Lizabeth Scott

Her face is weird, like that of an adult doll or as if it had been overhauled by a surgeon. Of course, her direct gaze with wide-set eyes is disturbing, her exaggeratedly white complexion, her wide nose and her thin, long lips, her platinum hair combed in the Veronica Lake style , although in its short version… But that singular face, which attracts and shudders, is also the cause of not forgetting.

Lizabeth Scott was born Emma Matzo on September 29, 1922 in a small town in Pennsylvania. She studied at the Alvienne School of Drama, in New York, and very soon she was discovered for the cinema by Hal B. Wallis, the legendary producer of Casablanca , among other films. Her first film was a romantic drama directed by the highly competent John Farrow in 1945, You Came Along . The film wasn’t a timeless work, but Scott left a mark with her sultry voice and her 23-year-old good looks. The following year she shot The Strange Love of Martha Ivers , where she gives off the femme fatale air of hers, with wicked plans. In that film, where Kirk Douglas debuted, the Scott also left its mark. And straight away she formed an unforgettable film noir couple with Humphrey Bogart in Dead End (1947), by John Cromwell . It is surely the best film of her filmography. The actress, with a character of ambiguous ethics called Dusty, is fascinating, in the best line of the heroines of the genre. With Burt Lancaster she filmed her next two films, also with crime plots, The Daughter of Sin (1947) and Coming Back to Life (1948). With Dick Powell , heartthrob of classic musicals such as Calle 42 , she later filmed The Tempting Path(1948), a fraudulent plot film about insurance companies.

His following films were not very remarkable, although they were directed by great directors, such as the masters Jacques Tourneur (the comedy Easy Life ), William Dieterle (the thrillers City in Shadows and Only a Flag , the western Red Mountain ) or John Cromwell again. (the drama Parole ). Problematic was the filming of the film La Trampa (1951) , a remarkable film about gangsters but which had to be directed by several people. In 1953 he radically changed roles, forming a comedy trio with accomplished comedians Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in the filmAn Inheritance of Fear , by George Marshall .

But Lizabeth Scott’s movie career was about to break into a thousand pieces. Around those years, she was charged with obscenity for associating with lesbians. Her fame suffered a severe blow. True or not, what is clear is that the actress sued Confidential magazine for spreading gossip about her sexual preferences. It is also true that she never married. Her career was completely frustrated, although she would still have time to shoot a movie worth remembering. This is Loving You (1957) , one of Elvis Presley ‘s first appearances on the screen. But the Hollywood world of the actress had ended. Over time, she and she only appeared sporadically in a chapter of a television series. Finally, 25 years later, she returned to the cinema for her swan song, the thrillerDangerous Stories (1972).