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 during the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Scott was born on February 14, 1902, in Fresno, California, United States. He took voice lessons as a child and started acting in community theater at sixteen followed by working with a traveling troupe. 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 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 ...

as Helen Twelvetrees leading man. He broke into Westerns with a singing part in a Harry Carey film.Robert W. Phillips. ''Singing Cowboy Stars''. Gibbs-Smith Publishers, Salt Lake City, 1994. For a while, Scott did opera 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 A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

earning him the nickname "The Silvery-Voiced Buckaroo." His first starring role as a singing cowboy was 1936's '' Romance Rides the Range'', and he subsequently starred in '' The Singing Buckaroo'' and '' Melody of the Plains'' (both 1937), ''

Songs and Bullets ''Songs and Bullets'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by George H. Plympton and Joseph O'Donnell. The film stars Fred Scott, Al St. John, Alyce Ardell, Charles King, Karl Hackett, Frank LaRue, Richard Crame ...

'' (1938) and ''

Two Gun Troubador ''Two Gun Troubador'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Raymond K. Johnson and written by Richard L. Bare and Phil Dunham. The film stars Fred Scott, Claire Rochelle, John Merton, Harry Harvey Sr., Carl Mathews and William Woods. Th ...

'' (1939). He made nearly two dozen films with comedy sidekick Al St. John, 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.

Filmography

* '' The Grand Parade'' (1930) * ''

Swing High ''Swing High'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code short documentary film directed by Jack Cummings. In 1932, it was nominated for an Academy Award at the 5th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Novelty). The film documents The Flying Codonas, a f ...

'' (1930) * '' Beyond Victory'' (1931) * '' The Last Outlaw'' (1936) * '' Romance Rides the Range'' (1936) * '' The Fighting Deputy'' (1937) * '' Make a Wish'' (1937) * '' Melody of the Plains'' (1937) * '' Moonlight on the Range'' (1937) * '' The Roaming Cowboy'' (1937) * '' The Singing Buckaroo'' (1937) * ''

Knight of the Plains ''Knight of the Plains'' is a 1938 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Fred Leedon Scott, Fred Scott, Al St. John, Marion Weldon, John Merton, Richard Cramer, Frank LaRue and ...

'' (1938) * '' The Rangers' Round-Up'' (1938) * ''

'' (1938) * '' Code of the Fearless'' (1939) * '' In Old Montana'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * '' Ridin' the Trail'' (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