shawnmulligan2894]

Richard Ashby The great big radio studio in the sky... RIP Stan, we will all miss you so much.

[@robertpatrick5188]

There's an episode of "The Flintstones" called "The Hit Songwriters," in which Fred and Barney try to write a hit song and fail (it's "Stardust" with different lyrics), but the music publisher finds the words to a potential song based on Fred's "yabba-dabba-doo" and gives them to Hoagy Carmichael (who provided his own voice) to add music. There's a scene in that episode where the song is performed live at the place where Welk's band is playing (with a mammoth blowing the bubbles), and I'm sure Freberg is doing Welk's voice because it sounds just like Welk on Freberg's recording.

[@Batenrouge]

Memories! My grandmother used to make the whole family sit down to watch Laurence Welk in the early 70s. When she wasn't home during the week we'd put this song on to spoof her as much as Welk.

[@5star555555555]

Svengoolie thank you song!

[@theeasybeats5913]

Turn off the Bubble Machina! Us kids listened to this over and over LOL

[@GrizzledGeezer]

Wurlitzer used to run ads showing a Wurlitzer organ being delivered to a happy family. The little boy ran into the house screaming "Gee, Dad! It's a Wurlitzer!".

[@dwtpa97]

Yes, Stan Freberg really captured the feel of the Welk show. And, like you, I still enjoy watching the Welk show every week! Thanks for your post, KB4QAA -

[@atosov]

Forty-odd years ago, I had a schoolfriend who had this record. The line "Help, help! Wonnerful-a, wonnerful-a. Turn off the bubble machine!" at the end had me laughing myself to tears. Lawrence Welk was then still on television, so I had a vague idea of who he was, though I never saw his show.

[@dwtpa97]

Good story, Arsbajt Tosov! Incidentally, re-runs of old LW shows are still being broadcast on many PBS stations. Thanks for your comment!

[@WPM_in_ATL]

"The Squarest Music this side of Euclid" and one of the best KZbin videos created. Thank you for tying the Welk "musical family" to the Freberg record. Generations will be in your eternal debt. (ha!)

[@jaedenhunter7852]

Just shared this on a FB post, my Dad (who Mom always said had a crush on Norma Zimmer) would walk around the house saying "Wun'erful, Wun'erful" whenever there was a problem, as well as "turn off the bubble machine". Mom was a Pianist and loved Lawrence, it was on the box every weekend.

[@Hawkeye752]

Stan is the greatest of all the satirests!

[@missusmoon]

I can't believe this is here! I still have the 45 rpm record from my childhood. My sisters and I loved to harmonize on "Thank you for all those cards and letters you folks in television land." Thanks!

[@clydeankle9292]

lant

[@nam9506]

For years I have been telling my 2 sons that things are "Wunnerful Wunnerful" and every so often use 'Stop the bubbles". Now I have found this.Thankyou. The 1st. 45rpm I ever bought was Stan's "Day-o" (Banana Boat Song). You are "wunnerful" for posting.

[@PatrickRsGhost]

One of my favorites by Freberg. I also love his "recording sessions" for popular songs like "Yellow Rose of Texas" and "Banana Boat (Day-O)".

[@anitanalley2417]

"Ah 'preciate that!"

[@echoecho3108]

Don't forget High School Ooh Ooh (Those Ol' Payola Roll Blues). 😊

[@Frankodragon1]

At 1:10 is the "theme" that's played during Svengoolie when the mail segment ends.

[@eltonej]

LOL!!! You're right, thanks.

[@MMID303]

Mmmm could be...

[@figment1988]

Berwyn!

[@effiebug4278]

"Sumbody turn offa da bubble machine..."

[@Ian16545]

They don't make bubble machines like they used to.

[@will89687]

RIP Stan Freberg. When they made you they broke the mold!

[@shawnmulligan2894]

will89687 Some would say they should have waited till he came out of it before they broke it! 😉 Just kidding, Stan, we loved your cracked up sense of humour. No disrespect to your lovely legacy, of course. We all miss you so much.

[@Hornman64]

Thanks, really enjoyed hearing the whole thing. My brother and I were teenagers back then and he recalls us listening to the radio show on Sunday nights. I had many 45's and albums and see many of them listed here. I still play the lp Stan Freburg presents the United States of America every July 4th to get a proper perspective. lol

[@MARKLAR51]

“ Help ah, Help ah, turn off the bubbles….Help ah…” Stan was beyond genius in this and many other satires. A friend had this record in my college dorm in the 1970s and it was right up there with Firesign Theater as our go to comedy fav .

[@GrizzledGeezer]

There was an antacid that had an ingredient supposed to reduce gas. Their ads borrowed the line "Will someone please turn off the bubble machine!".

[@maynardsmoreland]

RIP Stan Freberg 1926-2015

[@HSMiyamoto]

That music is just like Welk's orchestra played. This takes me back.

[@dwtpa97]

Thanks for your post, Hannah Miyamoto -

[@MadameLil]

Time keeps marching forward. May Stan RIP.

[@ohiohoney]

This was very well put-together!!! Thanks!!!

[@ohiohoney]

Glad you enjoyed - one of my all-time faves!

[@morrisrooney]

The female vocalist portraying "the Lemmon Sisters" and "Alice Lean-a" is Peggy Taylor, who was a booth announcer for KNBC 4 in Los Angeles in the 70s & 80s ( she was also heard on the NBC network at times reading promos right before station breaks ).

[@markschildberg1667]

Peggy Taylor was also the vocalist on The Stan Freberg Show on CBS radio in the summer of 1957, which this sketch was originally created for. It was so popular that Freberg and company rushed into Capitol Records to make a single out of it.

[@thomastarwater2989]

You can hear the Lemmon Sisters sing “Thank you for all the cards and letters from all you folks out there in television land” around the halfway point of SVENGOOLIE. I love it!

[@tamaraclaw]

My favorite Stan Freberg bit.

[@terrycollins6673]

I was listening to a talk show in which Stan Freeburg was being interviewed; one story was a man who was listening to the broadcast of the parody was tickled so much that he turned purple. Don't know if he survived that very funny recording. But if he didn't, then he went out of this life laughing.

[@GuinnevereB]

This is a big favorite of my husband's; he quotes it frequently: "Turn off-a the bubble machine"..."Thank-a you, Larry, that-a number has-a been taken-a..." Classic!

[@patrickryan1515]

"Turn off the bubble machine." For decades that phrase has intermittently popped up in my head. Now I know what it's from. Loved Stan's Dragnet spoofs.

[@fredguldbrandsen2723]

I'm just finishing "Wunnerful, Wunnerful" an Autobiography by Lawrence Welk. What a great book, what a great man. The book is autographed by Lawrence Welk.

[@danvanlandingham3854]

I wished I had heard of this record when my late friend,alto saxophonist Skeets Herfurt,were alive.He played alto sax for Welk for several years until Welk retired.Skeets was a funny guy and did a bit of comedy as a singer for Tommy Dorsey from 1937-39 and for guitarist Alvino Rey from 1939-42.I think he might have enjoyed it.He once told me that Welk wanted to hire him for years,but Skeets was a very successful,in demand alto saxophonist in the Hollywood studios for years.

[@dwtpa97]

I remember Skeets very well from the Welk show - a very talented performer. Thanks for your comment and the information, Dan VanLandingham.

[@MrFrontrowkid]

I'd forgotten about the song, but just recall the phrase "Wunnerful, Wunnerful." Having the video as accompaniment makes the song a whole lot funnier, particularly for those who never saw the show. I used to go over to an old girlfriend's house to watch color TV on Saturday nights. Her parents and grandmother always had this on. Just watching Lawrence Welk's bouncing up and down as he plays the accordian still makes me laugh.

[@Cyberhog1959]

"I recollect one night off Singapore...." "TRICKS I say!! Like that mirage off the port bow!" RIP Stan Freberg.

[@davidatovar]

"Gee dad, it was a Wurlitzer"... I always wanted a Bubble machine.

[@ohiohoney]

gee, dad, it was a wurlitzer! LOL

[@dwtpa97]

Thanks, Steven Eppler. Stan Freberg and Lawrence Welk are both American classics.

[@Hornman64]

One of my favorites. I remember the dialogue not heard for many years. A riot.

[@dwtpa97]

Yes, Freberg really did a great job on this record. Thanks for your comment.

[@curiousgemini]

The best impression of Welk. Fred Armisen on SNL is a close second.

[@Laura151The]

The Lawrence Welk Show was my Grandma Daly's favorite TV show.

[@dwtpa97]

The show still runs on PBS. Thanks for your post -

[@WPM_in_ATL]

The Aragon Ballroom (on Lick Pier) was in Santa Monica, California. Love how you put in a photo of the Corn Palace (in Mitchell, South Dakota) instead. Yours truly once toured that place (1991).

[@OldDogNewTrick]

Gee Dad, It's a Wurlitzer. Haven't heard that line in 50 years now.

[@GrizzledGeezer]

"Gee, dad, it's a Wurlitzer!" was the caption for a magazine ad with a boy gushing over the delivery of an organ.

[@dbmyers2]

In the skit it is "Gee, dad it was a Wurlitzer".

[@dwtpa97]

Thanks, Corrie121. Stan Freberg did a masterful job on this skit.

[@navydoll]

how magnificent.i just landed the trifecta..Liberace,+ Victor Borge with the Sesame characters and now Stan Freberg....thank you mother thank father..Alan Sherman was in the next class!

[@Ian16545]

Back when I first heard this when I got "Tip of the Freberg" one Christmas, I thought of this as "The Lawrence Welk Show that never was". Classic!

[@johnmitchelljr]

Thank you so much. Still love it. As a matter of fact I will always love this comic masterpiece. Thank god I grew up with genius. Great job with the video.

[@wynonie]

This was a national hit in July,1957.

[@fjccommish]

This is quality television for Television Lant.

[@ulexite-tv]

Wonderful editing! This was great!

[@Rockulaproductions]

Another Dr Demento gem. I would never have known about any of this stuff if it wasn't for him

[@jerrarose5889]

Good Job!!! truly enjoyed this!!!

[@dwtpa97]

Thank you, Jerra. Appreciate your comment.

[@kali3665]

"Turn off the bubble machine! Turn it off!!" 😂😂

[@alice1598]

ever since the early 50's, I've always liked L. Welk. and Freeberg is great. Grew up with them both. Thanks for posting Welk's Christmas programs were the best !!!! I would look forward to them weeks in advance. Thanks for posting this. BH

[@Livingni]

First heard this on the radio when it was released. I couldn't believe my ears because I wasn't sure if it were the real show, and I thought what the Hell's going on, and couldn't stop laughing as I pictured what was happening in my mind.

[@mescko]

Now *that's* funny, thinking it was the real thing! 🤣 And that's the thing that Stan always said made radio such a great medium, it 'Stretched the imagination'.

[@steveneppler5301]

I loved this! Great job! Thanks for posting.

[@AmosPressley]

Great! Thanks for your work!

[@dwtpa97]

Thanks, Amos, for your post!

[@johnpotter8039]

We loved this, and all of Freberg's recordings. I understand that Lawrence Welk got legally feisty. I am reminded of Jay Ward's "Rocky and Bullwinkle" show, with the Kerward Derby, a spoof on Durward Kerby, the rather bland straight man to Gary Moore. Jay Ward Productions got a Cease and Desist order from Kerby's attorney, threatening a lawsuit. Ward challenged them to sue, promising to pay ALL legal expenses for both parties. to me sure, Durward Kerby lives on, only from Jay Ward's spoof.

[@andrewmorrice9139]

On the DVD commentary for the Flintstones episode "The Hit Songwriters" a Lawrence Welk spoof character (voiced by Daws Butler) appears and the commentary goes silent until the scene is over. Then they mention Stan Freberg. That's what brought me here. I wonder what got cut out and why?

[@bucksnbeatles]

i heard this on the adio today.......almost cracked up my car. LOVE IT!!!!!!!

[@lisacass5344]

Brought me giggles! Thank you!

[@2098elk]

Brought back memories! Waterfall a waterfall! That's what Lawrence said when he saw Niagara Falls! Parents were big fans of Lawrence Welk. Stan Freberg was a genius!

[@altfactor]

Lawrence Welk's TV show was ridiculed by critics for being squarer than square, but somebody out there in Televisionland must have liked it, for it ran for 27 years, ending only when Welk retired from music.

[@calescapee9642]

This is like Fractured Flickers. Hilarious!

[@dwtpa97]

Yes, Stan Freberg produced a masterpiece! Thanks for your comment -

[@veryfussy]

When I first started teaching in a small rural school in Australia, I introduced this and The Banana Boat song to my school of 18 kids. We used the sound tracks to mime to, and the results were hilarious. I continued using these until about 1978 when I[ we] had made the pieces a real show piece at primary school reviews, The "bursting through the window "in Banana Boat was achieved by a child jumping through a piece of formerly weakened cellophane so that the window frame didn't collapse. Wonderful stuff from a genius. I'll never forget those halcyon and informal days, not like now where creativity is stifled in the normal classroom.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

And yet, I'm surprised if the Welk parody even got a laugh down under (wonder if he ever performed there?).

[@Rebel9668]

Svengoolie sent me here, lol.

[@346436]

BERWYN!!

[@thatoneradicalizedprussian225]

ME TOO

[@cwattsghigh]

Same

[@MMID303]

Yerp

[@senorkaboom]

This was a staple in our house, even in syndication. Lawrence-a Welk-a. No artist quite like him.

[@KB4QAA]

What a scream! Brilliantly done. (from a guy who has enjoyed LW since the 70's)

[@mjb784533]

Freberg performed this on his radio series in 1957, and the local announcer on WCBS New York almost cracks up during the weather forecast and station ID he had to do immediately after. You hear him struggling to keep from laughing during the whole minute but he loses it on the last syllable!

[@MrTfallath]

First heard this at a "pot party" way back when. Still laughing about Stoney Stonedwell.

[@ChuckWroste]

When he first heard this parody, Welk was furious and was going to sue Stan and his label, Capitol. However, when his son pointed out to Welk that this record would be played on hundreds of radio stations and that was a lot of free advertising, LW saw the light and forgot about it.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

And besides, his show lasted into the early 80's (with repeats that continue to this day on public television).

[@larryellisreed280]

Particularly so when it went into first-run syndication starting in 1971, after ABC cancelled the series; many stations like WKBT in LaCrosse, WI had a habit of airing Welk on Saturday evenings at 6.

[@bucksnbeatles]

BTW I watched LW every week with the family back in the day. It was great entertainment. such a innocent time. Not much a family can watch together today.

[@flyfliker]

I was born in 1950. My dad always joked and he would say "Stop the bubble machine"

[@BackToTheBlues]

It's a bit weird, over the years there have been a few times I've looked someone up on KZbin to find they've just died. I'm starting to hesitate before I put a name in the search box... Sorry to hear he's passed away, I always loved his stuff from the first time I heard The Banana Boat Song and St. George and the Dragonet. One of my favourites is The Old Payola Roll Blues - "What're you gonna do with that sharp stick?".

[@shawnmulligan2894]

BackToTheBlues Ever heard his radio program from 1957? it's probably the funniest thing I've ever heard. it was just called the Stan Freberg Show, but it only lasted about 15 or so shows because he couldn't find a sponsor. It is great!

[@larryellisreed280]

It was actually a summer replacement for "The Best of Benny." And was pulled off because advertisers were said to be rather uneasy about his spoofing the industry.

[@mescko]

@@shawnmulligan2894 ...and he refused to be sponsored by any tobacco company. I have the first volume of his shows on CD, I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get volume 2, they've been OOP for a long time.