The Mills Brothers Story

Harry, Herbert, and Donald: the harmonious phenomenon we knew as The Mills Brothers. Combining footage from interviews conducted in 1981 and 1986 with concert scenes and film clips from a career that spanned over half a century, The Mills Brothers Story is a lively mix of showbiz reminiscence and lovely music. Begun in 1925, the Mills Brothers were originally a quartet (the 4th brother John died in 1936) who got their big break at an audition for CBS (reportedly, company chief William Paley heard the group over the intercom and scurried down to the audition to sign them on the spot). In the ensuing years, the Mills Brothers became famous not only for a long string of hits ("Paper Doll," "You Always Hurt The One You Love," "Glow Worm," "Dinah," "Bye, Bye Blackbird," "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," etc.), but also for their incredible imitations of musical instruments. Much like today's Bobby McFerrin, the Mills Brothers earned a reputation for being an orchestra (although the only musical accompaniment they had was Norman Brown on guitar). (Of course, unlike McFerrin, they did not have the benefits of multi-track recording.) Following the death of their brother John, the Mills Brothers signed up their father, John, Sr., who remained with the group for some 25 years before retiring. The trio continued into 1981, and several of the concert clips are taken from a 1981 Copenhagen concert. In 1982, Harry Mills died and the Mills Brothers disbanded for several years before Donald and his son John formed a duet in the mid-1980s. Wonderful music, interesting talk, a good success story. An excellent way to pass an hour. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)