Evening star., 1937-03-21
AWocotion TO anne
bv INEz WALLACE

gentleman succeed in Hollywood?
Here's one who did. He's Randolph
Scott (the RandolphS of Virginia.
with social background which covers
the solid South He was secretly mar
RED last March to Mrs. Marlona
Dupont Somervllle. sportswoman and
member of the famed Dupont family
of Delaware. Earlier in the season,
Mrs. Vincent Astor, describing SCOtt'S
popularity in the film capital said,
There is no Hollywood. There is only
Randolph Scott
Scott was born at his fathers Corn-
try place, near Orange, Virginia. None
of his family had ever been on the
stage, although two Of his four sisters
studied in Europe for musical careers,
His mother $50 tiny he calls her The
Half Pint decided when he was ten
that he should go to Woodbury. Forest,
a preparatory school near Orange.
He had acquired three years Of
hllOWltURe dllu d llSlsiil VI iiNeiiy Ola
feet, though still only thirteen years
old, when he returned one spring to
his mother home in Charlotte, North
Carolina. America had entered the
war and soldiers were leaving for the
battleields of France.
Young Randolph remembered the
stories of how his grandfather Scott
had been only fourteen when he
marched off to war with "Stonewall'
Jackson - and decided to go with
them. He told white lie about his
age, and enlisted at Fort Caswell,
n. c. The boys father had given his
consent. But they had reckoned with
out The Half Pint" When she
learned what was happening she
promptly followed Randy to New
York and caught up with him just as
he was about to embark for France.
1t looked like the six foot, thirteen
year-old soldier was going back to
school
But Mother, there are SO many
lille men enlistlng," he pleaded, I'D
feel ashamed staying home. Don't tell
them I'm thirteen. You'll ruin me.
There were other boyish arguments,
and at last his mother gave in. She
would not interfere. She kissed her
bov goodby, and turned to leave.
Randy caught her arm. Let's say a
prayer like we used to, mother" >" he
said, only this time you follow me"
And before the eyes OF soldiers hurry
ing to board ship, the lanky Southern
boy and his tiny mother knelt on the
ground and said prayer together.
With the curiosity of boyhood,
Randy fingered on in France after the
Armlstice was signed, and landed,
somewhat mysterlously, in French
training school for soldiers. 1t re-
uuired the assistance of Newton ID.
Baker, the Secretary of War, to have
him returned to America.
Scott s next war was on the foot
ball team of Georgia Tech where he
was studying textile manufacturing.
He played for one season, and sus-
tanned injuries which kept him from
future activity on the grldiron.
He completed his education in the
Universities of North Carolina and
Virginia but scarcely had he settled
down to work as an engineer with his
father, when a chum suggested
months vacation in California.
Il never intended to be an actor,
Scott says, but one day we were
playing golf with Howard Hughes,
lust after he had produced 'Hell's
Angels AS lark he got us both Jobs
as extras Maybe it was the uniform
| wore that first day. but decided
that, if one could become an officer
merely by applying to the wardrobe
department, I'd do the rest of my
fighting in the movies"
His real fighting in Hollywood,
however, was still ahead of him.
1t was late one night, toward the