TLDR: Mary Lou Metzger joined The Lawrence Welk Show in 1970 at age 19 and became one of its most beloved cast members, known for her vocal trio work with Sandi Griffiths and Gail Farrell, her tap-dancing routines with Jack Imel, and her role as Welk’s closing dance partner at the end of nearly every episode.
She married the show’s bassist Richard Maloof in 1973 and was with him for 51 years until his death in May 2024. At 75 she remains one of the most active custodians of the Welk legacy, hosting PBS specials and appearing at fan events across the country.
The audition that launched Mary Lou Metzger’s national television career involved no accompaniment at all. Lawrence Welk handed her a microphone and told her to sing.
She performed “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” from memory, a cappella, in front of the bandleader and his production team. Welk invited her to sing with the orchestra at the Hollywood Palladium that Saturday night. Her mother flew out from Pennsylvania to watch.
She was 19 years old. She stayed for 12 years.
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Ted Mack Amateur Hour
Mary Lou Metzger was born on November 13, 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the only child of Ernie and Helen Metzger. The family relocated to Havertown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where she grew up and began performing.
She started her career at seven, appearing on The Ted Mack Amateur Hour, the program that had launched careers since the radio era.
By around ten she was performing in a national tour of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, an experience that gave her a professional’s understanding of touring, choreography, and the demands of performing eight shows a week.
She enrolled at Temple University as a music major and eventually traveled to Los Angeles to appear on the GE College Bowl. That trip west changed everything. She auditioned for the Welk organization while in Los Angeles and was accepted into the show’s apprentice training program.
Her debut came in May 1970.
The Girl Who Napped Under the Piano
The Lawrence Welk Show operated with military discipline. Rehearsals were precise, standards were exacting, and Welk expected perfection from every member of the Musical Family. Metzger embraced that standard. She also found ways to survive it.
During breaks in the taping schedule, she developed a habit of hiding under the grand piano on the second tier of the set to nap. The production staff would search the dressing rooms looking for her. She was under the piano the whole time.
It was a small detail that said something real about her: disciplined enough to meet every demand the show placed on her, practical enough to rest when she could.
She stayed on the show until its final episode in 1982 and remained one of its most recognized faces throughout.
Sandi, Gail and Mary Lou
Metzger’s primary vocal role on the show was as one third of the female trio with Sandi Griffiths and Gail Farrell. The trio became a fixture of the syndication years, delivering tight Andrews Sisters-style harmonies on Big Band standards, novelty tunes, and ensemble pieces.
Their version of “Glow Worm” and their work on themed episodes including the Hawaii special gave them a consistent identity within the larger ensemble.
She was also a skilled tap dancer, frequently paired with Jack Imel, the show’s percussionist and comedic performer, for vaudevillian routines including “Piccolo Pete” and “Six Lessons from Madame LaZonga.”
Her dance training from her early musical theater years gave her a technical foundation that set her apart from vocalists who merely moved on stage.
But the role most viewers associated with her was simpler and more personal. At the end of nearly every episode, Lawrence Welk danced with Mary Lou Metzger.
It was the show’s closing ritual, a warm, unscripted-feeling moment that communicated everything the program wanted viewers to feel: family, warmth, continuity, the joy of a Saturday night well spent.
Her selection for that role was a measure of the trust and affection Welk had for her from early in her tenure.
Richard Maloof and 51 Years
The most significant relationship Metzger formed on the show was with Richard Maloof, the band’s bassist and tuba player, who had joined the Welk orchestra in August 1967. They married on June 16, 1973, while both were still active cast members.
Their occasional on-air performances together, including a 1974 duet of “The Music Goes Round and Round,” gave audiences a glimpse of a personal chemistry that extended beyond the television format.
They lived in Sherman Oaks, California, for the duration of their marriage. Richard Maloof passed away on May 1, 2024, at the age of 84, after 51 years together.
His death was a significant loss for Metzger and for the extended Musical Family community that had known him since the late 1960s.
After the Show: Producer, Director, Actress
When original production ended in 1982, Metzger built a post-Welk career that went considerably beyond reunion appearances. She pursued acting in commercials and film, including a role in Garry Marshall’s 1999 film The Other Sister and a 2006 guest spot as Sister Francis on The Bernie Mac Show.
She co-founded the Actors’ Conservatory Ensemble theater group in Los Angeles in 1990, an organization that allowed her to work in dramatic roles and support the local theater community.
In Branson, she transitioned from performer to producer, overseeing live stage shows featuring Welk alumni at the Welk Resort Theatre and on touring productions.
The 2007 Welk Stars Reunion, which she produced and performed in alongside Jo Ann Castle, Anacani, and Jack Imel, included a patriotic salute to veterans that became a staple of the Branson run.
She also served as coordinating producer for the 2007 DVD compilation Lawrence Welk’s TV Treasures and contributed photographs and personal materials to the NDSU Archives and Prairie Public for use in the documentary Lawrence Welk: A North Dakota Farm Boy.
The PBS Years
Since 1987, when the Welk show found a second life on public television, Metzger has been one of its primary public faces. She hosted wraparound segments introducing vintage episodes, conducted extensive interviews with surviving Musical Family members including the Lennon Sisters, Ralna English, and Bobby Burgess, and appeared regularly during PBS pledge drives.
The show now airs on more than 250 stations, and her hosted segments continue to reach new audiences who encounter the Musical Family for the first time through PBS reruns.
Burgess has taken on more of the newer hosting duties in recent years, but Metzger remains a consistent presence in the PBS ecosystem and a primary source for historians researching the show’s history.
Speaking Out in 2026
In February 2026, Metzger made public statements regarding a legal dispute within the Welk organization. The conflict involved a counter-complaint by The Welk Group, Inc. against Larry Welk Jr., the maestro’s son, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Metzger voiced support for Lawrence Welk’s grandsons, Kevin Welk and Jonathan Fredericks, stating they had worked tirelessly to preserve the history of the Welk name.
Her willingness to speak publicly on an internal organizational matter reflected the degree to which she is regarded as a genuine member of the extended Welk family rather than simply a former cast member.
Where Is Mary Lou Metzger Now
Mary Lou Metzger is 75 years old as of 2025, turning 76 in November 2026. She lives in Southern California and remains active in performing, hosting, and producing. In June 2025 she appeared at an “Afternoon with Mary Lou Metzger” event at Iowa PBS studios.
She continues to participate in PBS pledge events, alumni reunions, and reunion-style specials.
One clarification for researchers: an obituary appeared in April 2026 for a Mary Lou Metzger of New Philadelphia, Ohio, born in 1949, a legal assistant and traveler whose parents were John Henry and Anna Lou Metzger. That is a different person entirely.
The Lawrence Welk performer Mary Lou Metzger was born in Pittsburgh in 1950 to Ernie and Helen Metzger and remains active as of May 2026.
She has been connected to the Lawrence Welk Musical Family for more than 55 years. She danced with the maestro at the end of hundreds of episodes. She married one of his musicians. She produced the reunion shows.
She hosted the PBS segments that kept the whole thing alive for a new generation.
Whatever the show meant to the people who watched it on Saturday nights, Mary Lou Metzger has spent her entire adult life making sure it wasn’t forgotten.
Who is Mary Lou Metzger from the Lawrence Welk Show?
Mary Lou Metzger, born November 13, 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was one of the youngest cast members in the history of The Lawrence Welk Show, joining in 1970 at age 19. She stayed for 12 years and became known for her vocal trio work with Sandi Griffiths and Gail Farrell, her tap-dancing routines with Jack Imel, and her role as Lawrence Welk’s closing dance partner at the end of nearly every episode.
How did Mary Lou Metzger join the Lawrence Welk Show?
Metzger traveled to Los Angeles as a Temple University student to appear on the GE College Bowl and auditioned for Lawrence Welk while there. He handed her a microphone with no accompaniment and asked her to sing. She performed How Are Things in Glocca Morra? a cappella. Welk immediately invited her to sing with the orchestra at the Hollywood Palladium that Saturday night and accepted her into the show’s apprentice training program. She debuted in May 1970.
Who did Mary Lou Metzger marry?
Mary Lou Metzger married Richard Maloof, the Lawrence Welk Show’s bassist and tuba player, on June 16, 1973. Maloof had joined the Welk orchestra in 1967 and remained until the show’s end in 1982. They lived in Sherman Oaks, California for the duration of their marriage. Richard Maloof passed away on May 1, 2024, at the age of 84, after 51 years together.
Is Mary Lou Metzger still alive?
Yes. As of 2025-2026, Mary Lou Metzger is 75 years old and living in Southern California. She remains active in PBS hosting, alumni events, and Welk reunion performances. In June 2025 she appeared at an Afternoon with Mary Lou Metzger event at Iowa PBS studios. An April 2026 obituary for a Mary Lou Metzger of New Philadelphia, Ohio refers to an unrelated individual born in 1949 to different parents.
What has Mary Lou Metzger done since the Lawrence Welk Show?
After the show ended in 1982, Metzger pursued acting in film and television including a role in Garry Marshall’s 1999 film The Other Sister and a guest spot on The Bernie Mac Show. She co-founded the Actors’ Conservatory Ensemble theater group in Los Angeles in 1990, produced and directed Welk reunion shows in Branson and Escondido, served as coordinating producer for the 2007 DVD Lawrence Welk’s TV Treasures, and has hosted PBS wraparound segments for the show’s reruns on more than 250 stations since 1987.
