Scatman Crothers
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986) was an American actor, singer, dancer and musician known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man
, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining
in 1980. He was also a prolific voiceover artist, and provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon
in the animated TV version
of The Harlem Globetrotters
, Jazz
the Autobot
in The Transformers
, the title character in Hong Kong Phooey
, and Scat Cat in the 1970 film The Aristocats
.
. He got the name Scatman when he auditioned for a radio show in 1932 at the former WSMK (now WING
) in Dayton, Ohio
. The director didn't think his given name was catchy enough, so Crothers quickly concocted the handle Scat Man, although this talent, scat singing
, would later develop. He continued to enjoy this talent throughout his career, even teaching scat singing to college students. Later, the nickname was condensed to Scatman by Arthur Godfrey
.
band in his home town of Terre Haute. He played a variety of instruments, including drums and guitar, on jazz club band circuits in his early days as an entertainer. Among the people he performed for was notorious gangster, Al Capone
. Crothers formed his own band in the 1930s and traveled to Oakland California
with the band in 1948, he played piano at the Port O' Call and Walt's 405 Club. He left Oakland to stay in Los Angeles in 1952.
in the mid 1940s. Good friends with Jack Nicholson
, he appeared in four of his films: The King of Marvin Gardens
(1972), The Fortune
(1975), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
(1975), and The Shining
(1980). His later film appearances included the role of a wizened fable-telling convict in the extremely controversial Ralph Bakshi
animated film Coonskin
(1975), as a train porter in Silver Streak (1976), as a liveryman
in The Shootist
(1976), as a ringmaster
of a struggling wild west show in Bronco Billy
(1980), the Baseball coach and school teacher in Zapped!
(1982), an angel in Two of a Kind
(1983) and finally Mr. Bloom (or Blum), a magician in the guise of an old man in the "Kick the Can" segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie
.
Some sources erroneously list him as a dancer in the Duke Ellington
short
, Symphony in Black (1935), who is first seen dancing with a woman in his apartment before taking her out. Later, he encounters his jilted
lover, played by the also uncredited Billie Holiday
. They briefly have words, he pushes her down and exits with his new girlfriend before her song. This role was actually played by Earl Snakehips Tucker
, who also appears at the end of the short.
work on several animated series, beginning with his voicework in Disney's The Aristocats
. In the 1970s, fans recognized his distinctive voice as Hong Kong Phooey
, and the voice of Meadowlark Lemon
in the Harlem Globetrotters
cartoon series. In 1966 an animated special from the Hanna-Barbera
studios aired called The New Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?), a hip take on the Lewis Carroll
story that featured Sammy Davis, Jr.
as a swingin', beatnik Cheshire Cat
; the special was followed up by an audio adaptation for records (on Hanna-Barbera's HB Records label), but with Davis exclusive to the Reprise label, Crothers provided the Cat's record voice, and an even more exuberant spin on the character. Additionally, he made guest appearances on many popular shows, including Dragnet
in 1967, Bewitched
and McMillan & Wife in 1971, Adam-12
in 1972 (as "George Strothers"), Ironside
in 1973, Kolchak: The Night Stalker
and Sanford and Son
in 1974, Starsky and Hutch
in 1977, Charlie's Angels
in 1978 and Magnum, P.I.
in 1980. In the 1980s, he gained a new fanbase, providing the voice of the smooth-talking, music-loving Autobot Jazz
on the television series The Transformers
.
During his appearance on Sanford and Son
he joined Redd Foxx
for two musical numbers. One of which was a memorable version of the standard "All of Me
", where he accompanied Foxx on ukulele
. Crothers starred in three short-lived 1980s television series: One of the Boys
(1982), Casablanca (1983), and Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986).
Through all of the television characters that he played, he was most noted for his supporting role Louie Wilson (the garbage man) on the sitcom
Chico and the Man
.
. According to the jacket notes of the Let Freedom Sing CD set, Crothers was part of the music group The Ramparts who sang A.C. Bilbrew's "The Death of Emmett Till
". This song was about the murder of 14-year old Emmett Till
while on a visit from Chicago to relatives in the segregated Deep South during the mid-1950s. He also recorded several solo albums and singles.
late in 1985, but continued to perform. The cancer eventually spread to his esophagus
; he ultimately died of pneumonia
on November 22, 1986 at his home in Van Nuys, California. Crothers is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery
in Hollywood, California.
Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man is an American sitcom which ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown , the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano...
, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
in 1980. He was also a prolific voiceover artist, and provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon
Meadowlark Lemon
Meadow "Meadowlark" Lemon is an American basketball player, actor, and minister. For 22 years, Lemon was known as the "Clown Prince" of the touring Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. He played in more than 16,000 games for the Globetrotters and is a 2003 inductee of the Naismith Memorial...
in the animated TV version
Harlem Globetrotters (TV series)
Harlem Globetrotters was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera and CBS Productions, featuring animated versions of players from the basketball team, Harlem Globetrotters....
of The Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
, Jazz
Jazz (Transformers)
Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
the Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
in The Transformers
The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
, the title character in Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from to . The main character, Hong Kong Phooey, is a superhero who uses Chinese martial arts to fight crime. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, a "mild-mannered"...
, and Scat Cat in the 1970 film The Aristocats
The Aristocats
The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
.
Early life
Crothers was born in Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. He got the name Scatman when he auditioned for a radio show in 1932 at the former WSMK (now WING
WING
WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating with 5,000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios, offices and transmitter located on David Road in Kettering. It is the first full-time commercial radio station in Dayton...
) in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. The director didn't think his given name was catchy enough, so Crothers quickly concocted the handle Scat Man, although this talent, scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
, would later develop. He continued to enjoy this talent throughout his career, even teaching scat singing to college students. Later, the nickname was condensed to Scatman by Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
.
Career
Crothers started his musical career as a 15-year-old drummer in a speakeasySpeakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
band in his home town of Terre Haute. He played a variety of instruments, including drums and guitar, on jazz club band circuits in his early days as an entertainer. Among the people he performed for was notorious gangster, Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
. Crothers formed his own band in the 1930s and traveled to Oakland California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with the band in 1948, he played piano at the Port O' Call and Walt's 405 Club. He left Oakland to stay in Los Angeles in 1952.
Film
Crothers made his official debut in the movie Meet Me at the Fair (1953). He worked in both the movies and television, often taking bit parts. He also made musical shorts and played drums with Slim GaillardSlim Gaillard
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard was an American jazz singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist, noted for his vocalese singing and word play in a language he called "Vout"...
in the mid 1940s. Good friends with Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, he appeared in four of his films: The King of Marvin Gardens
The King of Marvin Gardens
The King of Marvin Gardens is a 1972 American drama film. It stars Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn and Scatman Crothers. It is one of several collaborations between Nicholson and director Bob Rafelson. The majority of the film is set in a wintry Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the plot...
(1972), The Fortune
The Fortune
The Fortune is a 1975 American comedy film starring Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty, and directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Adrien Joyce focuses on two bumbling con men who plot to steal the money of a wealthy young heiress.-Plot:...
(1975), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
(1975), and The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
(1980). His later film appearances included the role of a wizened fable-telling convict in the extremely controversial Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
animated film Coonskin
Coonskin (film)
Coonskin is a 1975 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, about an African American rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists and the Mafia...
(1975), as a train porter in Silver Streak (1976), as a liveryman
Liveryman
For Livery Companies in the City of London, a Liveryman is a full member of their respective Company.Livery Company members fall into two basic categories: Freemen and Liverymen. One may join as a Freeman, and thereby acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria...
in The Shootist
The Shootist
The Shootist is a 1976 Western starring John Wayne in his final film role. It was based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Glendon Swarthout. Scott Hale and Miles Hood Swarthout wrote the screenplay...
(1976), as a ringmaster
Ringmaster (circus)
The ringmaster is the most visible performer in the modern circus, and among the most important, since he stage-manages the performance, introduces the various acts, and guides the audience through the entertainment experience. In smaller circuses, the ringmaster is often the owner and artistic...
of a struggling wild west show in Bronco Billy
Bronco Billy
Bronco Billy is a 1980 American film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.-Plot:...
(1980), the Baseball coach and school teacher in Zapped!
Zapped!
Zapped! is a 1982 teen sex comedy starring Scott Baio as a teen who acquires telekinetic powers. The film is regarded as a parody of Carrie but also includes spoofs of The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Star Trek and the 1969 Kurt Russell film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.-Cast:Baio stars as Barney...
(1982), an angel in Two of a Kind
Two of a Kind (1983 film)
Two of a Kind is a 1983 American romantic comedy film directed by John Herzfeld and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film has Travolta as an inventor and Newton-John as a bank teller. It is up to both criminally-minded...
(1983) and finally Mr. Bloom (or Blum), a magician in the guise of an old man in the "Kick the Can" segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 science fiction horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1959 and '60s TV series created by Rod Serling. Those starring in the film are: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers,...
.
Some sources erroneously list him as a dancer in the Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
short
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, Symphony in Black (1935), who is first seen dancing with a woman in his apartment before taking her out. Later, he encounters his jilted
Abandonment
The term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...
lover, played by the also uncredited Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. They briefly have words, he pushes her down and exits with his new girlfriend before her song. This role was actually played by Earl Snakehips Tucker
Earl Snakehips Tucker
Earl "Snakehips" Tucker became known as the "Human Boa Constrictor" after the dance he popularized in Harlem in the 1920s called the "snakehips "....
, who also appears at the end of the short.
Television
Even though Crothers worked in television at the beginning of his career, he really came into his own in the medium doing voiceoverVoice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
work on several animated series, beginning with his voicework in Disney's The Aristocats
The Aristocats
The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
. In the 1970s, fans recognized his distinctive voice as Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from to . The main character, Hong Kong Phooey, is a superhero who uses Chinese martial arts to fight crime. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, a "mild-mannered"...
, and the voice of Meadowlark Lemon
Meadowlark Lemon
Meadow "Meadowlark" Lemon is an American basketball player, actor, and minister. For 22 years, Lemon was known as the "Clown Prince" of the touring Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. He played in more than 16,000 games for the Globetrotters and is a 2003 inductee of the Naismith Memorial...
in the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
cartoon series. In 1966 an animated special from the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
studios aired called The New Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?), a hip take on the Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
story that featured Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
as a swingin', beatnik Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
; the special was followed up by an audio adaptation for records (on Hanna-Barbera's HB Records label), but with Davis exclusive to the Reprise label, Crothers provided the Cat's record voice, and an even more exuberant spin on the character. Additionally, he made guest appearances on many popular shows, including Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
in 1967, Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
and McMillan & Wife in 1971, Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
in 1972 (as "George Strothers"), Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
in 1973, Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It featured a fictional Chicago newspaper reporter — Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin — who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly ones law...
and Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
in 1974, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
in 1977, Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
in 1978 and Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
in 1980. In the 1980s, he gained a new fanbase, providing the voice of the smooth-talking, music-loving Autobot Jazz
Jazz (Transformers)
Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
on the television series The Transformers
The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
.
During his appearance on Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
he joined Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
for two musical numbers. One of which was a memorable version of the standard "All of Me
All of Me (song)
"All of Me" is a popular song and jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931.First performed by Belle Baker over the radio and recorded in December 1931 by Ruth Etting, it has become one of the most recorded songs of its era, with notable versions by Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby,...
", where he accompanied Foxx on ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
. Crothers starred in three short-lived 1980s television series: One of the Boys
One of the Boys (TV series)
One of the Boys is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January to April 1982. Starring Mickey Rooney, Dana Carvey, Nathan Lane, and Scatman Crothers, TV Guide ranked it number 24 on its TV Guide's 50 Worst Shows of All Time list in 2002.-Synopsis:Oliver Nugent was a spry senior...
(1982), Casablanca (1983), and Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986).
Through all of the television characters that he played, he was most noted for his supporting role Louie Wilson (the garbage man) on the sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man is an American sitcom which ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown , the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano...
.
Music
Crothers performed on piano and drums in several bands, most notably with bandleader Slim GaillardSlim Gaillard
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard was an American jazz singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist, noted for his vocalese singing and word play in a language he called "Vout"...
. According to the jacket notes of the Let Freedom Sing CD set, Crothers was part of the music group The Ramparts who sang A.C. Bilbrew's "The Death of Emmett Till
The Death of Emmett Till
"The Death of Emmett Till", also known as "The Ballad of Emmett Till", is a song by American musician Bob Dylan about the murder of Emmett Till, which occurred on August 28, 1955. Till, a 14-year-old African American, was killed on August 28, 1955 by two white men, reportedly after flirting with a...
". This song was about the murder of 14-year old Emmett Till
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
while on a visit from Chicago to relatives in the segregated Deep South during the mid-1950s. He also recorded several solo albums and singles.
Death
A heavy smoker most of his life, Crothers was diagnosed with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
late in 1985, but continued to perform. The cancer eventually spread to his esophagus
Esophagus
The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
; he ultimately died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on November 22, 1986 at his home in Van Nuys, California. Crothers is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Hollywood, California.
Filmography
- King Cole Trio & Benny Carter Orchestra (1950) (short subject)
- Yes Sir, Mr. Bones (1951)
- The Return of Gilbert and Sullivan (1952)
- Meet Me at the Fair (1953)
- Surprising Suzie (1953) (short subject)
- East of SumatraEast of SumatraEast of Sumatra is a 1953 Technicolor Universal-International Pictures adventure film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Jeff Chandler and Anthony Quinn.-Plot synopsis:...
(1953) - Walking My Baby Back Home (1953)
- Johnny Dark (1954)
- Team Berlin (1955) (short subject)
- Between Heaven and Hell (1956)
- Tarzan and the Trappers (1958)
- The Gift of Love (1958)
- The Sins of Rachel CadeThe Sins of Rachel CadeThe Sins of Rachel Cade is a 1961 drama film starring Angie Dickinson in the title role as well as Peter Finch and Roger Moore.-Plot:During World War II, Protestant medical missionary Rachel comes to the village of Dibela in the Belgian Congo. Widowed military administrator Colonel Derode is...
(1961) - Lady in a Cage (1964)
- The Patsy (1964)
- The Family JewelsThe Family Jewels (film)The Family Jewels is a 1965 American comedy film. It was filmed from January 18-April 2, 1965 and was released by Paramount Pictures on July 1, 1965. The film was co-written, directed, and produced by Jerry Lewis who also played seven roles in the film...
(1965) - Three on a CouchThree On A CouchThree on a Couch is a comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis.Filmed from September 13-December 1, 1965, it was released on July 7, 1966 by Columbia Pictures. Co-starring are Janet Leigh, James Best, Mary Ann Mobley and Kathleen Freeman....
(1966) - Hook, Line & SinkerHook, Line & Sinker (1969 film)Hook, Line & Sinker is a 1969 American film. It was filmed from April 1-June 20, 1968. It was released on June 6, 1969 by Columbia Pictures. This film was also Lewis' last for Columbia.-Plot:...
(1969) - Hello, Dolly! (1969)
- Bloody Mama (1970)
- The Great White HopeThe Great White HopeThe Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
(1970) - The AristocatsThe AristocatsThe Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
(1970) (voice) - Chandler (1971)
- Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
- The King of Marvin GardensThe King of Marvin GardensThe King of Marvin Gardens is a 1972 American drama film. It stars Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn and Scatman Crothers. It is one of several collaborations between Nicholson and director Bob Rafelson. The majority of the film is set in a wintry Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the plot...
(1972) - Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
- Detroit 9000Detroit 9000Detroit 9000 is a 1973 American cult film directed by Arthur Marks from a screenplay by Orville Hampton. Originally marketed as a blaxploitation film, it had a resurgence on video 25 years later.-Plot:...
(1973) - Black Belt JonesBlack Belt JonesBlack Belt Jones is a 1974 American Blaxploitation action film. The main musical theme was performed by the funk guitarist Dennis Coffey. The film was featured as number 38 on the documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made.-Plot:...
(1974) - Truck TurnerTruck TurnerTruck Turner is a 1974 blaxploitation film, starring Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, and directed by Jonathan Kaplan. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin, Jerry Wilkes and Oscar Williams...
(1974) - Win, Place or Steal (1975)
- Linda LovelaceLinda LovelaceLinda Susan Boreman , better known by her stage name Linda Lovelace, was an American pornographic actress who was famous for her performance of deep throat fellatio in the enormously successful 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat...
for President (1975) - The FortuneThe FortuneThe Fortune is a 1975 American comedy film starring Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty, and directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Adrien Joyce focuses on two bumbling con men who plot to steal the money of a wealthy young heiress.-Plot:...
(1975) - CoonskinCoonskin (film)Coonskin is a 1975 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, about an African American rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists and the Mafia...
(1975) - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
(1975) - Friday FosterFriday Foster (film)Friday Foster is a 1975 blaxploitation film, written and directed by Arthur Marks, and starring Pam Grier in the title role. Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers co-starred. It was an adaptation of the 1970-74 eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip, scripted by Jim...
(1975) - Stay HungryStay Hungry (film)Stay Hungry is a 1976 dramatic comedy film by director Bob Rafelson from a screenplay by Charles Gaines . The story centers on a young Birmingham, Alabama, scion, played by Jeff Bridges, who gets involved in a shady real-estate deal. In order to close the deal, he needs to buy a gym building to...
(1976) - The ShootistThe ShootistThe Shootist is a 1976 Western starring John Wayne in his final film role. It was based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Glendon Swarthout. Scott Hale and Miles Hood Swarthout wrote the screenplay...
(1976) - Chesty Anderson, USNChesty Anderson, USNChesty Anderson, USN is a 1976 R-rated comedy film featuring Shari Eubank in one of her two movies. The film features Fred Willard, Betty Thomas, Scatman Crothers, Dyanne Thorne, Rosanne Katon, Joyce Mandel, and many others....
(1976) - Silver Streak (1976)
- Roots: The Saga of an American FamilyRoots: The Saga of an American FamilyRoots: The Saga of an American Family is a novel written by Alex Haley and first published in 1976. It tells the story of Kunta Kinte, an 18th-century African, captured as an adolescent and sold into slavery in the United States, and follows his life and the lives of his descendants in the U.S....
(1977) - Mean Dog Blues (1978)
- The Cheap DetectiveThe Cheap DetectiveThe Cheap Detective is a 1978 American satirical comedy film written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore as a follow-up to their successful Murder by Death ....
(1978) - Scavenger HuntScavenger HuntScavenger Hunt is a 1979 comedy film with a large ensemble cast, in the mold of the 1963 comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.-Plot summary:...
(1979) - The ShiningThe Shining (film)The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
(1980) - Bronco BillyBronco BillyBronco Billy is a 1980 American film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.-Plot:...
(1980) - The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's IslandThe Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's IslandThe Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island is a made for T.V. movie released in 1981.-Synopsis:The film is a sequel to the TV movie The Castaways on Gilligan's Island. Gilligan and his friends still own and operate the vacation resort The Castaways...
(TV 1981) - Zapped!Zapped!Zapped! is a 1982 teen sex comedy starring Scott Baio as a teen who acquires telekinetic powers. The film is regarded as a parody of Carrie but also includes spoofs of The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Star Trek and the 1969 Kurt Russell film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.-Cast:Baio stars as Barney...
(1982) - Deadly EyesDeadly EyesDeadly Eyes is a 1982 Canadian film directed by Robert Clouse, based on the horror novel The Rats by James Herbert. The story revolves around Giant Black Rats who begin eating the residents of Toronto after ingesting contaminated grain.-Plot:...
(1982) - Twilight Zone: The MovieTwilight Zone: The MovieTwilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 science fiction horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1959 and '60s TV series created by Rod Serling. Those starring in the film are: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers,...
(1983) - Two of a KindTwo of a Kind (1983 film)Two of a Kind is a 1983 American romantic comedy film directed by John Herzfeld and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film has Travolta as an inventor and Newton-John as a bank teller. It is up to both criminally-minded...
(1983) - The Journey of Natty GannThe Journey of Natty GannThe Journey of Natty Gann is a 1985 American film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Pictures.-Plot:Set in 1935, the movie tells the story of a young woman, Natty Gann...
(1985) - The Transformers: The MovieThe Transformers: The MovieThe Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
(1986) - Rock OdysseyRock OdysseyRock Odyssey is an animated feature movie produced by Hanna-Barbera for a theatrical release in 1987.Directed by Robert Taylor , with storyboards by Pete Alvarado.-Plot:...
(1987)