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 radio broadcast of '' The First Nighter Program'' and played small parts in various soap operas, including '' The Story of Mary Marlin'' and ''The Road of Life''. After she moved to Los Angeles, she played opposite

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1912 – May 23, 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 ea ...

and

Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer, drummer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 193 ...

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, as well as two different television series, and a comic book. Radio series The radio program initially aired on the B ...

'' and joined the cast of '' Fibber McGee and Molly'' 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'' was 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 buil ...

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

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American 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 series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'', from 1953 to 1954, she appeared in three episodes as Marion Strong, one of Lucy Ricardo's friends. She was the last surviving recurring adult cast member following the death of Doris Singleton in 2012. In the late 1950s she appeared twice on ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...

'' 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 and his wife Gloria. In 1961 she appeared in an episode of '' The Tab Hunter Show''. In 1962, she played Janet Colton in 13 episodes of the sitcom '' Pete and Gladys'', starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams, with Peter Leeds cast as her husband George Colton. Between 1963 and 1965, she made five appearances on '' Perry Mason'', 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''. She appeared in several TV shows of the 1960s (like '' Petticoat Junction'' as Cousin Mae in 1968) and did voice-over work in subsequent decades. Mitchell voiced Laurie Holliday on

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

's short-lived series '' The Roman Holidays'' in 1972. She also appeared in an episode of the crime drama '' The Feather and Father Gang'' in 1977. In the late 1970s, Mitchell appeared with Don Porter in an episode of ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. Developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, it is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the ...

''.

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, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

. 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 composing-songwriting duo with Ray Evans, with whom he specialized in composing film scores and original soundtrack ...

, and the two remained married until his death in 2001. Mitchell died of heart failure on November 11, 2013, aged 94.

Partial filmography

* '' Jamboree'' (1944) as Alice Darling * '' The Clown'' (1953) as Mrs. Blotto (uncredited) * '' G.E. Summer Originals'' (1956), episode "It's Sunny Again" * '' Spring Reunion'' (1957) as Jane the Receptionist (uncredited) * '' Desk Set'' (1957) as Myra Smithers (uncredited) * '' Too Much, Too Soon'' (1958) as Mrs. Magda Snow (uncredited) * '' Because They're Young'' (1960) as Mrs. Summers (uncredited) * '' My Blood Runs Cold'' (1965) as Mrs. Courtland * '' The Roman Holidays'' (1972) as voice of Laurie Holiday * ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American Action fiction, 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 two situatio ...

'' (1975) S5EP8 as Mrs. Larson * '' Summer Camp Nightmare'' (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 ...

'' (1988) as Stockholder * '' The War of the Roses'' (1989) as Mrs. Dewitt * '' MAD'' (2012) as Betty White (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