# Mitzi McCall obituary **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386 "2024-08-28T21:00:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/1 "2024-08-28T21:00:25Z")
[Mitzi McCall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitzi_McCall) died about three weeks ago. Probably you’ve never heard of her but in the 1960s, she and her husband Charlie Brill had a sketch comedy act, performing in small clubs around the country. They were very excited in February 1964 when they got their big break; a slot on the Ed Sullivan Show. Except that that had the bad luck to be booked the same night as a musical group from England, namely the Beatles. The audience was full of Beatles fans who _could not care less_ about their act. They told the story on This American Life a few years ago; the transcript is [here](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/281/transcript). They describe how this guy came into their dressing room, where they were desperately trying to re-write their act, and hung out. At one point he sketched them on napkins. They didn’t know who he was at the time but he was John Lennon. It’s a funny story. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/2 "2024-08-28T21:20:16Z")
They were on **Match Game** quite often. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/3 "2024-08-28T21:24:38Z")
I’ve listened to that story - it’s great. It’s also desperately weird that Brill thought his career-making show would be Ed Sullivan, when it turned out he can sell autographs to this day on any given weekend because of his role in one episode of a soon-cancelled TV show ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/4 "2024-08-28T21:25:03Z")
Tribbles? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/5 "2024-08-28T21:25:45Z")
Bingo! (Googling suggests that he’s got a convention appearance in October, 57 years after his Trek appearance) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/6 "2024-08-28T21:26:28Z")
I learned that just now! It’s never too late. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/7 "2024-08-28T21:27:14Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I’ve listened to that story - it’s great. It’s also desperately weird that Brill thought his career-making show would be Ed Sullivan, when it turned out he can sell autographs to this day on any given weekend because of his role in one episode of a soon-cancelled TV show Or, had they saved that napkin with the scribbled sketch, it would probably be worth big bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/8 "2024-08-28T21:28:14Z")
True! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/9 "2024-08-28T21:29:06Z")
Topo Gigio! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/10 "2024-08-28T21:30:49Z")
Sa’right! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/11 "2024-08-29T14:43:21Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I’ve listened to that story - it’s great. It’s also desperately weird that Brill thought his career-making show would be Ed Sullivan, when it turned out he can sell autographs to this day on any given weekend because of his role in one episode of a soon-cancelled TV show Turned into two episodes. He reprised the role on DS9. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/12 "2024-08-29T18:29:17Z")
Looks like they all had a good time making that episode. You think Brill, et al, got paid double? 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitzi-mccall-obituary/1006386/13 "2024-08-29T19:49:49Z")
True. An impressive gap between two occasions playing the same character