Anita McMillan, the first contestant, was a wine stewardess working at the Club Alabam. Opened in 1927 at Rush Street in downtown Chicago, the club offered live entertainment and a variable menu from Chinese cuisine, fried chicken, and waffles to gourmet dining. It would close in 1964.
William Schuman's 'Symphony No. 8' (1962) would be performed at Philharmonic Hall (now David Geffen Hall) the following Thursday, October 4, 1962. It was recorded for Columbia Masterworks Records five days later by its performers, the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.