Another day, another centenary - and another "Diva discovery"!
Miss Hazel Scott (for it is she) was a remarkable pioneer, it seems - a child prodigy at the piano, she was accepted into the Juilliard School of Music at the age of just eight; in her teens she played with the Count Basie Orchestra; by the 1940s she was earning more than $1 million [in today's money] a year and starring in otherwise all-white Hollywood musicals; and in 1950 she became the first black American to host her own TV show. Phew!
So why is she so forgotten? A lifelong civil rights campaigner (she refused to play segregated venues, and battled Hollywood over its portrayal of black people), unfortunately she became embroiled in the "McCarthy Witch-hunts" - which effectively destroyed her career, as it did to several prominent stars - and managed to get away from the flak by moving to France; only returning to the USA once the Civil Rights Act was enacted in the late '60s. She never recovered the prominence she had in her younger days, appearing in cabaret venues and occasionally on daytime TV.
Despite her importance, given current events, I can find absolutely no news coverage nor any mention of this momentous milestone out there on the interwebs. Which is a pity. Perhaps the BLM movement is too busy trying to pull down statues than to take a moment to commemorate [and maybe campaign for a statue to her?] the achievements of such an important woman in the history of the race equality struggle...
For our little celebration of a great lady, here's one of her remarkable screen performances:
Hazel Dorothy Scott (11th June 1920 – 2nd October 1981)
I have never heard of this woman. she sounds FABU and intelligent and a music pioneer.
ReplyDeleteShe's a great discovery, isn't she? And really should be a role model for all these BLM agitators. She was speaking out against Gone With The Wind eighty years ago, ffs! Jx
DeleteJon, I am a long-time reader/admirer of your blog. It has brought me much joy and laughter and allowed me to learn so much from your erudite discussions of various and sundry topics, so it saddens me deeply that I won't be able to continue after learning your thoughts on the BLM movement, of which I include myself wholeheartedly.
ReplyDelete"Perhaps the BLM movement is too busy trying to pull down statues..." and "BLM agitators" tell me that you may not be totally aware of what the BLM movement (at least here in the US) is and what it is trying to accomplish. "BLM agitator" (again, here in the US) is deeply offensive as "agitator" is almost always coded language for "white supremacist."
I shall miss you and your blog.
Dear John (whoever you are, as you do not have a profile), I am disappointed that you feel so strongly about my tribute to a historical pioneering figure in the racial equality civil rights movement.
DeleteNot that it matters, as you have clearly made up your mind, I am very anti-racist, very supportive of equality for all, a campaigner on many such issues over the years; I hate bigotry, bias and violence in all its forms.
What I feel at the moment is that, however laudable the reasons and the anger behind the current "lockdown-breaking", statue-smashing, business-looting, authority-attacking protests are, it's becoming obvious they are increasingly more about band-waggoning, virtue-signalling and anarchy than they are about the actual issues. How many selfies did Hazel Scott take when she was fighting the moguls in Hollywood?
I am also sorry that you interpret a word in a different manner than its dictionary definition.
Agitator [noun]: someone who tries to make people take part in protests and political activities, especially ones that cause trouble.
Regards, Jon