Q&A with Peter Shelley, author of Lizabeth Scott
Why did you choose Lizabeth as a subject?
There had been no book on her apart from Lunch with Lizabeth by Todd Hughes, which was enjoyable, but didn’t cover her whole career. I heard another writer was working on a book on her, but it had not materialised. I had been thinking about doing the book on her for a while but couldn’t get a publisher interested. I don’t know if it was because of her relatively small filmography or that she was not considered a big star and therefore had little appeal to readers. I loved her in John Cromwell’s Dead Reckoning, though must admit found Lizabeth’s acting rather stilted. I had not seen any of her other films so watching them now, in chronological order, was a learning experience. Lizabeth started off with mannerisms but as she progressed, she got better.
Does Dead Reckoning remain the favorite of her films for you?
Yes but I am fond of “The Company She Keeps” with Jane Greer where Lizabeth plays the good girl and Jane is the bad girl. Apparently the actresses were cast the other way around and they decided to switch. This allows Lizabeth to show some range, and she is very likeable as a parole officer to Jane’s ex-con. The casting is also interesting because Jane had done The Big Steal which Lizabeth had pulled out from after Robert Mitchum was arrested for possession of marijuana. That must have led to some interesting conversations between the gals. I also like Lizabeth’s work in Loving You, that she made with Elvis. I think it’s perhaps her best performance in a non-noir film. Elvis and Lizabeth might seem a strange couple but it works! Elvis apparently objected to her casting because it was right after she had her trouble with Confidential magazine.
Oh they outed her as a lesbian?
Lizabeth always denied being one and said the article was done as payback for her having an affair with another woman’s husband. Lizabeth sued and Confidential eventually admitted to not having any evidence, but the damage was done to her career. Loving You was really her last best part. After that it was only television guest spots and a final film – Pulp - where she has a minor role, unworthy of her.
She also recorded an album.
Yes called Lizabeth. She had mostly been dubbed when having to sing in films. You can hear her real voice in her first film, You Came Along. But after that it was all dubbing. She had a reasonable singing voice, and the album is fun because of the love songs directed at men. I think Lizabeth hoped to continue her recording career and do some nightclub performances but that didn’t happen. But when her film career ended she was happy to do other things like take courses at university. Lizabeth was lucky that wise investments had helped her become a wealthy woman so she could retire comfortably. Todd Hughes’ book tells you more about her life at this time when he befriended her after the career was over.
Why is the book subtitled Noir Baritone Blonde?
Well the blonde part is obvious. The baritone refers to her husky voice. The noir refers to how 13 of the 22 films she made were noirs. Baritone blonde is meant to also be a play on how she was tagged by Confidential as a baritone babe which was code for lesbian. Not that I am saying she was one or that there is anything wrong with that.
Did anything you learned surprise you?
Apart from seeing all her films, one surprise was that she was a writer and wrote an article for Photoplay of 1948 called “Don’t Misunderstand Me”. Another was that it was announced Lizabeth was engaged to marry twice in her life. The second is the most interesting. It was to an oil man named William Lafayette Dugger, Jr. who died mysteriously in 1969.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
The inspiration to see her films for themselves. They are all available for viewing online as are some of her television guest appearances, and you can listen to her album. Not all the TV stuff is there though which is frustrating. This is why I write that my book is not the definitive study of her career. But I tried my best.