Hee Haw Cast with Various Artists - A Salute to Hee Haw Collector's Edition

A Cult Classic Is Born

Hee Haw was developed as a country music show with the thought that it would be similar to the popular 'Laugh In' TV show. They had a base outline that included jokes, skits and great music that would be supplied from a talented cast and weekly guest stars. These guest stars were sometimes new artists like a very young Tanya Tucker and sometimes they were established powerhouses in the industry such as a duel appearance by Conway Twitty and First Lady of Country Music Loretta Lynn. Each show featured at least two different artists as guests. What I found incredibly fascinating about this particular collection is that it is put together in such a way as to allow you to see how the show truly progressed over the years. They have the same basic outline, but they tweaked it and honed it and added to it until it became the show that millions of viewers tuned into every week. The early episodes are funny, but as you continue watching you can tell that they are definitely a work in progress. One of things that they started out doing that raised a few eyebrows was dress women in as little as possible and have them in almost every scene. It was an interesting concept that went a few different directions over the years.

The Progression and Showcase of In-House Talent

While some people were bent out of shape about the half dressed women and wondering what they did for the show, the answer was amazingly simple. It drew in a good portion of the audience. But what you found as you watched the show is that each of those women were very talented and not just 'pretty bodies.' They all had a quick sense of humor and their wide eyed innocent blinks made their comebacks just that much more amusing when they applied just the right touch of breathiness to the voice. Cast members had no problem with being as corny as they needed to be to get a laugh. They carefully cultivated the routines that worked and got them down to a smooth science. Cast members Buck Owens, Roy Clark, the Hager Twins, Grandpa Jones, String Bean, and the list is nearly endless brought the music and humor together into a big family atmosphere. They had some of the best musicians in house that you could find anywhere. A favorite part of the show for my daughter is the animation they included of cartoon farm animals parading around the bottom of the screen reacting to the live action comedy. They hold little corny signs and the chicken who keeps trying to 'hatch' lethal eggs of bombs, tops, balls, etc. is a hoot.

Bring on the Shows

This collection has four discs each containing two episodes. It has a fifth disc that includes some wonderful current interviews with former cast members. The shows are randomly picked between 1969 and 1973 and went from Episode 15 to Episode 108 so you can definitely see the progression that was made as the show went along. One of the main skits throughout the show was the Pickin' & Grinnin' which featured Buck on the guitar and Roy on the banjo. They'd play a little music then stop and do a joke, and then play and then joke. They started with just the two of them and just music. By the 108th show they had it with the entire cast sitting on haybales behind them and they had nonsense words while they picked. Grandpa's skit of What's For Dinner went from made up stuff to reeling off real country fare. The Cornfield Jokes seemed to be a hit as they were, so they left that alone. And who could forget Junior Samples and 'just call BR549?' Some artists you will see on these discs will bring back memories. Dottie West, Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Lynn Anderson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Duncan, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Tanya Tucker.

Some Final Thoughts

The shows were packed with humor, great music, great people and they were something people looked forward to sitting down with their families to watch every week. Being able to watch the same shows years later with my own family and introduce my kids to something I loved when I was their age is priceless. Watching artists perform their new music of yesterday, which has become the solid gold classics of today is amazing. Seeing young Hank Jr. without his dark glasses, and sounding a lot like his dad, or a teenage Tanya Tucker still finding her stage feet is fun after seeing them live onstage in recent years. The road the different artists have traveled between then and now is long and diverse. We have lost many talented individuals that are on these discs. Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Dottie West and Conway Twitty as well as many of the much loved cast members who made the show so special. I hope they continue to release these episodes and collections because they are a real treasure to have and they allow the memories to live forever.