Scatman Crothers


Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers was an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, and Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. He was also a prolific voice actor who provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters animated TV series, Jazz the Autobot in The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie, the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, and Scat Cat in the Disney animated film The Aristocats.

Career

Music

Crothers began his musical career as a teenager. He sang and was self-educated on guitar and drums. He was in a band that played in speakeasies in Terre Haute, Indiana. During the 1930s, Crothers formed a band, spending eight years living in Akron, Ohio, and performing five days a week on a radio show in Dayton, Ohio. The station manager thought he needed a catchier name, so Crothers suggested "Scatman" for his scat singing. He married Helen Sullivan, a native of Steubenville, Ohio, in 1937. In the 1940s, the couple moved to California.
He performed in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City. Capitol released several of his singles, including "I'd Rather Be a Hummingbird", "Blue-Eyed Sally", and "Television Blues". High Fidelity Records released his album Rock and Roll with Scatman Crothers. He went on USO tours with Bob Hope. Crothers also performed with bandleader Slim Gaillard. According to the jacket notes of the Let Freedom Sing CD set, Crothers was part of the music group The Ramparts, who sang "The Death of Emmett Till", a song by A. C. Bilbrew.

Film and television

Crothers made his film debut in the movie Meet Me at the Fair. He had roles in the film musical Hello Dolly! and The Great White Hope before providing the voice of Scat Cat in the animated film The Aristocats. Crothers appeared in four films with Jack Nicholson: The King of Marvin Gardens, The Fortune, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Shining. He had the part of a fable-telling convict in the animated film Coonskin, a train porter in Silver Streak, a liveryman in The Shootist, Mingo in Roots, Tinker the piano player in Neil Simon's The Cheap Detective, a ringmaster in Bronco Billy, a baseball coach in Zapped!, and angels in Two of a Kind and Twilight Zone: The Movie.
Crothers became the first black person to appear regularly in a Los Angeles television show when he joined Dixie Showboat. After portraying Scat Cat in The Aristocats in the 1970s, Crothers found voice acting jobs as Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series and as the title character in Hong Kong Phooey. For four years, he played the role of Louie the garbage man on Chico and the Man. During his appearance on Sanford and Son Crothers joined Redd Foxx for two musical numbers. One was a version of the standard "All of Me", in which he accompanied Foxx on tenor guitar. In 1966, Hanna-Barbera aired an animated special called The New Alice in Wonderland (or What's a Nice Kid like You Doing in a Place like This?), an updated version of the Lewis Carroll story featuring Sammy Davis Jr. as the Cheshire Cat. The special was followed by an audio adaptation for HB Records, but since Davis was signed to Reprise Records, Crothers provided the cat's voice for the album.
Crothers had guest roles on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1958, Dragnet in 1967, Bewitched and McMillan & Wife in 1971, Adam-12 in 1972, Kojak and Ironside in 1973, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Mannix and Sanford and Son in 1974, Starsky & Hutch in 1977, Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat in 1978, Magnum, P.I. in 1980, Benson in 1982, and Taxi in 1983. Also in 1980, he was on two episodes of Laverne & Shirley as a porter. In the 1980s, he provided the voice of the Autobot Jazz on the television series The Transformers. He starred in three short-lived 1980s television series: One of the Boys, Casablanca, and Morningstar/Eveningstar.

Death

Around 1985, Crothers was diagnosed with an inoperable malignant tumor in his lung which metastasized to his esophagus. He was bedridden weeks before his death and had slipped into a coma. On November 22, 1986, Crothers died at age 76 at his home in Van Nuys, California after struggling with lung cancer. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Awards and honors

Filmography

Film

King Cole Trio & Benny Carter Orchestra as himselfYes Sir, Mr. Bones as ScatmanThe Return of Gilbert and Sullivan Meet Me at the Fair as Enoch JonesSurprising Suzie East of Sumatra as BaltimoreWalking My Baby Back Home as Smiley GordonJohnny Dark Team Berlin Tarzan and the Trappers as TyanaPorgy and Bess as CrabmanThe Sins of Rachel Cade as MusingaThe Patsy as the Shoeshine BoyBloody Mama as Moses the CaretakerThe Aristocats as Scat Cat Chandler as SmokeLady Sings the Blues as Big BenThe King of Marvin Gardens as LewisDetroit 9000 as Reverend MarkhamSlaughter's Big Rip-Off as ClevelandBlack Belt Jones as Pop ByrdTruck Turner as DukeWin, Place or Steal as the AttendantLinda Lovelace for President as Super BlackThe Fortune as the FishermanCoonskin as Pappy / Old Man Bone One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as Mr. TurkleFriday Foster as Noble FranklinStay Hungry as WilliamThe Shootist as Moses BrownChesty Anderson, USN as Ben BensonSilver Streak as Ralson, a Railroad PorterMean Dog Blues as MudcatThe Cheap Detective as TinkerScavenger Hunt as SamBanjo the Woodpile Cat as Crazy Legs The Shining as Dick HallorannBronco Billy as Doc LynchThe Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island as Dewey StevensZapped! as Coach Dexter JonesDeadly Eyes as George FoskinsTwilight Zone: The Movie as Mr. Bloom Two of a Kind as EarlThe Journey of Natty Gann as ShermanMorningstar/Eveningstar as Excell DennisThe Transformers: The Movie as Jazz Rock Odyssey as Jukebox, posthumous release

Television

The Adventures of Jim Bowie – CiceroAlfred Hitchcock Presents – Timothy Beany and Cecil - Go Man Van Gogh / Wildman of Wildsville Bonanza – JudThe Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo Dragnet – Dave RichmondLove, American Style Harlem Globetrotters – George 'Meadowlark' Lemon Bewitched – HandlerNichols – JackThe New Scooby-Doo Movies

Discography

  • Rock 'N Roll With "Scat Man"
  • 4 A.M.
  • Comedy Sweepstakes
  • ''Big Ben Sings''