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Lillian Dorothy Miller (May 26, 1897 – April 1, 1990) better known asMiss Miller, was a regular audience member of various American televisionvariety shows from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Miller was born in Boston in a Jewish family and was the youngest of four children.[1] Later, she had a daytime job as a government typist, but retired in 1958 due to eye trouble.[2] She began her audience career with radio programs in 1940, in New York. In 1948 she was living inHollywood, California. She first went on stage in 1949, helpingSammy Kaye lead his band on his radio showSo You Want to Lead a Band. In 1950, she moved back East, to New York City, then toPhiladelphia, and then back to New York City.[3]
Miller was first regular audience member ofThe Tonight Show throughoutSteve Allen's andJack Paar's tenures as host. Miss Miller was even brought along when theNew York City-based show would goon location to places such asHavana, Cuba,Hollywood, California, andNiagara Falls. She became such a fixture on the show that she joinedAFTRA, the TV actors' union.[citation needed]
When Paar leftTonight to start his prime-timeJack Paar Program in 1962, then Miss Miller became a regular on that program as well as onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson andThe Merv Griffin Show.[4] On at least one Paar program, shown on November 29, 1962, Miss Miller was an on-stage guest alongsideLiberace andCassius Clay.[1] Even with numerous network andsyndicator changes, as well as a changing of base from New York to Hollywood, Miller remained a fixture onGriffin's program throughout its run, which ended in 1986. She was sometimes featured in the commercials for Griffin's show. She was also regular onThe Carol Burnett Show, frequently bantering withBurnett during the program's opening question-and-answer session with the audience.[citation needed]
During the mid 1980s, Miller was frequent guest atThe Limelight inAtlanta, Georgia. She hosted parties, met with then-mayorAndrew Young and danced the night away with other celebrities. She had been photographed many times by entertainment photographer Guy D'Alema when she was in the Limelight.[citation needed]
