Mitch Miller papers

1921-2003 [bulk 1962-1986]

The collection dates from 1921 to 2003 and contains Sing Along With Mitch files; concert files; alphabetical files; photographs; scrapbooks; and scores. The bulk of the collection documents the financial and business functions of Sing Along With Mitch, and Miller's conducting from the 1970s to the 1980s. Documentation of Miller's work with Columbia Records is limited to photographs and scrapbooks.

Sing Along With Mitch files document the show's production, promotion, reception, and business and financial aspects. The files contain correspondence, performer contracts, show indexes, song lists, production materials, schedules, and financial records, such as budgets, financial worksheets, and performer payment records. Correspondence discusses news releases, advertising, show ratings, and the alteration of the show's airtime. Fan letters are also present, as well as several complaints from viewers regarding Miller's decision to feature singer Leslie Uggams on his show. There is an abundance of performer and staff agreements and contracts, including those drafted by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Miller's business, All American Features. Production materials include song lyrics, scripts, musical selections lists, and music publisher cue sheets. Also present is a comprehensive set of records that document NBC's Mitch Miller Special, which aired in January 1981. Included is promotional material, such as announcements, articles, and press releases; program planning documents such as budgets, correspondence, resumes, and merchandise use agreements; and production and performance materials, such as scripts, shooting schedules, costume inventories, prop requirements, a press list, and the time schedule for air. Business and financial materials are primarily composed of financial worksheets, which document production expenses and performer salaries for individual show episodes between 1961 and 1964. Financial records dated after 1964 generally report residual payments to performers for show repeats. Material for a Sing Along With Mitch 1963 concert tour includes tour agendas, budgets, and memoranda containing information on production and travel requirements. Researchers interested in other Sing Along With Mitch concert tours should consult the Concert files.

Concert files are arranged alphabetically by orchestra name and cover Miller's conducting career in the United States, primarily from the 1970s to the 1990s. These files vary in terms of their contents, though they typically contain correspondence, programs, reviews, and other promotional materials. Correspondence primarily concerns event planning for individual concerts, full seasons, and special programs. Promotional material consists of announcements, press releases, concert and season programs, and newspaper articles. Some orchestras are represented only through publicity material, such as the Sacramento Symphony Players, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Brevard Music Center, and the Utah Orchestra. Among the more robust files are those for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Files for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra document Miller's long-standing relationship with the company through correspondence; rehearsal and concert schedules; and presentations given to the board of directors. The letters discuss program planning in Rochester, Christmas benefit shows, Miller's contributions, and the activities of the board of directors. Rehearsal and concert schedules for the Rochester Philharmonic are also present. Additional information concerning concerts may be found in the appointment books, publicity files, and programs that precede the alphabetical run of concert files.

Alphabetical files document a wide range of Miller's projects and professional commitments, including and in addition to his work as a conductor and musician, such as fundraising; benefit concerts; album publicity; appearances; films; theater productions; and his relationships with friends and colleagues at various musical organizations. The files contain correspondence, speeches, interview transcripts, biographies, articles, reviews, performers' resumes, scripts, and administrative documents, such as budgets, invoices, and advertising schedules. Correspondence is mostly professional in nature and consists of letters of recommendation, event and program announcements, donation requests, and general communications during projects. Annotated drafts and final versions of speeches were created for a variety of audiences, such as the American Federation of Advertising, the National Association of Broadcasters, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Miller's first Broadway production, Here's Where I Belong, is well represented through scripts and production planning documents.

The majority of the scores in the collection consist of published, annotated scores for classical and popular songs, arranged alphabetically by composer. While almost entirely undated, these scores were most likely annotated during the bulk of Miller's conducting career between the 1970s and the 1990s. Among the more heavily annotated scores are those for George Frideric Handel's Water Music. Scores for Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 2 in D Major are accompanied by manuscript sketches. There is also a manuscript score for Alec Wilder's Air for Flute and Strings. Printed scores for popular songs from the 1950s are also present. Arranged by Glenn Osser, these scores were most likely used while Osser and Miller worked together at Columbia Records during the 1950s. Boston Pops scores consist of a complete set of printed scores for a concert Miller conducted in 1979. The scores are arranged by part and include titles such as Four Leaf Clover, Home on the Range, America the Beautiful, Irish Melody, and Tiptoe through the Tulips. A manuscript score for Hava Nagila is also present.

Photographs in the collection document numerous aspects of Miller's career, including his work at Columbia Records, his conducting, and many special events he attended. Conducting photographs were taken by photographers such as David Gahr, Dennis Huls, and Barnett Gallagher. Other photographs taken by Gallagher depict Miller aboard the USS Northampton for his reception of an honorary cruiser skipper membership certificate in 1960. Columbia Records photographs include rehearsal photographs and headshots of performers such as John Mathis, Guy Mitchell, Frankie Laine, Tony Bennett, and Doris Day. Photographs of rehearsals for Here's Where I Belong were taken by photographer Sandra Weiner and depict Miller with other production staff, such as Jules Fisher, Michael Kahn, and choreographer Tony Mordente; and actors, such as Nancy Wickwire, Casper Roos, and Paul Rogers. Photographs of Miller at a political event were taken by photographer Lawrence Fried. Photographs of performances and rehearsals of Sing Along With Mitch concerts and television recordings depict Miller, Leslie Uggams, and other performers. Glass slides and negatives of song lyrics are also present.

Scrapbooks document Miller's work for Columbia Records, Sing Along With Mitch, and to a limited extent, his career as an oboist. There are three scrapbooks that hold newspaper clippings, articles, letters, and press releases about Miller's work for Columbia Records as a recording artist, record producer, and head of Artists and Repertoire. Their respective dates are 1951 to 1956, 1952 to 1956, and 1956 to 1960. The two scrapbooks from 1962 were compiled by Milburn McCarty Associates, Inc., a publicity company, and contain articles and newspaper clippings about Sing Along With Mitch. A photocopy of a scrapbook originally dating from 1939 to 1960 documents Miller's career as an oboist, his fundraising activities, and his work for Columbia Records.