Duke Ellington with Harry Martin, ca. 1968, Hotel El Dorado, Sacramento

This footage, filmed by KCRA-TV, features the legendary composer, musician, and entertainer Duke Ellington (1899-1974) having breakfast with reporter Harry Martin in 1968. In this very informal interview, the Duke talks about his sacred music compositions (which he was performing in Sacramento later that evening), how he got his name, and the joys of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice from the beautiful Hotel El Dorado (formerly located at 500 Leisure Lane in Sacramento). What you are seeing is all that remains of a much longer interview, sections of which were edited out of the original reel and used for broadcast. There are abrupt edits throughout, but what we still have is no less amazing. Also intact are Martin's question B-roll, where the reporter repeats his questions for the camera at a different angle. This was later edited together to create your normal back-and-forth style interview. Harry Martin (1927-2008) was a reporter and host for Sacramento's KCRA-TV, where he worked for 33 years. His "Show Biz" reports were also syndicated in Phoenix, Arizona, and the San Francisco Bay Area. He was the first person to interview actor Goldie Hawn and the last person to interview Boris Karloff.

Added 1 Jun 2026