Scatman Crothers

Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986) 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 (1986), the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, and Scat Cat in the Disney animated film The Aristocats (1970).

Early life

Crothers was born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Career Music Crothers began his musical career at age 13. 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" (1955), a song by A. C. Bilbrew.

Film and television

Crothers made his film debut in the movie Meet Me at the Fair (1953). 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 (1982), Casablanca (1983), and Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986).

Personal life and death Crothers was married to his wife Helen for 49 years until his death.

Awards and honors Best Supporting Actor, Saturn Award, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, for The Shining (1980) NAACP Image Award Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, 1987 (posthumous)

Filmography Film

King Cole Trio & Benny Carter Orchestra (1950) (short subject) as himself Yes Sir, Mr. Bones (1951) as Scatman The Return of Gilbert and Sullivan (1952) Meet Me at the Fair (1953) as Enoch Jones Surprising Suzie (1953) (short subject) East of Sumatra (1953) as Baltimore Walking My Baby Back Home (1953) as Smiley Gordon Johnny Dark (1954) Team Berlin (1955) (short subject) Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) as Tyana Porgy and Bess (1959) as Crabman The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961) as Musinga The Patsy (1964) as the Shoeshine Boy Bloody Mama (1970) as Moses the Caretaker The Aristocats (1970) as Scat Cat (voice) Chandler (1971) as Smoke Lady Sings the Blues (1972) as Big Ben The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) as Lewis Detroit 9000 (1973) as Reverend Markham Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973) as Cleveland Black Belt Jones (1974) as Pop Byrd Truck Turner (1974) as Duke Win, Place or Steal (1975) as the Attendant Linda Lovelace for President (1975) as Super Black The Fortune (1975) as the Fisherman Coonskin (1975) as Pappy / Old Man Bone (voice) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) as Mr. Turkle Friday Foster (1975) as Noble Franklin Stay Hungry (1976) as William The Shootist (1976) as Moses Brown Chesty Anderson, USN (1976) as Ben Benson Silver Streak (1976) as Ralson, a Railroad Porter Mean Dog Blues (1978) as Mudcat The Cheap Detective (1978) as Tinker Scavenger Hunt (1979) as Sam Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979) as Crazy Legs (voice) The Shining (1980) as Dick Hallorann Bronco Billy (1980) as Doc Lynch The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981) (made for TV) as Dewey Stevens Zapped! (1982) as Coach Dexter Jones Deadly Eyes (1982) as George Foskins Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) as Mr. Bloom (segment "Kick the Can") Two of a Kind (1983) as Earl The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) as Sherman Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986) (TV Series) as Excell Dennis The Transformers: The Movie (1986) as Jazz (voice) Rock Odyssey (1987) as Jukebox (voice), posthumous release

Television

The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1957) (Season 2 Episode 6: "The Quarantine") – Cicero Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958) (Season 4 Episode 2: "Don't Interrupt") – Timothy Beany and Cecil (1959–1962) (multiple episodes and bumpers) - Go Man Van Gogh / Wildman of Wildsville (singing voice only at first, then regular voice) Bonanza (1961) (Season 3 Episode 1: "The Smiler") – Jud The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964–1965) (voice) Dragnet (1967) (Season 2 Episode 10: "The Missing Realtor") – Dave Richmond Love, American Style (1970) (Episode 34 "Love and the Dummies" - Drummer) Harlem Globetrotters (1970–1971) (22 episodes) – George 'Meadowlark' Lemon (voice) Bewitched (1971) (Season 8 Episode 13: "Three Men and a Witch on a Horse") – Handler Nichols (1972) (Season 1 Episode 14: "Eddie Joe") – Jack The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–73) (9 episodes) (Season 1 Episode 12: "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep") as George 'Meadowlark' Lemon (voice) (Season 2 Episode 1: "The Mystery of Haunted Island") as George 'Meadowlark' Lemon (voice) (credited as Benjamin Crothers) (Season 2 Episode 2: "The Haunted Showboat") as Additional voices (voice, credit only) (credited as Benjamin Crothers) (Season 2 Episode 3: "Mystery in Persia") as Additional voices (voice, credit only) (credited as Benjamin Crothers) (Season 2 Episode 4: "The Spirited Spooked Sports Show") as Additional voices (voice, credit only) (credited as Benjamin Crothers) (Season 2 Episode 5: "The Exterminator") as Additional voices (voice, credit only) (credited as Benjamin Crothers) (Season 2 Episode 6: "The Weird Winds on Winona") as Additional voices (voice, credit only) (credited as Benjamin Crothers) (Season 2 Episode 7: "The Haunted Candy Factory") as Additional voices (voice, credit only) Kojak (1973) (Season 1 Episode 7: "The Corrupter") – Gaylord Fuller The Sty of the Blind Pig (1974) (Television Film) - Jim "Doc" Sweet Hong Kong Phooey (1974) (16 episodes) – Hong Kong Phooey / Penrod 'Penry' Pooch Mannix (1974) Season 8 Episode 5: "The Green Man") – Mudcat The Odd Couple (1974) (Season 5 Episode 8: "The Subway Show") McMillan & Wife (1974) (Season 4 Episode 1: "Downshift to Danger") – Floyd Chico and the Man (1974–78) (65 episodes) - Louie Wilson, the Garbage Man Sanford and Son (1975) (Season 4 Episode 16: "The Stand-In") – Bowlegs Roots (1977) (TV miniseries) (Episode: "Part VI") – Mingo Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Angie Dickinson (1977) (TV Special) – Himself Laff-A-Lympics (1977) (2 episodes) – Hong Kong Phooey / Additional voices (voice) (Season 1 Episode 9: "Spain and the Himalayas") (Episode: "Acapulco/England") CB Bears (1977) – Segment Title Narrator Starsky and Hutch (1977) (Season 2 Episode 23: "Long Walk Down a Short Dirt Road") – Fireball The Skatebirds (1977–1978) – Scat Cat (voice) Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977–80) (2 episodes) – Additional Voices (Season 1 Episode 15: "The Mystery Mansion Mix-Up") (1977) (Season 3 Episode 3: "Cavey and the Volcanic Villain") (1980) NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney (1978) (TV Movie documentary) – Himself Charlie's Angels (1978) (Season 3 Episode 1: "Angels in Vegas") – Jip Baker Vega$ (1978–79) (2 episodes) (Season 1 Pilot Episode: "High Roller") (1978) - Rosie (Season 2 Episode 2: "The Usurper") (1979) – Rosie The Love Boat (1978–1984) (3 episodes) (Season 1 Episode 17: "Winner Take Love/The Congressman Was Indiscreet/Isaac's History Lesson") (1978) – Virgil 'Scattergun' Gibson (Season 8 Episode 14: "Country Blues/A Matter of Taste/Frat Brothers Forever") (1984) - Malcolm (Season 8 Episode 15: "Santa, Santa, Santa/Another Dog Gone Christmas/Noel's Christmas Carol") (segment: "Santa, Santa, Santa") (1984) - Malcolm, a Shakespearean actor competing with Ray Walston and Avery Schreiber in the Christmas-themed vignette The Super Globetrotters (1979) (13 episodes) – Nate Branch / Liquid Man The Incredible Hulk (1979) (Season 3 Episode 5: "My Favorite Magician") – Edgar McGee Laverne & Shirley (1980) (2 episodes) – Porter (Season 5 Episode 20: "Murder on the Moosejaw Express: Part 1") (Season 5 Episode 21: "Murder on the Moosejaw Express: Part 2") Magnum, P.I. (1981) (Season 1 Episode 10: "Lest We Forget") – Tickler Trollkins (1981) (13 episodes) – Additional Voices The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981) (TV Movie) – Dewey Stevens Jokebook (1982) – Main Title Singer (voice) Benson (1982) (Season 3 Episode 18: "In the Red") – Reverend Tompkins Madame's Place (1982) (Season 1 Episode 48: "Bankrupt and Suicidal") as himself Casablanca (1983) (5 episodes) – Sam (Season 1 Episode 1: "Who Am I Killing") (Season 1 Episode 2: "Master Builder's Woman") (Season 1 Episode 3: "Jenny") (Season 1 Episode 4: "The Cashier and the Belly Dancer") (Season 1 Episode 5: "Divorce Casablanca Style") Taxi (1983) (Season 5 Episode 23: "A Grand Gesture") – Walt This Is Your Life (1984) (Episode: "Scatman Crothers") – Himself The Transformers (1984–86) (33 episodes) – voice of Autobot Jazz The Paper Chase (1985) (Season 3 Episode 12: "Lasting Impressions") – Mr. Sims Paw Paws (1985–86) (21 episodes) – Eugene the Genie The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters (1986) – Himself

Discography Rock 'N Roll With "Scat Man" (1956) 4 A.M. (1960) Comedy Sweepstakes (1961) Big Ben Sings (1973)