Lawrence Welk: God Bless America

This 2003 production celebrates the 100th anniversary of Welk's birth. It is habitually pulled out of mothballs, as with other Welk specials, during the PBS beg-a-thons.

It appears 21 years after the end of the series and reflects the passing of time. None of the orchestra is part of the original, with the exception of Dale and Ralston. Of those who are on, 7 since died. The youngest still around is Mimi Lennon (born 1955) who was never part of the original show. As for the Lennons, Diane and Peggy are absent. The oldest still living is Ralston.

The music is fine, and does a good job of representing a wide range of patriotic music (Cohan, Gershwin, Berlin, Diamond, et al.) Wonder of wonder, and unlike the original shows, the songs actually last longer than 2 minutes each. Old age is clear; Imel dance routine is a set of pretty simple steps, which was all he was capable of at age 70.

There will, of course, never be another LW special despite what the final hit up for cash mentions; with a handful of the old timers left, and most now in their 70s, you couldn't fill in the time.