Lizabeth Scott (1922–2015) appeared in 22 feature films from 1945 to 1972. In addition to stage and radio, she appeared on television from the late 1940s to early 1970s.
Stage edit
Lizabeth Scott attended Scranton's Central High School, where she performed in several plays. After graduating, she spent the summer working with the Mae Desmond Players[1] at a stock theater in the nearby community of Newfoundland.[2] She then travelled down to Abingdon, Virginia and worked at the Barter Theatre.[3] After an 18-month tour of 63 cities across the US with one of the three Hellzapoppin companies touring the US, Scott returned to New York City in the spring of 1942, where she joined a summer stock company at the 52nd Street Theatre[4] on the subway circuit,[5] the then equivalent of off-Broadway. Eventually, she starred as Sadie Thompson in John Colton's play Rain (1923). This role lead to Scott being chosen for as understudy for Tallulah Bankhead's Sabina, the leading lady role in the first Broadway production of The Skin of Our Teeth. Scott only played Sabina twice on Broadway, but replaced Miriam Hopkins for two weeks in the Boston run. As a Paramount contract player, Scott returned to the stage in 1949 as the titular character in Anna Lucasta.
| No. | Title, US production run | Company, producer |
Director, playwright |
Scott's role | Leading man | Costars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rain (Off-Broadway 1942 run) | 52nd Street Theatre Company | John Colton (playwright) | Sadie Thompson | ||
| 2 | Hellzapoppin (National tour 1940–1942 run) | John Olsen and Harold Johnson (playwrights) | Elizabeth Scott | Billy House | Eddie Garr | |
| 3 | The Skin of Our Teeth (Broadway 1942–1943 run) | Michael Myerberg (producer) | Elia Kazan, Thornton Wilder | Girl/Drum Majorette, Sabina | Fredric March | Tallulah Bankhead, Montgomery Clift, E. G. Marshall |
| 4 | The Skin of Our Teeth (Boston 1943 run) | Michael Myerberg | Thornton Wilder | Sabina | ||
| 5 | Anna Lucasta (Princeton, New Jersey 1949 run) | Philip Yordan (playwright) | Anna Lucasta | |||
| 6 | Anna Lucasta (East Hartford, Connecticut 1949 run) | Philip Yordan | Anna Lucasta |
Filmography edit
Though Lizabeth Scott began as a comedian on stage (Hellzapoppin, The Skin of Our Teeth), her film career is associated with film noir by film historians and public alike. Of the 22 feature films she starred in, 15 of them are noir-themed. Scott appeared in traditional black-and-white noirs, as well as noir variants, which include Western (Silver Lode), color (Desert Fury), comedy (Scared Stiff), Science Fiction (Stolen Face) and drama (The Company She Keeps).
With the exception of her Variety Girl cameo, Scott was the leading lady for all films she appeared in (she shared top billing with Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers). While Scott was signed to Paramount Pictures, she was often on loan to other studios, as was the standard practice during the studio system era. She worked with half of the eight major studios during the Golden Age of film. As a result, almost half her output and several of her best known films were with studios other than Paramount.[6]
* indicates films in the public domain. See cites for copyright renewal dates.
| No. | US release Year | Title | Role | Studio, producer |
Director, screenwriter |
Scott's role | Leading man | Costars | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1945 | You Came Along*[7] | Ivy Hotchkiss | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
John Farrow, Ayn Rand | Ivy "Hotcha" Hotchkiss | Robert Cummings | Don DeFore, Charles Drake, Helen Forrest, Kim Hunter |
|
| 2 | 1946 | The Strange Love of Martha Ivers*[8] | Toni Marachek | Hal Wallis Productions/ Paramount, Hal Wallis |
Lewis Milestone, Robert Rossen | Antonia "Toni" Marachek | Van Heflin | Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas |
|
| 3 | 1947 | Dead Reckoning [9][10] | 'Dusty' Chandler | Columbia, Sidney Biddell |
John Cromwell, Steve Fisher | Coral "Dusty" Chandler | Humphrey Bogart | Morris Carnovsky, William Prince, Marvin Miller |
|
| 4 | 1947 | Desert Fury[11][12] | Paula Haller | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
Lewis Allen, Robert Rossen | Paula Haller | John Hodiak | Burt Lancaster, Mary Astor, Wendell Corey, Kristine Miller |
|
| 5 | 1947 | Variety Girl[13][14] | Lizabeth Scott | Paramount, Daniel Dare |
George Marshall, Monte Brice | Herself | Burt Lancaster | Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan |
|
| 6 | 1947 | I Walk Alone[15][16] | Kay Lawrence | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
Byron Haskin, Charles Schnee | Kay Lawrence | Burt Lancaster | Kirk Douglas, Kristine Miller, Wendell Corey |
|
| 7 | 1948 | Pitfall[17] | Mona Stevens | United Artists, Samuel Bischoff |
Andre DeToth, Karl Kamb |
Mona Stevens | Dick Powell | Jane Wyatt, Raymond Burr, Byron Barr, Ann Doran |
|
| 8 | 1949 | Too Late for Tears*[18] | Jane Palmer | United Artists, Hunt Stromberg |
Byron Haskin, Roy Huggins |
Jane Palmer | Don DeFore | Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller |
|
| 9 | 1949 | Easy Living[19][20] | Liza Wilson | RKO, Robert Sparks |
Jacques Tourneur, Irwin Shaw |
Liza "Lize" Wilson | Victor Mature | Lucille Ball, Sonny Tufts, Lloyd Nolan, Jack Paar |
|
| 10 | 1950 | Paid in Full*[21] | Jane Langley | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
William Dieterle, Robert Blees |
Jane Langley | Robert Cummings | Diana Lynn, Eve Arden, Ray Collins |
|
| 11 | 1950 | Dark City[22][23] | Fran Garland | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
William Dieterle, John Meredyth Lucas |
Fran Garland | Charlton Heston | Viveca Lindfors, Dean Jagger, Don DeFore, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan |
|
| 12 | 1951 | The Company She Keeps[24][25] | Joan Willburn | RKO, John Houseman |
John Cromwell, Ketti Frings |
Joan Willburn | Dennis O'Keefe | Jane Greer, Fay Baker, John Hoyt |
|
| 13 | 1951 | Two of a Kind[26][27] | Brandy Kirby | Columbia, William Dozier |
Henry Levin, Lawrence Kimble | Brandy Kirby | Edmond O'Brien | Terry Moore, Alexander Knox, Griff Barnett |
|
| 14 | 1951 | The Racket[28][29] | Irene Hayes | RKO, Edmund Grainger |
John Cromwell, William Wister Haines |
Irene Hayes | Robert Mitchum | Robert Ryan, Ray Collins, William Talman, Joyce Mackenzie, Robert Conrad |
|
| 15 | 1951 | Red Mountain[30][31] | Chris | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
William Dieterle, George W. George |
Chris | Alan Ladd | Arthur Kennedy, John Ireland, Jeff Corey, Neville Brand |
|
| 16 | 1952 | Stolen Face[32][33] | Alice Brent / Lily Conover | Hammer/Lippert, Anthony Hinds |
Terence Fisher, Martin Berkeley |
Alice Brent/ Lily Conover (after surgery) |
Paul Henreid | André Morell, Mary Mackenzie |
|
| 17 | 1953 | Scared Stiff[34][35] | Mary Carroll | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
George Marshall, Herbert Baker | Mary Carroll | Dean Martin | Jerry Lewis, Carmen Miranda |
|
| 18 | 1953 | Bad for Each Other[36][37] | Helen Curtis | Columbia, William Fadiman |
Irving Rapper, Irving Wallace | Helen Curtis | Charlton Heston | Dianne Foster, Mildred Dunnock, Ray Collins |
|
| 19 | 1954 | Silver Lode[38][39] | Rose Evans | RKO, Benedict Bogeaus |
Allan Dwan, Karen DeWolf | Rose Evans | John Payne | Dan Duryea, Dolores Moran, Alan Hale Jr., Stuart Whitman |
|
| 20 | 1956 | The Weapon[40][41] | Elsa Jenner | Periclean Productions, Irving H. Levin |
Val Guest, Fred Freiberger | Elsa Jenner | Steve Cochran | Jon Whiteley, Herbert Marshall George Cole |
|
| 21 | 1957 | Loving You[42][43] | Glenda Markle | Paramount, Hal Wallis |
Hal Kanter, Herbert Baker | Glenda Markle | Elvis Presley | Wendell Corey, Dolores Hart |
|
| 22 | 1972 | Pulp[44][45] | Betty Cippola | United Artists, Michael Klinger |
Mike Hodges (both) |
Princess Betty Cippola | Michael Caine | Mickey Rooney, Lionel Stander, Nadia Cassini |
(final film role) |
Radio edit
During the Golden Age of Radio, Scott would reprise her film roles in abridged radio versions. Typical were her appearances on Lux Radio Theatre: You Came Along with Van Johnson in the Robert Cummings role and I Walk Alone.[46] Scott would also recreate on radio the original film roles of other actresses such as Loretta Young (The Perfect Marriage) and Veronica Lake (Saigon). Scott would even reprise Barbara Stanwyck's role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. One notable radio performance was the Molle Mystery Theatre episode, Female Of The Species, in which Scott is Eva Lester, the owner of a beauty salon. Lester tries to murder the rich wife of a man she is having an affair with.[47] Scott was also a guest host/narrator on Family Theater.[48]
| No. | Title, US release year | Studio, producer |
Director, script-writer |
Scott's role |
Leading man |
Costars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lux Radio Theatre "You Came Along" (January 7, 1946)[49] |
CBS | Fred MacKaye, Robert Smith |
Ivy "Hotcha" Hotchkiss | Van Johnson | Don DeFore, Colleen Collins, Jeff Corey, Betty Bryan |
| 2 | Molle Mystery Theatre "Female Of The Species" (June 7, 1946)[49] |
NBC | Irene Winslow (script-writer) | Eva Lester | ||
| 3 | Family Theater "The Perfect Wife" (November 13, 1947)[50] |
Family Theater Productions | James Fee (script-writer) |
Herself (hostess/ narrator) |
Ralph Morgan | Spring Byington |
| 4 | Proudly We Hail "The Triumphant Road" (1948)[49] |
US Army/ Air Force |
Eddie Skrivanek (director) | |||
| 5 | The Screen Guild Theater "Desert Fury" (January 12, 1948)[49] |
CBS, Bill Lawrence |
Bill Lawrence (director) |
Paula Haller | John Hodiak | Burt Lancaster, Mary Astor, Wendall Corey |
| 6 | Lux Radio Theatre "The Perfect Marriage" (December 4, 1948)[51] |
CBS | Jenny Williams | Ray Milland | ||
| 7 | Lux Radio Theatre "I Walk Alone" (May 24, 1948)[49] |
CBS | Kay Lawrence | Burt Lancaster | Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey | |
| 8 | Lux Radio Theatre "Pitfall" (November 8, 1948) |
CBS | Mona Stevens | Dick Powell | Jane Wyatt | |
| 9 | Radio City Playhouse "Machine" (August 18, 1949)[52] |
NBC, Richard P. McDonough |
Harry W. Junkin (director and script-writer) | Mary Hillman | ||
| 10 | Lux Radio Theatre "Saigon" (September 5, 1949)[51] |
CBS | Susan Cleaver | John Lund | ||
| 11 | Lux Radio Theatre "California" (January 30, 1950)[51] |
CBS | Lily Bishop | Ray Milland | ||
| 12 | Stars Over Hollywood "Night Operator" (March 29, 1952)[49] |
CBS | Paul Pierce (director) | Laurie Ann McCrae | Harry Bartell | Verna Felton, Don Diamond, Louise Arthur, Sidney Miller |
| 13 | Stars In The Air "The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers" (April 17, 1952)[49] |
CBS | Harry Cronman (director, script-writer) | Martha Ivers | Dan Duryea | Joseph Kearns, Herb Vigran, Bob Sweeney |
| 14 | Guest Star "The Coward" (March 20, 1955)[50] |
US Treasury Department | Louis Graf (director) | John Larch | Dick Beals, Frank Nelson |
Television edit
Lizabeth Scott transitioned from the radio versions of programs she previously voiced. She continued to guest host for the television version of Family Theater, as well as acting in the then new Lux Video Theatre. Returning to her vaudeville origins, she also appeared in variety programs like the Colgate Comedy Hour and made her singing debut on The Big Record.[53] The 1960s saw Scott continuing to guest-star on television, including a notable 1960 episode of Adventures in Paradise, "The Amazon," opposite Gardner McKay.[54] In Burke's Law "Who Killed Cable Roberts?" (1963), she appears as the widow of a celebrity big game hunter.[55] Scott returned to 20th Century Fox to film "The Luck of Harry Lime" (1965), an episode of The Third Man. She was directed by her former costar Paul Henreid from Stolen Face.[56] She also appeared on the occasional game show opposite actors like John Wayne and George Hamilton.
| No. | Title, US release year | Studio, producer |
Director, screen- writer |
Scott's role |
Leading man |
Costars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Theater "The Denver Express" (August 31, 1949)* |
St. Paul Films | Herself (hostess, narrator) |
Regis Toomey | ||
| 2 | The Colgate Comedy Hour (October 19, 1952)* |
NBC, Colgate Palmolive | Edward Sobel; John Grant, Elwood Ullman |
Herself (and characters in sketches) |
Abbott and Costello | Gisele MacKenzie The Four Pipers, Les Dassie, Sid Fields, Dudley Dickerson, Milt Bronson, Bobby Barber |
| 3 | Lux Video Theatre "Amo, Amas, Amat" (December 1, 1952)* |
J. Walter Thompson Agency, Cal Kuhl |
Richard Goode, Anne Howard Bailey |
Margaret Bailey | Ralph Meeker | Oliver Thorndike |
| 4 | Lux Video Theatre "Make Believe Bride" (June 11, 1953)* |
J. Walter Thompson Agency, Cal Kuhl |
Howard Loeb, Anne Howard Bailey Mona Williams (story)[57] |
Betsy | Don DeFore | Glenn Anders |
| 5 | Studio 57 "I'll Always Love You, Natalie" (December 12, 1955)[58] |
Revue Productions | Lawrence Kimble[59] (screenwriter) |
Clara Townsley[59] | Patric Knowles | William Roerick, Edward Platt, Ed Reimers |
| 6 | The 20th Century Fox Hour "Overnight Haul" (May 16, 1956)[60] |
20th Century Fox Television, Peter Packer |
Jules Bricken, Leonard Freeman | Frances Fowler | Richard Conte | Richard Eyer |
| 7 | Adventures in Paradise "The Amazon" (March 21, 1960)[61] |
20th Century Fox Television, Richard Goldstone |
Joseph Lejtes, William Froug | Carla MacKinley | Gardner McKay | Claude Akins, Tom Drake |
| 8 | Burke's Law "Who Killed Cable Roberts?" (October 4, 1963)[62] |
Four Star, Aaron Spelling |
Jeffrey Hayden, Gwen Bagni |
Mona Roberts | Gene Barry | Paul Lynde, Mary Astor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, John Saxon |
| 9 | The Third Man "The Luck of Harry Lime" (August 27, 1965)* |
20th Century Fox Television, John Llewellyn Moxey |
Paul Henreid, Gene Wang |
Diane Masters | Michael Rennie | Jonathan Harris, Willis Bouchey |
Titles in the public domain.* See cites for copyright renewal dates.
References edit
- ^ [1] Joseph Myers (January 26, 2012; accessed May 23, 2014), University of the Arts lauds Mae Desmond: A new musical will address the life of a Queen Village theatrical legend
- ^ Anonymous (Thursday, May 18, 1939), "News and Comment Of Stage and Screen," Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, Massachusetts), p. 11
- ^ David Ragan (Prentice Hall, July 1, 1985), Movie Stars of the '40s, p. 191"
- ^ James Robert Parish (Arlington House, 1972), The Paramount Pretties, p. 520
- ^ Erskine Johnson (Friday, January 12, 1945), "That's California 'Dew,'" In Hollywood, Ironwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, Michigan), p. 10
- ^ Bernard F. Dick (The University Press of Kentucky, May 21, 2004), Hal Wallis: Producer to the Stars, p. 105
- ^ You Came Along AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ The Strange Love of Martha Ivers AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [2] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 8, 1987.
- ^ Dead Reckoning AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [3] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 30, 2004.
- ^ Desert Fury AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [4] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 30, 2004.
- ^ Variety Girl AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Copyright Catalog US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014). Copyright renewed October 22, 1980.
- ^ I Walk Alone AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Pitfall AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Too Late for Tears AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [5] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 3, 2005.
- ^ Easy Living AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Paid in Full AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Walter E. Hurst, D. Richard Baer (Hollywood Film Archive, 1994), Film Superlist: 1950–1959, p. 73. US copyright renewed November 1977
- ^ [6] Dark City] AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [7] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed July 11, 1978.
- ^ The Company She Keeps AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [8] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed May 4, 1979.
- ^ Two of a Kind AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [9] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 19, 1979.
- ^ The Racket AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [10] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed October 25, 1979.
- ^ Red Mountain AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [11] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 3, 1980.
- ^ Stolen Face AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [12] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed June 25, 1980.
- ^ Scared Stiff AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [13] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 15, 1981.
- ^ Bad for Each Other AFI (accessed May 26, 2014),, Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [14] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 4, 1982.
- ^ Silver Lode AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [15] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 19, 1984.
- ^ The Weapon AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), AFI Catalog of Films
- ^ [16] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed July 26, 1985.
- ^ Loving You AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [17] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed June 19, 2000.
- ^ Pulp AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ [18] Anonymous (accessed May 26, 2014), "Radio Broadcast Log Of: Lux Radio Theatre," Audio Classics Archive
- ^ [19] Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Anonymous (accessed May 26, 2014), CastRoller podcast, Female Of The Species
- ^ "Family Theater .. Episodic log". Archived from the original on 2014-05-26. Retrieved 2014-05-26. OTR (accessed May, 2014), Family Theater, "Old Time Radio"
- ^ a b c d e f g [20] J. David Goldin (accessed May 26, 2014), "Scott, Lizabeth," RadioGOLDINdex
- ^ a b [21] J. David Goldin (accessed May 27, 2014), "Scott, Lizabeth," RadioGOLDINdex
- ^ a b c [22] Jerry Haendiges (accessed May 26, 2014), "Series: 'Lux Radio Theater'," Jerry's Vintage Radio Logs
- ^ [23] Anonymous (accessed May 27, 2014), "The Radio City Playhouse Radio Program," Digital Deli Too
- ^ Steven H. Scheuer (April 29, 1958), "Jane Powell Tells Of First Picture," TV Keynotes, The Troy Record (Troy, New York), p. 27
- ^ 20th Century Fox Studios (March 21, 1960), Adventures in Paradise: Season 1, Episode 23, The Amazon
- ^ Paul Derrick (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, August 7, 2013), "Who Killed Cable Roberts?" Burkes Law Case Files, pp. 13, 71
- ^ Christopher Wicking, Tise Vahimagi (Dutton, August 27, 1979), American Vein: Directors and Directions in Television, p. 211
- ^ Stretch, Bud (June 11, 1953). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. p. 13. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ [24] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 30, 2004.
- ^ a b Anonymous (Saturday, September 8, 1956), "Strange Meeting Seen On 'Spotlight,'" The Coshocton Democrat (Coshocton, Ohio), p. 6
- ^ [25] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014) Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed June 15, 2002.
- ^ [26] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed August 27, 1988.
- ^ [27] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 4, 1991.