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SPOTLIGHT ON THE MILLS BROTHERS - PART TWO (1934-1935)
| NOTE: A special thanks to Phil Beauchamp, Dave Saviet, and Hans-Joachim Krohberger for their help with this and many other Records of the Week. |
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"Money In My Pockets"/ |
"Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet"
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"'Ida' Sweet As Apple Cider"
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"Old Fashioned Love"
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"Some Of These Days"/ |
"There Goes My Heartache"/ |
"Sweet Lucy Brown"/ |
(Includes Audio For Fifteen Songs And A Video)
RECOMMENDED READING: FOUR BOYS AND A GUITAR
(The Story & Music Of The Mills Bothers)
By Douglas E. Friedman
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The Mills Brothers (Top-Bottom) Harry, Herbert, Donald, John Jr. (with guitar).
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Above: The Mills Brothers, when pre-teenaged, (L-R) John, Jr., 12; Herbert, 11; Harry, 10; and Donald, 9 years old.
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Above: Label images for Columbia D0-1181 (Australia) and Brunswick 6913. The Columbia record (above left) was a "Made In Australia" release. It came out on Brunswick 6894 in the USA. Both sides were recorded on February 24, 1934. It was released in June 1934. The Brunswick side (above right) was recorded on March 29, 1934 and also released in June 1934. These were The Mills Brothers' sixteenth and seventeenth records. Their first (see part one) was released in December 1931. Proudly noted on both of the above labels is "No musical instruments or mechanical devices used on this recording other than one guitar".
LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
1. "Money In My Pockets" - The Mills Brothers - Columbia D0-1181 (Australia) - 1934.
2. "Swing It Sister" - The Mills Brothers - Columbia D0-1181 (Australia) - 1934.
3. "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" - The Mills Brothers - Brunswick 6913 - 1934.ALL THREE SONGS played in sequence.
EXTRA AUDIO #1 (Windows Media Player) THE MILLS BROTHERS:
Above Left: Decca 2982 B label image, this side recorded on June 12, 1939 and record released in December 1939. This is a different version than the Brunswick record. The song was recorded in London, England. The Mills Brothers again imitate musical instruments on this remake.
Above Right: The Mills Brothers on this record consist of (Top L-R) Herbert, Donald, Harry, and (Bottom) John Sr., who was the brothers' father. This photo is annotated "Four Boys And A Guitar". John Jr., who passed away in 1936, had sung and played guitar on their pre-1936 recordings. None of these "boys" played the guitar.
PITTSBURGH COURIER, February 25, 1939:
LONDON—After sailing away to London town, where at present they are in more demand than ever here, the Mills Brothers stood them in the aisles when they opened their mouths to the packed audience of the Gaumont Holloway.MORNING NEWS, August 7, 1939:
LIVERPOOL, England—Two of the four Mills Brothers, Herbert and Donald, American Negro radio entertainers, were injured in an automobile crash today at Ormsekirk, north of Liverpool. Their injuries, however, were not serious. The Mills Brothers, well known to American radio listeners, are also favorites of English music hall audiences.LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
"Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 2982 B - 1939. [Different version than the further above Brunswick record.]
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Above: Label images for Decca 165 A, recorded on September 13, 1934, and Decca 166 A, recorded on September 12, 1934. Both records were released in September 1934. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
1. "'Ida' Sweet As Apple Cider" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 165 A - 1934.
2. "Old Fashioned Love" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 166 A - 1934.BOTH SONGS played in sequence.
EXTRA AUDIO #2 (Windows Media Player) THE HOOSIER HOT SHOTS:
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Above Left: The Hoosier Hot Shots. The photo is dated 1946, but might be somewhat earlier.
Above Right: SHREVEPORT JOURNAL, February 27, 1937:
From left to right are: Paul Trietsch, Otto Ward, Frank Kettering, and Kenneth Trietsch.... Their aim is to produce tunes with a rustic flavor and yet with rhythm as lively as a Harlem scat song....At Left: Melotone 6-04-58 image. It was recorded on November 2, 1935 and released in April 1936. As shown on the label, Melotone was manufactured in the USA by the Brunswick Record Corporation.
LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
"Ida! (Sweet As Apple Cider)" - The Hoosier Hot Shots - Melotone 6-04-58 - 1936.
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Above Left: CHATTANOOGA NEWS, November 3, 1934: APPEAR AT AUDITORIUM MONDAY
It was not so long ago, in the town of Piqua, Ohio, that the Mills Brothers sang every Sunday in the church choir....The audience at the Memorial Auditorium Monday evening will be given an opportunity to see for themselves that the Mills Brothers imitate various instruments by using only their lips and hands.The guitar is the only instrument employed. It is the same guitar they bought from a large mail order house several years ago. They would not part with it for any sum of money, and they even have it insured. Among the instruments they so successfuly mimic are the tuba, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, bassoon, and oboe.
Above Right: NEW YORK AGE, April 27, 1935—Mills Brothers will appear for seven full days....Last and only N.Y. appearance before European tour....
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Above: Label image for Decca 228 A released in October 1934. Both sides were recorded on September 14, 1934. LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
1. "Some Of These Days" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 228 A - 1934.
2. "I've Found A New Baby" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 228 B - 1934.BOTH SONGS played in sequence.
EXTRA AUDIO #3 (Windows Media Player) THE THREE KEYS:
Above Left: Brunswick A 9772 A (France) label image, this side recorded on September 8, 1933. In the USA, it was released on Vocalion 2569 in November 1933.
Above Right: The Three Keys (photo courtesy of Paul Ressler). (Top-Bottom) Slim Furness (with guitar), Bon Bon, and Bob Pease (at piano).
LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
"I've Found A New Baby" - The Three Keys - Brunswick A 9772 A (France) - 1933.
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Above Left: Label image of Decca 380 B released in January 1935. This side was recorded on September 14, 1934 and the flip, "Sweet Georgia Brown", on September 12, 1934. Above Right: Label image of Decca 497 B released in 1935. The flip is "Sweet Lucy Brown". Both sides were recorded on February 20, 1935. It's stated in the song that Lucy lived in Georgia. Do you suppose "Georgia" and "Lucy" might be the same person?
LISTEN (Windows Media Player): [Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
1. "Sweet Georgia Brown" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 380 A - 1935.
2. "There Goes My Headache" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 380 B - 1935.
3. "Sweet Lucy Brown" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 497 A - 1935.
4. "Moanin' For You" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 497 B - 1935.ALL FOUR SONGS played in sequence.
THE MILLS BROTHERS IN FILM:
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Above Left: HARTFORD COURANT, June 3, 1934:
The Mills Brothers, Jimmy Durante, and Lupe Velez in a scene from "Strictly Dynamite", now at the Palace Theater.Above Right: ITHACA JOURNAL, May 26, 1934:
Dick Powell (center) and Mills Brothers in "20 Million Sweethearts", opening Wednesday at the State.
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Above: DAYTON HERALD, July 25, 1935: MILLS BROTHERS APPEAR IN FILM
The Mills Brothers always bill themselves as "four boys and a guitar", but Dick Powell has crashed the group and joins in the harmony in a scene from "Broadway Gondolier". Dick Powell, as all who have seen him know, is a riot of fun in whatever he appears, but in "Broadway Gondolier" he is uproariously funny and his saucy personality is responsible for many hearty laughs....
(NOTE: From Phil Beauchamp... "The October 5th issue of the Chicago Defender stated that The Mills Brothers recorded five songs for the film "Broadway Gondolier", which was released in July 1935. The song titles included "Sweet and Slow" and "Latin From Manhattan", but they only sang one song in the released version of the film, "Lulu's Back In Town" with Dick Powell.)WATCH the VIDEO of Dick Powell And The Mills Brothers singing "Lulu's Back In Town" in MP4 format.
(Will open in a new window)LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ONLY (USING WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER):
"Lulu's Back In Town" - Dick Powell And The Mills Brothers - Broadway Gondolier - 1935.
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THIS LAST SECTION OF THE MILLS BROTHERS IN FILM IS PROVIDED BY REVEREND PHILLIP BEAUCHAMP:
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Above: The Mills Brothers' first motion picture was a Paramount animated Screen Songs titled "I Ain't Got Nobody" from June 1932.
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Above: This photo is from the 1933 short "The Little Broadcast", in which they sang "The Old Man Of The Mountain".
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Above: This photo and the next one below are lobby cards for the film "20 Million Sweethearts" which was released in April 1934. The Mills Brothers sang three songs in the film which were "I Heard", "How Am I Doin', Hey, Hey", and "Out For No Good" (with Dick Powell).
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Above: Same information as the photo directly above this one.
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Above: A deleted scene of Dick Powell with The Mills Brothers from the 1935 film "Broadway Gondolier".
(Notice the interesting array of different style microphones in each of the above four photos.)
MORE ABOUT THE MILLS BROTHERS' FILMS (1932-1942) FROM PHIL BEAUCHAMP: The Mills Brothers' first motion picture was a Paramount animated Screen Songs titled "I Ain't Got Nobody" from June 1932. They did two other Paramount Screen Songs, which were "Dinah" from January 1933 and "When Yuba Plays The Rhumba On The Tuba" from 1933.
Their first feature film was for Paramount titled "The Big Broadcast" from October 1932. They sang "Tiger Rag" in that one. In 1933 they did a Paramount short titled "The Little Broadcast". In that short they sang "The Old Man Of The Mountain".
In 1934 they appeared in three films. "20 Million Sweethearts" for Warner Brothers. Then M-G-M's "Operator 13" from June 1934, in which they sang three songs, "Sleepy Head", "Jungle Fever", and the spiritual "Roll Jordon Roll". And thirdly, "Strictly Dynamite" for RKO Studios from July 1934, in which The Mills Brothers sang "Swing It Sister" and a little bit of "Money In My Pockets".
In 1935 the four brothers did their last film together, which was "Broadway Gondolier" for Warner Brothers. After the passing of John Jr. in January 1936, he was replaced by his father, John Sr. The first film with the father singing with them was a 1937 British film titled "Sing As You Swing". In this film they sang two songs "Nagasaki" and the Duke Ellington composition of "Solitude". Bernard Addison was their guitarist in this film.
Their next film appearances were five years later in 1942 in a series of three Soundies: "Caravan" from October 12, 1942, "Paper Doll" with Dorothy Dandridge from December 7, 1942, and "Rocking Chair" from November 2, 1942. All three Soundies are acappella. Their guitarist, Norman Brown, wasn't in any of them. This is most likely due to the musicians strike that was going on at that time.
Their next film appearance in 1942 was in the movie "Rhythm Parade" from December 1942 for Monogram Pictures. They sang two songs in the film, "Tiger Rag" and "Darling Nellie Gray".
LISTEN TO Phil Beauchamp's "Black Quartets In Film" Radio Shows (Windows Media Player And RealPlayer):
THE MILLS BROTHERS - PARTS ONE, TWO AND THREE
ARTICLES AND BLURBS....
PITTSBURGH COURIER, February 10, 1934: MILLS BROTHERS TO OPEN LONDON'S PALLADIUM, MAY 7
LOS ANGELES—Still breaking theatre records here, where they are also busy between the picture studios and night clubs, the Four Mills Brothers have definitely signed to open at the Palladium Theatre, London, England, May 7, and will double in the swank Mayfair Club.PIQUA DAILY CALL, July 7, 1934: HIGH TRIBUTE IS PAID TO THE MILLS BROTHERS BY ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS
"A Sensation In Variety" is how the Four Mills Brothers are featured on the playbill of the Palace Theater, Manchester, England, where they appeared twice nightly during a week's engagement commencing June 18. The boys are scheduled to return to this country for the month of August, which they will spend in Piqua.On the Palace bill, the Piqua boys are described as "The World's Greatest Radio And Recording Stars." "The Mills Brothers", it goes on "are appearing at this theatre next week direct from their sensational success at the London Palladium. Their performance on the first night was greeted with the wildest enthusiasm and they created such a sensation that they were invited to appear before Their Majesties, the King and Queen, the following evening in the Royal Command Performance. Once again they scored a tremendous success and it is interesting to note that they are the first colored performers ever to appear on one of these 'Command' nights."
"The Mills Brothers gave the most amazing and greatest exhibition of vocal team work ever heard in this country and their renderings of popular numbers are not only original but most fascinating. 'Lazy Bones' in particular gained them a tremendous ovation at the Palladium."
"To all intents and purposes, the audience is listening to a band consisting of the usual familiar saxophones, trumpets, tuba, etc. all merrily in full swing, whilst in reality, with the exception of the guitar, there is not an instrument on the stage....The Mills Brothers are not only adept at mimicking the brass section of an orchestra, but equally at home with the wood wind, and have included the clarinet, bassoon, and oboe in their repertoire."
"It is surprising to note that they are all very young. John is 22, Herbert 21, Harry 20, and Donald 19." ....
From the London Daily Mirror comes: "The specialty of these four colored singers is to sing and provide their own 'instrumental' accompaniment. Standing around a microphone, the only instrument they actually use is a guitar. All other sounds are vocal imitations and yet they are unbelievably realistic—the drone of the saxophone, the boom of the double-bass, the thick metallic slur of the muted trumpet, the zimp-zimp of the stringed instrument."
"They also have lovely voices and sing with that instinctive sense of harmony common to Negro artists. Their performance has a genuine musical quality. I can recommend the Mills Brothers to all who like jazz music short of discordant noises."
"Their unique combination of crooning, the imitation of musical instruments, and 'scat' singing is first-class entertainment" says the London Star.
"Their voices have astonishing variety and colour."—London Times.
"They had a great reception. They went off like a Mills bomb and the only thing one can do is to give them a loud and hearty report. These boys are really marvelous."—Daily Sketch.
DAYTON DAILY NEWS, August 23, 1934:
....The Mills Brother....opened at the Palladium Theater and in the cabaret of the fashionable Mayfair Hotel on the same night, Monday. They were such a hit that they were immediately invited to appear in the annual Command Performance before the king and queen on Tuesday night.Three American pictures, in which the Mills Brothers were featured, were showing simultaneously around Leicester Square and the Piccadilly Circus—"Operator 13" (which was released in Britain as "Spy 13") at the Empire, "20 Million Sweethearts" at the Carlton, and "Strickly Dynamite" at the Plaza.
Other theaters booked Mills Brothers shorts in order to capitalize on their tremendous popularity. They were busy between shows at the Palladium, making special phonograph records for immediate European release. They played for titled hosts at several private parties.
....The Mills Brothers, Americans, were on the BBC Network six times, and even broadcast to the United States from Glasgow!
PITTSBURGH COURIER, April 20, 1935: MILLS BROTHERS AT 125TH STREET APOLLO
NEW YORK—The Four Mills Brothers, on their way from the West to fulfill engagements in Europe, will be in New York City exactly eight days, seven of which will be spent on the stage of the 125th Street Apollo Theater.This booking was a herculean task for the Apollo management as outstanding financial offers were made for their appearance during this short stopover in New York, but the Apollo management were determined and met with success.
The Four Mills Brothers will make their personal appearance the entire week beginning April 27, to what will undoubtedly prove to be a record-breaking business at the 125th Street Apollo Theater. (NOTE: See the Apollo clipping further up this page.)
PIQUA DAILY CALL, May 3, 1935: MILLS BROTHERS TO APPEAR IN EUROPE
The four Mills Brothers, Donald, John, Herbert, and Harry, of radio and stage fame, will sail early next week for Paris, France, aboard the S.S. Paris, for a 16-weeks engagement. They will be accompanied by Mrs. Herbert Mills; Arthur Lake, road manager; and Clarence Allen, electrician.Their mother, Mrs. Ethel Mills-Jackson, of Bellefontaine, left Wednesday for New York City to visit with her sons before they sail. She and her family also visited with them in Columbus last Friday while they were enroute to New York from Kansas City.
PIQUA DAILY CALL, August 9, 1935: JOHN MILLS, JR., MEMBER OF THE FAMOUS MILLS BROTHERS, IN CRITICAL CONDITION
Summoned to what is believed his deathbed, Mrs. John Mills Jr. and Mrs. Ethel Jackson, wife and mother of John Mills Jr., eldest and bass singer of the famous Four Mills Brothers quartet, sailed Wednesday night from New York for England, where John lies at the point of death from a lung condition. His father, who resides in New York, sailed several days ago.A year ago last winter, John Mills was seriously ill in Chicago with a pulmonary condition, but a long rest had apparantly restored him to health and the quartet of Piqua boys, known everywhere by their broadcasts and motion picture achievements, continued to fill engagements in Hollywood, on the air, and in vaudeville.
Now it seems that his old trouble has returned and he was forced to cancel vaudeville engagements in London when seized with a severe chill during a performance. Word to Piqua friends hold out no hope of his recovery.
His mother, Mrs. Ethel Jackson, who resides in Bellefontaine, upon receiving the urgent summons to come to her son, flew from Columbus to New York, where she joined her daughter-in-law and together they embarked for London.
DAYTON DAILY NEWS, December 23, 1935: MEMBER OF MILLS BROTHERS QUARTET RECUPERATING
PIQUA—John Mills of the famous Mills Brothers, radio entertainers, is resting at the home of his mother, Mrs. William Jackson, in Bellefontaine. He was taken seriously ill while appearing in theaters in England and was hurried home for treatment. His place in the quartet is being taken by his father, John Mills, Sr. The singers are now broadcasting from Chicago.******************************************************************************************************************
THE FOLLOWING, FROM THE HOUSTON INFORMER AND CHICAGO DEFENDER, PROVIDED BY PHIL BEAUCHAMP...HOUSTON INFORMER:
May 11, 1935 ON THE AIR by Charles Isaac Bowen
The Mills Brothers were scheduled to sail for London last Saturday for points in England, Scotland, Holland, and France. The original booking was for ten weeks, but the report is to the effect that they may make four months of it.June 1, 1935 ON THE AIR by Charles Isaac Bowen
Britishers at last welcomed the Mills Brothers on their second invasion of London. This peerless and incomparable act, one of the most polished musical offerings yet contributed on the stage and radio, is scheduled to open at the Palladium in London. But from other correspondence we get over there, it seems that some arrangement may have to be made in one of the better music halls on the outskirts of London, such as Glasgow and Manchester where the house would seat more people and justify their high salaries.August 31, 1935 TOURING ENGLAND
From London, where the famous Mills Brothers are still raising a fog with our English cousins, the news filters that when they return they will begin a commercial program for the Elgin Watch Company. The initial performance is scheduled for October 4.October 12, 1935 — The Mills Brothers are back on the air again with a sponsored program over NBC. The boys sound good as ever in their original tune dishing that is often imitated but never duplicated. The brothers have work on both national chains, NBC and CBS, which doesn't bother the fans whose sole desire is to hear them.
October 19, 1935 THREE BROTHERS—AND NOW DAD
The Mills Brothers, one of the world's most sensational hits, are rather gloomy these days because John, the eldest brother, he of the deep bass voice which sounds like a tuba, is still ill and may not recover. Meanwhile the Papa of the Mills family is successfully subbing for his boy—and with much success, although he was pretty bashful, it is said, on his first few broadcasts.The September 28, 1935 issue of The Houston Informer mistakenly mentioned that Herbert was the one that was ill. And the October 26, 1935 issue of The Houston Informer mentioned that Bernard Addison was playing with them. So Bernard Addison was playing with them before the passing of John Jr.
CHICAGO DEFENDER:
August 31, 1935 THE FOUR MILLS BOYS RETURN TO THE AIR IN OCTOBER
NEW YORK CITY, Aug. 30—The four Mills brothers, still in London, England, where John, the bass in the unit, is recovering from illness, are due to return to this country next month.
The "four boys and a guitar" will return to the air on October 4, when they take a feature spot on a commercial program for the Elgin watch company on the NBC network. Charles Previn's orchestra and an as yet unannounced commentator will complete the program.November 9, 1935—The four Mills boys, radio's popular "human orchestra" feature, are stationed in Chicago for a stay of 13 weeks. They appear thrice a week over the chain. The team is laying off the stage for a while, perhaps until John has sufficiently recovered from an attack that has forced the father to join Donald, Harry, and Herbert to complete the foursome. The boys are stopping at the Southway hotel.
NOTE: Most discographical information provided at this website is from Ferdie Gonzalez' Disco-File.
Listen to all this week's selections using Windows Media Player:
[Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]
1. "Money In My Pockets" - The Mills Brothers - Columbia D0-1181 (Australia) - 1934.
2. "Swing It Sister" - The Mills Brothers - Columbia D0-1181 (Australia) - 1934.
3. "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" - The Mills Brothers - Brunswick 6913 - 1934.
4. "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 2982 B - 1939.
5. "'Ida' Sweet As Apple Cider" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 165 A - 1934.
6. "Old Fashioned Love" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 166 A - 1934.
7. "Ida! (Sweet As Apple Cider)" - The Hoosier Hot Shots - Melotone 6-04-58 - 1936.
8. "Some Of These Days" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 228 A - 1934.
9. "I've Found A New Baby" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 228 B - 1934.
10. "I've Found A New Baby" - The Three Keys - Brunswick A 9772 A (France) - 1933.
11. "Sweet Georgia Brown" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 380 A - 1935.
12. "There Goes My Headache" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 380 B - 1935.
13. "Sweet Lucy Brown" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 497 A - 1935.
14. "Moanin' For You" - The Mills Brothers - Decca 497 B - 1935.
15. "Lulu's Back In Town" - Dick Powell And The Mills Brothers - Broadway Gondolier - 1935.
ALL FIFTEEN ABOVE SONGS played in sequence.
ALL THIRTEEN SONGS ABOVE BY THE MILLS BROTHERS played in sequence.
[To download audio files, right-click on song title link and then select "Save link (target) as..."]
LISTEN TO VINTAGE GROUP HARMONY SHOWS (Windows Media Player):
#524 THE MILLS BROTHERS #700 THE MILLS BROTHERS
CLICK HERE for SPOTLIGHT ON THE MILLS BROTHERS - PART ONE (1931-1933).
CLICK HERE for SPOTLIGHT ON THE MILLS BROTHERS - PART THREE (1936-1941).
(Above links will open in separate windows)
