Scotty Beckett
Encyclopedia
Scott Hastings "Scotty" Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968) was an American
child actor
. He starred in the Our Gang
and Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
series.
's best friend and partner in mischief. His trademark look was a crooked black baseball cap and an oversized black sweater exposing one shoulder. His role was taken over by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
in 1935, and Beckett left the series for features after that year.
Beckett became a prolific child and young adult actor from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. In 1939, he returned to Our Gang briefly as Alfalfa's cousin Wilbur in Cousin Wilbur
and Dog Daze
. He appeared as one of the unborn children in Shirley Temple's The Blue Bird
(1940). He also played Al Jolson as a teenager in The Jolson Story
(1946), with his singing voice being provided by fellow child actor Rudy Wissler. His performance as Jolson was described as "touching, enchanting, and to all indications, accurate".
, Anthony Adverse
with Fredric March
, The Charge of the Light Brigade
with Errol Flynn
, Conquest with Greta Garbo
, Marie Antoinette
with Norma Shearer
; Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
(playing Jon Hall
's character as a child) and Kings Row
(playing Robert Cummings
's character as a child).
Beckett attended Los Angeles High School and took time off from filming to try his luck on the stage. Adolescence didn't seem to hamper his career, as he won such important roles as that of young Al Jolson in The Jolson Story and Junior in the long-running radio show The Life of Riley. In 1947, he appeared alongside Dickie Moore in Marilyn Monroe
's first film, Dangerous Years
. In 1949, the actor was featured in the war drama Battleground and the following year he starred as the fast-talking Tennessee Shad in the MGM comedy The Happy Years.
He attended the University of Southern California
, but dropped out when the combined workload of school and movies became too great. Although he was working steadily at MGM
, his life grew increasingly tumultuous in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1948 he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The following year he eloped with Beverly Baker, a tennis star, but their marriage dissolved within a period of months. His second marriage with Sunny Vickers produced one son, Scott Jr., and this alliance seemed to last, but in 1954 he ran afoul of the law again, once for passing a bad check and once for carrying a concealed weapon.
Ironically, that same year Beckett's career took an upward turn, as he was cast as Winky, the comic sidekick in the popular TV show Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. This was to be his last major role. He made only a few subsequent TV and film appearances, some uncredited bit parts, before leaving show business forever.
On May 8, 1968, he checked into a Hollywood nursing home, needing medical attention after suffering a serious beating. He died two days later at age 38. Although pills and a note were found, no conclusion was made by the coroner as to the exact cause of death; however, some speculate he overdosed on barbiturates or alcohol.
Leonard Maltin
wrote: "It was a particularly sad end for someone who, as a child, had shown so much easy charm and talent".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
. He starred in the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
and Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger is a syndicated science fiction television serial originally broadcast in 1954. The show lasted for only two seasons and, though syndicated sporadically, dropped into obscurity. But because it was recorded on film rather than being broadcast live as were most other TV...
series.
Early career
Born in Oakland, California, Beckett got his start in show business at age 3 when the family moved to Los Angeles and a casting director heard him singing by chance. Beckett was in a hospital visiting his father who was recovering from an illness, and was entertaining him by singing songs. A studio casting director who happened to be nearby noticed the child, and told his parents he had movie potential. Beckett auditioned, and landed a part in Gallant Lady (1933), alongside Dickie Moore. The same year, his father died. In 1934, Beckett joined Our Gang, in which Moore had appeared from 1932 to 1933.Our Gang
Beckett appeared as a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1934 to 1935. In the gang, Beckett played George "Spanky" McFarlandGeorge McFarland
George Robert Phillips "Spanky" McFarland was an American actor most famous for his appearances as a child in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies of the 1930s and 1940s...
's best friend and partner in mischief. His trademark look was a crooked black baseball cap and an oversized black sweater exposing one shoulder. His role was taken over by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
Carl Switzer
Carl Dean "Alfalfa" Switzer was an American child actor, professional dog breeder and hunting guide, most notable for appearing in the Our Gang short subjects series as Alfalfa, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.-Early life and family:Switzer was born in Paris,...
in 1935, and Beckett left the series for features after that year.
Beckett became a prolific child and young adult actor from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. In 1939, he returned to Our Gang briefly as Alfalfa's cousin Wilbur in Cousin Wilbur
Cousin Wilbur
Cousin Wilbur is a 1939 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. It was the 179th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
and Dog Daze
Dog Daze
Dog Daze is a 1939 Our Gang short comedy film directed by George Sidney. It was the 181st Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
. He appeared as one of the unborn children in Shirley Temple's The Blue Bird
The Blue Bird (1940 film)
The Blue Bird is a 1940 American fantasy film directed by Walter Lang. The screenplay by Walter Bullock was adapted from the 1908 play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck...
(1940). He also played Al Jolson as a teenager in The Jolson Story
The Jolson Story
The Jolson Story is a 1946 musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as "Julie Benson" , William Demarest as his manager, Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne as his parents, and Scotty Beckett as the young Jolson.The...
(1946), with his singing voice being provided by fellow child actor Rudy Wissler. His performance as Jolson was described as "touching, enchanting, and to all indications, accurate".
Life after Our Gang
After his Our Gang days were over, Beckett won increasingly prominent roles in major Hollywood films, usually playing the star's son or the hero as a boy. Among his major credits are Dante's Inferno with Spencer TracySpencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
, Anthony Adverse
Anthony Adverse
Anthony Adverse is a 1936 American drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney is based on the sprawling 1,224-page novel of the same title by Hervey Allen.-Plot:...
with Fredric March
Fredric March
Fredric March was an American stage and film actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1932 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr...
, The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1936 historical film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Samuel Bischoff, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer, from a screenplay by Michael Jacoby and Rowland Leigh, from a story by Michael Jacoby based on the poem The...
with Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, Conquest with Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette (1938 film)
Marie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette...
with Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
; Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film)
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...
(playing Jon Hall
Jon Hall
Jon Hall was an American film actor.-Biography:Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California, and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
's character as a child) and Kings Row
Kings Row
Kings Row is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, and Ronald Reagan that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century, beset by social pressure, dark secrets, and the challenges and tragedies one must face as a result of these...
(playing Robert Cummings
Robert Cummings
Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings , mostly known professionally as Robert Cummings but sometimes as Bob Cummings, was an American film and television actor....
's character as a child).
Beckett attended Los Angeles High School and took time off from filming to try his luck on the stage. Adolescence didn't seem to hamper his career, as he won such important roles as that of young Al Jolson in The Jolson Story and Junior in the long-running radio show The Life of Riley. In 1947, he appeared alongside Dickie Moore in Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
's first film, Dangerous Years
Dangerous Years
Dangerous Years is a 1947 film produced by Sol M. Wurtzel, directed by Arthur Pierson, starring Billy Halop and Ann E. Todd. Marilyn Monroe makes a cameo appearance as Evie the waitress in the restaurant scene....
. In 1949, the actor was featured in the war drama Battleground and the following year he starred as the fast-talking Tennessee Shad in the MGM comedy The Happy Years.
He attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, but dropped out when the combined workload of school and movies became too great. Although he was working steadily at MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, his life grew increasingly tumultuous in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1948 he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The following year he eloped with Beverly Baker, a tennis star, but their marriage dissolved within a period of months. His second marriage with Sunny Vickers produced one son, Scott Jr., and this alliance seemed to last, but in 1954 he ran afoul of the law again, once for passing a bad check and once for carrying a concealed weapon.
Ironically, that same year Beckett's career took an upward turn, as he was cast as Winky, the comic sidekick in the popular TV show Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. This was to be his last major role. He made only a few subsequent TV and film appearances, some uncredited bit parts, before leaving show business forever.
Post-acting life and death
The last ten years of Beckett's life were filled with stories of divorce, violence, drugs and arrests. After more or less giving up show business, he tried selling real estate, then cars, and twice enrolled at universities with the intention of becoming a medical doctor. In 1961, Beckett married Margaret C. Sabo, she would remain with him until his death.On May 8, 1968, he checked into a Hollywood nursing home, needing medical attention after suffering a serious beating. He died two days later at age 38. Although pills and a note were found, no conclusion was made by the coroner as to the exact cause of death; however, some speculate he overdosed on barbiturates or alcohol.
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
wrote: "It was a particularly sad end for someone who, as a child, had shown so much easy charm and talent".
External links
- Scotty Beckett at epguides.com