Happy birthday, Glenn Miller.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Born on this day in 1904. Disappeared in 1944.

There are sooooooooo many videos from which to choose.

Here is the clip that they always show on the PBS beg-a-thons, at least in the DC area. The vocalist (and whistler) is Tex Beneke.

In 1942, Glenn Miller's orchestra won the first Gold Record ever awarded for "Chattanooga Choo Choo"; the song was written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon as part of the score for the 1941 Twentieth Century Fox movie Sun Valley Serenade which was primarily made for the purpose of putting the Miller band in a motion picture. Tex Beneke was the featured singer in the movie and on the Victor/Bluebird recording that also featured band vocalist Paula Kelly and the Modernaires, a vocal group of four male singers, who were also regular members of the Miller entourage. "Chattanooga Choo Choo", catalogue number Bluebird 11230-B, was recorded by the Miller band at the Victor recording studios in Hollywood, May 7, 1941.

It seques into a performance of the same song by the Nicholas Brothers and Dorthy Dandridge.

[font color=red]You will not see anything better than this all day. If you made the mistake of watching ***** on TV last night (I did not), think of this instead. You will feel better.[/font]

[femmocrat]

1. I love the music from that era!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. All those videos fell in love with the 3-D trombone effect. Thanks for the video. NT

[First Speaker]

3. My Dad was in the 8th Air Force when Miller disappeared...he always said there was a cover-up...

...rumors abounded about his death. That he really died on a spy mission; that he was really shot by a jealous husband; even that the plane had been sabotaged, for reasons that my Dad said were never very clear. But he said that the rumors started the day he died, and were very strong and persistent all over the ETO...

[rurallib]

4. As an Iowa boy, let proudly post this vid of another Iowa lad