William Harbach oral history interview, March 1, 1996

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: M130_HarbachB

Staff Only

William Harbach oral history interview

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Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Chris Paton. The first part of the tape is devoted to a discussion of the social interactions of Mercer and Harbach during the 1940s and 1950s. Harbach talks of a few social occasions at which Mercer and Harbach were both present. He mentions particularly Mercer's love of cooking. Harbach then reminisces about his working relationship with Mercer, especially Mercer's guest appearances on the Tonight show in the 1950s and his performances with Bing Crosby on The Bing Crosby Show in 1960. In the course of the conversation, Harbach relates some humorous and touching anecdotes that reveal Mercer's character and personality. The discussion then turns to a New Year's trip to see Mercer in Savannah that Harbach and other friends took sometime during the late 1950s. Harbach talks at some length of Mercer's final illness and death, and he speaks of Mercer's memorial service in New York, which Harbach himself produced. At the end of the conversation, several topics are touched upon briefly, including the Mercers' social life in New York and Hollywood, writing Broadway musicals, Mercer's character, and the personality of Mercer's wife Ginger.

Dates

Creation: March 1, 1996

Creator

Harbach, William O. (Interviewee, Person)

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research.

Biographical Note

William O. Harbach (1919-2017) began his career as an actor for MGM after serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He held two different positions at NBC during the late 1940s and early 1950s before embarking on a career as a television producer that spanned at least thirty years. The long list of shows that he produced includes Tonight (1954), The Steve Allen Show, The Bing Crosby Show (1960-61), The Hollywood Palace Show (1963-69), The Julie Andrews Show (1972-73), and The Bob Hope Special (1981-82). Harbach became acquainted with Johnny Mercer in the early 1940s and remained close friends with him until Mercer's death in 1976.