Lizabeth Scott had the look - sulky, blonde, dark eyebrows and a husky voice to made her a geat femme fatale for the noir genre.
Lizabeth Scott was born Emma Matzo on 29th September 1922 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to Slovakian parents. Producer Hal B. Wallis discovered her when she studied at Alvienne School of Drama in Manhattan after performing in some summer stock and brough
t her to Hollywood. He put her opposite Robert Cummings in "You Came Along" (1944), about an escort falls in love with a G.I. and lost him to leukemia.
Lizabeth Scott was born Emma Matzo on 29th September 1922 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to Slovakian parents. Producer Hal B. Wallis discovered her when she studied at Alvienne School of Drama in Manhattan after performing in some summer stock and brough
t her to Hollywood. He put her opposite Robert Cummings in "You Came Along" (1944), about an escort falls in love with a G.I. and lost him to leukemia. When Hal Wallis formed his own company, he cast Scott in a supporting role in the film noir classic, "The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers" with the lead going to Barbara Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas made his movie debut but Scott steals every scene she's in - which is not many - and provides an anchor of strength and sweetness in an otherwise dark and perverse melodrama, saturated with cruelt
y, fear, guilt, obsession, murder and blackmail. Infact, Variety claimed she out-acted them both. She was loaned out to Columbia for her best remembered role, in "Dead Reckoning" (1947). As a shady dame who hooks up with Humphrey Bogart, trying to find out who murdered his buddy, she was alluring and did not disappoint.
y, fear, guilt, obsession, murder and blackmail. Infact, Variety claimed she out-acted them both. She was loaned out to Columbia for her best remembered role, in "Dead Reckoning" (1947). As a shady dame who hooks up with Humphrey Bogart, trying to find out who murdered his buddy, she was alluring and did not disappoint. Scott was the daugther of a casino owner, who gets involved with racketeer, Burt Lancaster in the beautiful Technicolour "Deset Fury" (1947), but the movie was walked away with th
e great Mary Astor, playing Scott's mother. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas fight over her in the Prohibition noir-drama, "I Walk Alone" (1948). "Pitfall" (1948) has the married Dick Powell having a fling with and in "Too Late For Tears" (1949) as a ruthless woman who will stop at nothing to hold on to the stash she found.
e great Mary Astor, playing Scott's mother. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas fight over her in the Prohibition noir-drama, "I Walk Alone" (1948). "Pitfall" (1948) has the married Dick Powell having a fling with and in "Too Late For Tears" (1949) as a ruthless woman who will stop at nothing to hold on to the stash she found. A football drama, starring Victor Mature and Lucille Ball, "Easy Living" (1949) did not quite come off for Scott playing Mature's wife. She suffered in silenc
e when her selfish sister Diana Lynn fell for the man she loves Robert Cummings in "Paid In Full" (1950). She played a sexy torch singer opposite Charlton Heston in "Dark City" (1950) and a female robber in "Two Of A Kind" (1951). A Civil War drama "Red Mountain" (1951) with Alan Ladd did not fair any better, but a little improvement in "The Racket" (1951) with Robert Mitchum. She gets to play a dual 
role in "Stolen Face" (1952) and she gets to be the leading lady in Jerry Lewis Dean Martin musical comedy, "Scared Stiff" (1953).
e when her selfish sister Diana Lynn fell for the man she loves Robert Cummings in "Paid In Full" (1950). She played a sexy torch singer opposite Charlton Heston in "Dark City" (1950) and a female robber in "Two Of A Kind" (1951). A Civil War drama "Red Mountain" (1951) with Alan Ladd did not fair any better, but a little improvement in "The Racket" (1951) with Robert Mitchum. She gets to play a dual 
role in "Stolen Face" (1952) and she gets to be the leading lady in Jerry Lewis Dean Martin musical comedy, "Scared Stiff" (1953). In 1955 Scott, who never married, sued Confidential over allegations concerning her sexual preferences. Her last substantial role was as a publicist in Elvis Presley's 1957 "Loving You". Since 1957 she has been seldom seen except for a few rare television appearances. She appeared in "Pulp" (1972), her last movie to date.
Lizabeth Scott is 86 and her legacy lives on however in the growing popularity of classic movies sparked by video tape, laser discs, and cable movie channels such as AMC (American Movie Classics) and TCM (Turner Classic Movies).
(Scanned autographed photo - property of author).
No comments:
Post a Comment