Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986) was an American actor, singer, dancer and musician known for his work as Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, the voice of the Autobot Jazz in The Transformers and Transformers The Movie, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining in 1980. He was the voice of Meadowlark Lemon in the animated TV version of The Harlem Globetrotters and of the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, both produced by Hanna-Barbera.
Crothers was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He got the name Scatman when he auditioned for a radio show in 1932 at the former WSMK (now WING) in Dayton, Ohio. The director didn't think his given name was catchy enough, so Crothers told the director to call him Scat Man because of his talent at scat singing. He continued to enjoy this talent throughout his career, even teaching scat singing to college students. Later, the nickname was condensed to Scatman by Arthur Godfrey. (Crothers should not be confused with Scatman John, who had the hit "Scatman" in 1995.)
Crothers started his musical career as a 15-year-old drummer in a speakeasy band in his home town of Terre Haute, Indiana. He played a variety of instruments, including drums and guitar, on jazz club band circuits in his early days as an entertainer. He formed his own band in the 1930s and finally traveled to California with the band in 1948.
He decided to try acting and made his official debut in the movie Meet Me At The Fair (1953). He worked in both the movies and television, often taking bit parts. He also made musical shorts and played drums with Slim Gaillard in the mid 1940s. Good friends with Jack Nicholson, he appeared in four of his films: The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), The Fortune (1975), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Shining (1980). His later film appearances included the role of a train conductor in Silver Streak (1976), as a ringmaster of a struggling wild west show in Bronco Billy (1980) and finally, as an angel in Two of a Kind (1983) and Mr. Bloom, a magician in the guise of an old man from Twilight_Zone:_The_Movie
Some sources erroneously list him as a dancer in the Duke Ellington short, Symphony in Black (1935), who is first seen dancing with a woman in his apartment before taking her out. Later, he encounters his jilted lover, played by the also uncredited Billie Holiday. They briefly have words, he pushes her down and exits with his new girlfriend before her song. This role was actually played by Earl Snakehips Tucker, who also appears at the end of the short.
Even though Crothers worked in television at the beginning of his career, he really came into his own in the medium doing voiceover work on several animated series, beginning with his voicework in Disney's The Aristocats. In the 70s, fans recognized his voice as Hong Kong Phooey, and the voice of Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series. He made guest appearances on many popular shows, including Bewitched in 1971, Ironside in 1973, Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Sanford and Son in 1974 and Magnum P.I. in 1980.
During his appearance on Sanford and Son he joined Redd Foxx for two musical numbers. One of which was a memorable version of the standard "All of Me", where he accompanied Foxx on guitar. Crothers starred in three short-lived 1980s television series: One of the Boys (1982), Casablanca (1983), and Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986). He also performed the voice of Jazz on Transformers (1984–1986) up until and including the movie.
Though of all television characters that he played, he was most noted for his supporting role Louie Wilson (the garbage man) on the sitcom Chico and the Man.
Crothers married Helen Sullivan in 1937 and had one daughter, Donna, in 1949. In 1985, he developed a malignant tumor behind his left lung. He tried to work through the illness, but the inoperable tumor spread to his esophagus in 1986. He died of pneumonia brought on by the lung cancer on November 22, 1986 in Van Nuys, California, USA, at 76 years of age.
He is buried next to his wife Helen (1918–1997) in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California
