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Mabel King

Mabel King

Actor · Died November 9, 1999, aged 66 · Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Mabel Elizabeth King (née Washington; December 25, 1932 - November 9, 1999) was an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Mabel "Mama" Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! from its premiere in 1976 until the end of its second season in 1978. King is also known for portraying Evillene the Witch, a role she originated in the stage musical The Wiz and reprised in Sidney Lumet's 1978 film adaptation. She recorded on the Rama Records and Amy Records labels. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mabel King, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 25, 1932
Died
November 9, 1999 (aged 66)
From
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 49% in 30 days

What are Mabel King's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Society
25%
Bonds
21%
Survival
10%
Morality
8%
Power
7%
Fame2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 4

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 5

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles
Shadow
1 of 3
Ally
1 of 3
Mentor
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
6
Absurd
4
Melancholic
3
Manic
2
Tense
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mabel King's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mabel King's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Dead Men Don't Die(1990)

    as Chafuka

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Scrooged(1988)

    as Gramma

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Wiseguy(1987)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Colbys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Jennifer Mowbray

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Tales from the Darkside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Ruby Cuzzins

  • The Master (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Willie

  • The Jerk, Too (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Mama Johnson

  • All the Money in the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Mrs. Trussker

  • Getting Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Mabel Queen

  • The Gong Show Movie(1980)

    as Mabel

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Palmerstown, U.S.A. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Jerk(1979)

    as Mother

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Wiz(1978)

    as Evillene

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Fantasy Island(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Lelani

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows

  • ABC Weekend Specials (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Scott Joplin(1977)

    as Madam Amy

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • What's Happening!! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 43 episodes · as Mabel Thomas

  • The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings(1976)

    as Bertha

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Barney Miller(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Mother Zilla

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Jeffersons(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Ganja & Hess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Queen of Myrthia

  • Don't Play Us Cheap(1972)

    as Mrs. Bowser

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 85th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 23 titles from 1973 to 1990; peak year 1978.

Biggest box office

The Jerk (1979)

$74M worldwide

Highest rated

The Jerk (1979)

Midcredits 82nd

Most popular right now

The Wiz (1978)

Film career

19731990

Peak 1978 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1973Screen debut· Ganja & Hess

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting23 of 23: 23 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score69th

By decade

1970s11 · acting1980s11 · acting1990s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Mabel King's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Don't Play Us Cheap (1972)

90th percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Jerk (1979)

Midcredits 82nd · 73% liked

Reviewers score the acting 60/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 36. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Mabel King work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mabel King's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rob Cohen shares the most, 3.

Actors

Producers