José Melis Guiu (February 27, 1920 – April 7, 2005) was a Cuban-American bandleader and television personality.
Melis was born inHavana,Cuba. He studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and a Cuban government scholarship enabled him to continue his education inParis. When he was 16, he arrived in the United States, graduated from theJuilliard School of Music and worked as a lounge pianist. During World War II, while he was serving as the musical director for the USO's New York City branch of theUSO, he metJack Paar, and the two remained friends for years.
In 1954–55, Melis was the pianist whenThe Morning Show onCBS was hosted by Paar. Then Paar moved from mornings to late night, and from 1957 to 1962, Melis served as the musical director ofThe Tonight Show during Jack Paar's tenure as host. He also wrote the music for Paar's theme song, "IM4U" (lyrics by Sev F. Marino), and he performed with Paar on other shows, including Parr’sStartime (1960). One of his routines on Paar's shows was the "telephone game," in which Melis would improvise a musical number based on the last four digits of an audience member's telephone number.
Melis also appeared on other TV shows, includingEd Sullivan'sToast of the Town, and he portrayed himself in the musical comedy filmSenior Prom (1958). He occasionally accompaniedFrank Sinatra, and his song "Pasion Orientale" was heard in theJudy Garland version ofA Star Is Born (1954). In addition to touring withMel Torme, he also appeared as a soloist with theBoston Pops and other symphony orchestras.
Melis was 85 when he died of a respiratory infection inSun City, Arizona, on April 7, 2005.[1]
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| Preceded by | The Tonight Show bandleader 1957–1962 | Succeeded by |
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