When Glenn Miller gave up a successful music career to serve his country, he had no idea it would cost him his life.
1. He Was Like A Rock Star
If the big band era had a rock star, it was certainly Glenn Miller. Sure, he looked nerdy in his tuxedos and glasses, but he had legions of fans who worshiped him. Like some other rock stars, Miller’s tragic demise came too early, and it was also full of mystery. There was an airplane, a day of foul weather, and probably a crash.
Probably? Yes, you see, they’ve never been able to locate one important thing: his body.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
2. He Wasn’t Fancy
On March 1, 1904, Alton Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda, Iowa. Like most members of his family, Miller went by his middle name. Another thing the family had in common was music. Mom played the organ, and his brother played the cornet. When Miller decided he wanted to play an instrument, he realized he’d need to get down and dirty to pay for it.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
3. He Needed Money
In 1915, the Millers moved to Nebraska and Glenn Miller started milking cows for extra cash. This may have been a very basic job, but what Miller did with his earnings wasn’t. He put his money together and bought a trombone. Miller used the trombone to join the local orchestra and even added the mandolin and cornet to his skill set.
Just as Miller was settling into life in Nebraska, Mom and Dad had news for him.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
4. He Met A Man
For some reason, when the Miller family moved to Colorado, Miller decided to focus on sports. By 1921, he was already one of the best football players in Colorado. But if you think Miller was the model student, you’re wrong. Miller was soon getting into trouble.
In fact, one of his teachers got an upsetting call. The local authorities had detained Miller and he needed someone to bail him out.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
5. He Broke The Law
Was Glenn Miller a juvenile delinquent in the making? Not quote. You see, Miller had snuck up to the roof of his high school just to play the trombone. The teacher who he called knew that this meant that Miller had a strong commitment to playing his instrument. He convinced Miller to give up sports and get back into music.
It soon became clear that this was going to be his future.
Michael Ochs Archives , Getty Images
6. He Missed A Very Important Day
Glenn Miller dedicated himself to music, and he took it so seriously that he missed his high school graduation because he had a gig. When he went to college, this absenteeism continued. Miller was more interested in going to auditions and playing gigs. Of course, his class work suffered and he failed the majority of his classes. Eventually, he dropped out completely.
Without a college education, Miller was putting all his eggs into one basket.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
7. He Studied Math
After flunking out of college, Glenn Miller made a big move to New York City and studied math. Well, it wasn’t traditional math—this was the Schillinger system, which uses math concepts to compose music. At this time, Miller wrote a song and rather unimaginatively called it “Miller’s Tune”. He had no idea what he had on his hands.
This would one day change to “Moonlight Serenade” and become his signature song. Before that happened, Miller had a very New York problem to deal with.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
8. There Was Someone Better
Now that he was in the Big Apple, Glenn Miller had to compete with other loads of other musicians. He was playing trombone with Ben Pollack when he was suddenly upstaged. There was a new kid in town named Jack Teagarden. Not only was he was a better player than Miller, but he started getting Miller’s solos.
It was time for Miller to face some unpleasant facts.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
9. He Shifted His Focus
Miller didn’t like being second to Teagarden, so he decided to focus on something besides playing the trombone. Lucky for us, he chose arranging and composing music. Later that same year, he published a songbook called 125 Jazz Breaks for Trombone, and his first composition, which he called “Room 1411”.
The title sounded intriguing—but it was anything but.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
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10. He Wasn’t Very Imaginative
Miller’s first composition, “Room 1411”, was co-written by Benny Goodman. When it came time to give the song a name, they just looked at their door. The two men were sharing an apartment in The Whitby building in New York, and their suite number was, you guessed it, 1411.
Rooming with a fellow musician was fun, but Miller had other ideas on his mind.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
11. He Took A Big Step
Miller’s career was looking pretty good, so he decided it was time to take a very important step. He wanted a wife. The thing was, he already had a woman in mind. A girlfriend he’d dated back in college was waiting in the wings, and Miller sent for her. Helen Burger was up for getting married, but her parents were a different story.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
12. They Objected
Helen Burger wanted to marry Glenn Miller—but they were in for a fight. They were pretty sure that Miller’s career choice wouldn’t adequately provide for their daughter. Burger was an independent woman, and she turned her back on her parents, went to New York and married her sweetheart anyway.
Now Miller had to prove his in-laws wrong.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
13. He Tried Really Hard
To prove to his parents-in-law that he could make a living as a musician, Glenn Miller doubled his efforts to be a success. He formed his own band in 1935, but sadly it didn’t do well. What Miller needed was someone who knew their way around financing a band. Well, he found that and more in his friend Simon “Cy” Shribman.
Not only did Shribman have business sense, he also had money.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
14. He Tasted Success
Miller took Shribman’s advice—and his cash—and made a new band. By spring 1938, Miller was finally feeling like this could work. He had a sweet taste of success in his mouth, and it was only going to get better. His band was finally getting known around the New York area. And then he got a call that would change everything.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
15. He Played The Best
One of the best places to perform at this time was at the Glen Island Casino. This venue had launched many careers, and Miller was likely thrilled to get the call. When Miller and his band showed up to the Casino, they were absolutely stunned. One swing-era expert, Gunther Schuller, estimates that 1,800 people showed up for Miller’s act.
While this is nothing compared to a Taylor Swift tour, it broke all the records at the time. Miller had no idea how big he was about to get.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
16. He Was Everywhere
The next year, Time magazine announced a startling fact. They looked at American jukeboxes across the country and found something surprising. Most jukeboxes contained between 12 and 24 discs and, quite shockingly, Miller was responsible for at least two and sometimes six songs.
Miller was taking America by storm and next, he would strike the motherlode.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
17. He Hit The Hall
When Miller’s version of “Tuxedo Junction” had opening week sales of 115,000, it was time for him to really hit the big time. There wasn’t anything bigger at the time than Carnegie Hall. On October 6, 1939, Miller played the hall and even reunited with old roommate Benny Goodman. Carnegie Hall was a turning point for Miller.
But even bigger things were coming.
Ajay Suresh, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Got A Call
It didn’t take long before Hollywood came calling. Twentieth Century Fox was making the musical-comedy Sun Valley Serenade, and they asked Glenn Miller to provide the music and even play a character. But Miller did more than just appear in the film—he provided a show-stopping sequence that went down in history.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
19. He Took Up Eight Minutes
Even though Sun Valley Serenade takes place at a ski resort in Idaho, the director wanted to work in a song that would really let Miller shine. This was “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and it had nothing to do with skiing at all. That didn’t matter. The sequence with “Chattanooga Choo Choo” ended up being a stunning eight minutes long—including tap dancing—and wowed audiences.
But there was more waiting for Miller than just grateful audiences.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
20. It Was A Hit
“Chattanooga Choo Choo” proved to be so popular that RCA Victor handed Miller a Gold Record. After all, the tune sold 1.2 million copies. Strangely enough, RCA had originally released the song as a B-side. Boy, did they get that wrong. With this much attention, it was no surprise that Miller received a second offer for a movie.
But this would be a very different kind of film.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
21. He Got Serious
Movies featuring big bands tended to be light airy fluff, but Miller’s next feature was hardly that. Orchestra Wives is about the women who follow their musical spouses on tour and find themselves caught up in jealousy and cattiness. This film features another Miller regular, “At Last,” which Etta James, Celine Dion, and Beyonce have all covered.
Miller was taking Hollywood by storm, and nothing seemed to be able to stop him. And then he stopped himself.
Twentieth Century, Orchestra Wives (1942)
22. They Didn’t Want Him
Glenn Miller wasn’t only serious about music, he was also serious about his country. When WWII started, Miller was ready to quit making music and serve his country. There weren't one, but two problems. First off the draft wasn’t calling on married men at this time. Also, Miller wore eyeglasses, which made it even more unlikely that he’d get the call from Uncle Sam.
Miller needed to take a drastic measure if he wanted to fight for his country.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
23. He Got Rejected
Since the armed forces didn’t seem to want him, Miller volunteered with the US Navy. At this time, there was a scandal involving celebrities using commissions from the Navy, so they could avoid getting drafted. Because of this, the Navy rejected Miller’s application. It seemed that fate was trying to send Miller a message.
Miller was no quitter. He had a plan B.
24. He Had A Revolutionary Idea
Miller’s next plan was to use his musical background to help his country during WWII. He sent a lengthy letter to a general at the Army Service Forces and this letter explained that Miller had a new and outlandish idea about military music. He wanted to add jazz. This was an strange concept, and Miller seemed likely to end up with another rejection.
But that didn’t happen.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
25. He Had To Break Them Up
Miller’s outlandish idea to add jazz to military music got him what he wanted. All he had to do now was break up the band. This must have been quite painful, as they were earning a weekly amount of about $20,000—approximately $330,000 in today’s dollars. Miller was just that committed.
His next task was more emotionally painful.
26. He Said Goodbye
On September 24, 1942, Glenn Miller said goodbye to his fans on his regular radio program. He did one more radio performance and a live performance at Central Theater in New Jersey and that was that. Miller bid farewell to music. Sadly, he had no idea he was saying goodbye to his civilian career forever.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
27. He Kept Busy
Glenn Miller was as busy in the military as he had been as a civilian musician. He screened personnel for bands, he recruited new musicians and he directed. He was also responsible for a Radio Production Unit that would broadcast in New York City. In what little spare time he had, he involved himself in marching bands.
Considering his success by the time he enlisted, Miller was used to doing things his way—and so, his rebellious attitude got him into trouble.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
28. He Was A Revolutionary
One unique thing about Miller’s marching bands was that they used jeeps to carry the drummers and bass. This went over well. What didn’t go over well was his use of jazz arrangements like “Blues in the Night” for the marching bands. He fought with the purists, and he eventually won. Miller had almost single-handedly changed military music forever.
But being this good was about to put him in danger.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
29. He Went To The Center
In May 1944, a cable arrived from General Dwight D Eisenhower concerning Glenn Miller. He wanted Miller and his unit sent to Europe. He felt that Miller was the only one who could give the fighting men a much-needed boost to their morale.
On June 19, Miller flew to London. He was heading directly to the center of WWII.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
30. They Couldn’t Sleep
Glenn Miller and his band first set up home at 25 Sloane Court in a BBC Radio office. This was smack in the middle of an area of London where no one could sleep because of the constant sound of German explosives overhead. Miller quickly arranged to move his unit to a quieter place. He didn’t know it—but he had impeccable timing.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
31. He Had A Close Call
The day after Glenn Miller moved his unit to quieter quarters, tragedy struck. The BBC office Miller and his band had just moved out of got bombed. The explosion destroyed the entire building, and 150 people lost their lives. This tragic event launched a phenomenon known as “the Miller Luck”.
Sadly, luck would not always be on Miller’s side.
US Army photographer, Wikimedia Commons
32. They Joined Forced
While in the UK, Glenn Miller was working closely with David Niven, who would go on to become an Academy Award-winning actor. Together, Miller and Niven planned to move the unit to France, where they could entertain at hospitals and for troops on leave from the battle. Sadly, this move would soon spell disaster for Miller.
Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
33. He Went Ahead
When the plans for relocating to France went behind schedule, Niven promoted Miller to executive officer. This meant that Miller would go earlier to France to make all the arrangements for his band. Niven booked Miller on a December 14 flight to Paris. Miller never got on that flight.
34. He Got Canceled
Glenn Miller was anxious to get to France, so he went on standby for an earlier flight. Then, something strange happened. Bad weather canceled that flight, and then they canceled Miller’s original flight for the same reason. It was almost as if something was telling Miller not to go. Sadly, Miller didn’t listen to the warnings.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
35. He Saw An Opportunity
By chance, Glenn Miller found out that a friend was flying to Paris on the 15th, and he called him with a request. The friend was Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell, who invited Miller on the flight. Baessell was taking a Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman which was a small, Canadian-made, single-engine plane.
If he’d followed orders, it might have saved his life.
United States Air Force, Wikimedia Commons
36. He Shouldn’t Have Gotten On
Because of Miller’s travel orders, he had no authorization to get on the plane with Baessell. He did it anyway, and because of this, no one officially knew where he was. On December 15, the pilot—Flight Officer John Stuart Morgan—landed the plane, let Miller and Baessell on board, and took off again. This was just before 2 PM.
No one ever saw any of them again.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
37. No One Noticed
The morning following Miller’s flight, a major battle began, later dubbed the Battle of the Bulge. In this battle, German forces had caught the Allies off-guard, and all attention went to that battle. For this reason, no one seemed to notice that Miller’s plane had disappeared. It took an astonishing nine days to realize Miller was missing.
There was a very important appointment that Miller was not going to be able to keep.
38. He Was Missing
When the Allied forces finally realized that Glenn Miller was missing, they had a problem. Miller’s band was now safely in France and ready to perform on Christmas Day. If they let them perform without Miller, the public would know that Miller was missing. They couldn't do that without letting Miller’s wife know about the situation.
They had to take drastic measures.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
39. They Had A Race Against Time
It was a race against time to deliver the bad news to Miller’s wife before the world found out about his disappearance. This wasn’t something you wanted to tell a wife over the phone. So, two senior officers went in person to see Helen Miller at her home. This did not go very smoothly.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
40. She Couldn’t Believe it
Miller’s wife, Helen, was speechless. She couldn’t believe that her husband was missing. After all, they had just adopted a son who they named Stephen. But it gets even more heartbreaking. They had also adopted another child—this time, a girl named Jonnie—and Miller hadn’t even met her.
As Helen grappled with what had happened, it was time to tell the world.
Universal, The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
41. The Made An Announcement
On Christmas Eve, 1944, SHAEF (the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force) made an announcement to the media. Legendary bandleader Glenn Miller had disappeared, and no one knew where he was. Jerry Gray stepped in to take Miller’s place, and the Christmas concert went ahead.
Now they just had to look for him.
Michael Ochs Archives , Getty Images
42. They Wanted To Know What Happened
Most people at the time assumed that Glenn Miller and his plane went down for two reasons. There was fog that day, and there was the potential of ice being on the wings. These are two very logical reasons. Of course, there were a lot more far-fetched theories out there about what happened to Miller.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
43. There Are Conspiracy Theories
Some believe that it was the Germans that shot down Miller’s plane and some thought that Miller, specifically, was a target. This theory says that Miller was part of a secret mission and that the Germans actually captured him and took his life. But there’s another theory that places the blame much closer to home.
Let’s call this the “friendly fire” theory.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
44. It May Have Been Friendly Fire
In 2000, Sotheby’s auditioned off a log book from WWII. The writer of the log book was also in the sky the night Miller’s plane disappeared. Derek Thurman said that he was on a raid of Germany that night, and the usual practice was to dump any unused explosives in the sea before returning home.
What Thurman saw that night was eerie.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
45. It Was Going The Other Way
Thurman says he and three of his crew saw a small plane headed in the opposite direction, which easily could have been Miller and his plane. Unfortunately, due to the poor timing, they suspected that the explosives they had dropped into the sea probably hit Miller’s plane.
And we don’t have to imagine what happened—someone actually saw it happen.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
46. He Saw It with His Own Eyes
Thurman said that the navigator saw the small plane go by at a very fast speed. But it was the rear gunner who saw the disaster with his own eyes. He said that he saw Miller’s plane flip over and enter the ocean. The thing was, that area was supposed to be clear of any aircraft. The next thing to figure out was why Miller's plane was there in the first place.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
47. There Was A Bizarre Clue
A possible solution to the mystery of the route Miller’s plane took, came from a very bizarre source. In 2012, Sylvan Anderton tried to sell his brother’s old notebooks at the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. As it turned out, Anderton’s brother was a plane spotter when he was a teenager. He kept meticulous records of all the planes he saw pass over him while he was working.
Somewhere in these books could be the answer to Miller’s disappearance.
Twentieth Century, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
48. It Was A Significant Find
At first, the authorities were not that interested in these plane spotter’s notes. Then, they realized that the spotter’s location would have given him a direct view of Miller’s plane. What they learned from the notes was that Miller’s plane was on schedule and on the correct course. This threw the friendly fire theory right out the window.
Next, another surprising find would bring us closer to the truth.
Simon Speed, Wikimedia Commons
49. They Finally Found It
Back in 1987, a fisherman had made a shocking discovery. He found a plane in his nets, but he had to let it slide back into the sea. Years later, the fisherman saw a photo of Miller’s place and realized it could be the same one. With the help of the fisherman, they eventually located the wreckage in an area near Dorset, England.
This fisherman may have solved the mystery of Miller's disappearance.
Kinfo Pedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
50. It’s A Mystery
The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has worked to determine if the wreckage that the fisherman alerted authorities to is actually Miller’s aircraft. Sadly, there is still no absolute proof that the wreckage is the plane that took Miller’s life. TIGHAR says that it is still just a possibility.
51. His Son Kept Looking
After Glenn Miller’s bizarre disappearance, his son Steven had to put up with bizarre stories from conspiracy theorists—until he got so fed up, he decided to solve the mystery himself. He hired an expert on his father’s life, Dennis Spragg, who spent years looking for clues. Finally, he came upon military documents that hadn’t been examined before.
Thanks to these documents, Spragg believes that the fuel intakes on Miller’s plane froze and caused it go down over the English channel—there was just one, heartbreaking problem. Steven sadly passed away in 2012, before Spragg found the documents.
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