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, and as Dick Hallorann in The Shining in 1980. He was also a prolific voiceover artist, and provided the voices of Meadowlark Lemon in the animated TV version of The Harlem Globetrotters, Jazz the Autobot in The Transformers, the title character in Hong Kong Phooey, and Scat Cat in the 1970 film The Aristocats.

Filmography

• 2024Transformers: 40th Anniversary Event — Jazz (archive audio)
• 2011Scooby-Doo! and the Pirates — (voice) (archive footage)
• 1987Rock Odyssey — Jukebox (voice)
• 1987Transformers: The Return of Optimus Prime — Jazz
• Morningstar/Eveningstar
• 1986The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye — Jazz (voice)
• 1986The Transformers: The Movie — Jazz (voice)
• Paw Paws — Eugene the Genie (voice)
• 1985The Journey of Natty Gann — Sherman
• The Transformers — Jazz (voice)
• Casablanca — Sam
• 1983Twilight Zone: The Movie — Mr. Bloom
• 1983Two of a Kind — Earl
• American Playhouse — Parking Attendant
• 1982Deadly Eyes — George Faskins
• Hotel — Garland Fisk
• It Takes Two
• Jokebook — Theme Song Performance
• Matt Houston
• 1982Missing Children: A Mother's Story — Mose Wheeler
• One of the Boys — Bernard Soloman
• 1982Working — Parking Attendant
• 1982Zapped! — Dexter Jones
• Hill Street Blues
• 1981The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island — Dewey Stevens
• 1980Bronco Billy — Doc Lynch
• Magnum, P.I. — Tickler
• 1980The Harlem Globetrotters Meet Snow White — Nate (voice)
• 1980The Shining — Hallorann
• 1979Banjo the Woodpile Cat — Crazy Legs (voice)
• 1979Scavenger Hunt — Sam
• Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo — (voice)
• The Super Globetrotters — Nate Branch / Liquid Man (voice)
• Flying High
• 1978Mean Dog Blues — Mudcat
• Taxi — Walt
• 1978The Cheap Detective — Tinker
• Vega$
• Roots — Mingo
• Scooby's All-Stars — Hong Kong Phooey (voice)
• The Incredible Hulk
• The Love Boat — Virgil Gibson
• 1976Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy — Ben Benson
• Laverne & Shirley
• 1976Silver Streak — Ralston
• 1976Stay Hungry — William
• 1976The Shootist — Moses
• 1975Coonskin — Pappy / Old Man Bone (voice), Songs
• 1975Friday Foster — Reverend Noble Franklin
• 1975Linda Lovelace for President — Super Black
• 1975Man on the Outside — Ruben Hammer
• 1975One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest — Orderly Turkle
• Starsky & Hutch
• 1975The Fortune — Fisherman
• 1975Win, Place or Steal — Attendant
• 1974Black Belt Jones — Pop Byrd
• Chico and the Man — Louie
• Hong Kong Phooey — Hong Kong Phooey (voice)
• Kolchak: The Night Stalker — Uncle Filemon
• 1974Sty of the Blind Pig — Doc
• 1974Truck Turner — Duke
• 1973Detroit 9000 — Reverend Markham
• Griff — Joe Rawls
• Kojak — Gaylord Fuller
• 1973Scooby-Doo! Meets the Harlem Globetrotters — (voices)
• 1973Slaughter's Big Rip-Off — Cleveland
• 1972Lady Sings the Blues — Big Ben
• Sanford and Son
• Temperatures Rising
• 1972The King of Marvin Gardens — Lewis
• 1972The Lorax — Singer
• The New Scooby-Doo Movies — Meadowlark Lemon (voice)
• 1971Chandler — Smoke
• McMillan & Wife — Floyd
• Nichols — Jack
• 1970Bloody Mama — Moses
• Harlem Globetrotters
• 1970The Aristocats — Scat Cat (voice)
• 1970The Great White Hope — Carnival Barker (uncredited)
• The Odd Couple — Blind Man
• 1969Hello, Dolly! — Mr. Jones (Porter) (uncredited)
• 1969Hook, Line and Sinker — The Corpse (uncredited)
• Love, American Style — One-Man Band
• Adam-12 — George Strothers
• Ironside — Jason
• Mannix
• Bewitched — Handler
• 1964Lady in a Cage — Mr. Paul's Assistant (uncredited)
• 1964The Patsy — Shoeshine Boy
• 1961The Sins of Rachel Cade — Musinga
• Johnny Midnight — Train Attendant (uncredited)
• 1960Tarzan and the Trappers — Tyana, Tyana (as Sherman Crothers)
• 1959Alias Jesse James — Railroad Porter (uncredited)
• Bonanza — Jud
• Bourbon Street Beat — Joe
• 1959Porgy and Bess — Crabman
• 1956Between Heaven and Hell — George (uncredited)
• The Adventures of Jim Bowie
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Timothy
• 1953East of Sumatra — Baltimore (as Scat Man Crothers)
• 1953Meet Me at the Fair — Enoch Jones
• 1953Walking My Baby Back Home — Smiley
• 1951Yes Sir, Mr. Bones — Scatman
• Lux Video Theatre — Johnson

Appearances as themselves (12)

• 2024Shine On: The Forgotten Shining Location — Self (archive footage)
• 1983Grandpa, Will You Run with Me? — Self - Sketch Performer
• This Is Your Life — Self
• Madame's Place — Self
• 1980Making 'The Shining' — Self
• 1978NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney — Self
• 1976Joys — Self
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self
• 1954Johnny Dark — Himself
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self