Sing Along with Mitch

This article is about the NBC music television show. For the Columbia album of the same name, see Sing Along with Mitch (album).
Sing Along with Mitch
Inspired bySing Along with Mitch (album)
by Mitch Miller album series
Original languageEnglish
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJanuary 27, 1961 (1961-01-27) –
1964 (1964)

Sing Along with Mitch was a music television show, led by chorus director Mitch Miller, that ran from 1961 to 1964.

Format

At the start and end of each episode, lyrics to songs were shown at the bottom of the television screen, hence the Sing Along title, but no bouncing ball on television. (There was a bouncing ball going over the words in the theatrically-released Screen Songs and Song Cartunes cartoons.)[1][2]

Three of the singers were given comedy segments in the series, as of September 1961. Ken Schoen, Hubert Hendrie, and Stan Carlson were known as The Vocalamities.[3]

Bob McGrath, a tenor singer who later played Bob Johnson on Sesame Street from 1969 to 2016, made his television debut on this show as one of the soloists.[4][5]

Mystery guests

In later seasons, the male chorus was supplemented by unannounced mystery guests, only admitted to at the end of the year. Celebrities were paid $500 for participating.[6] Only former United States President Harry Truman turned down the offer in the first season.[6] Frank Lovejoy appeared in one finale, but died before the episode aired. A new finale was recorded and aired.[6]

Production

The series was inspired by the popular Sing Along with Mitch album series. During one week in 1958, the top three albums were Sing Along with Mitch, More Sing Along with Mitch, and Christmas Sing Along with Mitch.[7] A May 1961 test broadcast received more than 20,000 positive letters and telegrams, billed as "one of the largest totals in TV history."[8]

Miller cast his choir for their voices, explaining "if a guy's bald or if he's fat, that's the way he'll appear on the show. I think that the audience likes it that way." He noted that the singers took a longer time to rehearse than trained dancers, but that viewers could identify with them better than "Adonises."[8]

Broadcast history

The program was initially seen every second Friday at 9 pm, alternating with the Bell Telephone Hour.[8] By September 1961, it moved to Thursdays at 10 pm, airing weekly.[9]

By January 1964, Broadcasting magazine was predicting that the series would be cancelled due to low ratings, and the change of the music scene (the forthcoming British Invasion).[10]

Legacy

In October 1961, a Sing Along with Mitch book was published.[11]

References

  1. ^ Presenters: Tony Cox; Jim Bessman (August 3, 2010). "Remembering Singing Along With Mitch Miller". Talk of the Nation. NPR.
  2. ^ A number of excerpts from Sing Along with Mitch have appeared on video-streaming services such as YouTube. No bouncing ball is in evidence in the clips presented.
  3. ^ "Mitch Miller's Heavyweights Try Soft Shoe". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 25 August 1961. p. A3.
  4. ^ "Sesame Street's Bob on "Sing Along with Mitch" 1960-64". YouTube. Alphabet. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  5. ^ Barnes, Mike (4 December 2022). "Bob McGrath, Original, Longtime Resident of 'Sesame Street,' Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e "The Mystery Singers Along With Mitch". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. Associated Press. 24 May 1963.
  7. ^ "Year End Record Review: Youth Survey Shows Everlys Topping Hit Parade 10 Weeks". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 27 December 1958. p. 19.
  8. ^ a b c "Mitch Miller's Sing Along hit Now a Regular". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 27 January 1961. p. A1.
  9. ^ "New Fall Shows Debut Earlier Than Usual". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 8 September 1961. p. A1.
  10. ^ Braithwaite, Dennis (30 January 1964). "The Rating Virus". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. p. 23.
  11. ^ "Keeping Tab on TV: Eisenhower to Reminisce About His Years as U.S. President". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 29 September 1961. p. A12.

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