1942
Item — Box: 3
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The Lawrence Welk Scrapbook Collection is perhaps the single, most comprehensive collection documenting the career of Lawrence Welk from 1938 to 1981. However there is a significant gap between 1943 and 1950 and also 1954-1955. Whether scrapbooks were ever compiled the years of the gaps is not known. It is believed that Welk‟s sister Eva Welk compiled these early scrapbooks, possibly through 1953. From 1956 to 1981 the scrapbooks are complete. No scrapbooks were compiled after 1981. The scrapbooks from 1938 to 1953 have been photocopied and are available in a bound volume at the Institute Research Room. This was done due to the fragile condition of the originals.
The initial scrapbook begins in January 1939, although at the very end are several pages of articles from 1938 as well as a letter dated 1940. Included in this scrapbook are clippings, programs, advertisements, and several letters regarding Welk and various performances. Most of the clippings are from newspapers in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota; Milwaukee & Madison, Wisconsin; Chicago and Dallas, Texas. The 1938 clippings relate to his shows at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
The 1941 scrapbook also has a label „D‟ inscribed inside the cover and consists of the typical newspaper clippings of articles, advertisements and programs related to Welk, his orchestra and various performances. Also included are some loose clippings and a number of „newsletters‟ issued by the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago where Welk was a regular performer. This scrapbook is in quite fragile shape. The 1942 scrapbook continues in the same format of almost exclusively newspaper clippings from Chicago, Pittsburg as well as from Iowa. Loose in the scrapbook is a single issue of Dance Topics from the Trianon Ballroom.
The 1951-1953 volume is labeled „Book #7, Early TV‟ on the cover. It begins with articles in Quincy, Illinois as well as Nebraska and Iowa and the Tomba Room, then moves to California, the Aragon Ballroom and his show on KTLA. There are also a number of photographic prints related to Welk in a separate booklet within the scrapbook. The 1953 scrapbook is more comprehensive in its coverage than the earlier scrapbooks and includes many articles on members of his orchestra and „Champagne Lady‟ Roberta Linn.
After a gap for 1954 and 1955, the Welk scrapbooks beginning with 1956 are much larger in size and used better paper to mount the items. No doubt with the 1956 volume they were compiled by Welk‟s staff. They continue to consist primarily of newspaper clippings and magazine articles, and include advertisements for recordings issued and performances given in California and around the country. The scrapbook containing October 1956 items apparently was compiled by someone else within or out of the Welk organization. The items were enclosed in large plastic sheets within a scrapbook; however everything was removed and the original scrapbook discarded due to the serious decomposition of the plastic pages.
Beginning in 1974 and for the years 1975, 1977 and 1978 there is an additional scrapbook each year that contain articles received through a clipping service. Each item includes the name of the newspaper and date it was published. As with the other scrapbooks they include articles about both Welk and his musical family.
The final scrapbook ends with December 1981 even though the Welk show was on the television until 1982. Most of the articles are from a clipping service and the arrangement is a bit more haphazard than the earlier scrapbooks with many articles folded over each other.
The initial scrapbook begins in January 1939, although at the very end are several pages of articles from 1938 as well as a letter dated 1940. Included in this scrapbook are clippings, programs, advertisements, and several letters regarding Welk and various performances. Most of the clippings are from newspapers in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota; Milwaukee & Madison, Wisconsin; Chicago and Dallas, Texas. The 1938 clippings relate to his shows at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
The 1941 scrapbook also has a label „D‟ inscribed inside the cover and consists of the typical newspaper clippings of articles, advertisements and programs related to Welk, his orchestra and various performances. Also included are some loose clippings and a number of „newsletters‟ issued by the Trianon Ballroom in Chicago where Welk was a regular performer. This scrapbook is in quite fragile shape. The 1942 scrapbook continues in the same format of almost exclusively newspaper clippings from Chicago, Pittsburg as well as from Iowa. Loose in the scrapbook is a single issue of Dance Topics from the Trianon Ballroom.
The 1951-1953 volume is labeled „Book #7, Early TV‟ on the cover. It begins with articles in Quincy, Illinois as well as Nebraska and Iowa and the Tomba Room, then moves to California, the Aragon Ballroom and his show on KTLA. There are also a number of photographic prints related to Welk in a separate booklet within the scrapbook. The 1953 scrapbook is more comprehensive in its coverage than the earlier scrapbooks and includes many articles on members of his orchestra and „Champagne Lady‟ Roberta Linn.
After a gap for 1954 and 1955, the Welk scrapbooks beginning with 1956 are much larger in size and used better paper to mount the items. No doubt with the 1956 volume they were compiled by Welk‟s staff. They continue to consist primarily of newspaper clippings and magazine articles, and include advertisements for recordings issued and performances given in California and around the country. The scrapbook containing October 1956 items apparently was compiled by someone else within or out of the Welk organization. The items were enclosed in large plastic sheets within a scrapbook; however everything was removed and the original scrapbook discarded due to the serious decomposition of the plastic pages.
Beginning in 1974 and for the years 1975, 1977 and 1978 there is an additional scrapbook each year that contain articles received through a clipping service. Each item includes the name of the newspaper and date it was published. As with the other scrapbooks they include articles about both Welk and his musical family.
The final scrapbook ends with December 1981 even though the Welk show was on the television until 1982. Most of the articles are from a clipping service and the arrangement is a bit more haphazard than the earlier scrapbooks with many articles folded over each other.
Dates
- 1938-1981
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives.
Extent
From the Collection: 20 Linear Feet (20 linear feet)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository
Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu