Here’s Lawrence Welk beating the drum—literally—for the national television debut of the 1959 Plymouth.

We tend to think of Lawrence Welk, the original champagne music maker, as a Dodge guy. But actually, in 1958 through 1959 he was representing another Chrysler division as the host of Lawrence Welk’s Plymouth Show, broadcast from ABC Television Center in Hollywood. The program aired in prime time every Wednesday night, demonstrating that at the time, he was a bigger star than many of us might imagine today. It was only natural, then, that the bandleader and his musical variety show were selected for the national television debut of the 1959 Plymouth, which we’re sharing here.

After an elaborate fanfare with Welk himself literally beating the drum, we’re treated to some primitive special effects to illustrate that the ’59 Plymouth is indeed a car of the space age. Only then do we get a look at the car and its actual features, including Virgil Exner’s dramatic Forward Look styling, push-button automatic transmission controls, and the new-for-’59 Swivel Seats—see our story on this novel gimmick here. While they were distinctive and in part inspired by Exner’s low rooflines, the swing-out seats were offered by Plymouth for just three years.

One claim here caught our attention: that in ’59 Plymouth offered the “biggest engine in the low-priced field.” It’s factually true, if only by a little. The B-series Golden Commando V8 displaced 361 cubic inches and developed 305 hp, while Ford and Chevrolet made do with 352 and 348 cubic inches, respectively. However, the Chevy 348 with three two-barrel carbs actually developed a little more power—315 hp. Anyway, enjoy the video. A one and a two . . .