Fred Leedon Scott (February 14, 1902 – December 16, 1991) was an American actor best known as a

singing cowboy A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films. It references real-world campfire side ballads in the American frontier, the original cowboys sang of life on the trail with all the challenges, hardships, and d ...

star in

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

during the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Scott was born on February 14, 1902, in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

, United States. He took voice lessons as a child and started acting in

community theater Community theatre refers to any theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a community with no outside hel ...

at sixteen followed by working with a traveling

troupe Troupe may refer to: General *Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers **Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers *Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games *Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical performers ...

. Scott's family moved to

Llano del Rio Llano del Rio was a Commune (intentional community), commune (or "colony") located in what is now Llano, California, east of Palmdale, California, Palmdale in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County. The colony was ...

. He found work as a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

on a cattle

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

and tried to parlay the skills into film roles on horseback. He spent three years at

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

Helen Twelvetrees Helen Marie Twelvetrees ( Jurgens; December 25, 1908 – February 13, 1958) was an American actress. She starred in Hollywood films in the sound film era from 1929 to 1939. Many of her roles were of "suffering women". She has a star on the Holly ...

leading man. He broke into Westerns with a singing part in a

Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * Harry Carey (footballer) (1916–1991), Australian rules footballer See also * Henry Carey (disambiguation) * Harry Car ...

film.Robert W. Phillips. ''Singing Cowboy Stars''. Gibbs-Smith Publishers, Salt Lake City, 1994. For a while, Scott did

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and stage performances before returning to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and becoming a leading man in many musical Westerns produced by Spectrum Pictures earning him the nickname "The Silvery-Voiced Buckaroo." His first starring role as a singing cowboy was 1936's ''

Romance Rides the Range ''Romance Rides the Range'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Harry L. Fraser and written by Tom Gibson. The film stars Fred Scott, Cliff Nazarro, Marion Shilling, Buzz Barton, Bob Kortman and Theodore Lorch. The film was released on ...

'', and he subsequently starred in ''

The Singing Buckaroo ''The Singing Buckaroo'' is a 1937 American Western film written and directed by Tom Gibson. The film stars Fred Scott, Victoria Vinton, William Faversham, Cliff Nazarro, Howard Hill and Charles Kaley. The film was released on January 15, ...

'' and ''

Melody of the Plains ''Melody of the Plains'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Bennett Cohen. The film stars Fred Scott, Louise Small, Al St. John, David Sharpe, Lafe McKee and Bud Jamison. The film was released on April 2, 1 ...

'' (both 1937), '' Songs and Bullets'' (1938) and '' Two Gun Troubador'' (1939). He made nearly two dozen films with comedy sidekick

Al St. John Al St. John (also credited as Al Saint John and "Fuzzy" St. John; September 10, 1892 – January 21, 1963) was an early American motion-picture comedian. He was a nephew of silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, with whom he often performed on ...

, and some of his films were produced by

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Ha ...

. Scott retired from film in the late 1940s and managed his own rental properties. He died on December 16, 1991, in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

Filmography

* ''

The Grand Parade ''The Grand Parade'' is a 1930 American drama film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and starring Helen Twelvetrees, Fred Scott and Richard Carle.Kennedy p.306 It is now considered to be a lost film. A struggling minstrel show entertainer's life is ...

'' (1930) * '' Swing High'' (1930) * ''

Beyond Victory ''Beyond Victory'' is a 1931 American pre-Code war film starring Bill Boyd, James Gleason, Lew Cody, and ZaSu Pitts. While John Robertson received directing credit, Edward H. Griffith supposedly took extensive re-takes after production ended a ...

'' (1931) * '' The Last Outlaw'' (1936) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

The Fighting Deputy ''The Fighting Deputy'' is a 1937 American western directed by Sam Newfield and produced by Jed Buell for Spectrum Pictures. Plot Sheriff Dan Bentley (Frank LaRue) and Deputy Tom Bentley ( Fred Scott) are after Scar Adams / Jim Denton ( Charles ...

'' (1937) * '' Make a Wish'' (1937) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

Moonlight on the Range ''Moonlight on the Range'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Fred Scott, Al St. John, Lois January, Dick Curtis, Frank LaRue and Jimmy Aubrey. The film was released on October 6, ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Roaming Cowboy ''The Roaming Cowboy'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Robert F. Hill and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Fred Scott, Al St. John, Lois January, Forrest Taylor, Roger Williams, Richard Cramer, Buddy Cox and Art Miles. The fi ...

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1937) * '' Knight of the Plains'' (1938) * ''

The Rangers' Round-Up ''The Rangers' Round-Up'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by George H. Plympton. The film stars Fred Scott, Al St. John, Christine McIntyre, Earle Hodgins, Steve Ryan and Karl Hackett. The film was released ...

'' (1938) * '' Songs and Bullets'' (1938) * ''

Code of the Fearless ''Code of the Fearless'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Raymond K. Johnson and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Fred Scott, Claire Rochelle, John Merton, Walter McGrail, George Sherwood and Harry Harvey Sr. The film was rel ...

'' (1939) * ''

In Old Montana ''In Old Montana'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Raymond K. Johnson and starring Fred Scott, Jean Carmen and John Merton. It is about the conflict existing between sheepherders and cattlemen in the nineteenth century. Backgrou ...

'' (1939) * '' Two Gun Troubador'' (1939) * ''

Ridin' the Trail ''Ridin' the Trail'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Raymond K. Johnson and written by Phil Dunham. The film stars Fred Scott, Harry Harvey Sr., John Ward, Jack Ingram, Iris Lancaster and Bud Osborne. The film was released on July ...

'' (1940) * '' Rodeo Rhythm'' (1942) * ''

Thundering Hoofs ''Thundering Hoofs'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Tim Holt. It was the first of many films Holt made with Selander.Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, ''The RKO Story.'' New Rochelle, New York: Arlington ...

'' (1942)

References

External links

* Male Western (genre) film actors 1902 births 1991 deaths American male film actors 20th-century American male actors {{authority control