Hackensack to Hollywood: My Two Show Business Careers From Krupa & Goodman to Mork & Mindy

Gordon "Whitey" Mitchell was at the heart of show business as a top jazz musician/studio player. In a mid-life career change, he found success as a screenwriter of theatrical films, television pilots, and hundreds of classic American tv sitcoms, such as Get Smart, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, and others. He laughed, scratched, and stumbled his way through both careers and rubbed shoulders with the biggest names in the business—and managed to remain completely anonymous.

Take a fast paced trip through his childhood, college, and the US Army, and then ride a roller coaster through the world of professional music, recording sessions, and bebop gigs with the world's greatest jazz musicians. Ride broadcast waves back into the 1970s and his creation of 24-minute tv episode scripts under the constraints of higher ups and their whims of misjudgment.

"I'd have to say this is a very entertaining book, even if he didn't mention my name fourteen times." –Norman Lear, producer-writer



"Whitey Mitchell is a fine bass player. He plays in tune, keeps immaculate time and knows the bridge to 'Sophisticated Lady.' He is also a writer who tells his stories with wit and style. His book is a pleasure to read." –Andre Previn, composer-conductor-pianist



"Whitey Mitchell is an extraordinary musician and a brilliant writer. But what he doesn't realize is that he's a magician. His life is magic. I read [the book] in one engrossing night. Couldn't put it down." –Mort Lachman, producer-writer for Bob Hope



"If I'd known that Whitey Mitchell was this funny, I would have given him more scripts to write." –Bill Asher, producer-director of I Love Lucy and Bewitched

"Mitchell knows everybody, tells all, makes it fun to remember the "Good Times" in our collective TV memory.

- Jeff Barr, L.A. Jazz