Roscoe Mitchell Jr. or Scoey Mitchell (March 12, 1930 – March 19, 2022), usually credited as Scoey Mitchell, was an American actor, producer, writer and television director known for frequent appearances on 1970s game shows, including ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelis ...

'' and ''

Tattletales ''Tattletales'' is an American game show produced by Goodson- Todman Productions in association with Fremantle. The program had two runs on the CBS daytime schedule between February 1974 and June 1984. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with severa ...

''. He starred in the short-lived series ''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ''Barefoot ...

'' (based on the

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

play) and had a recurring role on '' Rhoda''. He created two short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television series, ''Me and Mrs. C'' and ''13 East''. He appeared as

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

's father in the film ''

Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling ''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'' is a 1986 American biographical comedy-drama film directed, produced by and starring Richard Pryor, who also wrote the screenplay with Paul Mooney and Rocco Urbisci. ''Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling'' w ...

''.

Early life and career

Mitchell was born on March 12, 1930, in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

, as Roscoe Mitchell Jr. (the surname had three "L"s, and no "E"). He started his career on ''

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...

'' in 1967. He appeared in ''What's It All About, World?'' as himself in 1969. He guest-starred in television series including ''

The Mothers-in-Law ''The Mothers-in-Law'' is an American situation comedy featuring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard as two women who were friends and next-door neighbors until their children's elopement made them in-laws. The show aired on NBC television from Septemb ...

'', ''

Here Come the Brides ''Here Come the Brides'' is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970. It was loosely based on Asa Mercer's efforts in the 1860s to import marriageable wo ...

'', ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewste ...

'', ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

'', ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...

'', and ''

Baretta ''Baretta'' is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–1974 ABC series, '' Toma'', starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey pol ...

''. Mitchell starred in several television films, including ''Voyage of the Yes'', ''Cops'', and ''Cindy''. He also turned to directing television with the film ''Me & Mrs. C.'' in 1984 and episodes of ''13 East'' in 1989–90. Mitchell wrote for television, including ''The Scoey Mitchell Show'' in 1972, ''Just a Little More Love'' in 1983, and ''Handsome Harry's''. In addition, he ventured into production of television and television films, including ''

Grambling's White Tiger ''Grambling's White Tiger'' (also released as ''White Tiger'' in Europe) is a 1981 TV movie about the true story of Jim Gregory (played by Caitlyn Jenner, credited as Bruce Jenner) the first white quarterback of the Grambling Tigers at Gramblin ...

'' in 1981, ''Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster'' in 1985, and ''Miracle at Beekman's Place'' in 1988. Mitchell also was on a number of television shows as himself, including ''

'' from 1974 to 1979, ''

Super Password ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differen ...

'' in 1988, '' The Joey Bishop Show'' 1968–69, ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...

'' in 1968, and ''

'' from 1974 to 1978 and from 1982 to 1984. He guest starred on an episode of ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

'' titled "Memories of Cab 804, Part 1" (1978) during the first season and his name was misspelled in the end credits as "Scoey Mitchell" (a letter 'l' replaced the letter 'e'). In September 1970, ABC cast Mitchell in ''

'' based on

's Broadway play of the same name. The series cast members were predominantly black, making it the first American television sitcom since ''

Amos 'n' Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago and later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio show ...

'' to have a predominantly black cast (

Vito Scotti Vito Giusto Scozzari (January 26, 1918 – June 5, 1996), also known as Vito Scotti, was an American character actor who played both dramatic and comedy roles on Broadway, in films, and later on television, primarily from the late 1930s to the ...

was the sole major white character). ''Barefoot in the Park'' had been a successful 1967 film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. It was thought by ABC that placing ''Barefoot in the Park'' behind '' Bewitched'' would do well, but because that show was already in a slump, ''Barefoot in the Park'' never developed high numbers for the network. During its first few episodes, ''Barefoot in the Park'' developed behind-the-scenes strife that sealed its fate: Mitchell was fired due to "differences of opinion" with the series' producers. Rather than replace Mitchell with another actor—and already disenchanted with the low ratings—ABC decided to cancel ''Barefoot in the Park'' in December 1970. In 1986, Mitchell was in ''

'', a semi-autobiographical film about

. In 2017, after a hiatus of almost thirty years, he returned to acting, in a one-off role in ''A Kindred Soul''.

Death

Mitchell died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

on March 19, 2022, in a hospice-care facility in

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...

.Comedian/actor "Scoey Mitchell Dies"
He was survived by his wife, Claire.

Filmography

Acting

Film

Television

Directing

Television

Writing

Television

Production

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Scoey 1930 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American screenwriters African-American male actors African-American television directors African-American television personalities African-American television producers African-American television writers American television writers American male film actors American male television actors American male television writers Deaths from kidney failure Male actors from New York (state) Male television personalities People from Newburgh, New York Television personalities from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state)