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Sidney Miller

Sidney Miller

Actor and director · Died January 10, 2004, aged 87 · Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA

Sidney Miller was born Sydney L. Miller in Shenandoah, PA, on October 22, 1916, the son of Jewish immigrants from Poland, who already had two daughters. When Sydney was 14 his father, a tailor, sold his business and moved the family to Los Angeles. There Sydney got the acting bug, and his first film was an uncredited bit part in Penrod and Sam (1931). He worked steadily, although uncredited, over the next few years, his persona that of a brash and somewhat annoying street kid. His persistence paid off, though, and in 1933 he got his first screen credit (changing his first name from "Sydney" to "Sidney"). His big break came in 1938 when he starred opposite Mickey Rooney in Boys Town (1938) in which, unlike many of Rooney's colleagues, Sidney actually got along well with the star and the two became friends. Miller had an innate musical talent and soon was writing lyrics for Rooney's musical compositions. He often worked in front of or behind the cameras in many of Rooney's films in the 1930s. His musical work continued after Rooney joined the army during World War II, and his career began to shift from mainly acting to mainly songwriting. In the late 1940s he worked extensively in radio and wrote the musical material for the nightclub acts of several Hollywood song-and-dance men, such as Donald O'Connor (Miller also worked onstage with O'Connor at times). O'Connor was picked to host the early television variety series The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), and Miller went along as part of the show's writing team. After his stint on that show ended, he joined Walt Disney Studios, where he wrote, directed and composed music for many of Disney's TV series, including The Mickey Mouse Club (1955), for which Walt Disney wanted a complete revamping after the first season, and told Miller to change the show to appeal more to teenagers than to the very young children at which it was originally aimed. Miller brought in new writers and choreographers, gave the Mousketeers more musical numbers and comedy skits and turned the show into a sort of mini-variety show. Although that was what Walt Disney wanted, it didn't go over particularly well with the audience, and the numbers for the show went down. In addition, Miller could be somewhat abrasive as a director, which caused some friction on the set among the cast. Although there was talk of Miller directing a remake of March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) at Disney in 1957, that film wasn't made until four years later (Babes in Toyland (1961)) and was directed by former song-and-dance man and choreographer Jack Donohue, as Miller had left Disney by that time. Sidney Miller may well best be remembered for having directed Lou Costello's only starring film after his break-up with Bud Abbott, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959), which unfortunately didn't do the careers of either man much good. In the 1960s he directed many television series episodes, such as My Favorite Martian (1963), Get Smart (1965) and The Addams Family (1964) and played small parts in several films and TV shows. In the 1970s his onscreen output declined and he did much voice-over work in animated series. Married three times, he is the father of actor Barry Miller with first wife Iris Burton. Sidney Miller passed away in Los Angeles from Parkinson's Disease on January 10, 2004.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
October 22, 1916
Died
January 10, 2004 (aged 87)
From
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor and director
Titles
51 on MovieCove · 122 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 6% in 30 days

What are Sidney Miller's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
40%
Self
32%
Society
12%
Morality
10%
Power
3%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
5
Absurd
3
Warm
3
Hopeful
2
Romantic
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sidney Miller's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 51 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sidney Miller's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

122 credits, 51 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Walt Disney Treasures | The Mickey Mouse Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • A Christmas Carol(1997)

    as (voice)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Father Dowling Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Sol

  • Memories of Me(1988)

    as Slow-Burn

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • We Think the World Is Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Pinta / Sea Monster (voice)

  • Star 80(1983)

    as Nightclub Owner

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Dungeons & Dragons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 27 episodes · as Dungeon Master (voice)

  • Monchhichis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 13 episodes · as Horrg (voice)

  • Lucy Moves to NBC(1980)

    as Al Cody

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The World's Greatest Lover(1977)

    as Man at the Table

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Ellery Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Morgue Attendant

  • Barney Miller(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Jackie Ace

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Francis Church (voice)

  • For Pete's Sake(1974)

    as Drunk Driver

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Lost in Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Lar / Tyrano Twin One (voice)

  • Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 29 episodes · as Sweet Mama Ooze

  • Hawkins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as G. Ronald Ashton

  • Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask(1972)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Director

  • Which Way to the Front?(1970)

    as Hitler

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Love, American Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Carol Harris's father (voice)

  • Marcus Welby, M.D.(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Ben Leona

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Adam-12(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as J. Simmons · as Man in Sewer · as Marvin Weber

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Yours, Mine and Ours(1968)

    as Dr. Ashford

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Tammy and the Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Hotel Clerk

  • Dragnet 1967(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Jay Simmons

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Monkees(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • That Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Get Smart(1965)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Honey West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • My Mother the Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Please Don't Eat the Daisies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Get Yourself a College Girl(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Broadside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Addams Family(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Bewitched(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The Three Stooges Scrapbook (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director

  • My Favorite Martian(1963)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • McHale's Navy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Lucy Show(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Sid Howard

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Peter Loves Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 25 episodes · Director

  • Tightrope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock(1959)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Ann Sothern Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Real McCoys(1957)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • DuPont Show of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Associate Producer

  • Bachelor Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Bob Cummings Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Roscoe Dewitt

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Donald O'Connor Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 19 episodes · as Sidney Miller

  • Walking My Baby Back Home(1953)

    as Wally Thomas

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Sniper(1952)

    as Hospital Intern

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Dangerous Assignment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · as Xavier

  • Dragnet(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Colgate Comedy Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 18 episodes · Writer · as Self

  • The Lucky Stiff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Bernstein

  • Are You With It? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Songs

  • The Judge Steps Out(1948)

    as Newsboy (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • On Stage Everybody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Radio Announcer (uncredited)

  • Patrick the Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Tony

  • The Horn Blows at Midnight(1945)

    as Trumpet player (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • There Goes Kelly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Sammy Cohn

  • She Gets Her Man(1945)

    as Boy

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Babes on Swing Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Corny Panatowsky

  • Hot Rhythm(1944)

    as Sammy Rubin

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Moonlight in Vermont (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Cyril

  • Here Comes Kelly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Sammy Cohn

  • Top Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Higgins - Soda Jerk

  • Hi Diddle Diddle(1943)

    as Benny (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • For God and Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Solly Rosenfeld

  • The Great Glover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Actor

  • Madame Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Newsboy

  • Get Hep to Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Boy Waiter

  • Private Buckaroo(1942)

    as Jeep Driver

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Syncopation(1942)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • A Study in Socks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Dodo

  • Alias Boston Blackie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Herman - Bellhop (uncredited)

  • Mr. Wise Guy(1942)

    as Charlie Horse

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Babes on Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Tony (uncredited)

  • Henry Aldrich for President (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Sidney

  • Men of Boys Town(1941)

    as Mo Kahn

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Little Nellie Kelly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Boy at Dance (uncredited)

  • Strike Up the Band(1940)

    as Sid - a Student

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • City for Conquest(1940)

    as Band Conductor and Emcee (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Golden Gloves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Sammy Sachs

  • 20,000 Men a Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Irving Glassman

  • Babes in Arms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Sid (uncredited)

  • What a Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Pinkie Peters

  • Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever(1939)

    as Sidney

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Streets of New York(1939)

    as Jiggsy

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Panama Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Jimmy

  • Scouts to the Rescue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Hermie - a Boy Scout

  • Cipher Bureau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jimmy

  • Boys Town(1938)

    as Mo Kahn

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Big Shot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Newsboy

  • Cain and Mabel(1936)

    as Call Boy (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Women Are Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Copy Boy

  • One Rainy Afternoon(1936)

    as Theater Doorman (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Little Red Schoolhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Sidney Levy

  • The Girl Who Came Back(1935)

    as Telegram Boy (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Dinky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sammy

  • The Band Plays On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Rosy as a Boy

  • Our Daily Bread(1934)

    as Cohen's Son (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Desirable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as First Western Union Messenger

  • Managed Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Sidney-Sonny's friend

  • Hi, Nellie(1934)

    as Louie (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Big Shakedown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Boy Buying Ice Cream (uncredited)

  • Git Along Little Wifie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Newspaper Boy

  • Wild Boys of the Road(1933)

    as Boy Selling Letter (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Merrily Yours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Harry's stooge

  • Dora's Dunking Doughnuts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Meglin Kid Dancer (uncredited)

  • Rafter Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Julius

  • This Day and Age(1933)

    as Harold Miller

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Mary Stevens, M.D.(1933)

    as Sanford Nussbaum (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Mayor of Hell(1933)

    as Isidore "Izzy" Horowitz

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Hard to Handle(1933)

    as Boy on Pier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Lawyer Man(1932)

    as Boy Behind Olga at End (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Penguin Pool Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Isadore Marks (uncredited)

  • Three on a Match(1932)

    as Willie Goldberg (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Penrod and Sam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Maurice Levy (uncredited)

  • Mickey's Whirlwinds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Cadet in the stands

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 122 titles from 1930 to 2004; peak year 1968.

Biggest box office

Star 80 (1983)

$6.5M worldwide

Highest rated

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Midcredits 83rd

Film career

19302004

Peak 1968 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting97 of 122: 97 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thDirecting22 of 122: 22 only directing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thWriting1 of 122: 1 only writing, 0 with another roleProducing1 of 122: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 122: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s36 · acting1940s30 · 29 acting · 1 crew1950s14 · 6 acting · 8 crew1960s22 · 7 acting · 15 crew1970s11 · acting1980s7 · acting1990s1 · acting2000s1 · crew

Billing

usually 17th · top billed in 0% of 13 roles
3252

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Sidney Miller's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 39; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 51 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th23
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

33 of their 51 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser33
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

Which Way to the Front? (1970)

81st percentile spread · 53% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Get Smart (1965)

Midcredits 93rd · 89% liked

Reviewers score the acting 56/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 36. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Sidney Miller work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sidney Miller's MovieCove titles; Ben Lewis shares the most, 2.