On May 11, 1951, The Lawrence Welk Show began as a local program on KTLA in Los Angeles, the flagship station of the Paramount Television Network.

In 1960, Geritol took over sponsorship; Sominex, Aqua Velva, Serutan, Universal Appliances, Polident, Ocean Spray and Sinclair Oil were some of the other companies or brands which served as associate sponsors for a short time.

The Lawrence Welk Show was canceled by ABC in 1971 amidst the rural purge and implementation of the Prime Time Access Rule.

Some independent stations put it in its old Saturday timeslot, and in many cases, it drew higher ratings than the network shows scheduled at that time.

The film was a retrospective on Welk's life and career, featuring interviews with surviving members of Welk's Musical Family, and scenes from the show; it was part of a new approach to pledge drive programming that aimed to lure donors with popular music and nostalgia, an approach that later became standard at other public television stations.

[12] The film was so successful that the OETA acquired rerun rights to the program and began offering them to stations nationwide that October.

He would place a finger in his mouth, release it to produce a popping sound, and then make a soft hissing noise to mimic bubbles escaping the bottle.

Each week, Welk would present the show's theme, which was followed by either an orchestral performance or a group number featuring the entire cast of singers from the Musical Family.

Welk had a particular admiration for composers contemporary with him, such as Hoagy Carmichael, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, and Harry Warren.

Notable exceptions included performances by artists such as Henry Mancini, Eddie Peabody, The Chantays, Stan Boreson, Charley Pride, Jack Benny, and Barbara Mandrell.

The closing theme during the syndicated years, with lyrics often performed by the "Musical Family", was "Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen" (composed by George Cates).

Most members of the Musical Family had specific, well-defined roles within the context of the show, generally specializing in one type of performance.

Welk closely monitored fan letters to gauge performers' popularity, giving more prominent roles to those who received positive feedback.

In an interview, Fountain stated he left The Lawrence Welk Show because "Champagne and bourbon don't mix.

"[19] Among the performers that were popular with audiences during the ABC era were The Lennon Sisters, Joe Feeney, Steve Smith, Larry Hooper, Jo Ann Castle and Buddy Merrill.

Lynn Anderson, Clay Hart, and Ava Barber used the show as a springboard to launch careers as country music solo artists.

At the height of the show's popularity, members of the Musical Family were featured in several celebrity tabloid magazines alongside other mainstream television and movie stars.

[20] Tap dancer Arthur Duncan became the second African-American to appear regularly on a sponsored television variety program, and the first since 1951, when he was hired as a permanent music maker by Welk in 1964.