Zachary Scott: Hollywood's Sophisticated CAD

Ronald Davis wrote a previous book about Van Johnson, the still living star of the boy next door type whose sexuality was much whispered about in the 1940s. But, as Davis says of himself, as an author he's no scandalmonger, so much of what makes Van Johnson interesting was absent from Davis' biography, and I imagine Zachary Scott was more interesting than the dapper cipher presented here. Obviously something went wrong at every stage of Scott's life, though his parents never let him down and supported him financially through his last days. He failed to become a topflight Hollywood star, even though he went West at a time when, as Van Johnson discovered too, the war, the draft and simple patriotism had emptied the movie capital of nearly all male competition, and the studios were in dire need of leading men. (Davis theorizes that Zach's dad, a well connected Texas doctor, may have pulled some strings and had his son released from the ordinary citizen's responsibilities). Scott's first marriage collapsed when his life left him for John Steinbeck, and his second marriage was an extraordinary pileup of Gothic egos. Add two "daughters" to the pack (one who Davis interviewed and who winds up coming off as sincere and stable, the other who eluded him who gets the demon treatment), a drinking problem shared by nearly everyone else in the book, and a suspect earring borne steadily in his ear as a defiant badge of "pirate" sexuality, and you've got a recipe for disaster. Yet he did make A MASK FOR DIMITRIOS, MILDRED PIERCE, RUTHLESS, THE YOUNG ONE, THE SOUTHERNER, and (on stage) he played Gavin Stevens in Faulkner's REQUIEM FOR A NUN in London and New York, so who knows, there are grounds for a fullscale Zachary Scott revival. I don't know if Ronald Davis really likes him though. Physically, the book itself is printed on ultra creamy paper (though I kept hoping for a photo of Scott's sister and or children, in fact there weren't enough photos in general or what there were aren't well chosen.) If I had to die and come back as a book I hope it would be one as sturdy, elegant and pleasing as one of these "Hollywood Legends Series" from the University Press of Mississippi.

This is a very informative book if you like Zachary Scott. Very detailed about his life growing up and his desire to be a stage actor and movie star. His family life growing up, his closeness to his mother, his marriages, and the making of movies is very interesting. If you love Mr. Scott, as I do, and have seen his movies, this is a must have!

Zachary Scott, what more can I say! A beautiful man, a great actor and one of the five top "film noir" actors in my opinion. Unfortunately, he was "tagged" as a villain in most of his films. He has a most interesting background coming from a very well to-do family, but fortunately for his fans he chose to become a movie star. A very good book if you want to get to know Zachary Scott, and I did!

I have always been curious about what happened to Zachary Scott - he just seemed to disappear after several years as a leading man. This biography was very informative about his life, albeit, a little slow in the childhood and beginnings but it picked up nicely. It was interesting to know that he came from a very prominent and wealthy family in Texas. His personal life was chronicled in a thorough way and I felt the book was very much worth reading. I bought it and put in my library of Hollywood memorabilia and history.