In 1969, one year after they ended their long relationship with bandleader Lawrence Welk, the singing Lennon Sisters co-starred with Jimmy Durante on this weekly, hour-long, variety show.
Appearing as guests on the show were such popular as Jack Benny, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, and singer Glen Campbell.
For thirteen years, from 1955 to 1968, the sisters appeared regularly on The Lawrence Welk Show before being given this show of their own.
On 12 August 1969, six weeks before the show’s premiere, tragedy struck the family when their father, William Lennon, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Venice Golf Course in Marina Del Rey where he worked.
The murderer, a delusional stalker named Chet Young, believed himself married to Peggy and was convinced that William Lennon stood in the way of his “marriage” to Peggy and had to be eliminated. Two months later, Young used the same weapon on himself to commit suicide.
In spite of the show’s talented cast and big-name guest stars, it failed to attract an audience and – coupled with the devastation suffered by the sisters by the murder of their father – was cancelled after only one season.
After 1970, Durante continued to appear regularly on television as the star of numerous TV specials, and he remained active on TV until shortly before his death in 1980.
The Lennon Sisters
Dianne Lennon
Peggy Lennon
Kathy Lennon
Janet Lennon
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The murderer, a delusional stalker named Chet Young, believed himself married to Peggy and was convinced that William Lennon stood in the way of his “marriage” to Peggy and had to be eliminated. Two months later, Young used the same weapon on himself to commit suicide.
