Mitzi McCall (born Mitzi Joan Steiner; September 9, 1930 – August 8, 2024) was an American comedian and actress. She was known for her work with her husband, Charlie Brill, and their performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, the same episode that featured the first appearance of The Beatles on the show.
Mitzi McCall | |
|---|---|
 Cropped photo of Mitzi McCall | |
| Born | Mitzi Joan Steiner September 9, 1930 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 2024 (aged 93) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1948–2015 |
| Spouse(s) | Jack Tolen (divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Life and career
editBackground
editMitzi Steiner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 9, 1930.[1][2][3] She adopted her stage name from McCall's magazine.[1]
In the early 1950s, McCall was married to Jack Tolen, a television director and production manager.[4] She and Charlie Brill met in 1959 and married the following year.[5] They had a daughter.[6]
Early career
editSteiner had the Kiddie Castle program in Pittsburgh.[4] She received national attention in 1952 via an Associated Press story about a five-year-old Pittsburgh girl with a cleft palate who spoke her first words while watching the actress in a pantomime on television. Afterward, doctors "didn't know what to say. They held a special meeting, examined Claire, and told the happy parents that she was cured."[7]
In 1953, she was featured on Studio 10, a program on KFSD-TV in San Diego, California.[8] She performed in productions at The Pittsburgh Playhouse before heading to Hollywood.[9] Around 1955, she adoped the surname McCall to use professionally, inspired by McCall's magazine.[1]
She appeared on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In[10]: 913 and was also a series regular on such television series as Life Goes On and (with her husband) on Silk Stalkings. On animated series, she provided the voice of Auntie Marina in Snorks,[10]: 986 the voice of Mother Goose in Mother Goose and Grimm, [10]: 718 the voice of Sylvia Jenkins in Free for All,[10]: 365 and a variety of voices on The Paw Paws.[10]: 819 She played Miriam Lerner on Alright Already.[10] Other credits include guest appearances on The Twilight Zone, Maude, Dharma & Greg, and Chuck, as well as voice over work for many cartoons. In 1971, she was the voice of Penny on The Flintstones spin-off The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.[10]: 820 She was a panelist on the game show Match Game during its 1970s revival, and appeared with Charlie Brill on Tattletales.[citation needed]
McCall and Brill
editMcCall and Charlie Brill appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, the episode that featured the U.S. television debut of The Beatles. As the last act to go on before the Beatles' second set, they performed a hastily truncated version of their full act before a studio audience of impatient Beatles fans who showed little interest in their comedy; Brill said that he and McCall "laid the biggest egg of all time".[1] Their act can be seen on the DVD of the Beatles' appearances on the Sullivan show. They were interviewed in 2005 for the "Big Break" episode of Public Radio International radio program This American Life, regarding their Beatles-Sullivan experience, including a dressing room encounter with John Lennon, who they did not recognize.[11] The poor reception to their appearance derailed their career for the next six months.[1]
In 1967, McCall and Brill had a comedy recording, From Our Point of View, released by ABC Records.[12] Later that year, the duo signed with Congressional Records.[13] They continued to perform until the 1980s.[1]
Shawlee and McCall
editIn the early 1960s, McCall (just over 5 feet) and actress Joan Shawlee (5'9") formed a night club act,[14] first appearing together at the Club Robaire in Cleveland.[15] In January 1961, syndicated newspaper columnist Dorothy Kilgallen reported that the team was "causing quite a stir", emphasizing while exaggerating the partners' discrepancy in height, "Joan being six feet, three inches tall and Mitzi four feet, 10 inches short".[16] In 2009, McCall had a supporting role as Bonnie in the film World's Greatest Dad.
Death
editMcCall died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on August 8, 2024, at the age of 93.[3][1]
Filmography
editFilms
edit- You're Never Too Young – Skeets Powell (1955)
- Machine-Gun Kelly – Harriet (uncredited) (1958)
- War of the Satellites – Mitzi (1958)
- The Cry Baby Killer – Evelyn (1958)
- Deep Blood – Ben's Mother (1989)
- White Palace – Sophie Rosen (1990)
- The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them – Freida Crown (1992)
- EDtv – Fig Lady (1999)
- Hard Four – Myrna Segal (2007)
- World's Greatest Dad – Bonnie (2009)
- Crimson Peak – Additional voices (2015)
Television series
edit- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In – "herself" in "The Fun Couple" sketches (1968–1969)
- Maude – Estelle Ellinger (Episode: "Nostalgia Party") (1974)
- Family – Sally (Episode: "Princess in the Tower") (1978)
- Life Goes On – Midge (1991–1992)
- Silk Stalkings – Fran Lipschitz (1993–1999)
- Seinfeld – Donna (Episode: "The Secretary") (1994)
- Ellen – Rochelle Shapiro (Episode: "Too Hip for the Room") (1996)
- Alright Already – Miriam Lerner (1997–1998)
- Caroline in the City – Lois (Episode: "Caroline and the Little White Lies") (1998)
- Becker – Mrs. Gould (Episode: "Hate Thy Neighbor") (1999)
- Dharma & Greg – Florence (Episode: "With a Little Help from My Friend") (2001)
- The Suite Life of Zack and Cody – Doreen (Episode "Club Twin") (2007)
- Hannah Montana – Woman (Episode: "My Best Friend's Boyfriend") (2007)
- Chuck – Blanche (Episode: "Chuck Versus the Broken Heart") (2009)
Animation
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–1972 | The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show | Penny Pillar | 16 Episodes |
| 1972–1974 | The Flintstone Comedy Hour | Penny Pillar | 18 Episodes |
| 1977–1978 | Fred Flintstone and Friends | Penny Pillar | |
| 1980 | The Flintstone Comedy Show | Penny Pillar | |
| 1980–1981 | The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang | Additional Voices | |
| 1982 | The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour | Additional Voices | |
| 1983 | Lucky Luke | Ma Dalton | |
| 1984 | The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries | Additional Voices | |
| 1984–1985 | Snorks | Auntie Marina | 7 Episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Paw Paws | Additional Voices | |
| 1990 | Gravedale High | Additional Voices | |
| 1991 | TaleSpin | Una | Episode: "Destiny Rides Again" |
| 1991 | Yo Yogi! | Talula LaTrane | 8 Episodes |
| 1991 | Darkwing Duck | Ammonia Pine | 3 Episodes |
| 1991–1992 | Mother Goose and Grimm | Mother Goose | 7 Episodes |
| 1994 | Duckman | Additional voices | Episode: "Psyche" |
| 1995 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Mame Slaughter | Episode: "Five Ring Panda-Monium" |
| 1997 | Cow and Chicken | Receptionist | Episode: "Part Time Job" |
| 1997 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Custodian Monster | 1 Episode |
| 1998 | Hey Arnold! | Pearl | Episode: "Arnold's Thanksgiving" |
| 1999 | Histeria! | Golda Meir | Episode: "Histeria Around the World 2" |
| 2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Vulture | Episode: "Gift of Gab" |
| 2002 | Ice Age | Glyptodont | Film Role |
| 2003 | Free for All | Sylvia Jenkins | 7 Episodes |
| 2006 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy | Nanny | Episode: "Scary Poppins" |
| 2008 | American Dad! | Old Woman #2 | Episode: "1600 Candles" |
| 2011 | Regular Show | Warden of the Internet | Episode: "Go Viral" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits | Geedo | |
| 2005 | Tak: The Great Juju Challenge | Thunder Fist | |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Additional voices | |
| No More Heroes | Speed Buster[17] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Sandomir, Richard (August 25, 2024). "Mitzi McCall, Comedian Who Confronted Beatlemania and Lost, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Ramos Bechara, Diego (August 9, 2024). "Mitzi McCall, Comedian, Sitcom Writer and Half of the Comedy Duo McCall and Brill, Dies at 93". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (August 9, 2024). "Mitzi McCall, Comedian, Actress and Sitcom Writer, Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Fanning, Win (June 29, 1954). "Radio-Television". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 25. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ California Marriage Index, 1960-1985.
- ^ "Mitzi McCall, Comic Game Show Cut-Up Who Followed the Beatles on TV, Dies at 91". extratv.com. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "TV, a Miracle of Science, Works 'Miracle Cure' on Girl". The Lincoln Star. Associated Press. February 10, 1952. p. 7-D. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cohen, Harold V. (November 10, 1953). "The Drama Desk". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Fanning, Win (November 13, 1952). "Radio and Television in Review". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 35. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Human Spectacle 2015". October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^ "Special Merit Picks: Comedy" (PDF). Billboard. April 1, 1967. p. 40. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ^ "Signings" (PDF). Billboard. November 4, 1967. p. 20. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ^ "Joan Shawlee Sparkles Like a Spring Tonic". The Boston Globe. April 30, 1961. p. 65. Retrieved September 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "They're Back". The Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1960. p. 54. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kilgallen, Dorothy (January 7, 1961). "The Voice of Broadway". The Mercury. p. 4. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mitzi McCall (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
External links
edit- Mitzi McCall at IMDb
- Mitzi McCall discography at Discogs