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Lizabeth Scott on screen and stage

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ [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
  2. ^ Anonymous (Thursday, May 18, 1939), "News and Comment Of Stage and Screen," Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, Massachusetts), p. 11
  3. ^ David Ragan (Prentice Hall, July 1, 1985), Movie Stars of the '40s, p. 191"
  4. ^ James Robert Parish (Arlington House, 1972), The Paramount Pretties, p. 520
  5. ^ Erskine Johnson (Friday, January 12, 1945), "That's California 'Dew,'" In Hollywood, Ironwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, Michigan), p. 10
  6. ^ Bernard F. Dick (The University Press of Kentucky, May 21, 2004), Hal Wallis: Producer to the Stars, p. 105
  7. ^ You Came Along AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  8. ^ The Strange Love of Martha Ivers AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  9. ^ [2] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 8, 1987.
  10. ^ Dead Reckoning AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  11. ^ [3] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 30, 2004.
  12. ^ Desert Fury AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  13. ^ [4] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 30, 2004.
  14. ^ Variety Girl AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  15. ^ Copyright Catalog US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014). Copyright renewed October 22, 1980.
  16. ^ I Walk Alone AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  17. ^ Pitfall AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  18. ^ Too Late for Tears AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  19. ^ [5] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 3, 2005.
  20. ^ Easy Living AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  21. ^ Paid in Full AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  22. ^ Walter E. Hurst, D. Richard Baer (Hollywood Film Archive, 1994), Film Superlist: 1950–1959, p. 73. US copyright renewed November 1977
  23. ^ [6] Dark City] AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  24. ^ [7] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed July 11, 1978.
  25. ^ The Company She Keeps AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  26. ^ [8] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed May 4, 1979.
  27. ^ Two of a Kind AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  28. ^ [9] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 19, 1979.
  29. ^ The Racket AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  30. ^ [10] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed October 25, 1979.
  31. ^ Red Mountain AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  32. ^ [11] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 3, 1980.
  33. ^ Stolen Face AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  34. ^ [12] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed June 25, 1980.
  35. ^ Scared Stiff AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  36. ^ [13] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 15, 1981.
  37. ^ Bad for Each Other AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  38. ^ [14] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed January 4, 1982.
  39. ^ Silver Lode AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  40. ^ [15] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 19, 1984.
  41. ^ The Weapon AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), AFI Catalog of Films
  42. ^ [16] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed July 26, 1985.
  43. ^ Loving You AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  44. ^ [17] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed June 19, 2000.
  45. ^ Pulp AFI (accessed May 26, 2014), Catalog of Feature Films
  46. ^ [18] Anonymous (accessed May 26, 2014), "Radio Broadcast Log Of: Lux Radio Theatre," Audio Classics Archive
  47. ^ [19] Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Anonymous (accessed May 26, 2014), CastRoller podcast, Female Of The Species
  48. ^ "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"
  49. ^ a b c d e f g [20] J. David Goldin (accessed May 26, 2014), "Scott, Lizabeth," RadioGOLDINdex
  50. ^ a b [21] J. David Goldin (accessed May 27, 2014), "Scott, Lizabeth," RadioGOLDINdex
  51. ^ a b c [22] Jerry Haendiges (accessed May 26, 2014), "Series: 'Lux Radio Theater'," Jerry's Vintage Radio Logs
  52. ^ [23] Anonymous (accessed May 27, 2014), "The Radio City Playhouse Radio Program," Digital Deli Too
  53. ^ Steven H. Scheuer (April 29, 1958), "Jane Powell Tells Of First Picture," TV Keynotes, The Troy Record (Troy, New York), p. 27
  54. ^ 20th Century Fox Studios (March 21, 1960), Adventures in Paradise: Season 1, Episode 23, The Amazon
  55. ^ Paul Derrick (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, August 7, 2013), "Who Killed Cable Roberts?" Burkes Law Case Files, pp. 13, 71
  56. ^ Christopher Wicking, Tise Vahimagi (Dutton, August 27, 1979), American Vein: Directors and Directions in Television, p. 211
  57. ^ Stretch, Bud (June 11, 1953). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. p. 13. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  58. ^ [24] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 30, 2004.
  59. ^ a b Anonymous (Saturday, September 8, 1956), "Strange Meeting Seen On 'Spotlight,'" The Coshocton Democrat (Coshocton, Ohio), p. 6
  60. ^ [25] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014) Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed June 15, 2002.
  61. ^ [26] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed August 27, 1988.
  62. ^ [27] US Copyright Office (accessed May 26, 2014), Copyright Catalog. Copyright renewed December 4, 1991.
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