Whatever Happened to Hazel Scott? Blog

Hazel Scott

In class, we watched Whatever Happened to Hazel Scott. Whatever Happened to Hazel Scott is a short documentary about the career and life of Hazel Scott, who was an extremely successful African American pianist, singer, and actor. However, as the documentary says, she has largely been forgotten.

Born in 1920, she learned piano from her mother, who was a classical pianist. She was said to be a prodigy at the age of three, and she moved from Trinidad to Harlem when she was four. She was also regarded as a prodigy in New York, being admitted to one of the top music schools in the country at eight years old.

Hazel's career got off to a quick start. She was already a popular performer at multiple clubs before finishing high school. It was Hazel's signature style of music that shot her into the spotlight, which was essentially remastering classical pieces into swing music. She was able to buy her own home and was extremely wealthy thanks to her talent.

Hazel was also known for staunch beliefs in civil rights. She would refuse to play in front of a segregated crowd, which normally would have limited her job options. However, with Hazel being so sought-after by crowds, work was never hard to find. When Hazel made her way into Hollywood, she refused to play any kind of subservient role. She wouldn't play a mammy, prostitute, or maid. Hazel Scott would play Hazel Scott, and Hazel Scott only.

However, Hollywood moguls soon grew tired of acquiescing to Hazel, especially after she refused to play in a scene where African American women wore dirty aprons when seeing their husbands off to war. She soon disappeared from Hollywood after that strike, but she was still very successful outside in the music and performing industry. She even hosted and starred in her own television show.

However, she was questioned by Congress during the Red Scare as a suspected communist: a serious blight on any entertainers career. This was enough for Scott to give up on living in America, and she moved to Paris where she had immediate success. By the time she moved back in 1967, swing jazz was no longer the rage, so she enjoyed time with her family and played gigs when she could. She died in 1981.