Milton Delugg obit

Milton Delugg, 96, Dies; Accordionist, Composer, ‘Tonight Show’ Bandleader

 

He was not on the list.

December 2, 1918 - April 6, 2015 In 1950, after years of working in radio, Milton Delugg became music director on television's Broadway Open House, often considered the forerunner of The Tonight Show. He worked with many other fine composers, including Frank Loesser. One of his best known compositions is "Orange Colored Sky," remembered as a hit for Nat King Cole. His Hoop-Dee-Doo polka was a smash hit for Perry Como. In 1958 he produced the Buddy Holly hit Rave On! He was music director of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in 1965-66. Delugg also enjoyed a long association with Chuck Barris, producer of many popular game shows. Delugg remained active as the Music Director of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade through 2013. He passed away at home April 6, 2015 at the age of 96. No services at this time. Donations to St. Jude's Hospital. He is survived by two loving sons Michael (Vivien) and Stephen.

Delugg attended the University of California, Los Angeles. His initial musical training was on a piano. Moving to the accordion came as the result of a gift. "When my dad gave me an accordion I learned how to play jazz on it," he said. "I grew up in Los Angeles and it wasn't long before I had a monopoly on any calls for jazz accordionists.

Delugg served in the Radio Production Unit of the US Army Air Force during World War II. During that time he was a member of (and sometimes soloist with) the 36-piece orchestra of the West Coast Army Air Force Training Center.

A talented accordionist, Delugg appeared in short Soundies musicals and occasional movies (like 1949's Jolson Sings Again). He quickly became a successful arranger and composer and worked as bandleader at Slapsie Maxie's Wilshire location in Hollywood. His clients ranged from the American Junior Miss Pageant to soul singer and performer Jackie Wilson, and he was a musician on such radio programs as School Days of the Air, and The Abe Burrows Show. One of his best-known tunes is an arrangement of the song "The Happy Wanderer", and his brassy polka "Hoop Dee Doo" became a game show staple.

In 1950 and 1951, Delugg was musical director, bandleader, and accordionist on Broadway Open House the NBC late-night television program considered to be the forerunner to The Tonight Show. He often played a song he co-wrote, "Orange Colored Sky", which was best remembered as a hit for Nat King Cole. In 1950, Delugg was also orchestra conductor for the short-lived Abe Burrows' Almanac.

In 1953, the Milton Delugg Trio appeared on the short-lived The Bill Cullen Show. Four years later, in 1957, Delugg joined the cast of the Winchell and Mahoney Show.

He composed the tune "Roller Coaster" – recorded by Henri Rene Orchestra on RCA Victor. It was used as the closing theme for the popular Goodson-Todman Productions panel show What's My Line? from the early 1950s until its cancellation in 1967.

Delugg served as NBC's musical director for decades. In 1966, he briefly succeeded Skitch Henderson as musical director of The Tonight Show Band during the tenure of Johnny Carson. He was later replaced by Doc Severinsen.

Delugg enjoyed a long association with Chuck Barris, beginning as arranger of the original theme to The Newlywed Game in 1966. From 1976 to 1980, he was musical director of The Gong Show (appearing with his "Band With a Thug"). Delugg often appeared on the show as a comic foil, in the characters of bad joke teller Naso Literatus and philosopher Old Drool. Delugg's venerable "Hoop Dee Doo" became a fixture on The Gong Show, and was used whenever the contest winner was chosen.

Delugg also wrote the theme music for other Barris projects including The $1.98 Beauty Show, Camouflage (where, in a throwback to an earlier era of game shows, the music was actually performed live by Delugg and his band), Leave It to the Women, 3's a Crowd, and The New Treasure Hunt. He also recorded new versions of the theme songs to the 1970s versions of The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, as well as providing the themes for their 1980s revivals. Delugg and sidemen Mark Stevens, Billy Neale, and Ray Neapolitan appeared in Barris's The Gong Show Movie (1980) as The Hollywood Cowboys.

Delugg remained active as musical director of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade through 2013, and made one final, on-camera appearance during the 2014 parade.

Delugg and his wife Anne composed film scores and songs for the mid-1960s American releases of German and Japanese children's films such as Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon, Der gestiefelte Kater (Puss in Boots), Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Delugg composed the score for Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the song "Hooray for Santa Claus"

Delugg composed a number of popular songs that became hits for a variety of artists, including "Orange Colored Sky" (Nat "King" Cole, 1950); "Shanghai" (Doris Day, (1951); "Be My Life's Companion" (The Mills Brothers, 1951); "Shake Hands With Santa Claus" (Louis Prima, 1951); "The Photograph On The Piano" (Georgia Gibbs, 1952); "Just Another Polka" (Eddie Fisher, 1953); and "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)" (Patsy Cline, 1956).

 

Music Department

The 88th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2014)

The 88th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

7.1

TV Special

musical consultant

2014

 

87th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2013)

87th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

6.5

TV Special

musical director

2013

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2000)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

8.5

TV Special

composer: additional music

2000

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1999)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

8.2

TV Special

composer: additional music

1999

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

7.7

TV Special

composer: additional music

1998

 

The 39th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1987)

The 39th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

6.3

TV Special

musical director

1987

 

Jeff MacGregor in The All-New Dating Game (1986)

The All-New Dating Game

5.0

TV Series

musical director

1986

1 episode

 

People Are Funny

TV Series

musical director

1984

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1984)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

8.0

TV Special

musical director

1984

 

Bob Eubanks in The New Newlywed Game (1984)

The New Newlywed Game

6.8

TV Series

musical director (1985-1986)

1984

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

musical director

1983

 

The All-Star Gong Show Special

TV Special

musical director (as Milton DeLugg)

1977

 

The 1st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1974)

The 1st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

TV Special

musical director

1974

 

Johnny Carson Presents the Sun City Scandals '72

9.3

TV Movie

musical director

1972

 

Bennett Cerf, John Daly, Arlene Francis, and Dorothy Kilgallen in What's My Line? (1950)

What's My Line?

8.5

TV Series

composer: closing theme "Rollercoaster" (uncredited)

1953–1967

706 episodes

 

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

2.7

conductor

1964

 

100 Grand

TV Series

musical director

1963

 

Charge Account

TV Series

musical director

1960

 

The Herb Shriner Show (1949)

The Herb Shriner Show

7.0

TV Series

orchestra leader

1956

4 episodes

 

Treasure Hunt (1956)

Treasure Hunt

7.5

TV Series

musical director (1956)

1956

 

Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge (1955)

Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge

5.3

music and lyrics by: US version

1955

 

Schneeweisschen und Rosenrot (1955)

Schneeweisschen und Rosenrot

6.0

music and lyrics by: dubbed version

1955

 

Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, and Rita-Maria Nowotny in Cinderella (1955)

Cinderella

7.4

musical director: US Version

1955

 

Paul Winchell in The Paul Winchell Show (1950)

The Paul Winchell Show

8.2

TV Series

musical director

1955

1 episode

 

Judge for Yourself (1953)

Judge for Yourself

7.5

TV Series

musical director

1953–1954

4 episodes

 

Two for the Money (1952)

Two for the Money

7.9

TV Series

musical director (1952-1957)

1952

 

Dagmar's Canteen (1951)

Dagmar's Canteen

6.4

TV Series

musical director (as Milton De Lugg)

1952

3 episodes

 

All Star Revue (1950)

All Star Revue

8.3

TV Series

musical director

1951–1952

3 episodes

 

Battle of the Ages

TV Series

musical director

1952

 

Broadway Open House (1950)

Broadway Open House

6.6

TV Series

musical director

1951

1 episode

 

Morey Amsterdam in The Morey Amsterdam Show (1948)

The Morey Amsterdam Show

7.7

TV Series

orchestra leader

1950

1 episode

 

A Couple of Joes

TV Series

orchestra leader

1949

1 episode

 

Composer

The Little Photographer (2021)

The Little Photographer

Short

Composer

2021

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2008)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

7.3

TV Special

Composer

2008

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2006)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

8.0

TV Special

Composer

2006

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2004)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

8.5

TV Special

Composer

2004

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2003)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

6.5

TV Special

Composer

2003

 

75th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2001)

75th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

7.3

TV Special

Composer

2001

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1997)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

2.4

TV Special

Composer

1997

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

7.6

TV Special

Composer

1996

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1988)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

Composer

1988

 

99th Tournament of Roses Parade

TV Special

Composer

1988

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

7.7

TV Special

Composer

1987

 

Anything for Laughs

TV Special

Composer (as Milton DeLugg)

1985

 

Bob Eubanks in The New Newlywed Game (1984)

The New Newlywed Game

6.8

TV Series

Composer

1984

 

Wayland Flowers in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1982)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

Composer

1982

 

Two Top Bananas (1982)

Two Top Bananas

4.8

TV Movie

Composer

1982

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

Composer (as Milton DeLugg)

1981

 

Treasure Hunt

7.1

TV Series

Composer

1981

 

Camouflage

TV Series

Composer

1980

 

The Gong Show Movie (1980)

The Gong Show Movie

4.4

Composer

1980

 

Diana Ross in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1979)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

8.6

TV Special

Composer

1979

 

The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show

TV Series

Composer

1977

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

Composer

1976

 

The Gong Show (1976)

The Gong Show

6.9

TV Series

Composer

1976

 

Cos: The Bill Cosby Comedy Special

TV Special

Composer (as Milton DeLugg)

1975

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

Composer

1974

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

TV Special

Composer

1973

 

Gulliver's Space Travels: Beyond the Moon (1965)

Gulliver's Space Travels: Beyond the Moon

6.2

Composer (US version)

1965

 

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

2.7

Composer

1964

 

Norman Rose, Belle Willard Roosevelt, and Walter McCullough in Only One New York (1964)

Only One New York

8.8

Composer

1964

 

Fritz Genschow, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Gert Reinholm, and Angela von Leitner in Sleeping Beauty (1955)

Sleeping Beauty

6.9

Composer (US version)

1955

 

Der gestiefelte Kater (1955)

Der gestiefelte Kater

6.0

Composer (US version)

1955

 

Actor

The Gong Show Movie (1980)

The Gong Show Movie

4.4

The Hollywood Cowboys

1980

 

The Herb Shriner Show (1949)

The Herb Shriner Show

7.0

TV Series

Orchestra Leader

1956

1 episode

 

Doodles Weaver

TV Series

Conductor

1951

 

Seven at Eleven

TV Series

1951

 

William Demarest, Bill Goodwin, Barbara Hale, and Larry Parks in Jolson Sings Again (1949)

Jolson Sings Again

6.6

Accordionist (uncredited)

1949

 

The Brian Sisters in Trailing Along (1937)

Trailing Along

Short

Accordionist

1937