1955: The Lawrence Welk Show Premieres on ABC
On this day in 1955, ABC added a local Los Angeles musical variety show to its prime-time schedule as a summer replacement series. That show — The Lawrence Welk Show — went on to air on ABC for 16 years. (At one point, from 1956 to 1959, the network gave Welk a second one-hour time slot for a second show, Lawrence Welk's Top Tunes and New Talent.)
The show featured big band leader Lawrence Welk and a host of singers and musicians performing a range of standards. At times, Welk danced with women from the show's audience and sometimes invited audience members to dance, as well.
In 1971, ABC cancelled the show — not because it wasn't popular, but because its audience skewed "too old." Upon being dropped from ABC, Welk formed his own company and produced shows for syndication. The show ran another 11 years, often garnering higher ratings than its network competition.