Mitchell had two successful careers. In his first, he was a jazz musician who played bass with such names as Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, and Lester Young, and released an album under his own name.
In 1965 he moved to Hollywood to become a screenwriter, specializing in comedy. He landed a job as a story editor and staff writer for Get Smart, and worked on a number of classic sitcoms including All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Odd Couple, The Partridge Family, and Mork and Mindy.
Once he retired from active work in TV, he taught screenwriting at the University of California in Los Angeles, started a radio show, wrote a monthly column, and played jazz in nightclubs. Gordon “Whitey” Mitchell died January 16 from cancer. He was 76.