Of course this is the special day when we set aside some time to think about HEE HAW. I was happy upon receiving my brand new issue of THE BELIEVER to read an article involving HEE HAW by Entertainment Weekly editor Ken Tucker. Tucker argues (and I agree!) that the "much derided" show "deserves a lot more credibility, even for its vaudeville sketches (the volcanic comic performances of Gailard Sartain merit their own essay)." Yes, Sartain is great. But there was another volcanic comedian on HEE HAW, a guy named Don Harron, who inhabited a character named Charlie Farquharson (pictured). He deserves an essay, too! He didn't fit in with the rest of the HEE HAW gang. In fact, I don't recall him mingling with the rest of the HEE HAW gang. I think they mostly isolated him in the weird room with chickens seen above. He was like a beatnik! I don't know, at the time Charlie Farquharson made me think of a beatnik, which was thrilling. Maybe now his comedy would be called "alternative" or "experimental," and by "now" I mean 20 years ago, where all my phrases come from. I am going to look for a youtube clip of him. If it's not there below, don't worry. The Grand Ole Opry seems to own the HEE HAW clips, and they get taken down as fast as I can put them up. Or it could also mean that I didn't find just the right clip to show you. Or maybe I took a nap instead! I don't know what it means. I don't know everything there is to know! Speaking of the Grand Ole Opry, I was reading about Minnie Pearl on the "internet" the other day, which is what I do. Did you know that Minnie Pearl and Pee Wee Herman were the best of friends? I came across this interview where he speaks fondly and warmly of the gracious welcome he received from Minnie's friends when she took him to the Grand Ole Opry as her guest. PS, I see on the "internet" that Don Harron/Charlie Farquharson was Canadian! No wonder he didn't fit in with the HEE HAW gang. WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT HIM ON THE FOURTH OF JULY? PPS: Says youtube, "No videos matching Charlie Farquharson Hee Haw were found." So I can't confirm that he was actually as volcanic as I seem to recall. But you can watch him doing an Ottawa PSA about "assistive devices" for senior citizens if you want. But don't.
