Felix Mills Explained

Gordon "Felix" Mills (born July 28, 1901, in Fort Collins, Colorado^[1]), was a composer, arranger and conductor during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s and 1940s.^[2] He was the musical director for The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air, a Disney radio show of the 1930s.^[3] Mills created a "gadget band" with wild instruments for Donald Duck to direct on some episodes.^[4] He also created arrangements for the show.^[5]

Mills conducted his own band, and appeared in the Hollywood Bowl.^[6] Mills was also the musical director for CBS Radio's Silver Theater from 1937 to 1947.^[7] Mills chose to retire rather than fire some band members during the Red Inquisition;^[8] he built a home in Morro Bay, California, to pursue his favorite hobbies, sailing and slide photography. Mills died on April 5, 1987, in Morro Bay, California.

References

• Book: Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. Billboard. 22 April 1944. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 28–. 0006-2510.

Notes and References

1. Book: Don Rayno. Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music, 1930-1967. 19 December 2012. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-8322-2. 483–.
2. Book: John Dunning. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. registration. 19 March 1998. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-984045-8. 432–.
3. Book: Didier Ghez. Walt's People: Talking Disney With the Artists Who Knew Him. 8 August 2012. Xlibris Corporation. 978-1-4771-4790-0. 1900–.
4. Book: Didier Ghez. Walt's People: Talking Disney With the Artists Who Knew Him. 8 August 2012. Xlibris Corporation. 978-1-4771-4790-0. 1897–.
5. Book: The American Harp Journal. 1981. American Harp Society.
6. Book: Frank Harvey Colby. The Pacific Coast Musician. 1940. Colby and Pryibil.
7. Book: Jocelyn Faris. Ginger Rogers: A Bio-bibliography. 1 January 1994. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-29177-7. 163–.
8. http://www.mouseplanet.com/9190/The_Mickey_Mouse_Musician "The Mickey Mouse Musician"