There are many elderly woman addicted to the Welk family and although they probably grew up with the Rat Pack, I'm not sure Frank, Sammy, and Dean, et al, were a satisfactory substitute for the hard core fans of champagne music.
When I was a nurse in Florida, I learned that it saved me time and delighted my older patients if I made sure all TV's were tuned to the right channel well before the show was scheduled to start. Every Saturday night after dinner, I would make my rounds and in between nursing duties I would be turning on the TVs, assuring anxious ladies that the show hadn't started yet, and feeding their addiction.
One night, I was surprised (to say the least) to see that Soul Train was rocking in a room shared by two elderly ladies. As I adjusted an IV, I casually asked the lady in the first bed if she wanted me to change channels for her. She shook her head and whispered, "No, my roommate's watching this. I can't stand it. I want to watch the Lawrence Welk Show, but I don't want to upset her. It is her room, too."
I went to the other side of the curtain, and asked the patient in the bed next to the window, if she enjoyed Soul Train. She sighed and replied, "No, it's not my type of music, but my roommate is watching this and I don't want to upset her."
I just rolled my eyes and changed the TV to their favorite show. Then I pulled back the curtain so they could enjoy it together.
Me? I would have preferred American Bandstand. Still do.
Call me a relic, call me what you will,
Say I'm old fashioned, say I'm over the hill.
Today's music ain't got the same soul,
I like that old time rock and roll.
...... George Jackson and Thomas Jones
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