Fifty nine years ago today — January
27, 1961 —
Sing Along with Mitch (Miller) premiered on television. The show ran
from 1961 to 1964. Mitch Miller was, by anecdotal accounts, a friendly, gregarious,
and compassionate man who, in his role as a music executive, had a hand in the
early careers of Tony Bennett, Patti Page, Frankie Laine, and Rosemary Clooney¹.
I was six years old in 1961, and
I loved this show as well as two other television shows of the same era: the Lawrence
Welk Show and the Ed Sullivan Show. My parents and grandparents watched these
programs, which meant I did, too. Sing Along with Mitch is a warm fuzzy memory
from my childhood.
 |
| Miller on Sing Along with Mitch, 1961² |
According to Wikipedia³, Mitch
Miller was born on July 4, 1911 and he died on July 31, 2010. He was played the
oboe and English horn. He was also a conductor, record producer, and record
industry executive.
The Sing Along with Mitch
television show started at a one-episode program on NBC’s show, Startime. It
soon evolved into a weekly program that is described as a community sing-along
program that Miller hosted.
All I can say is, they don’t
make music or family television programs like that anymore, and it makes me
sad.
Here are two YouTube videos of songs from the show. The recordings are scratchy, tinny-sounding, and dated, and I adore them. I hope you enjoy them, too. The first video is eight minutes long. The second is nine minutes long.
Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
Stay in contact with Kaye—
Further Reading and Resources:
1. NPR. Obituaries. Remembering Singing Along with Mitch
Miller. 2010.08-03. Accessed: 2020.01-21. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128957153
2. NBC Television (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitch_Miller_Sing_Along.JPG),
„Mitch Miller Sing Along“, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia
Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-US
3. “Mitch Miller.” Wikipedia,
Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Mitch_Miller.
I actually remember the Sing Along With Mitch program where the lyrics popped up along with the music so everyone could sing along. Since we finally got a TV when I was 16, I did get to see this show, Lawrence Welk, and Ed Sullivan (which was my family's favorite). Back then we only had 3 channels. All TV programs were G rated and the news was public service. No matter how bad things were in the world, Walter Cronkite with his calm, unbiased delivery of the news made me feel that everything would be okay.
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Kaye. Someday I hope I get a handle on doing hashtags the way you do. All good things to your corner...
Sarah -
DeleteThat bouncing ball is inseparable from Mitch Miller, isn't it? lol I remember the three channels. We eventually had a fourth, but it was local and mostly weather and syndicated reruns.
My corner of the world has been busy and family-oriented. Whew! Thanks for stopping by. I apologize for the tardiness of my response to you. Sometimes life pushes these little tasks to the background.
Kaye, I have that warm fuzzy memory too--loved the bouncing ball over the words. LOL I remember so many wonderful tv shows from "back then" -- Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan, oh, and remember "you can trust your car to the man who wears the star--the big bright Texaco STARRRRRRR!" LOL I miss those days! Great post!
ReplyDeleteCheryl -
DeleteI loved Red Skelton. The commercials were great back then. A little dab'll do ya. lol
I miss those days, too. Thanks for commenting. I'm sorry I haven't responded sooner. Life and all that... (excuses, excuses... lol)
Kaye, I'd put that album on our new hi-fi stereo and singalong as I did the housework every Saturday. Lawrence Welk was my mom and grandmother's favorite show...they loved the Lennon Sisters. Ed Sullivan was a Sunday evening must. Later came the Perry Como Show and the Dean Martin show just to name a few. And yes, I remember the dancing ball. So many wonderful musical shows to watch. A lovely post, Kaye, and trip down memory lane.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth -
DeleteI adored the Lennon Sisters. Janet was my favorite. I liked the Trixie Beldon books and in at least one of the books, Janet Lennon was a character. I was in heaven. The Dean Martin show was great. I had (have) such a crush on him. *starry-eyed swoon*
Please accept my apologies for responding in such a tardy manner. Life...
Follow the bouncing ball! Like you, Mitch, Lawrence, and Ed Sullivan were all staples in our house. I was also six and remember them well. Heck my wife still watches Welk every so often on cable. You are so right, TV ain't what it used to be. And in my opinion our culture is suffering for it.
ReplyDeleteMichael -
DeleteTelevision has lost its heart and I agree that we, as a culture, are the worse for it. Where are those good old evening variety shows? Carol Burnett? Arthur Godfrey?
Thank you for commenting. I'm sorry I haven't commented sooner. I do appreciate that you stopped by.