CrazyAboutTV.com - TV Forums

up2000 · Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 1

hi, wondering if anyone can help me with a opening and maybe closing theme of a late night tv show or movie of the week in the 60s where there was bouncing lights or balls or something in the theme. thanks

NatureMuzic · Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:44 pm

I doubt this is it, but the only thing I recall with a bouncing ball was the Mitch Miller Show - he & his band would play their music & across the screen were the lyrics, with a ball highlighting the word at that given moment of the song so that we at home could sing along !

Speaking of Mitch Miller, I didn't realize then of how good a musician he ewas. I grew to enjoy Classical music & I have a 2 CD set of Mitch Miller playing the clarinel absolutely beautifully ! Being a musician myself, I can truly respect this man's talent. I mean, he does some finger work equal to Eddie Van Halen on his fretboard !

CrazyAboutTV · Site Admin Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 1151

The old "Sing Along with Mitch" Show! That brings back memories of the 1960s!

Mitch Miller was way more than the TV star and singer though. He started at Mercury records in the 1940s as kind of a talent scout/producer. He signed new talent including Patti Page, Frankie Laine, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett! Wow!

In the 50s he had a bunch of hit tunes and was one of the most successful composers of movie sound tracks.

Amazingly, Mitch is still alive today at age 98 and continues to guest-conduct for famed orchestras on a regular basis!

Quite an amazing character!

Becky · Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:35 am

Wow! He lived to almost 100 years old! Do most stars live to be really old? Money does, after all, buy better health care. I say somewhere recently that Bob Hope lived to be 100 years old. That's really something!

CrazyAboutTV · Site Admin Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 1151

Well ... I unfortunately made a slight error on my August 6, 2010 post when I said that Mitch Miller was still alive. He had actually passed away one week earlier on July 31st!

I'm sure he will be missed by many baby boomers (including myself) and older fans.

Rest in peace Mitch!

AidansMom · Senior Member Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 134

He lived a good long life. Was he ever the guest band leader on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson? Something in the back of my mind says that is so but I would have been too young to be up that late, I think.

CrazyAboutTV · Site Admin Joined: 05 Aug 2005 Posts: 1151

You are probably thinking of Skitch Hendersen. Skitch and Mitch are pretty close!

Skitch was Johnny Carson's bandleader on the Tonight Show for his first four seasons from 1962-1966.