Vic Mizzy

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American composer (1916–2009)

title: "Vic Mizzy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1916-births", "2009-deaths", "20th-century-american-composers", "20th-century-american-jews", "20th-century-american-male-musicians", "american-film-score-composers", "american-male-film-score-composers", "american-television-composers", "burials-at-eden-memorial-park-cemetery", "classical-musicians-from-new-york-(state)", "composers-for-piano", "composers-from-new-york-city", "jewish-american-classical-musicians", "jewish-american-film-score-composers", "jewish-american-songwriters", "jewish-american-television-composers", "american-male-television-composers", "musicians-from-brooklyn", "rca-victor-artists", "songwriters-from-new-york-(state)", "united-states-navy-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "20th-century-american-songwriters"] description: "American composer (1916–2009)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Mizzy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American composer (1916–2009) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameVic Mizzy
imagePublicity_Photo_of_Vic_Mizzy.jpg
captionMizzy in a publicity photo
birth_nameVictor Mizzy
birth_date
birth_placeBrooklyn, New York, U.S.
death_date
death_placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
occupationComposer, musician
years_activeLate 1930s–2009
associated_actsManny Curtis, Irving Taylor, Mary Small
::

| name = Vic Mizzy | image = Publicity_Photo_of_Vic_Mizzy.jpg | caption = Mizzy in a publicity photo | birth_name = Victor Mizzy | birth_date = | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Composer, musician | years_active = Late 1930s–2009 | associated_acts = Manny Curtis, Irving Taylor, Mary Small Victor Mizzy (January 9, 1916 – October 17, 2009) was an American composer for television and movies and musician whose best-known works are the themes to the 1960s television sitcoms Green Acres and The Addams Family. Mizzy also wrote top-20 songs from the 1930s to 1940s.

Early life

Mizzy was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants, and attended New York University. As a child, he played accordion and piano, and was largely self-taught as a composer. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy where he wrote some of his hit songs.

Songwriting

In the late 1930s, while based in New York City, Mizzy began composing a string of popular songs. These included Doris Day's 1945 hit "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time". Other Mizzy compositions were "There's a Faraway Look in Your Eye" and "Three Little Sisters", both co-written with lyricist Irving Taylor. The latter were sung by the Andrews Sisters on Decca Records and in the 1942 Universal film Private Buckaroo, in which the sisters appeared with Harry James' big band.

Dinah Shore also recorded "Three Little Sisters"; "Take It Easy" (also with lyricist Taylor), "Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes", "The Whole World Is Singing My Song", "Choo'n Gum" (recorded by the Andrews Sisters, as well as Teresa Brewer), "The Jones Boy", which was a 1953 hit for the Mills Brothers, and "With a Hey and a Hi and a Ho-Ho-Ho".

Film and television

Mizzy broke into television circa 1959, composing music for Shirley Temple's Storybook and the themes for Moment of Fear, Klondike and Kentucky Jones. During the 1960s, he wrote themes and scores for the hit shows Green Acres and The Addams Family, as well as for other sitcoms, including The Pruitts of Southampton, The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, Captain Nice, The Don Rickles Show, and Temperatures Rising, and the 1964–1965 comedy drama Kentucky Jones.

A soundtrack album was released in 1965 containing all his compositions from The Addams Family entitled Original Music From The Addams Family. The single of the theme reached #25 on Canada's CHUM Charts. Mizzy rewrote and conducted The Addams Family Theme with a slightly different melody for the 1977 television special Halloween with the New Addams Family, which reunited most of the original cast of the 1964–1966 TV series.

He also wrote the scores for five Don Knotts films, including The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) (released on CD by Percepto in 2007), The Love God? (1969) and How to Frame a Figg (1971), releasing scores on a Compact Disc companion to some of their DVD releases.

His other film work includes the scores for the William Castle films The Night Walker (1964), The Busy Body (1967) and The Spirit Is Willing (1967), as well as other 1960s movies such as A Very Special Favor (1965), The Caper of the Golden Bulls (1967), Don't Make Waves (1967), The Perils of Pauline (1967) and Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968)

He also composed underscores for the television series The Richard Boone Show and Quincy, M.E., as well as for such television films as The Deadly Hunt (1971), Hurricane (1974), Terror on the 40th Floor (1974), The Million Dollar Rip-Off (1976) and The Munsters' Revenge (1981). Toward the end of his career, Mizzy was commissioned by filmmaker Sam Raimi to compose music for the outtakes (gag reel) special features for the DVD releases of the films Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

Personal life and death

Mizzy had two children with his first wife, Mary Small, who as a 1930s child singer had been known as "The Little Girl With The Big Voice," and who remained popular (especially on radio) through the 1950s. One of her daughters, Patty Keeler, a singer and songwriter, often worked with songwriter Doc Pomus.

Mizzy died at his home in Bel Air, California, on October 17, 2009, aged 93. He was interred at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California.

Songs include

References

References

  1. (October 20, 2009). "Vic Mizzy dies at 93; film and TV composer wrote 'Addams Family' theme song". LA Times.
  2. Variety]]'', October 19, 2009, 3:14 p.m. PT
  3. "CTVA US Drama - "Kentucky Jones" (Buzz Kulik/NBC)(1964-65) starring Dennis Weaver".
  4. "CHUM Hit Parade - February 8, 1965".
  5. (13 October 2013). "Halloween with the New Addams Family 1977 HQ".
  6. "Archived copy".
  7. Hale, Mike. (2009-10-21). "Vic Mizzy, Songwriter of 'Addams Family' Fame, Dies at 93". The New York Times.
  8. (October 20, 2009). "Obituaries in the news". The Associated Press.
  9. "They Might Be Giants, 'No!' Track-by-Track: The Johns Explain Their Kids Album". AOL Music, June 27, 2012

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1916-births2009-deaths20th-century-american-composers20th-century-american-jews20th-century-american-male-musiciansamerican-film-score-composersamerican-male-film-score-composersamerican-television-composersburials-at-eden-memorial-park-cemeteryclassical-musicians-from-new-york-(state)composers-for-pianocomposers-from-new-york-cityjewish-american-classical-musiciansjewish-american-film-score-composersjewish-american-songwritersjewish-american-television-composersamerican-male-television-composersmusicians-from-brooklynrca-victor-artistssongwriters-from-new-york-(state)united-states-navy-personnel-of-world-war-ii20th-century-american-songwriters