Benjamin Sherman Crothers (1910 - 1986)

Born 23 May 1910 in Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Helen (Sullivan) Crothers — married 7 Jun 1971 in Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United States

Died 22 Nov 1986 at age 76 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Scatman Crothers is Notable.

Scatman Crothers was an American actor, singer, dancer, voice actor, and musician best known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show "Chico and the Man" and as Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," the latter of which earned him the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also played Turkle in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and was a voice actor known for his role as "Jazz" in the 1980s "Transformers" cartoon.^[1]

Benjamin Sherman Crothers was born on May 23, 1910 in Indiana to Benjamin Crothers and Fredonia Lewis.

In 1920, Benjamin was living with his parents and siblings in Terre Haute, Indiana where his father worked as a carpenter in a coke plant.^[2]

In 1930, at the age of 19, he was still living with his parents in Terra Haute.^[3]

Benjamin started performing while still in high school at a speakeasy in Terra Haute, where he learned to sing, drum and play the guitar. He got his nickname when auditioning for a radio show in Akron, Ohio in 1932 and the radio show wanted him to have a "snappier" name. Crothers replied "Call me Scatman. Because I do quite a bit of scatting". "Scat singing" referred to the improvisation of nonsense syllables to a melody. ^[4]

Benjamin married Helen Mae Sullivan, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, in Canton, Ohio in 1937.^[5][6]

In 1940, Benjamin was living with his young wife Helen Mae (listed as Dollie) in Dayton, Ohio, where he was working as a musician in a theatre.^[7] Benjamin and Helen apparently renewed their vows in a civil ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[8]

Benjamin formed his own band in the 1930s, touring the Midwest and South, until an expected limited engagement in Akron, Ohio, turned into eight years playing in the Kit-Kat Club and on a radio station. In 1945 he moved to California where his long and successful careers as an actor, dancer, singer and musician took off.^[5]

Benjamin continued entertaining in night clubs until the 1950s when he made his first film, "Meet Me at the Fair". Many films and TV appearances followed. He may be best known for his roles in movies as “The Shootist,” “Silver Streak,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Bronco Billy,” “The Shining” and “Twilight Zone: The Movie”, along with his role of the garbage man in the popular “Chico and the Man” television series.^[9]

He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received a star in 1981.^[10]

In the early 1980s, he joined the cast of “The Transformers” and brought his distinctive voice and love of music to the music loving Autobot, “Jazz” and was the right hand bot to Peter Cullen’s “Optimus Prime”. This made him one of the most prominent African American voice actors in the 1980s. ^[11]

While performing as “Jazz”, he would often bring his guitar and play songs for the other voice actors on the show in between recording sessions because certain producers at the time were perfectionists. ^[12]

Benjamin passed away in 1986 in Los Angeles County, California. ^[13][14] He has a memorial in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. ^[15]

Benjamin was survived by his wife Helen and their only child, a daughter, Donna Crothers Daniels.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scatman_Crothers
2. ↑ 1920 Census: "1920 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1920; Census Place: Terre Haute Ward 3, Vigo, Indiana; Roll: T625_468; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 135
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6061 #28559081 (accessed 10 February 2023)
   Sherman Crothers (9), single son, in household of Ben Crothers (47) in Terre Haute Ward 3, Vigo, Indiana. Born in Indiana.
3. ↑ 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1930; Census Place: Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0018; FHL microfilm: 2340370
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #83067129 (accessed 10 February 2023)
   Sherman Crothers (19) son in household of Ben Crothers (58) at 922 Farington St, Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, USA. Born in Indiana.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Obituary: "U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current" [<https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118402344/ Free View of Clipping] br/> The Wichita Eagle-Beacon; Publication Date: 23 Nov 1986; Publication Place: Wichita, Kansas, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/701169230/?article=ac961f78-5c7f-47c1-9514-2bcac656743f&focus=0.02187769,0.15911981,0.19330713,0.5016982&xid=3355
   Ancestry Record 61843 #897885805 (accessed 10 February 2023)
   Name: Benjamin Sherman Crethers; Gender: Male; Death Age: 78; Birth Date: abt 1908; Death Date: Abt 1986; Death Place: Los Angeles; Obituary Date: 23 Nov 1986; Obituary Place: Wichita, Kansas, USA; Newspaper Title: The Wichita Eagle-Beacon.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Scatman Crothers strolled to fame while living in Akron hotel by Mark J Price, Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio.com, posted 27 Feb 2017
6. ↑ https://gtaylor1216.wixsite.com/reunion/history2
7. ↑ 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1940; Census Place: Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03254; Page: 61A; Enumeration District: 94-98
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #36959868 (accessed 10 February 2023)
   Sherman Crother (29), married, Musician, head of household in Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio. Born in Indiana.
8. ↑ Marriage: "Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956-2005"
   Ancestry Record 1100 #8592577 (accessed 10 February 2023)
   Benjamin S Crothers marriage to Helen Sullivan on 24 May 1971 in Las Vegas.
9. ↑ Versatile Entertainer, 76, Began Long Career in Speak Easy at 14: Singer-Actor Scatman Crothers Dies of Cancer,by Jerry Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov 1986
10. ↑ [https://web.archive.org/web/20160403072701/https://walkoffame.com/scatman-crothers/
11. ↑ ”Scatman Crothers” on the Transformers Wiki: https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Scatman_Crothers
12. ↑ Gilvezan, Dan "Bumblebee & Me: Life as a G1 Transformer"
13. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JRJZ-5N5 : 20 May 2014), Benjamin Crothers, Nov 1986; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
14. ↑ "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPMM-SMC : 26 November 2014), Benjamin Sherman Crothers, 22 Nov 1986; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
15. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #4516, database and images (accessed 26 February 2021), memorial page for Scatman Crothers (23 May 1910–22 Nov 1986), citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .

See also:

• http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001079/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2
• http://gtaylor1216.wixsite.com/scatman-crothers
• Wikidata: Item Q501996
• Scatman Carothers on the Transformers Wiki