Scotty Beckett

Infobox actor
name = Scotty Beckett


imagesize = 175px
caption =
birthdate = birth date|1929|10|4|mf=y
location = Oakland, California U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|1968|5|10|1929|10|4|mf=y
deathplace = Los Angeles, California U.S.
yearsactive = 1933-1957
birthname = Scott Hastings Beckett
othername =
occupation = Film, television actor
homepage =
academyawards =

Scott Hastings Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968), better known as Scotty Beckett was an American child actor. He is best remembered for his parts in the "Our Gang" and "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" series.

Early career

Born in Oakland, California, Beckett got his start in show business at age 3 when a casting director heard him singing by chance. Beckett was in a hospital visiting his father who was recovering from an illness, and was entertaining him by singing songs. A studio casting director who happened to be nearby noticed the child, and told his proud parents he had movie potential. Scotty auditioned, and landed a part in "Gallant Lady" (1933). The same year, his father passed away.

"Our Gang"

Beckett appeared as a regular in the "Our Gang" short subjects series from 1934 to 1935. In the gang, Beckett played George "Spanky" McFarland's best friend and partner in mischief. His trademark look was a crooked black baseball cap and an oversized black sweater, exposing one shoulder. His role was taken over by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer in 1935, and Beckett left the series for features after that year.

He became a prolific and well-regarded child and young adult actor from the late 1930s to the early 1950s, sharing the screen with some of the biggest stars of the day. In 1939, he returned to Our Gang as Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer's nerdy cousin Wilbur for two episodes. His most notable feature role was playing Al Jolson as a teenager in "The Jolson Story" (1946), with his singing voice being provided by fellow child actor, Rudy Wissler.

"Rocky Jones, Space Ranger"

Beckett went on to play the copilot "Winky" on the 1954 TV space opera "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger". Winky was to be his last major role; the character was dropped when Beckett was jailed on weapons charges. He made only a few subsequent TV and film appearances, some uncredited bit parts, before leaving show business forever.

Hard life and death

Beckett's later years were plagued by a series of profound problems and self-destructive behavior: bad checks, failed marriages, violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, crippling auto accidents and suicide attempts. He drifted from job to dead-end job and had frequent run-ins with the police, one of which involved an extended shoot-out. On May 8, 1968, Beckett checked into a Hollywood nursing home for injuries caused by a beating (possibly related to a drug deal that went bad). He was found dead in his room two days later. Sleeping pills and a note were found near his body, but an autopsy ruled the cause of death "inconclusive". He was 38.

External links

*imdb name|0065717
*amg name|2:4905
*tvtome person|id=125402|name=Scotty Beckett
* [http://epguides.com/RockyJonesSpaceRanger/ Scotty Beckett] at epguides.com
* [http://www.geocities.com/nmdecke/CrashofMoons.html "Crash of Moons" movie review]
* [http://www.slick-net.com/space/text/index.phtml#rocky Space Hero Files: "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger"]
* [http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?query=Rocky+Jones&type=character&sort=chrono&Submit=Search Database and Cover gallery of "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" comics] at comics.org
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4338 Scotty Beckett's Photo & Gravesite]

Persondata
NAME= Beckett, Scotty
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Beckett, Scott Hastings
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1929-10-4
PLACE OF BIRTH= Oakland, California U.S.
DATE OF DEATH= 1968-5-10
PLACE OF DEATH= Los Angeles, California U.S.