Shirley J. Mitchell (November 4, 1919 – November 11, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress.

Early life

Mitchell was born in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Sam Mitchell & Mary Ann Daniels, Jews who emigrated to America to escape the Russian Civil War. She also had a younger brother, Dr. Marvin Mitchell of Watertown, Massachusetts, with whom she was raised in Toledo, Ohio.

Career

Following a move to Chicago, Mitchell appeared in the network broadcast of ''

The First Nighter Program ''The First Nighter Program'' was a long-running radio anthology comedy-drama series broadcast from November 27, 1930, to September 27, 1953. The host was Mr. First Nighter (Charles P. Hughes, Macdonald Carey, Bret Morrison, Marvin Miller, Don Br ...

'' and played small parts in various soap operas, including ''

The Story of Mary Marlin ''The Story of Mary Marlin'' is an American soap opera radio program. It was broadcast from October 3, 1934, until April 12, 1945, and returned from September 24, 1951, until April 11, 1952. After 1937 it was among the highest-rated soap operas. A ...

'' and ''The Road of Life''. After she moved to Los Angeles, she played opposite

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1907 – May 22, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy ''I Married Joan'', Davis had a successful earl ...

and

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1897 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 1939 Metro-G ...

in ''The Sealtest Village Store''. She also starred as Louella in ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

'' and joined the cast of ''

Fibber McGee and Molly ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most p ...

'' as Alice Darling in 1943. She also played in Amos & Andy and '' The Charlotte Greenwood Show''. Her most prominent radio role was that of the charismatic Southern belle Leila Ransom on ''

The Great Gildersleeve ''The Great Gildersleeve'' is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built a ...

'' beginning in September 1942. In the third season of ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'', from 1953 to 1954, she appeared in three episodes as Marion Strong,

Lucy Ricardo Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luci ...

's friend with the funny laugh. She was the last surviving recurring adult cast member following the death of

Doris Singleton Dorthea "Doris" Singleton (September 28, 1919 – June 26, 2012) was an American actress, perhaps best remembered as Lucy Ricardo's nemesis/frenemy, Carolyn Appleby, in ''I Love Lucy''. Early life and career Singleton, born in New York City, ...

in 2012. In the late 1950s she appeared twice on ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' as Mildred Meyerhauser, Jack's brash, blonde bombshell date with a thick Bronx accent. Her rough-and-tumble character created a calamity in fancy places to the chagrin of guest stars

Jimmy Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

and his wife

Gloria Hatrick McLean Gloria Hatrick McLean (March 10, 1918 – February 16, 1994) was an American actress and model. Early life Gloria was born on March 10, 1918, to Edgar B. Hatrick of Larchmont, New York. Her family spent the summers at The Broadmoor hotel and res ...

. In 1961 she appeared in an episode of ''

The Tab Hunter Show ''The Tab Hunter Show'' is an American situation comedy starring Tab Hunter which centers around a young comic-strip artist and his romantic adventures. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 18, 1960, until April 30, 1961.McNeil, Alex, ''T ...

''. In 1962, she played Janet Colton in 13 episodes of the sitcom ''

Pete and Gladys ''Pete and Gladys'' is an American sitcom television series starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams that aired on CBS on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960. The last episode was b ...

'', starring

Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...

and

Cara Williams Cara Williams (born Bernice Kamiat; June 29, 1925 – December 9, 2021) was an American film and television actress. She was best known for her role as Billy's Mother in ''The Defiant Ones'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy A ...

, with

Peter Leeds Peter Leeds (May 30, 1917 – November 12, 1996) was an American actor who appeared on television more than 8,000 times and also had many film, Broadway, and radio credits. The majority of his work took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Working ...

cast as her husband George Colton. Between 1963 and 1965, she made five appearances on ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'', including the 1965 episode "The Case of the Carefree Coronary," when she played Marilyn David, the widow of a murder victim. In 1964, she played the role of murder victim Elizabeth Bain, although her character was only heard, not seen, in "The Case of the Woeful Widower." From 1965 to 1967, she appeared as neighbor Marge Thornton on ''

Please Don't Eat the Daisies ''Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' (New York: Doubleday, 1957) is a best-selling collection of humorous essays by American humorist and playwright Jean Kerr about suburban living and raising four boys. The essays do not have a plot or through-sto ...

''. She appeared in several TV shows of the 1960s (like ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and B ...

'' as Cousin Mae in 1968) and did voice-over work in subsequent decades. Mitchell voiced Laurie Holliday on

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

's short-lived series ''

The Roman Holidays ''The Roman Holidays'' is a half-hour Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 9 to December 2, 1972. It ran for 13 episodes before being cancelled, and reruns were later shown on t ...

'' in 1972. She also appeared in an episode of the crime drama ''

The Feather and Father Gang ''The Feather and Father Gang'' is a 1976–1977 American crime-drama television series starring Stefanie Powers and Harold Gould, which centers on an attorney who enlists her con-man father and his team of bunco artists to help her solve crim ...

'' in 1977. In the late 1970s, Mitchell appeared with

Don Porter Donald Cecil Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American stage, film and television actor. On television, he played Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on ''Private Secretary'', and Russell Lawrence, the wi ...

in an episode of ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom ''Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single roomma ...

''.

Personal life

She became engaged to Dr. Julian H. Frieden by early October 1946, holding her engagement shower at the home of singer

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

. They married on November 23, 1946. By August 1955, they had two children, a girl (Brooke) and a boy (Scott). Mitchell and Frieden divorced in August 1974. In 1992, she married songwriter

Jay Livingston Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans t ...

, and the two remained married until his death in 2001. Mitchell died of heart failure on November 11, 2013, seven days after her 94th birthday.

Partial filmography

* '' Jamboree'' (1944) as Alice Darling * '' The Clown'' (1953) as Mrs. Blotto (uncredited) * ''

Spring Reunion ''Spring Reunion'' is a 1956 American drama film that centers on the fifteen-year reunion of the fictional Carson High School class of 1941. It was the second film produced by Kirk Douglas' film production company Bryna Productions. ''Spring Re ...

'' (1957) as Jane the Receptionist (uncredited) * ''

Desk Set ''Desk Set'' (released as ''His Other Woman'' in the UK) is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron from the 1955 p ...

'' (1957) as Myra Smithers (uncredited) * ''

Too Much, Too Soon ''Too Much, Too Soon'' is a 1958 biographical film about Diana Barrymore produced by Warner Bros. It was directed by Art Napoleon and produced by Henry Blanke from a screenplay by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon, based on the autobiography by Dian ...

'' (1958) as Mrs. Magda Snow (uncredited) * ''

Because They're Young ''Because They're Young'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Paul Wendkos and starring Dick Clark as Neil Hendry, an American high-school teacher who tries to make a difference in the lives of his students. The film co-stars Tuesday Weld, ...

'' (1960) as Mrs. Summers (uncredited) * ''

My Blood Runs Cold ''My Blood Runs Cold'' is a 1965 American neo noir dark thriller film starring Troy Donahue, Joey Heatherton and Barry Sullivan. It was directed by William Conrad. It was the second of three thrillers Conrad made for Warner Bros. A young woman ...

'' (1965) as Mrs. Courtland * ''

'' (1972) as voice of Laurie Holiday * ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situatio ...

'' (1975) S5EP8 as Mrs. Larson * ''

Summer Camp Nightmare ''Summer Camp Nightmare'' is an American 1987 thriller film directed by Bert L. Dragin and starring Chuck Connors and Charlie Stratton. The film is based on the novel '' The Butterfly Revolution'' by William Butler. Plot Donald Poultry is a you ...

'' (1987) as Mrs. Knute * ''

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly kn ...

'' (1988) as Stockholder * ''

The War of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

'' (1989) as Mrs. Dewitt * '' MAD'' (2012) as

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...

(1 episode)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Shirley 1919 births 2013 deaths Actresses from Toledo, Ohio American people of Russian-Jewish descent American radio actresses American radio personalities American television actresses American film actresses University of Toledo alumni University of Michigan alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women