Friday, July 05, 2013

1965 RBBB TV Special #17


The three Meckners

8 comments:

Chic Silber said...


I believe the spelling was Mecners

A few years later a very similar

bar act were the Mechkaroffs

Their music still rings in my ears

Chic Silber said...


I seem to recall that this act's

demise was due to a tragic ending

of an internal love triangle

Eric said...

The spelling in the 1965 souvenir program is Meckners (although Mecners might be the correct spelling.) Chic, the Metchkaroffs (program spelling) music that you probably remember is the "Habanera and Vaquero’s Song" from Victor Herbert’s 1912 opera "Natoma." It was another one of the musical gems that Bill Pruyn came up with that added so much the performance while he was still assembling the musical programs.

Chic Silber said...


Bill Pruyn was truly exceptional at

puttting just the right combination

of musical elements together & also

at writing some alternative lyrics

Both Ronnie Drum & Keith Greene

were terrific leaders & musicians

Thanks Eric

John Herriott said...

You are right about Bill Pruyn music. He was fabulous. How about Shangria La for Charlys tigers. On the blueshow he advised me in qtrs. that he was doing arrangements for liberty that were French opera. I was taken aback as I expected. "gallop go' Gentrys triumphal, etc". Well it was marvelous and with superb lighting we went ovver big in three rings.The horses worked well too so I was quite pleased. He did western music for my wifes Apaloosa High School and using great TV western movie music was topical and fit just great. He was a master to be sure. johnny

John Herriott said...

Yes Bill was great and Keith as well. A classic was his trumpet soslo for Pedro Carillo. Seems like Bills biggest fan wasIrvin Feld having been in the music biz. I recall Merle Evans relating about his music times with Charlie Ringling. How about that. Incidentally on the RBBB indoor show days both Bill and Lee, his wife and organist, and Harold Ronk and Bob Harrison never lived on the circus train but moteled it. Recall Gina Moroki saying that she and Charly did the same in their years, with a hot plate and essential cooking utensils. believe the Pryuins did the same.

John Herriott said...

Yes, and the grat music for the Michkaroffs by Bill. Nowadays we hear the publics choice for bam bam, rimshots, etc. I would enjoy hearing "jalosie, impossible dreams, Selks Floto Triumphal and even Lassies Trombone" Thats progress.

Chic Silber said...


How fortunate some of us are to

have been there back then & to be

able to still remember those days

Thanks Johnny