From the 1960s TV show Hollywood Palace: Host Jimmy Durante introduces guest star Mrs. Elva Miller, and they perform "Inky Dinky Do" together. This clip was originally posted at the Mrs. Miller's World website - www.mrsmillersworld.com - and is used with their permission. (My apologies for the quality of the video.)
God Bless you Mrs. Miller, wherever you may be!
From a man who was known to be an exceptional musician: "Once when father was asked: `How can you stand it to hear old John Bell (who was the best stonemason in town) bellow off-key the way he does at camp meeting?' his answer was : `Old John is a supreme musician. Look into his face and hear the music of the ages. Don't pay too much attention to the sounds. If you do, you may miss the music. You won't get a heroic ride to heaven on pretty little sounds.' " - Charles Ives, from Essays Before A Sonata
Ah, Durante - what a gentleman and a good sport!
Ahhh...Mrs Miller. If you lived in the 1960's, you knew who she was. My family always had a laugh when the radio announcer would play Mrs Miller. Great way to start the day and get ready for school.
There will never in the history of history be a better duet than that. One of a kind for the 2 of them. Thank you for posting this. You, Jimmy and Elva ROCK!!!
This women kills me i almost crashed my car once listening to her on a tape wonderful my ribs hurt. thanks for this.
Thanks for this! It sure brings back good memories. "Good night Mrs. Calabash where ever you are."
We need more Mrs. Elva Miller songs. Thank you America.
I meant to give this comment a "thumbs up," and accidentally clicked the "thumbs down" icon. Sorry. This was a truly gracious statement, and I agree wholeheartedly with you!
an outstanding piece of musical film history! thanks so much for posting this. incredible!!
God bless that gal!
Few people can sit upon a piano as to the manner born. Mrs Miller did so with grace, charm and aplomb. Only a very few things stood between her and vocal greatness, but accurate pitch and a sense of rhythm are, after all, not everything. What a great lady of the entertainment world, one who gave pleasure unstintingly.
Love this erudite comment...laced with double entendre!
Barbra "Streismann", eat yer heart out......Jimmy Durante, one of the funniest and best people that ever lived. RIP, Jimmy
Few people know this, but Mrs Miller is actually Jonathan Winters in Drag.
That´s pure entertainment!
she has the key to every flat and can't open a single bloody door!
Thank you so much for this! What a day brightening combination -- the beloved Durante, the ... um, UNIQUE Mrs. Miller, and a wonderful old song! Great stuff!
Two legends on the same stage.
@sophelet She's singing Inky Dinky Doo in an operatic voice. Even she can't take herself THAT seriously.
she didn't.
Thank you for your kind message. I am relieved indeed to find that I am not the only person who has trouble with my buttons. I often click on or twiddle the wrong one. Mrs Miller's dignified manner reminds me vividly of that of Great Britain's answer to Emily Post, the remarkable Mrs Hyacinth Bucket.
I knew a Nam vet who saw her perform for the USO in '67...
What I love about Elva is, she wasn’t in it for the attention or the fame. She didn’t make an idiot of herself like many of us would. Whenever she made public appearances, she was as naturally herself as could be. She just was who she was - an otherwise common person having a great time doing something she loved. What a neat lady.
Dat was wunnerful! Ha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
wonderful clip!
Close to the last gasp of vaudeville, right here on youtube.
I rember watching this show.....Gosh I feel old.....lol......Tks for the blast from the past..
we miss you Jimmy
Man, that gal rocks!
WONDERFUL!
I'm so very grateful to you for posting this video and keeping it active. I was one of Mrs. Miller's greatest fans and always enjoyed performances by Jimmy Durante--especially when he sang "Inky Dinky Do." I had no idea they ever performed together; so, this is a real treat (all of these years later). Thank you so very, very much. 🙂 (Chase)
MRS MILLERS SINGING IS SORT OF ADDICTIVE
+KeyWestBluesX ~> Her records should be played over the PA system in prisons. ☺
KeyWestBluesX Very true. It's kind of a like the saying of hitting yourself because it feels so good when you stop. I enjoy her "Moon River" because the air just smells that much sweeter afterwards. Plus, I don't need perfect pitch to sing along and match up.
Did she inspire Tiny Tim? ☺
KeyWestBluesX -Sort of a pleasure/pain thing, huh?
Actually just pain.....
I love her version of "These boots are made for walkin"
They are both clearly enjoying themselves and each other. I hope Mrs. Miller wasn't hurt when she realized people were laughing AT her, not laughing WITH her.
A comedian is supposed to be laughed at! In fact , they're not funny if you have to laugh with them!
"That's not a cat in heat, that's Mrs. Miller. Hotcha!"
This is great! Two of my favorites together!
What a voice! I love it!
Thanks for posting this. This is classic !
Hot cha cha!
thanks so much for posting this. exactly what i was looking for (& more)
it's a delectable keening of the banshee...
We had a lead soprano in our church choir years ago that sang like Mrs. Miller. We used to say (behind her back of course) that she had a tremolo so wide you could drive a Mack truck through it!
Nice of you to back stab your church member.
ahAhAHAha! :)
how nice thanks for the post .James Earl
Durante's show when Helen Traubel was his guest is matchless! If anyone can find these gems and put them on You Tube, you'll be cannonized. Superhartline
I have that recording somewhere
OMG! Tell Mark and Brian! They ADORE Mrs. Miller!
Icon!👍😘🇸🇪
Totally unique - divine!
Originally aired (in color) on December 10, 1966. At the time, Mrs. Miller was filming her appearance in Warner Bros. "The Cool Ones" (with Debbie Watson, Gil Peterson, Phil Harris and Roddy McDowall), released in April 1967...and a box office flop.
She was a great sport!
This is great!It's so funny how much she sounds like Nina Hagen at times:)
YES! NINA!
Nina rocks!
Great post. I didn't remember JD playing the piano. He had great timing, great pizzazz. Thanks for the exquisite post. I was laughing and nearly got thrown out of the Denver University library because of you! GREAT Post.
Pizzazz is right!
I love how you can hear the one dude in the back who just can't hold it back.
I wonder how long she'd last on American Idol? Timing is everything.
Mrs. Miller was doing operatic campy versions of pop songs of the late 60s that were almost as funny as Tiny Tim.
It's Hyacinthe Bucket
thats funny
Nice one!!!
Ironically, Patricia Routledge could actually sing!
ha cha cha cha
one of a kind
@phantomvibrationsX To the contrary, in the beginning of her career Mrs. Miller took herself completely seriously. It was only the marketeers that placed her in the role of comedian, and she bitterly complained that her producers ensured a musically-rotten outcome by recording her when she was exhausted or before she could adequately learn the material. Regardless, it is a fact that her strange combination of circumstance sold over a half a million records.
When people had fun in the .states. Why has that gone!
I think this was where Saturday Night Live may have gotten the idea for The Culps!
I remember Michael J. Fox singing this in the movie Greedy haha!
Oh that was beautiful... yep, Barbara Streisand, ear yer heart out!
Mrs. Miller the last of the great vaudevillians. Jimmy brought it home at the Hollywood Palace.
THE ORIGINAL MIRANDA SINGS!!!!
classic
I'm laughing now they must have been pissing themselves when this was first aired back in the 60's.. Snozzle was never better
@rupepill ..That is exactly who I hear when she sings!
she sounds like that cartoon singing sword
HAHAHAHAHAHA! BUGS BUNNY
Now that's what i call working with whacha got!
William Huang owes her ...
W.O.W.
@creatornat Good on you, cobber! I have always clung to the hope that, some day, kind and perceptive people eventually would agree with something I thought, said and/or wrote. We might liaise with cornellcrawford on the possibility of forming a Mrs Miller You Tube Fan Club?
@MennoStoner actually it is INK ADINK ADOO
Initially, Miller failed realize that people were actually laughing at her singing. Evidently this clip was done when she finally got the joke and decided to go along with it..
+Barb5001 ~> I believe Mrs. Miller knew her covers of pop songs were a joke and was able to laugh at herself. ☺
+WytZox1 No, not at first. She was initially dismayed to learn that she was thought of as just a comedic singer but, like I said , she learned to laugh at herself and, that endeared her to her fans..
Inka Dinka Do + Spedoinkle Day = Inky Dinky Doo Da Morning.
superb!Thought the piano might collapse !
Thats not a banana its my nose HA HA
so is that Jimmy or Mike from Better Call Saul?
hahahaahahaahHAHAHAAHAHhahahaahahahahahaahHA
We may have laughed at her vocal stylings, but she also sold 250,000 copies of her Greatest Hits album in 2 weeks back when it meant something... Like a ton of $$... So I guess she got the last laugh in the end... All the way to the bank!
Susan Boyle........?.......is that you?
She had a vibrato wide enough to drive a semi through.
Shes singing like shes sitting on the top of the loundrymachine...which is on high speed
Thumbs up if you were waiting for the piano to collapse.
Mrs. Miller looks like my FACE teacher -_-;;
Durante and Miller,what a combo! Can anyone provide a Mrs. Miller discography?
@@albaum4370 her Allmusic bio. I don't know why the album cover for her flower power "Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing" is not visible though www.allmusic.com/artist/mrs-miller-mn0000524837
Here's Mrs. Miller's ex-husband, Bob Strauch performing "Detroit City"! kzhead.info/sun/ms1ud6uZhoulfXA/bejne.html
This must have inspired Vic Reeves and his pub-style singing!..
I always knew Freddy Krueger could sing.
In my opinion Jimmy Durante was one of the greatest comediennes and entertainers. Mrs. Miller was the worst commercially successful singer of the 20th century, and is the worst "successful" pre-rap era entertainer of all time. Supposedly Elva Miller was so clueless that initially, she did not realize that she "stunk", and she believed that her success was due to her talent as a singer. In contrast, Tiny Tim had a weird style, but was a very good singer and entertainer.
jealous much?
Mrs Miller career never really took off till after that porn tape came out.
Do you think Mrs. Miller was in on the gag, or actually thought that she was talented, like Florence Foster Jenkins?
Yeah... as if Durante could ever sing... LOL
Durante could sing and dance the pants off Sinatra, Martin and all the others after him! He was brilliant.
The lady knew how sing, but her equipment failed her!
Ha looks like the whole thing was so out of place, like she sang it that way since it was like a totally different style or whatever.
Sorry Mrs Miller, you look like a jolly lady but that vibrato is really horrible.
The insufferable Jimmy Durante