# Duke Mitchell > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Duke_Mitchell > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Duke_Mitchell.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Mitchell > Source revision: 1327425482 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American actor}} {{Infobox person | name = Duke Mitchell | image = Duke Mitchell in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Mitchell in ''[Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla](/source/Bela_Lugosi_Meets_a_Brooklyn_Gorilla)'' (1952) | birth_name = Dominic Salvatore Miceli | birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|05|9}} | birth_place = [Farrell, Pennsylvania](/source/Farrell%2C_Pennsylvania), U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1981|12|02|1926|05|26}} | death_place = [Hollywood, California](/source/Hollywood%2C_California), U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Singer|actor|director}} | spouse = Jo Mitchell | children = 2 }} '''Duke Mitchell''' (born '''Dominic Salvatore Miceli;''' May 9, 1926 – December 2, 1981) was an American film actor, [slapstick](/source/slapstick) comedian, [crooner](/source/crooner) and independent [film director](/source/film_director) of 1970s [gangster films](/source/gangster_films) starring himself. Mitchell often performed his nightclub act in and around [Palm Springs, California](/source/Palm_Springs%2C_California), and anointed himself the "King of Palm Springs." ==Early life and career== {{more citations needed|section|date=July 2017}} On May 9, 1926, Mitchell was born Dominic Salvatore Miceli in [Farrell, Pennsylvania](/source/Farrell%2C_Pennsylvania).{{cite journal |title=Duke Mitchell |journal=Films of the Golden Age |date=Winter 2020 |issue=103 |page=46}} In 1951, he teamed with comic [Sammy Petrillo](/source/Sammy_Petrillo) for a nightclub act. Mitchell's cabaret-style crooning and Petrillo's manic, rubber-faced clowning bore more than a passing resemblance to the popular team of [Martin and Lewis](/source/Martin_and_Lewis) ([Dean Martin](/source/Dean_Martin) and [Jerry Lewis](/source/Jerry_Lewis), whom Mitchell and Petrillo physically resembled), which led to Lewis taking legal action.[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/arts/television/24petrillo.html?_r=0 Sammy Petrillo obituary], ''[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'', August 24, 2009; accessed July 2, 2017. The suit was later dismissed. Movie producer [Jack Broder](/source/Jack_Broder) intended to star Mitchell and Petrillo in a feature-length comedy. Petrillo later recalled his suspicion that Broder never really intended to make the film: Broder expected [Paramount Pictures](/source/Paramount_Pictures) to pay him off, but when Paramount dropped the lawsuit, Broder had to follow through. The resulting film was ''[Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla](/source/Bela_Lugosi_Meets_a_Brooklyn_Gorilla)'', a jungle-themed comedy.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/21/petrillo.html|title=LCD 21 | Sammy Petrillo Speaks Out!|website=Wfmu.org}} Mitchell had a small appearance in the [Martin and Lewis](/source/Martin_and_Lewis) film ''[Sailor Beware](/source/Sailor_Beware_(1952_film))'' (1952). After Mitchell and Petrillo parted ways, Mitchell stayed in show business, performing at nightclubs in New York, Las Vegas, Seattle, Palm Springs, Chicago (opening for his friend [Lenny Bruce](/source/Lenny_Bruce)), and The Cloisters, Crescendo and Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and began directing self-financed independent films such as ''[Massacre Mafia Style](/source/Massacre_Mafia_Style)'' (1974) and ''[Gone with the Pope](/source/Gone_with_the_Pope)'' (1976), which have since developed a cult following. In 1960, Mitchell provided the singing voice of [Fred Flintstone](/source/Fred_Flintstone) for his friends [William Hanna](/source/William_Hanna) and [Joseph Barbera](/source/Joseph_Barbera) on ''[The Flintstones](/source/The_Flintstones)'' episodes "Hot Lips Hannigan" and "Girls' Night Out". Mitchell was a regular on the scene in [Palm Springs, California](/source/Palm_Springs%2C_California), where he started the fad and trend of "Sunday Brunches" with shows including [Liza Minnelli](/source/Liza_Minnelli), [David Janssen](/source/David_Janssen), [Cary Grant](/source/Cary_Grant), [Frank Sinatra](/source/Frank_Sinatra), and his son, guitarist/songwriter Jeffrey Mitchell, who got his start at the Ranch Club brunches with his father, [Doug McClure](/source/Doug_McClure), [James Drury](/source/James_Drury), and a myriad of stars including [Lucille Ball](/source/Lucille_Ball), [Red Skelton](/source/Red_Skelton), [Vince Edwards](/source/Vince_Edwards), and acts from the world of show-biz. Stars would take the weekend plunge into the Palm Springs scene and join the brunch festivities on Sunday. Several of Mitchell’s projects originally weren't released, including his "Tribute to [Durante](/source/Jimmy_Durante)" and his second feature film ''[Gone with the Pope](/source/Gone_with_the_Pope)'', which only existed as a work print when it was found in Mitchell's son Jeffrey Mitchell's garage by [Grindhouse Releasing](/source/Grindhouse_Releasing)’s [Bob Murawski](/source/Bob_Murawski) and [Sage Stallone](/source/Sage_Stallone). Sage wanted to purchase ''Gone with the Pope'' from Jeffrey Mitchell and he did, save for the musical rights, as Mitchell's music is published out of London. It was carefully restored and released theatrically in 2011 by Grindhouse Releasing, which has also restored and released Mitchell’s ''[Massacre Mafia Style](/source/Massacre_Mafia_Style)'', owned by Jeffrey Mitchell and Bob Murawski, on Blu-ray in 2015.{{Cite web|url=https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Massacre_Mafia_Style|title=Massacre Mafia Style - The Grindhouse Cinema Database|website=Grindhousedatabase.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/|title=Turner Classic Movies - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}[http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=15556 “Massacre Mafia Style Blu-ray Detailed”], Blu-ray.com, December 2, 2014.[http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/11/15/weekend-weirdness-black-devil-doll-gone-with-the-pope-altitude-and-hausu "Weekend Weirdness: Gone with the Pope"], Slashfilm.com, November 15, 2009.Twitchfilm “DVD Review: MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE: Family Edition” (February 2011). ==Personal life and death== Mitchell and his wife, Jo, had two children. On December 2, 1981, Mitchell died of [lung cancer](/source/lung_cancer) at the age of 55. ==Filmography== ===Director=== * ''[Massacre Mafia Style](/source/Massacre_Mafia_Style)'' (1974, re-released in 2010 by [Grindhouse Releasing](/source/Grindhouse_Releasing)) (a.k.a. ''Like Father Like Son'', a.k.a. ''The Executioner''){{Cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/87262/grindhouse-releasing-massacre-mafia-style/|title=Grindhouse Releasing a Massacre Mafia Style|date=January 26, 2015}} * ''[Gone with the Pope](/source/Gone_with_the_Pope)'' (1976, released in 2010 by [Grindhouse Releasing](/source/Grindhouse_Releasing)) ===Actor=== * ''[Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla](/source/Bela_Lugosi_Meets_a_Brooklyn_Gorilla)'' (1952) * ''[Sailor Beware](/source/Sailor_Beware_(1952_film))'' (1952) (uncredited) * ''[Crime in the Streets](/source/Crime_in_the_Streets)'' (1956) (uncredited) * ''[Baby Face Nelson](/source/Baby_Face_Nelson_(film))'' (1957) * ''[Paradise Alley](/source/Paradise_Alley_(1962_film))'' (1962) * ''[Massacre Mafia Style](/source/Massacre_Mafia_Style)'' (1974) * ''[Gone with the Pope](/source/Gone_with_the_Pope)'' (1976) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0593299}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Duke}} Category:1926 births Category:1981 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American crooners Category:Deaths from lung cancer in California Category:Liberty Records artists Category:People from Mercer County, Pennsylvania Category:American comedy film directors Category:Film directors from Pennsylvania Category:20th-century American male actors Category:20th-century American singers Category:20th-century American male singers Category:Comedians from Pennsylvania Category:American slapstick comedians Category:American male comedians --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Duke Mitchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Mitchell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Mitchell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.