Jonathan Winters in conversation this weekend – one of three guests on the weekly radio program Sunday Night With Mitch Miller which ran on CBS Radio from the late 1950s to early 1960s. It was later called The Mitch Miller Show. This episode ran on July 16, 1961.
Winters is on to promote his then-new released Verve Album, “Here’s Jonathan!”. He’s joined by film Director Jerome Hill, whose latest film, The Sand Castle featured a score by Alec Wilder and issued by Columbia Records, the label Mitch Miller was director of A&R for at the time (coincidence?) – and author Al Morgan who was recently appointed New York Editor of the new magazine Show Business Illustrated, the new magazine started by Hugh Hefner and Playboy Enterprises.
Everyone is on to promote what they’re up to and Winters tears the place up and he’s the only one who has maintained a certain legendary status, some nine years after his death.
Alec Wilder collectors may or may not be aware of Wilder’s foray into Soundtrack composing – but the score is worth seeking out even though the album has been long out of print and not reissued – still, it makes the rounds via Discogs and probably a search on E-Bay could turn something up. The Film is occasionally seen on Turner Classic Movies but has never been (as far as I know) available as a DVD or even a VHS tape. It’s also not to be confused with The Sand Castle from 2017 or The Sand Castle from 1999.
Al Morgan, who was busy as novelist and screenwriter throughout the 1950s became New York Editor for Show Business Illustrated. Show Business Illustrated was one of Hugh Hefner’s rare failures. Hoping to parlay his Playboy magazine success into mainstream media, Show Business Illustrated was a high class, glossy magazine that Hefner spared no expense in publishing.
Publishing initiated with the premiere issue on September 5, 1961 (Volume 1, No. 1). Although it was well conceived, Show Business Illustrated lasted for just a mere 12 issues. It was sold for $250,000 and was absorbed by Show magazine, owned by the eccentric A&P heir Huntington Hartford.
Together these three, moderated by Mitch Miller, provided a breezy and insightful 45 minutes of conversation and ad lib that has not been repeated since radio stopped being radio and became something else.
But for now, you can dive into the world of 1961 and tune into what CBS Radio had going on at the time.
Enjoy.
