Classic TV: Sing Along With Mitch (1961)

Mitch Miller was a record producer and executive at Mercury, Columbia, and MCA dating back to the 40's. Most people of a certain age, though, may be familiar with his NBC series, Sing Along With Mitch, which ran for 3 seasons (1961-4), and introduced viewers to singers Bob McGrath (later of Sesame Street) and Leslie Uggams, among others.

Lyrics to the chorale's songs were shown on the screen, and, yes, there would be the bouncing ball that was used in Famous Studios' animated sing-along shorts some time earlier, but not in every instance.

After the series ended, NBC exhumed selected reruns to air as a mid-season replacement in the spring of 1966. It just happened that Sing Along didn't quite have the staying power of, say for example, The Lawrence Welk Show over on ABC, which ran until 1971 on the network before beginning a syndicated run (previously documented). Yes, there were albums released that were derived from the show, issued through Columbia, Miller's label at the time.

Let's take a look at a sample clip. McGrath appears at the 1:10 mark.



I think PBS stopped airing Welk reruns. If that's the case, why not dicker to get the rights to this series? Miller passed away in 2010 at 99, but his legacy should be allowed to flourish as much as Welk's did, don't you think?

Rating (based on the above excerpt): A.