Scranton’s Grand Lady ofRemembering the SilverLizabeth ScreenScott he younger set of movie goers might not be familiar with Lizabeth Scott, but ask senior citizens, and they’ll tell you she’s the dark blonde woman with the husky voice who starred in film noir movies, including “Dead Reckoning,” with Humphrey Bogart.
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People who love old movies will also tell you Scott was born and raised in Scranton and attended Marywood College and Scranton Central. Her real name is Emma Matzo, and she is of Ukrainian descent. The family lived in the Pine Brook section of Scranton where Mr. Matzo owned a grocery store. In 1946, when she was 25, film exhibitors voted her seventh most promising ”Star of Tomorrow.” With her husky voice, move writers often compared her to Lauren Bacall. When Scott went to New York City to pursue an acting career, she was discovered by producer Hal Wallis, and her career was launched. Scott’s first movie was “You Came Along” with Robert Cummings. As her career progressed, Scott signed on for some top rated films and appeared with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Mary Astor, among others. In 1957, Scott was on the big screen with Elvis Presley. It turned out to be her last movie, as she surprised fans by retiring. She never married. She is remembered by many now as a Hollywood icon. H –Robert Curran Robert Curran was an award-winning journalist and a freelance writer for Happenings Magazine during his retirement years. He loved journalism and was especially fond of this magazine. He was born in Peckville, grew up in Olyphant, spent his working years in New York state and NEPA. He passed away on Feb. 2, 2017. This article was originally published in Happenings Magazine in December 2013.
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October 2019