Duke Mitchell Video | Celebrity Interview and Paparazzi

Duke Mitchell (May 9, 1926 – December 2, 1981) was an American film actor, slapstick comedian, crooner and independent film director. Mitchell often performed his nightclub act in and around Palm Springs, California and anointed himself the "King of Palm Springs." Mitchell was born Dominic Miceli in Farrell, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he teamed with teenaged comic 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 red-hot team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The act got too close for... MORE

Duke Mitchell (May 9, 1926 – December 2, 1981) was an American film actor, slapstick comedian, crooner and independent film director. Mitchell often performed his nightclub act in and around Palm Springs, California and anointed himself the "King of Palm Springs." Mitchell was born Dominic Miceli in Farrell, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he teamed with teenaged comic 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 red-hot team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The act got too close for comfort and Lewis famously threatened to sue the duo. It was Duke Mitchell, however, who pointed out a key flaw in the prosecution's case, and Martin & Lewis's studio, Paramount Pictures, hurriedly dropped the suit. Movie producer Jack Broder had announced his intention 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 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, a silly, LESS