‘Barefoot In The Park’ Sitcom Star Scoey Mitchell Dies at 92
Veteran actor and comedian Scoey Mitchell, who starred in the groundbreaking TV adaptation of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, has died. He was 92.
Mitchell passed away on Saturday (March 19) from kidney failure at a health care facility in Torrance, CA. His brother, the jazz pianist Billy Mitchell, confirmed the news on Facebook, writing, “[Scoey] had a very successful and colorful career during 70s and 80s as an actor, writer and film director. He sacrificed much in the struggle to get blacks behind the camera, into production and into positions that are taken for granted today.”
Born on March 12, 1930, in Newburgh, New York, Mitchell (sometimes spelled Mitchlll) began his showbusiness career on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. Throughout the late 60s, he made several appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Mike Douglas Show, performing stand-up comedy.
His acting career started with guest spots on shows such as The Mothers-in-Law, Here Come the Brides, The Carol Burnett Show, and That Girl. However, it was his lead role as newlywed lawyer Paul Bratter opposite Tracy Reed in the 1970 sitcom Barefoot in the Park that became a landmark moment.
The series was based on Mike Nichols’ Broadway hit starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley, which had previously been adapted into a 1967 feature film featuring Redford alongside Jane Fonda. Barefoot in the Park became the first American sitcom since CBS’ Amos’ n’ Andy in the early 1950s to have a predominantly Black cast, though it was canceled after just 12 episodes had aired.
Mitchell would return to television in 1974 in the CBS sitcom Rhoda. He also made regular appearances on TV game shows such as The Hollywood Squares, Match Game, Tattletales, Password Plus, and Super Password. He was also a writer and director, creating the TV special The Scoey Mitchlll Show in 1972 and co-directing the TV movie Me & Mrs. C in 1984.
He would make his last on-screen appearance in Richard Pryor’s film Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling in 1986 and his final directing work on the comedy series 13 East in 1990.
