Great Performers. Been listening to them since I was a kid in the 1950s. RU-vid is great to see old clips. Brings back a lot of memories watching them with family.
Dean Martin loved and admired them. He said he learnt more from them than from Bing Crosby. If you watch Harry (who is one of the Mills Brothers) you will find that he resembles much of Dean's act and style, as much as his singing tone. Look how he turns his eyes up and the movement of his hands, just like Dean.
Shine Little Glow Worm on the soundtrack of Palm Royal Apple TV + caught my ear and I’m here now. These guys are something else. Just absolute perfection. Crazy how the greatest of talents get forgotten but this is proof that great music is eternal and can always pop back into the now. So grateful for this discovery. Heavenly sound truly.
They started out as boys singing for passers-by in front of their fathers barber shop in Piqua, Ohio. Sadly, later after becoming successful international stars, they were denied lodging by the local hotel because they were black. To me they were the best vocal trio/quartet ever. Glad to see more of their performances showing up on RU-vid.
Here's a true story and I'll forgo any names. My aunt worked for the L&N Railroad in Evansville for over 65 years. Her husband was a conductor and had a conductor friend who was black. The black conductor's family offered the Mills Brothers lodging when they played the local Evansville hotels. They never forgot. Later on, whenever the Mills Brothers played in Evansville, the hotel would offer the widow (I assume) of the black conductor a room and a FRONT ROW table to every show. My Aunt was a good friend of the widow (again, I assume, because he was never mentioned in the stories), and she got to enjoy one of her favorite bands live and up close. My Mom and Dad were guests at one of those shows. It was when there were only three Mills Brothers, so that must have been the 70's. In case any descendants of the conductor's family ever see this, I heard the name "Mrs Du***" many times. To that family, thank you so much for your most human compassion. The lunacy of race-based thought may never leave us, but one human helping another will always overcome that lunacy.
Oh! La discriminación a cualquier ser humano no es buena . El ser humano es creación de Dios y es como las flores, las hay de muchos colores ,pero todas son bellas .! Lindas Voces y estilo de The Mills Brothers ❤❤❤❤
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this whole thing, such talent so pure. I also somehow laugh at the same jokes every time I watch, SO GOOD! 😂
They were SOOOO good! The performance of that last song "Up a Lazy River" is probably my favorite of theirs, because I love Harry's exuberance during the song. Though I was not in their generation or the next, I appreciate their music.
Harry makes me think of a black version of my Uncle Ralph...similar looks and mannerisms. I don't have any film of my uncle so it is always fun to watch Harry.
The funniest part of this show was when Jack announced the "MIlls Brothers" and only two of them came out on stage, you knew immediately where this bit was going. Jack was too cheap to hire all four of them. That is how well his character was crafted over the years, the cheap, tightwad that we portrayed on his show. But in real life, he was very generous. He is still one of the best comics in radio and television history.
Thank you for this post. These harmonies remind me of my dad and his generation and the sounds and singers that were on the air in the 30's and 40's. Thank you so much for this post. I am a child of the DOO WOP era but I listen to these songs to feel close to my dad's time.
They started as "boys" aging 10-15, thats a boy. Certainly i didn't make any kind of disparaging remark and for you to jump to a conclusion such as that, shows your ignorance of the Mills Brothers. Lets just admire their greatness that spanned over 55 years. I admire and love this group.
Here's one more quick story Dad told me over the holiday. After the show, The Mills Brothers went to the restaurant for dinner. One was blind, and each had a valet or assistant. The valet for the brother who was blind told him that "the peas are at 9:00, steak at 6:00, potatoes at 3:00." or something to that effect, describing the plate. That story alone is worth a million bucks.
