Duke Mitchell (born Dominic Salvatore Miceli; May 9, 1926 – December 2, 1981) was an American film actor,

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedian,

crooner A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...

and independent

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

of 1970s gangster films starring himself. Mitchell often performed his nightclub act in and around

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, and anointed himself the "King of Palm Springs."

Early life and career

On May 9, 1926, Mitchell was born Dominic Salvatore Miceli in Farrell, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he teamed with comic

Sammy Petrillo Sam Patrello (October 24, 1934 – August 15, 2009) was an American nightclub and movie comedian best known as a Jerry Lewis imitator. Early life Sammy Petrillo was born Sam Patrello in The Bronx, New York City, New York, to a show-busin ...

for a nightclub act. Mitchell's cabaret-style crooning and Petrillo's manic, rubber-faced clowning bore more than a passing resemblance to the popular team of

Martin and Lewis Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. They met in 1944 and debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946; the team lasted ten years to the day. Before they teamed up, Martin ...

(

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

and

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

, whom Mitchell and Petrillo physically resembled), which led to Lewis taking legal action.Sammy Petrillo obituary
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', August 24, 2009; accessed July 2, 2017. The suit was later dismissed. Movie producer

Jack Broder Realart Pictures was a motion picture distribution company founded in 1948 by Jack Broder and Joseph Harris. The company specialized in reissues of older pictures, particularly from the library of Universal Pictures, but also handled an occasio ...

intended to star Mitchell and Petrillo in a feature-length comedy. Petrillo later recalled his suspicion that Broder never really intended to make the film: Broder expected

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

to pay him off, but when Paramount dropped the lawsuit, Broder had to follow through. The resulting film was '' Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla'', a jungle-themed comedy. Mitchell had a small appearance in the

film '' Sailor Beware'' (1952). After Mitchell and Petrillo parted ways, Mitchell stayed in show business, performing at nightclubs in New York, Las Vegas, Seattle, Palm Springs, Chicago (opening for his friend

Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...

), and The Cloisters, Crescendo and Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and began directing self-financed independent films such as '' Massacre Mafia Style'' (1974) and '' Gone with the Pope'' (1976), which have since developed a cult following. In 1960, Mitchell provided the singing voice of

Fred Flintstone Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintst ...

for his friends

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...

and

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...

on ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...

'' episodes "Hot Lips Hannigan" and "Girls' Night Out". Mitchell was a regular on the scene in

, where he started the fad and trend of "Sunday Brunches" with shows including

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, and his son, guitarist/songwriter Jeffrey Mitchell, who got his start at the Ranch Club brunches with his father,

Doug McClure Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935 – February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1 ...

James Drury James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series '' The Virginian'', which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 ...

, and a myriad of stars including

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

Red Skelton Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelto ...

Vince Edwards Vince Edwards (born Vincent Edward Zoine; July 9, 1928 – March 11, 1996) was an American actor, director, and singer. He was best known for his TV role as Dr. Ben Casey and as Major Cliff Bricker in the 1968 war film '' The Devil's Brigade' ...

, and acts from the world of show-biz. Stars would take the weekend plunge into the Palm Springs scene and join the brunch festivities on Sunday. Several of Mitchell’s projects originally weren't released, including his "Tribute to

Durante Durante is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Durante Alberti (1538–1613), Italian painter *Durante degli Alighieri (1265–1321), known as Dante Alighieri, Italian poet * Durant ...

" and his second feature film '' Gone with the Pope'', which only existed as a work print when it was found in Mitchell's son Jeffrey Mitchell's garage by Grindhouse Releasing’s

Bob Murawski Bob Murawski (born June 14, 1964) is an American film editor. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on ''The Hurt Locker'', which he shared with his wife, fellow editor Chris Innis. He often works with film di ...

and

Sage Stallone Sage Moonblood Stallone (May 5, 1976 – July 13, 2012) was an American actor. He was the eldest child of actor Sylvester Stallone. Early life Sage Stallone was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son and first child of Sasha Czack and a ...

. Sage wanted to purchase ''Gone with the Pope'' from Jeffrey Mitchell and he did, save for the musical rights, as Mitchell's music is published out of London. It was carefully restored and released theatrically in 2011 by Grindhouse Releasing, which has also restored and released Mitchell’s '' Massacre Mafia Style'', owned by Jeffrey Mitchell and Bob Murawski, on Blu-ray in 2015.“Massacre Mafia Style Blu-ray Detailed”
Blu-ray.com, December 2, 2014."Weekend Weirdness: Gone with the Pope"
Slashfilm.com, November 15, 2009.Twitchfilm “DVD Review: MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE: Family Edition” (February 2011).

Personal life and death

Mitchell and his wife, Jo, had two children. On December 2, 1981, Mitchell died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at the age of 55.

Filmography

Director

* '' Massacre Mafia Style'' (1974, re-released in 2010 by Grindhouse Releasing) (a.k.a. ''Like Father Like Son'', a.k.a. ''The Executioner'') * '' Gone with the Pope'' (1976, released in 2010 by Grindhouse Releasing)

Actor

* '' Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla'' (1952) * '' Sailor Beware'' (1952) (uncredited) * '' Crime in the Streets'' (1956) (uncredited) * '' Baby Face Nelson'' (1957) * ''

Paradise Alley ''Paradise Alley'' is a 1978 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone (in his feature directorial debut). The film tells the story of three Italian American brothers in Hell's Kitchen in the 1940s who be ...

'' (1962) * '' Massacre Mafia Style'' (1974) * '' Gone with the Pope'' (1976)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Duke 1926 births 1981 deaths American male film actors American crooners Deaths from lung cancer in California Liberty Records artists People from Mercer County, Pennsylvania Film directors from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Comedians from Pennsylvania Slapstick comedians American male comedians