Seventeen magazine is a popular magazine for teenage girls and tweens. The covers of Seventeen are colorful and usually feature a young woman surrounded by headlines about the latest news on fashion and social events.

Launched in September 1944, Seventeen recognized teenagers as a distinct group with their own interests separate from their parents. One of the features of the Seventeen was news about the entertainment industry. In 1946, Edwin Miller was hired as an entertainment editor to a position that he held until 1988.

Miller, as the entertainment editor, had the unique opportunity to travel around the United States and abroad to interview actors, directors, entertainers, musicians, musical groups and writers. Miller did not conduct the typical interview of questions and answers. His style was to weave a narrative about his subject often writing comments (to himself) about the person(s) being interviewed.

Edwin Miller interviews for Seventeen Magazine, 1946-1988 [bulk 1960s-1970s], in Archives and Manuscripts.

Not all interviews were equal. Some of the interviews ran several pages and other interviews a mere half a page. This could be due to the unavailability of the artist, the reluctance of the subject to be interviewed or Miller's lack of interest. Until the 1970s, Miller favored typing on yellow stock paper. In later years, Miller began to record his interviews on audio cassettes.

Miller's interviews are a virtual who's who in the entertainment industry. Miller's interviewees include Woody Allen, Alan Alda, Eddie Albert, Carroll Baker, Robert Blake, The Beatles, Red Buttons (one of his earliest interviews), Harry Belafonte, Burt Lancaster, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, James Caan, Diahann Carroll, Cheap Trick, Jimi Hendrix, James Dean, Burt Lancaster, Suzanne Pleshette, Elvis Presley, Lee Remick, Vincent Price, Eva Marie Saint, Simon and Garfunkel, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and Orson Welles.

Some of Miller's interviews did not make it into Seventeen for a variety of reasons. Miller was one of those rare individuals who met many of the entertainment industry's most recognized individuals at various stages of their career.

This post was inspired by the Edwin Miller Interviews for Seventeen magazine. For additional information about this collection or other collections, contact the Manuscripts and Archives Division.

Support the New York Public Library: donate or volunteer.

Members like you are at the heart of our work to provide books, classes, and more for free.