Mitzi McCall

Mitzi McCall
Born (1932-09-09) September 9, 1932
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names Mitzi Steiner
Occupation Actress
Years active 1955–present
Spouse(s) Charlie Brill (1960–present)
Children Jenny Brill
Signature

Mitzi McCall (born September 9, 1932) is an American actress.

Life and career

Television

In the early 1950s, then known as Mitzi Steiner, McCall had the Kiddie Castle program on WDTV-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] 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."[2] In 1953, she was featured on Studio 10, a program on KFSD-TV in San Diego, California.[3]

McCall also performed in productions at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.[4]

She was a performer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.[5]:913 McCall was also a series regular on television series such as Life Goes On and Silk Stalkings (where she appeared as the wife of Brill's character), On animated series, she provided the voice of Auntie Marina in Snorks,[5]:986 the voice of Mother Goose in Mother Goose and Grimm,[5]:718 the voice of Sylvia Jenkins in Free for All,[5]:365 and a variety of voices on The Paw Paws.[5]:819 She played Miriam Lerner on Alright Already.[5]

Other credits include guest appearances on The Twilight Zone, Maude, Dharma & Greg, 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.[5]:820 She was a panelist on the game show Match Game during its 1970s revival, and appeared with Charlie Brill on Tattletales.

McCall and Brill

McCall 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. 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 PRI radio program This American Life, regarding their Beatles-Sullivan experience, including a dressing room encounter with John Lennon.[6]

They were spotted in 1963 while performing together in Honolulu by the Australian television producer John Collins, who produced The Tonight Show for the Nine Network in Sydney. Collins was seeking a replacement for the then unknown Irish comedian Dave Allen, who had hosted the program for the previous two seasons and wanted to return to Ireland. Collins approached them and they agreed but could not start an Australian engagement until their Hawaiian engagement was complete. They recommended an American comedian, their friend Don Lane, who was also working in Hawaii, to fill in during the meantime. Collins agreed to this. Lane started his Australian engagement and was an immediate success. Ratings were sensational and the network was delighted. It was going to be difficult if not impossible to replace him once the Brills became available. When they did, the preference was obvious and their engagement was cancelled after six weeks. Lane resumed their spot and remained successful in Australian television for the ensuing thirty-five years.

In 1967, McCall and Brill had a comedy recording, From Our Point of View, released by ABC Records.[7] Later that year, the duo signed with Congressional Records.[8]

Shawlee and McCall

In the early 1960s, McCall and actress Joan Shawlee formed a team to perform as a night club act,[9] debuting the act at the Club Robaire in Cleveland.[10] In January 1961, syndicated newspaper columnist Dorothy Kilgallen reported that the team was "causing quite a stir", and she cited the partners' discrepancy in height — "Joan being six feet, three inches tall and Mitzi four feet, 10 inches short."[11]

In 2009, McCall had a supporting role as Bonnie in the film World's Greatest Dad.

Personal life

In the early 1950s, McCall was married to Jack Tolen, a television director and production manager.[1] She and Charlie Brill met in 1959 and married the following year.[12] They have a daughter, L.A.-based yoga instructor Jenny Brill.

Filmography

Films

Television series

Voice-overs

Video games

References

  1. 1 2 Fanning, Win (June 29, 1954). "Radio-Television". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 25. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "TV, a Miracle of Science, Works 'Miracle Cure' on Girl". The Lincoln Star. Nebraska, Lincoln. Associated Press. February 10, 1952. p. 7-D. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Cohen, Harold V. (November 10, 1953). "The Drama Desk". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 18. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Fanning, Win (November 13, 1952). "Radio and Television in Review". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 35. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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.
  6. ↑ "Human Spectacle 2015". Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Special Merit Picks: Comedy" (PDF). Billboard. April 1, 1967. p. 40. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "Signings" (PDF). Billboard. November 4, 1967. p. 20. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  9. ↑ "Joan Shawlee Sparkles Like a Spring Tonic". The Boston Globe. Massachusetts, Boston. April 30, 1961. p. 65. Retrieved September 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "They're Back". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. October 20, 1960. p. 54. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Kilgallen, Dorothy (January 7, 1961). "The Voice of Broadway". The Mercury. Pennsylvania, Pottstown. p. 4. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ California Marriage Index, 1960-1985.


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