This page chronicles the unfortunate events that dominated Scotty Beckett's adult life. One may ask "When or how did all of this start?" The easiest answer would be to point to the first published report of anything that would be damaging to Scotty's reputation, which would land us on December 20, 1948. But, of course, these things don't generally happen all of a sudden, Jekyll-and-Hyde-style. Surely, there must have been factors that preceded this date and led to Scotty's ultimate downfall. But unfortunately, this would be information that is almost certainly lost to history, unless family members have left behind some hitherto-unknown facts for us to gather. In all likelihood, though, we'll be forever stuck speculating about what exactly went wrong with Scotty. It should also be noted that, since almost all of the information related here comes from newspaper reportage, some of the details might actually be inaccurate. One frequent example of this is the hit-and-miss nature of reporting Scotty's age in any given article. Usually, this is only off by a year, but sometimes it's off by almost a decade. But even with the possibility of inaccurate details, it's pretty clear that in the broader sense, these events obviously happened, and they paint quite a tragic picture.
This first item is rather tentative, as I've not been able to find any contemporary news stories to corroborate it. In 1986, Spanky McFarland told the Associated Press that Scotty "overdosed in the bathroom of a men's club in 1947 after a decline into drugs." The main problem is that Spanky had left Hollywood to return to Texas two years earlier, so he would almost certainly have been hearing about this through the grapevine, and probably years after the fact. With the passage of time, details can get interchanged with other stories, and it's possible that this is actually a misremembered version of one of the items listed below, but set in 1947. And it wouldn't have to be Spanky doing the misremembering, since there would have been somebody else telling him about it.
On December 20, 1948, 19-year-old Scotty was arrested at the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and La Brea Ave. on suspicion of drunk driving, which was a felony, and taken to a Hollywood jail. Police said that Scotty, driving a new convertible coupe, made a wild turn at Sunset and veered over the center line, colliding with a car driven by Bernard Reinitz of 11978½ Culver Blvd., Culver City. Reinitz was unhurt, but his wife, Dorothy, who was a passenger, received an arm injury. Scotty came away with a cut on his lip. Scotty claimed to the officers that this was the first time he had ever had a drink.
Traffic investigators G.M. Angel and C.J. Tansey had quite a bit of trouble escorting Scotty back to the station, where he objected to surrending his ring, wallet and papers to the jailer. They said he acted like a wild man, forcing them to hang on to him to keep him from injuring himself as he ranted about the booking office. At one point, he tried to flee from the premises, but was held by the officers. "I want to go home! I won't go to jail!" he shouted as the jail doors were closed. All of this commotion led the officers to question whether he might have been on some sort of narcotic, but he told them that he had consumed five bourbons and nothing more. He told them he had gotten the drinks at a fraternity party and was driving home to 639 Mansfield Dr. when the accident occurred.
On December 23rd, it was reported that Scotty, having pleaded guilty, paid a $150 drunk driving fine to avoid a 30-day jail sentence. The felony charge had been lowered to a misdemeanor, and apparently, an additional charge of resisting arrest was dropped.
There was some speculation that all of this might forfeit Scotty's role as Clark Gable's son in the upcoming film "Any Number Can Play." On December 25th, Ed Sullivan wrote the following: "Dear Boss - Metro Producer Arthur Freed, Mervin Le Roy and Clark Gable agreed completely with your analysis of the Scotty Beckett accident. He gets the role of Gable's son in Clark's next flicker. The wire from Clark: 'Have talked to Arthur and Mervin and they have assured me Scotty set for part, as everyone here is in sympathy with the boy. Merry Christmas, Clark'" In Sheilah Graham's Dec. 29th column, she wrote: "I checked to see whether Clark Gable would still want him to play his son in 'Any Number Can Play.' 'Of course,' said producer Mervin Le Roy. 'It is the poor kid's first offense.' Now it is up to Scotty to justify this sympathy and keep his nose clean." On Jan. 21, 1949, Graham quoted Scotty as saying: 'If I hadn't been a movie actor, I wouldn't have been arrested in the first place.' "
On July 8, 1949, Scotty became engaged to tennis star Beverly Baker, with the two eloping to Yuma, AZ, on September 28th. This happened six days prior to Scotty's 20th birthday. After a delayed San Francisco honeymoon in early January 1950, things quickly went south for the young couple. On February 10th, the Associated Press reported that Beverly, who was a month shy of her 20th birthday at the time, had filed for divorce, just four months and 13 days after the wedding. She charged Scotty with "mental cruelty and bodily injury." On March 17th, she was awarded temporary alimony of $225 a month in Santa Monica Superior Court.
On May 31, 1950, the case went to court, and Beverly had a lot to say about her brief time being married to Scotty. She said that he was extremely jealous of her tennis career and wanted her to end it (she was one of the highest-ranked players in women's tennis at the time). If she expressed an appreciation for a male radio performer, Scotty would shut the radio off. Things got to the point where she was afraid to speak without his approval. He told her she would have to choose between him and her parents. One day, he threw her on the floor and shouted "If you try to get up, I'll kill you. I'll break your neck." On another occasion, he gave her a black eye. She described him as "insolent, arrogant, abusive, belligerent and jealous." In the end, she was awarded an interlocutory decree of divorce, receiving a $5,750 cash settlement in lieu of alimony.
On June 5th, Sheilah Graham shared the following: "Scotty Beckett looks forlorn, on the Paramount lot, on the day of his divorce. 'Maybe you were too young to marry,' suggests this reporter. 'No, Miss Graham, it wasn't that,' says Scotty, who is 20. The former child star looks too unhappy, so I probe no further."
Regarding Beverly's tennis career, Jim Scott wrote the following in an article from July 10, 1955: "Bev's career first was interrupted by her marriage to Scotty Beckett, a young movie actor. Parties and dancing left little time for the sport."
On March 12th, The Mirror provided us with this little item: "Scotty Beckett, the grown-up child star, got spanked on the chin for misbehaving at a late spot this past week end." Scotty was 21 by this time. There's no indication that any arrest was made.
On November 13, 1950, Edith Gwynn reported on the engagement of Scotty Beckett and screen actress Beverly Jane Vickers, professionally known as Sunny Vickers. Exactly when they were married is a bit fuzzy. On January 7, 1951, Louella Parsons reported that Scotty was telling his friends that they would be eloping to Mexico the next day. This was followed by a January 15th item by Erskine Johnson, in which he stated that the two would be married in June, after Scotty's divorce from Beverly Baker became final. But then on February 7th, Parsons reported that Scotty was going to be joining the Army, which would not only postpone his film career, but also his upcoming marriage to Sunny, which would not take place until after he was out of the service. It turns out, though, as reported by The Daily Clintonian on February 19th, that Scotty had so many allergies that he was ruled as "status undetermined" when it came to his qualifications for the Army. Scotty was still confident that he would be called eventually, and stated that the marriage would still be happening in June regardless.
On March 31st, Harrison Carroll reported that the couple had ALMOST eloped to Mexico previously, and that they had recently called off their engagement. Sunny went off to Florida, while Scotty was seen dating Terry Higdon. On May 8, Erskine Johnson reported that Scotty had been rejected for military service due to an asthmatic condition.
Somewhere along the line, the differences between the couple were resolved and they got married on June 27th (or perhaps June 20th), after Scotty had obtained a final decree of divorce from his first wife, who was currently involved in tennis tournaments in Europe. The Los Angeles Times, in spite of reporting this June 20th wedding, also stated in the same article that Scotty planned to go through a second marriage ceremony with Sunny, and that the two had indeed been secretly wed in Mexico five months earlier (presumably on January 8th). So were they going to get married a third time? On June 25th, Harrison Carroll reported that Scotty verified to him that they had indeed been married in Mexico back in January, that a second ceremony would take place in Las Vegas (with no mention of a June 20th wedding), and that they were expecting a baby in November.
And indeed, on November 8th, a 7½ (or was it 7¼?) pound baby boy named Scott Hastings Beckett, Jr., was born at St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles. But that's not the only thing that happened in Scotty's life that day. It seems the 22-year-old new father celebrated the birth of his son a little bit too much that night. Police noticed him exiting 12225 Ventura Blvd. without his headlights on. He then hit a curb and almost ran into another car on Vantage Ave., which he made a right turn onto off of Ventura. He was arrested at Cantara St. and Laurel Grove Ave. in North Hollywood, standing in the street next to his parked car. They booked him in the wee hours of the 9th at Van Nuys Jail, where he posted $20 cash bail. Police quoted him as saying "My wife had a baby four hours ago so I was celebrating." Scotty was still living at 639 S. Mansfield Ave. at this time. I haven't come across any information on the court case for this incident.
At 4:05 a.m. on February 25, 1954, William H. Carpenter, 65, a clerk at the Cavalier Hotel at 10724 Wilshire Blvd. in the Westwood district of West Los Angeles, was robbed of about $137. Police were called and he explained that a "slim young man" had entered the establishment and struck him on the head with an automatic pistol, knocking him out (though it was also reported that he walked into the place carrying a rifle). Reportedly, when the young man left, he said to Carpenter "don't call police for ten minutes," but the clerk also stated that when he came to, the hotel cash box had been rifled, which would suggest that the young man had left by this time. Carpenter's head injury required four stitches. Three hours later, around 7:00, police were called back when a scarf was found in the driveway of the hotel, a scarf which Carpenter said was similar to the one worn by the bandit. Shortly after this, a porter told them that he discovered a man asleep in the basement shower room of the hotel. At 7:15, Officer S. Siston found none other than 24-year-old Scotty Beckett there, asleep and drunk. Scotty denied any knowledge of the robbery and couldn't remember how he got into the shower room.
Upon searching the suspect, police found more than $147 in his topcoat pocket (though $145 and $140 were both reported). Scotty told them that it was mostly money he had earned as a TV actor, for which he received $500 a week, and that he had also hocked his watch the previous night for $15. Scotty explained that he had been drinking in his home at 639 S. Mansfield Ave., and decided to take a drive, a drive that lasted from 2 to 5 a.m. He became tired and decided to park his car, then crawled into the shower room to sleep. (It was also reported that he stopped his car sometime between 2 and 5.) Much later, during the court case on October 25th, Scotty explained that he and Sunny had quarreled, which prompted him to walk out the door in his drunken state. In addition to the money, police also found a receipt from a Hollywood car rental business on Scotty's person. Scotty couldn't remember where he had parked the car. Later, when police showed Scotty to the clerk, he could not positively identify him as the robber. He was quoted both as saying he "couldn't be sure," and that "He does not look like the man."
Eventually, police were able to find the car parked outside the hotel, and found a rifle, cartridges and a springblade snap knife in the back. No other weapons were discovered, according to Valley Times, but the Daily News reported that they found the scarf in his car, and United Press reported that the knife was found on his person and that the rifle found in his car was loaded. The Mirror of October 25th stated that the knife was found on his person. They also discovered that the car had been rented on January 2nd with a $250 check that was returned with the marking "no account."
Scotty was then booked on suspicion of robbery and, either on the 25th or 26th, was freed on a writ of habeas corpus. A $2,500 bond was paid, pending decision on which, if any, charges would be made. On February 26th, Scotty was "charged with robbery and a violation of the dangerous weapons control law in a complaint issued by Dep. Dist. Atty. George H. Johnson." Police Detective Sgt. Victor A. Peterson stated that on either Friday the 26th, or Monday the 1st, he "would present information to a deputy District Attorney at Santa Monica for a ruling." Scotty was due to appear in Superior Court on March 2nd for a hearing on the writ, at which time an officer bearing the complaint would seize him, Johnson told the press. I haven't been able to find any information on the court hearing on the 2nd, which could have possibly been postponed, since a later hearing was scheduled for March 29th.
The immediate aftermath of this arrest was the loss of Scotty's latest acting gig, in which played the role of Winky on the TV series "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger." As The Council Grove Republican put it on March 19th, Scotty "lost his head, most of his reputation and his movie contract all in one wild evening and still faces possible robbery charges in West Los Angeles. Scotty drank too much, ended up in trouble with the police and in the headlines." It goes on to say that producer Roland Reed dropped Scotty from the series. On March 30th, Erskine Johnson reported that Scotty's place on the show was given over to Bill Lechner, who would play a similar role. As Johnson put it, "Scotty lost his job the day he hit the front pages on a robbery charge." Lechner, it should be noted, only appeared in one episode before Jimmy Lydon was hired to take over as Rocky's sidekick.
On March 29th, Scotty failed to appear in Santa Monica Superior Court for arraignment on a charge for violating the weapons control act (presumably the robbery charge had been dropped by this time), and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Rexford Eagan, Scotty's attorney, read a telegram that indicated that the missing defendant was in Dallas. Judge Orlando Rhodes ordered the $2,500 bail forfeited and fixed bail on the warrant for $5,000. On May 6, The Mirror reported that the robbery charge had, indeed, been dropped by this time.
But before we conclude this story, we must first veer off south of the border....
Now, Scotty denied that he deliberately jumped bail on March 29th, stating that the events he experienced in Mexico were the reason. However, a look at the relevant dates makes this seem pretty implausible. So, on March 29th, his lawyer read a telegram from Dallas. The next date we get to is April 20th, when Scotty, his wife, Sunny, and their 3-year-old son, Scott Jr., arrived in Tampico, Mexico. Scotty registered under the name Sean Bullock, and gave Carmel, CA, as his address. There were two bullet holes in their car, which Scotty said happened when he was held up by a gang of men south of Juarez. At some later date, three merchants in Tampico complained to U.S. consul Kennedy Crockett "that they had been given checks on a nonexistent First National Bank of San Francisco." As the consul said, each was a cashier's check for $50 made out to Scott H. Beckett. When he checked into it, he found that the young family had left Tampico on April 26th.
On May 5th, Francisco Quesada, the Chief of Police in Ciudad Victoria, a city 200 miles west of Tampico, went to question them at a local hotel where they were registered under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Sean Bullock. According to Quesada, Beckett tried to sneak out of the hotel and fired on police in the process. About 20 shots were fired in the exchange. The family was able to get into their car and drive away, as police noted a California license plate. About 25 miles out of town, the car blew a tire, and the police were able to catch up and arrest them. They were taken back to Ciudad Victoria to be detained.
Which brings us back to U.S. consul Kennedy Crockett, who was the one who talked to the press on May 6th. Crockett, having spoken on the phone with Scotty, stated that charges had yet to be filed against the couple, but expected they would be. The consul was looking for somebody to take care of the couple's young son, asking Los Angeles authorities to see if they could locate any relatives. He also stated that he would go to Ciudad Victoria the following day, May 7th, to take custody of Scott Jr. and bring him back to Tampico with him. Since Crockett had four kids of his own, it made sense to take care of the child until relatives could be contacted. Scotty told Crockett that he didn't want to speak with police about the bounced checks until Crockett got there. He also asked Crockett to contact his mother, Mrs. Ruth Beckett, and tell her what happened to him. Crockett offered to act as interpreter for Scotty once he got there, but advised that Scotty should get himself a lawyer. When Crockett arrived at Ciudad Victoria on May 7th, he did indeed take custody of the small boy, with the intent of caring for him until Scotty's mother arrived from Los Angeles, which would probably happen on Monday, May 10th, at which point she would take over.
On May 10th, Scotty made a court appearance, where he faced charges of writing bad checks and attacking the police. Scotty admitted to writing the bounced checks, which amounted to 1,800 pesos, or around $150. He sais that he planned to "make them good later." But when it came to firing at police, he flatly denied this, even though he admitted to having a pistol, which he kept for self defense during his travels. The judge ruled that Scotty must face trial, and that he would decide that day (the 10th) whether or not Scotty could post bail. At this point, there was still no decision about whether Sunny would also face trial. By May 11th, Scott Jr. had been taken back to the U.S. by his grandmother.
On May 12th, Judge Ernesto Montelongo held Scotty for trial on charges of passing bad checks, carrying and firing a pistol, and resisting arrest. Bail was denied, pending trial, since Tamaulipas state law forbade it in cases carrying a sentence of more than five years. He did say, however, that he might fix bail the next day (May 13th) for Sunny. As of May 19th, however, they were both still in jail, with authorities saying that it might be six months before they were tried.
On May 14th, it was reported that the producers of "Rocky Jones, Space Rangers" were holding their breaths, hoping to avoid disaster befalling their TV series. Scotty had already been removed from the cast, but his "shootout" with Mexican police prompted the local Los Angeles station to drop the series after its sponsors backed out. Apparently, not much more happened, though, as the series was renewed for a second season.
On May 21st, Harrison Carroll wrote the following in his syndicated column: "Scotty Beckett's mother, Mrs. Ruth Beckett, is back from Mexico with her grandson, Scotty Jr. She didn't see her actor son, who is held by Mexican police on bad check and other charges. But she says the baby is in fine health. And she has warm praise for the American consul in Tampico and his wife. They have four children of their own. They took Scotty, Jr., right into their home."
An update from the Associated Press on August 20th, revealed that Scotty and Sunny were still in jail, now for more than three months, waiting to learn of the judge's verdict. As AP put it, "They are being tried before a judge who takes testimony and studies documents in the case at intervals...If convicted, they would receive credit for time already spent in jail, since sentence under Mexican law dates from the time of the original arrest."
Eventually, matters in Mexico were resolved, and Scotty and Sunny returned to California on September 27th, after serving four months and five days of a one-year sentence. On October 12th, Harrison Carroll reported the following: "The organization, Motion Picture Mothers, raised $1,800 to help square Scotty Beckett's trouble in Mexico. Sheila Ryan, whose mother is a member, called ex-husband Eddie Norris. Eddie's partner in a La Paz ranch helped spring Scotty and his wife from the Mexican penitentiary at Victoria, where they had been imprisoned for four months without a trial."
On September 28th, Scotty entered Santa Monica Superior Court to surrender himself. As he put it, "I want to clean off the slate and start life over again." He was also quoted as saying "It's a tough thing to be washed up at 25." To add to the confusion surrounding the robbery charge, the Associated Press reported that it was dropped on this day, which seems unlikely since it had already been reported months earlier. Superior Judge Allan T. Lynch remanded him to the custody of the sheriff, and Scotty went off to County Jail without bail. He was set to be arraigned the next day (Sep. 29th) in Judge Lynch's courtroom at 9:30 a.m.
As the Daily News reported it on the 29th: "Jail was nothing new to Beckett. Last night he recalled how he had been arrested in the shower room of a Wilshire Blvd. hotel which had just been held up. He was asleep. He'd been drinking. 'I had an ordinary pocket knife on me,' he told the Daily News. 'I don't know how I got into that shower room. But I know I didn't rob anybody.' Beckett was charged with robbery, which was later dropped for lack of evidence, and carrying a switch-blade knife. He was released on $2500 bail and was to appear last March 29 on the concealed weapon charge. But he never made it. And last night he sobbed out the reason: 'My wife and I spent four months in jail down in Mexico. We couldn't get back. I wanted to, but we couldn't. After I was out on bail here, Sunny, my wife, with our 3-year-old son and I drove down to Ciudad Victoria near Tampico to get away from it all for a few days. I had a checking account in a Los Angeles bank. I started to write checks on that bank before I knew some checks bounced and Sunny and I found ourselves in jail. My mother, Mrs. Ruth S. Beckett, flew down to try to get us out, but they only let her take the baby. We spent four months and five days in that jail! I came back as soon as I could.'....Scotty's wife said last night 'He can count on me to the finish. I'll get a job modeling and work at it as long as I can before out next baby is born, if I have to. My husband is a good man. He's never done anything wrong.' "
On September 29th, Scotty pleaded guilty in Santa Monica Superior Court to illegally carrying a dagger back on February 25th. He was accompanied by his wife and his attorney, Robert H. Koenig. Superior Judge Allen T. Lynch then set October 25th as the date of Scotty's probation hearing and sentencing. But Scotty soon found that there was more "slate cleaning" in store for him. As the Los Angeles Times put it the next day: "Waiting for him with a summons was Bail Bondsman Dave Romanik, whose $2500 was forfeited after Beckett's flight last March 29. Romanik is suing Beckett for recovery of that money plus $500 attorney's fees and $150.77 he spent in trying to find Beckett." Judge Lynch set bail at $2500, but "after the hearing, Scotty was remanded to the custody of the Sheriff in lieu of $2500 bail, pending his next appearance."
On October 25th, Judge Lynch suspended sentence on Scotty, fining him $200 (which could be paid on installments) and placing him on three years' probation for illegally carrying a dagger on February 25th. The terms of his probation required Scotty to abstain from drinking alcohol or frequenting the places where it was served, and to maintain a steady job. He must also refrain from carrying any type of weapon. Judge Lynch also suggested that Scotty reimburse the bail-bond firm that lost $2500 when Scotty left town back in March. "I will, your honor," he said. Scotty promised the court that he would straighten out and go to work. Sunny, who was due to have another baby in five months, was at his side as Scotty's attorney, Rexford Eagan, made a long statement on Scotty's behalf, saying that "bad publicity and other things that snowballed" caused him to be jailed in Ciudad Victoria on a bad check rap. Eagan took issue with the probation report, which stated that Scotty should serve additional jail time (a recommendation that Lynch disregarded), pointing out that Scotty had already been in County Jail for the last 28 days (including his 25th birthday) and was eager to rehabilitate himself. He also mentioned that Sunny, who was currently living at 207 N. Normandie Ave., was supporting herself and their son on $20 a week from the Motion Picture Relief Fund, and that Scotty had a role in a TV series waiting for him upon release from jail. As the judge sentenced Scotty to probation, tears came to Sunny's eyes. "I'm so happy," she said, "I know he'll make good this time."
In the afternoon, Scotty returned to the County Jail, where he picked up his personal property and signed out. As he walked out of the building, Scotty Jr. called out "Hi, Daddy!" and his wife and son greeted him with kisses. "My son's birthday is November 6th - I'm sure happy to be out for that." He told the press that his agent had lined up some TV work for him, saying "Now I hope to pick up the pieces." He was also quoted as saying he was determined "to make a career out of being a good citizen." He blamed the February 25th incident on his studio workload, a quarrel with Sunny, and alcohol.
On November 30th, Scotty was arrested at his apartment at 207 S. Normandie Ave on a fugitive complaint from Las Vegas authorities, who charged him with passing a bad check in the amount of $125 at a Las Vegas motel on March 21st. The arrest completely took Scotty by surprise and he said it left him "thoroughly confused." Scotty admitted to writing the check following a gin rummy game. He was taken to City Jail for several hours during the morning, and then appeared in the afternoon before Municipal Judge Louis J. Kaufman for arraignment on the warrant. Scotty's attorney, Rexford Eagan, explained to the judge that the whole thing was a misunderstanding. He said that Scotty had given the motel operator a $125 check that had been given to him by his mother to cover his expenses. The motel operator then lost the check, and Scotty wrote one to replace it. He signed it "Scott H. Beckett for Mrs. Ruth S. Beckett account," and apparently, the check failed to clear. Scotty's mother was currently in Washington, DC, visiting his older brother.
Scotty was then held in county jail in lieu of $1,000 bail, in the hope that "this matter can be straightened out" with the motel operator. A hearing on the warrant was scheduled for December 30th. And that's where news coverage of this story seems to end. Presumably, the matter was indeed straightened out with the motel operator and the December 30th hearing was unnecessary.
But what about the money Scotty owed to the bondsman? Well, on June 9, 1955, the case was finally brought to court in Santa Monica. Gerald Romanik, the son of Dave Romanik, who had presented Scotty with the summons back on September 29th, testified that he had advanced $2500 for a bond which was forfeited when Scotty jumped bail back on March 29, 1954. In addition to the forfeited amount, the elder Romanik had previously asked for $500 in attorney's fees, and $150.77 to cover the expense of looking for Scotty. This time, however, the Romaniks were requesting $5,500, with $3,000 of it meant to cover expenses. For whatever reason, the attorney's fee was no longer an issue. Superior Judge Orlando H. Rhodes ruled that Scotty did indeed owe the $2,500, but only $150.77 to cover expenses, for a total of $2,650.77.
On February 11, 1957, Scotty, now 27, was arrested by sheriff's deputies in San Ysidro, shortly after crossing into California from Tijuana, Mexico. Deputy L.M. Erreca said that 250 stimulant pills and 30 stimulant capsules were found in Scotty's topcoat and suit pockets. Scotty explained that the drugs had been prescribed by a Chihuahua, Mexico, physician, and that he had purchased them legally for Sunny, who Scotty described as "very nervous." He was then booked at the county jail in San Diego for allegedly breaking a state law for possession of dangerous drugs, and arraigned in municipal court. The next day, February 12th, he was freed on $100 bail, saying to reporters, "I am not in trouble." He was ordered to enter a plea to the misdemeanor charge by 1 p.m. on Friday, February 15th, at South Bay Municipal Court in Chula Vista. By this time, Scotty was living at 2442 Hidalgo Ave. in Los Angeles.
On March 19th, Harrison Carroll reported the following: "All that furore about actor Scotty Beckett being held at the Mexican border for possession of dangerous drugs fizzled out. The medicine contained no narcotics."
On August 1, 1957, Sunny sued Scotty for divorce. The Superior Court complaint charged cruelty and requested that Scotty be compelled to pay alimony and $50 a month in child support. Scott Jr. was five at this time. Presumbly, the baby that was due in early 1955 was never born, though I've yet to find any information about that. According to the petition, they had married in Phoenix, AZ, on June 27, 1951, and separated on February 15, 1957.
On June 2nd, 1958, the Los Angeles Times reported that Scotty, now 28, had filed a cross-complaint for divorce, charging that Sunny was currently an escapee from a State hospital. He was seeking permanent custody of Scott Jr., who was now 6. Scotty asked that Sunny's visitation with the child be limited to times when she wasn't under the influence of alcohol. Even though Sunny had obtained temporary custody the previous August, Scotty informed the court that the child was currently living with him. His petition was prepared by Attys. Edward M. Raskin and Rexford D. Eagan, while Sunny was being represented by Atty. Joseph Stell. According to court records, Sunny had been committed to Metropolitan State Hospital, at her own request, back on February 5th. But, authorities said, she left the hospital without permission on March 15th, and her whereabouts were unknown.
On September 20, 1958, Scotty was enjoying a family get-together that went on into the wee hours of the morning. He was back to living at 639 S. Mansfield Ave., with his mother, who was present along with Scotty's brother, Maj. James Beckett, who recently arrived from Turkey, as well as the major's wife and three kids. There was also an aunt in the house. The family was sitting around, talking and drinking beer, when at 5 a.m., Scotty suddenly went into convulsions and collapsed. UPI later reported that Scotty was "found" by his brother, already unconscious, which seems more likely given the arrival time of the ambulance. One of the women called the local hospital and told them that a person in the house was sick.
The ambulance was dispatched at 5:47 a.m. James accompanied Scotty in the ambulance to Central Receiving Hospital. James explained that his brother suffered a "relapse" and had been sick in bed for quite some time. He said that Scotty had taken sleeping pills, but officers were not able to find an empty pill bottle in the house. At the hospital, an injection of nalline, an anti-narcotic, was administered by Dr. Jack Hellman, but Scotty failed to respond right away and the doctor labeled his condition as "serious." He determined that Scotty's coma may have been induced by narcotics or sleeping pills. He was then transferred to General Hospital at 6:30 a.m., still in a deep stupor, and booked for "barbiturates and intoxication." Doctors upgraded his condition to "fair." After pumping his stomach, doctors said Scotty would remain unconscious for the next few hours.
On September 22nd, Scotty was showing improvement, and was reported to be "up and about" at General Hospital. Attendants described his condition as "good," stating that he was walking about and receiving visitors. They said he would probably not be released prior to the next day. And indeed, he was released on September 23rd.
At 2:15 a.m. on March 31, 1959, Scotty, now 29, was observed by police driving his 1952 sedan erratically as he traveled east on Pico Blvd. near La Cienega Blvd. After failing a sobriety test, he was placed under arrest for misdemeanor drunk driving by officers Dale Leffler and James N. Klugh, who noted that Scotty was without ID or money. Scotty pleaded with them: "I had four beers at noon yesterday. Please don't arrest me. I'm working under a contract and this really will louse me up." He was also quoted as saying "You're fouling up a TV contract I was going to sign today." The four beers were reportedly consumed at a friend's house. He was booked at the West Los Angeles jail.
Probably later the same day (though the Associated Press reported that it was April 1st), Scotty was arraigned in West Los Angeles Municipal Court. As the Valley Times described it, he "tore at his clothes and wailed his protests" while awaiting his appearance before Judge Leo Freund. After bailiffs hustled him out of the courtoom, Atty. Rexford Eagan requested additional time for Scotty to plea, and the request was granted by Judge Freund, who set a court date for April 15th. (The reason March 31st is probable for this date is that the Valley Times knew the bail amount of $263 in their March 31st article. Scotty was unable to raise bail, so he spent the night in jail, according to the article.) Judge Freund ordered that Scotty be kept under medical observation because of his courtroom outburst. Scotty remained in Los Angeles City Jail, unable to raise the $263 bail until April 3rd when he succeeded in posting bail. So Scotty was able to spend the next couple of weeks sleeping in his bed at 639 S. Mansfield Ave.
For whatever reason, the next hearing didn't happen until April 17th, at which point Scotty pleaded not guilty, and Judge Freund raised the bail amount to $525 in light of Scotty's previous record. Scotty asked for a jury trial and was scheduled to appear again at 9 a.m. on May 6th in Division 20 of the new court house. In the meantime, he was back in jail, unable to raise the boosted bail amount.
It's apparent that the May 6th court date was postponed, as newspaper references to it don't appear until May 20th. According to these, Scotty had been in jail since his arrest on March 31st, which contradicts what the Citizen-News said on April 17th about him posting bail on April 3rd. Nevertheless, he appeared before Municipal Judge David W. Williams "wearing a wrinkled plaid shirt, brown gaberdine trousers, brown loafers and no socks" according to the Citizen-News. On the basis of the arrest report, the judge sentenced him to 30 days in county jail for drunk driving and driving with a revoked license. He was also ordered to pay a $250 fine. Judge Williams recommended that Scotty serve the 30 days with a road crew.
In an item that seems to have failed to make the news on its own initially, it was later revealed in coverage of Scotty's subsequent vehicle accident that he had been arrested on a warrant by Santa Monica police on Aug. 3, 1959, on a misdemeanor complaint in which he was charged with driver's license and parking violations. He was released on $505 bail, and a jury trial was scheduled for September 23rd at Santa Monica Municipal Court. However, due to intervening circumstances, a year would pass before this matter was resolved.
On August 14, 1959, Officers Charles D. Kilgo and Michael Nielsen were driving north on La Brea Ave., at Adams Blvd., when another vehicle sped past them in an erratic fashion. They pulled the car over to see if the driver had been drinking, and it turned out that the driver was Scotty Beckett. Asleep in the car was Brian Van Winkle, 20, of 6328 E. South St., Lakewood. In a pocket of the jacket worn by Van Winkle, police found four white tablets which they believed to be benzedrine sulphate. The problem for Scotty was that he had lent this jacket to Van Winkle. Both men insisted they were innocent, with Scotty protesting, "I wouldn't know narcotics, or even what they look like, if you showed them to me. I've never knowingly been near narcotics in my life." Police also noted what looked to them like hypodermic needle marks in Van Winkle's arm. Scotty was tested for pupil dilation, and officers observed his behavior and found no indication that he had been using narcotics. Scotty, who was still residing at 639 S. Mansfield Blvd., said that he had known Van Winkle only a few weeks, and that the two of them had worked late as salesmen at a car agency. They were arrested at about 3 a.m., and both were booked on suspicion of violating the State Narcotics Act, a felony.
Scotty spent twelve hours in jail being questioned, and then was exonerated and released when the city attorney's office refused to issue a complaint against him. Van Winkle, however, remained behind bars. UPI, having previously reported the violation as a felony, subsequently downgraded it to a misdemeanor. After this, the press seems to have lost interest in the story, so I don't know how the case worked out for Van Winkle.
On the evening of August 18, 1959, Scotty was driving his 1952 sedan northbound on Westgate Ave. in Brentwood (West Los Angeles), when he lost control, veered off the road, sideswiped one tree, and then collided head-on with another tree about 90 feet south of Kearsarge St. Two witnesses found the unconscious Scotty in his car, and told police that he had been traveling at a high rate of speed, which was estimated to be about 65 miles an hour. The officers on the scene, C.F. (or was it C.E.?) Gourlay and P.C. Weir, reported that Scotty was alone in his vehicle, which was demolished in the accident. Officers smelled alcohol on Scotty's breath and administered a blood test.
Scotty was then taken, still unconscious, to UCLA Medical Center, where his condition was described variously as "satisfactory" and "serious, but not critical." His injuries vary depending on the source, but it's clear that he had two 8-inch lacerations of the scalp, a 3-inch laceration of the lower lip and some bruising. Doctors also suspected he had a fracture of the pelvis and thigh, a skull fracture, and internal injuries. Despite the head injury, he regained consciousness and was able to speak with nurses (though it was testified in court a year later that Scotty was unconscious for 11 days while in the hospital).
On August 20th, the results of Scotty's blood test revealed that he had been intoxicated at the time of the accident. Sergeant Romie A. Annis of the accident investigation division stated that Scotty had "in excess" of .15 per cent of alcohol, which was the legal limit. Sgt. Annis also said that a misdemeanor drunk-driving complaint would be sought. By this time, it was clear that Scotty had suffered a broken right hip, which turned out to be the most serious of his injuries. The internal injuries were also verified, and he would remain in the hospital for at least a week. A spokesman for UCLA stated that Scotty and his family had requested that no further reports on his condition (which remained serious) be made public.
Once again, it was time for Scotty Beckett, now 30, to pick up the pieces of his life again. He was faced with two court cases that needed to be resolved, both of which were now over a year old. The more serious of the two was the drunk-driving charge that came about from his car accident on Aug. 18, 1959. The lesser case was the one from Aug. 3, 1959, in which Scotty was accused of driving without a valid license.
On August 31, 1960, Scotty, still living at 639 S. Mansfield Ave., waived a jury trial and presented his case before Municipal Judge Joseph A. Wapner (yes, THAT Judge Wapner). He was found guilty of misdemeanor drunk-driving and driving without a license. Sentencing was set to take place on September 21st. Later on the same day, Scotty appeared in Santa Monica Municipal Court, where Scotty again waved a jury trial and submitted his case to the bench. Judge Hector Baida continued the case to September 15th. Both court dates wound up being postponed for a few days.
On September 22nd, Scotty's lawyer pleaded before Judge Baida that 15 days after he was cited for this offense, he had been in a car accident that left him with a hip injury that prevented him from being able to drive. He also told the judge that Scotty owed the UCLA Medical Center $2,500 for his treatment. Scotty was still in need of a cane in order to walk at the time of these trials, as well as a cast and sling on his left arm, which he had recently broken in a fall. It was reported that Scotty would undergo surgery the following month for fusion of his damaged hip. Because of these obvious hardships, Judge Baida decided to ignore Scotty's previous traffic arrests, striking them from his record and treating him as a first offender. He fined Scotty $210 (also reported as $250) for driving after his operator's license had been revoked.
The next day, September 23rd, Scotty appeared again before Judge Wapner in West Los Angeles municipal court. The two-day continuance on this case was in order to give Scotty's attorney an opportunity to get medical information regarding Scotty's upcoming operation. Before sentencing him, Judge Wapner advised Scotty to "grow up and start acting like a man," to which Scotty replied, "I'll do that." He then sentenced Scotty to a suspended jail sentence of 180 days, and placed him on three years' probation. He also fined him $250.
On February 17, 1961, Scotty, who was 31 by this time, married 36-year-old Margaret Christine Sabo, a Hungarian currently living in Los Angeles. The ceremony took place in Santa Barbara. On October 5th, Christine reported to police that Scotty hadn't returned home the previous night (Oct. 4th) after he had suddenly disappeared from a pizza parlor where they were dining out on his 33rd birthday. At around 10 p.m., she left their table for a few minutes, and Scotty, who was using crutches, was gone when she returned. And that's all there is to this story. Scotty eventually returned home, but there doesn't seem to be any press coverage of that.
But it's difficult not to imagine that there's a connection between this story and what followed later the same month. Early on October 27th, Scotty and Margaret had an argument and Margaret walked out of the house. They were still living at Scotty's mother's house, and after Scotty retreated to his bedroom, Ruth Beckett heard him call out "This is the end!" She rushed into the bedroom to find him bleeding from the wrist. Officers were called to the house, where they determined that the wound was a "minor laceration." Scotty refused treatment. Under the circumstances, at least one newspaper couldn't bring themselves to describe it as anything more than an "apparent suicide attempt."
Scotty and Margaret separated the following day, October 28th. They had no children between them.
Early on November 1, 1962, 70-year-old Ruth Beckett made a citizen's arrest on her son at their family home at 639 S. Mansfield Ave. She explained to police that Scotty had been despondent since his wife left him. At 12:30 a.m., he came home drunk, and was unruly enough that Ruth called the police. She stepped outside to wait for them, and while she was doing this, he locked the door behind her. A short time later, she heard a crash and, trying the door again, found it unlocked. She entered the house and found that Scotty had apparently broken a vase over his own head. He was taken to a Los Angeles hospital with a severe cut on his head, and after treatment, police booked him there on suspicion of drunkenness and "being loud and boisterous on private property."
As if this wasn't enough, Scotty was again arrested at his home for drunkenness on November 10th. I haven't been able to find any news coverage explaining how these two arrests were resolved.
On January 4, 1963, Margaret was granted a divorce from Scotty in Los Angeles Superior Court after charging him with extreme cruelty. She accused Scotty of giving her "little love or affection," drinking most of the time (or continually depending on the source), and insulting her. She also complained to Superior Judge Burnett Wolfson that Scotty attempted to take over management of the sweater manufacturing business she owned prior to their marriage. Her attorney, William L. Stein, requested a restraining order against Scotty to keep him from bothering Margaret and interfering with her manufacturing firm. There was no property settlement.
As becomes apparent below, Scotty and Margaret were back together by the middle of September.
On the evening of September 17, 1963, Hollywood detectives arrested Scotty at his home at 6022 Romaine St. in Hollywood. The charge was suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon (a 5-inch knife), which Scotty denied. A neighbor, 32-year-old Stanley Perry of 6128 Romaine St., alleged that Scotty sent Margaret over to his house to let him know that Scotty wanted to apologize for an altercation between the two on the evening of Sunday the 15th. He wanted Perry to come over for a "peace talk." When Perry got there, he said, Scotty, confined to a wheelchair, told him to "come closer, come closer." Margaret then screamed "He's got a knife!," and Perry was able to disarm Scotty and call the police. Perry was not injured in the scuffle.
Scotty was booked that night at Hollywood Jail. Police said that there was indication that the two had had disagreements for quite some time, with things getting violent on Sunday the 15th. Scotty told them that Perry "gave me a beating" that day, and that Scotty suffered face lacerations. Police described Scotty as "on crutches and unable to stand by himself." They would leave it up to the City Attorney to decide whether or not charges would be filed against him.
On September 20th, police reported that Scotty had been released from jail. No formal complaint had been issued, though police planned to continue the investigation. Apparently, Scotty was re-arrested on September 22nd, when it was decided that he would be charged in the case. But this matter would not be resolved until after the next unfortunate event happened...
On September 24, 1963, Margaret arrived home at 6022 Romaine St. at 6 p.m. and found Scotty "drinking and in a quarrelsome mood." They soon got into an argument, and about an hour later, Scotty locked himself in a bathroom and attempted to slash his wrists with a razor blade. Police were called to the home, and they reported that Scotty had "gashed his right wrist in three places and inflicted several nicks on his left wrist." He was taken to Hollywood Receiving Hospital, where he was treated and released.
On October 1st, Municipal Judge Maurice T. Leader issued a bench warrant for Scotty's arrest. A preliminary hearing had been scheduled regarding the September 17th knife incident, and Scotty failed to show up for it. So by the end of the day, Scotty was back in jail again.
On December 2, 1963, Scotty, now 34, was found guilty in Los Angeles Municipal Court of disturbing the peace, after having pulled the hair of his 14-year-old stepdaughter, Susan Sabo, who was the one who brought the charge. Scotty, who had been drinking, was attempting to make a long-distance phone call, and Margaret told Susan to stop him. Susan attempted to do this, but Scotty pulled her hair. Susan also accused him of using obscene language. Scotty admitted to the hair-pulling, but not to the language. Municipal Judge Allen G. Campbell dismissed a battery charge after Margaret testified that, aside from the hair-pulling, Scotty hadn't tried to harm the girl in any other way. Campbell ordered Scotty to return on January 6, 1964, for sentencing.
Late on December 30th, Scotty was found guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court of misdemeanor assault after hitting Susan on the head with an aluminum crutch. Margaret and Susan had moved out of their apartment at 6022 Romaine St. after an argument with Scotty, who hit Susan over the head with his crutch when she tried to remove some clothing from the residence. Scotty again had been drinking, and was still on crutches due to the auto accident back in 1959. Superior Judge Evelle J. Younger released Scotty on his promise to return for sentencing on January 27, 1964 (some sources say Jan. 22nd, but it actually happened on the 27th). "I'm never going to drink again," Scotty told the judge. The Citizen-News included this curious statement in their coverage: "Superior Court Judge Evelle J. Younger rendered his verdict late yesterday after Beckett, arrested last Sept. 22, submitted his case on the basis of the preliminary hearing transcript, and will sentence him on Jan. 22." It seems that they were conflating this current case with the one from September, in which Scotty allegedly attacked his neighbor with a knife - or am I just misunderstanding something?
The sentencing hearing for the hair-pulling incident was covered in the newspapers on January 7, 1964, so presumably it took place on the 6th, as scheduled. However, Municipal Judge Alan C. Campbell postponed sentencing, ordering Scotty to report for a psychiatric examination in department 95 of Superior Court. He set January 20th as the date for receiving the psychiatric report and for sentencing.
The sentencing for the aluminum-crutch incident took place as scheduled on January 27th. Scotty was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence plus three years' probation. Superior Court Judge Evelle J. Younger ordered Scotty to give up drinking and to obtain family counseling and psychiatric treatment.
The next day, January 28th, sentencing for the hair-pulling incident finally happened (having previously been scheduled for the 20th). Scotty was put on three years' probation for the second day in a row, and fined $150.
On March 15, 1964, Scotty was rushed to Los Angeles County General Hospital for emergency treatment. Police stated that he took 30 sleeping pills in front of Margaret and her mother, Mrs. Margaret Solyn, in an attempted suicide. The younger Margaret called the police, and the two women explained that Scotty had been despondent. The incident took place at Mrs. Solyn's home at 6126 Romaine St. in Los Angeles. As one officer put it: "When you take 30 seconal tablets, it's serious. But he's expected to live." On March 16th, Scotty was reported by Associated Press to be recovering at home, but subsequent printings of the same story omitted this detail, suggesting that he was still in the hospital, as reported in The Herald-News on the 18th. Either way, he eventually made it home.
On the morning of June 21, 1964, Scotty was arrested in a parking lot in Van Nuys after police received a call that a man had broken the window of a parked car. On June 22nd, he pleaded guilty to drunkenness in Van Nuys Municipal Court. Judge Paul Roest gave him a 120-day suspended sentence and two years' probation. He also ordered Scotty to attend twelve meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous at a rate of three per week.
On August 3, 1965, Scotty, now 35, was arrested in suburban Van Nuys by his probation officer for being drunk. Just to recap: Scotty was currently on three years' probation with orders to abstain from drinking. He was convicted later that day of drunkenness.
On August 17th, Superior Judge Bernard Lawler revoked Scotty's probation, and ordered him to serve 180 days in county jail.
On March 28, 1966, Ed Sullivan included the following all-too-brief item in his syndicated column: "Scotty Beckett busted kneecap again..." And that's it. I haven't come across any other information on this kneecap injury, nor on what seems to be a previous kneecap injury, if we take Ed's words literally. Scotty was 36 at this time.
On May 8, 1968, Scotty entered a rest home in Los Angeles. He was currently living at 14943 Mankato St. in Mission Hills. Two days later, on May 10th, he was found dead in his bed. Detective Sgt. Richard Olson said that he found pills and a note in Scotty's room, but stated that the note didn't provide enough information to rule the death a suicide. The coroner's office was unable to provide any cause of death, even though an autopsy had been performed. Deputies said that further tests would be needed to pinpoint an exact cause of death. Police speculated that Scotty may have been a victim of a possible overdose of alcohol or drugs.
Scotty was survived by his mother Ruth, brother James, wife Margaret, son Scott Jr., and stepdaughter Susan, the last three of whom were living in Mission Hills. A requiem mass was celebrated at 9 a.m. on May 15th at San Fernando Mission Chapel, 15101 San Fernando Mission Blvd. in San Fernando. Following this was the internment, which took place at the mission cemetery at 11160 Stranwood Ave. Funeral arrangements were handled by Utter-McKinley Mortuary in Mission Hills.
So why did Scotty check himself into a rest home in the first place? In their 1977 Our Gang book, Leonard Maltin and Richard Bann say that he had suffered a "serious beating" and needed medical attention, though I've yet to find any earlier reference for this. The News of May 14, 1968, stated that he entered the home "following an illness." Anita Richterman, writing for Newsday (NY) on Apr. 28, 1975, wrote that Scotty was "killed by injuries in a fall from a wheelchair." A little more on the absurd side of things, we find a Los Angeles Times article from Nov. 22, 1969, all about former Our Gang girl Jackie Lynn Taylor, which reported the following: "Scotty Beckett, the handsome, curly-haired boy of the 1930s comedies who later became a child star of feature films, had a difficult life and was killed in an automobile accident a couple of years ago, Miss Taylor said." Apparently, Jackie hadn't read the obits. Further down the absurdity rabbit hole, we find The Record of Hackensack, NJ, which, on Aug 19, 1988, in an article about Dean Stockwell, stated "Scotty Beckett died in a shoot-out with police." Presumably Dean told them this, conflating his death in 1968 with events from 1954.
On a side note, Scotty's second wife, Sunny Vickers, died just 6 months and 17 days after he did. Looks like 1968 was a really bad year for Scott Jr.
See anything that needs changing? Contact me at BtheW@aol.com.
© Robert Demoss.