Today in history - 1955

On this day in 1955, long-running musical-variety program The Lawrence Welk Show debuts on ABC. Welk, a bandleader from North Dakota known for light dance music, had launched his own show in 1951 on a local Los Angeles channel. The show remained a network hit for some 16 years, then became a syndicated series. Welk retired in 1982 and died in 1992.