Today in Black History: May 23rd
1910 – Scatman Crothers is Born
Benjamin Sherman “Scatman” Crothers, born on May 23, 1910, was an American actor and musician. He sang and was self-educated on guitar and drums. He is known for playing Louie the Garbage Man on the TV show Chico and the Man, and Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). He was also a prolific voice-over actor who provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon in the Harlem Globetrotters animated TV series, Jazz the Autobot in The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie (1986), the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, and Scat Cat in the animated film The Aristocats (1970). On November 22, 1986, Crothers died at age 76 at his home in Van Nuys, California after struggling with lung cancer for nearly four years. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
1954 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler is Born
Marvin Hagler, born on May 23, 1954, was an American boxer, who began his boxing career in Brockton, Massachusetts, winning 57 amateur fights and the 1973 Amateur Athletic Union middleweight title before turning professional.
A powerful left-hander, Hagler stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 metres) tall and weighed 160 pounds (72.6 kg). In his first title fight, in 1979, he boxed world middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo to a 15-round draw. On September 27, 1980, in his 54th professional fight, Hagler took the world title from Alan Minter with a third-round knockout. Hagler went on to defend the title 12 times from 1981 through 1986.
After his retirement, Hagler moved to Italy, where he began an acting career. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.
1975 – Jackie Mabley Passes Away
Jackie “Moms” Mabley found fame and fortune as a stand-up comedian during the twentieth century. Beginning as a staple on the chitlin’ circuit and late night talk show favorite, she went on to become an internationally known entertainer whose career spanned five decades.
During the early 1930s, Mabley established herself as a stage performer. By the end of the decade, she became the first female comedian to perform at the Apollo Theater. By the early 1960s, she began to build a white audience with her 1962 performance at Carnegie Hall, then a series of appearances on mainstream television shows including “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.
On May 23, 1975, Mabley passed away following a heart attack in White Plains, New York. Later that year, she was inducted into the Apollo Walk of Fame, marking the first time non-musical artists were bestowed with the honor.
