Shirley Mitchell

Shirley Mitchell
Mitchell in October 2008
Born	(1919-11-04)November 4, 1919 Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Died	November 11, 2013(2013-11-11) (aged 94) Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
Alma mater	University of Toledo University of Michigan
Occupation	Radio, film, and television actress
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Spouse(s)	Julian Frieden (1946–1974; divorced; 2 children) Jay Livingston (1992-2001; his death)

Shirley Mitchell (November 4, 1919 – November 11, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress.

Mitchell was born in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Sam Mitchell and his wife.

Following a move to Chicago, Mitchell appeared in the network broadcast of The First Nighter Program and played small parts in various soap operas including The Story of Mary Marlin and The Road of Life. After she relocated to Los Angeles, she played opposite Joan Davis and Jack Haley in The Sealtest Village Store. She also starred as Louella in The Life of Riley and joined the cast of Fibber McGee and Molly as Alice Darling in 1943. She also played in The Charlotte Greenwood Show.

Her most prominent radio role was that of the charismatic Southern belle Leila Ransom on The Great Gildersleeve radio show beginning in September 1942. In the third season of CBS's I Love Lucy, from 1953–54, she appeared in three episodes as Lucy Ricardo's friend with the funny laugh, Marion Strong. She was the last surviving recurring adult cast member following the deaths of Doris Singleton in 2012 and Peggy Rea in 2011.

In 1962, she played Janet Colton in thirteen episodes of another CBS sitcom, Pete and Gladys, starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams, with Peter Leeds cast as her husband, George Colton. Between 1963-65, she made five appearances on Perry Mason, including in the 1965 episode "The Case of the Carefree Coronary", when she played Marilyn David, the widow of a murder victim. In 1964, she played the role of murder victim Elizabeth Bain, although her character was only heard, not seen, in "The Case of the Woeful Widower."