Although she is probably best remembered as a celebrity guest on game shows like The Match Game and The $20,000 Pyramid, Debralee Scott was a very talented actress that appeared regularly on television in the 1970's and '80's.
She had one of those faces that you recognized and a name that you didn't. However, when you saw her, you knew you were in for a treat, as she had a wonderful gift for comedy. That gift would take her through several top shows like Welcome Back Kotter, Angie and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, where she played Mary's promiscuous younger sister.
And even though she was memorable in everything she did, fame never really passed the flirting stage and she is virtually forgotten today by the mainstream public. Even when she died unexpectedly in 2005 at the young age of 52, the news traveled slow, creating very little interest.
She certainly had the talent to be more well known and I continue to scratch my head as to why her and all of the other wonderful people on this blog continue to slip through the cracks. Blame it on timing, her agent, herself. Who knows? The only thing I know for sure is that Debralee Scott is Not Very Famous...but should be. And she's with good company.
She had one of those faces that you recognized and a name that you didn't. However, when you saw her, you knew you were in for a treat, as she had a wonderful gift for comedy. That gift would take her through several top shows like Welcome Back Kotter, Angie and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, where she played Mary's promiscuous younger sister.
And even though she was memorable in everything she did, fame never really passed the flirting stage and she is virtually forgotten today by the mainstream public. Even when she died unexpectedly in 2005 at the young age of 52, the news traveled slow, creating very little interest.
She certainly had the talent to be more well known and I continue to scratch my head as to why her and all of the other wonderful people on this blog continue to slip through the cracks. Blame it on timing, her agent, herself. Who knows? The only thing I know for sure is that Debralee Scott is Not Very Famous...but should be. And she's with good company.
Not very famous? As a boy growing up in the 70s, I remember Debralee very well. I had such a crush on her! I watched a lot of game shows as a kid though. (Such a nerd. :)
ReplyDeleteI like what you're doing with this blog. I love good acting, and sadly Hollywood isn't always as concerned about talent as they are about who looks right in the role.
Is Rick(y) Schroeder too famous to qualify? He did a movie called Too Young the Hero that blew my mind.
Thanks, Anonymous. I love good acting also and am always amazed at the really good ones that are over looked. I don't know about Ricky Schroeder. A lot of people seem to know who he is. Although he is underrated. I have not seen Too Young the Hero, but I have always found him to be a really good actor. People tend to remember him from Silver Spoons and not realize that he can do a lot more than that. His early work in The Champ and his adult work on NYPD Blue are proof enough that this guy should get more mainstream work.
DeleteI just found out that Too Young the Hero is on Netflix streaming if you care to check it out. I think it was his first work where he was credited as Rick Schroder rather than Ricky. I don't think I watched Silver Spoons more than once or twice. What I saw was a clear example of brilliant talent (as in The Champ) just wasted on simplicity and fluff, but I hope he made millions for it!
ReplyDeleteToo Young the Hero was, I think, made for TV. That's where I saw it anyway. He plays a 12 year-old who was able to fool WWII naval recruiters into thinking he was old enough to enlist. (Rick was much older when he did the movie.) He was decorated (in Guadalcanal I think?) before his ship's captain learned his age. What happens next is a series of extraordinary events that I won't spoil for you. I haven't seen the movie since it aired on TV, and I knew a lot less about good acting than I do now, but now that I found it I'm certainly gonna watch it again, probably right now.
Maybe what's needed is a parallel blog that highlights not very famous performances or not very famous films. (I've seen so many lately!) Rick Schroder isn't as huge now as he deserves to be, but there was a time when he was a household name.
DCS
Oh yeah, Too Young the Hero is also based on a true story. - DCS
DeleteJust watched it again. Definitely made for TV. Schroder is quite good, but the movie itself is pretty typical major network fare, though better than most. Schroder is quite good in the role. That and the fact that it's a true story do make it worth watching, but not quite as extraordinary as I remembered. Also, he was actually credited as Ricky Schroder, not Rick. My mistake.
DeleteDCS
Don, a parallel blog is a great idea, but I just don't have the time. You should write it and I'll be your first follower.
DeleteMike
I am still saddened by Debralee's passing. She was an incredibly beautiful woman and when she was on the screen, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. To me, she was mesmerizing and I would put her in with the most beautiful women ever. She was the girl I would have loved to be seen with.
ReplyDeleteI loved her!! She always seemed like the cool, older sister that I would want. Very sad that she is gone.
ReplyDeleteI always liked her as well. Her fiance, a police officer, died in the attacks on 9/11
ReplyDeleteDid they ever determine her cause of death? I remember reading that she had been in a coma, was released, and died a few days later. ?
Some people think she died of a broken heart after her fiance was killed on 9/11. There were rumors of a possible alcohol problem (I don't know if that is true).
DeleteShe supposedly went to Florida to take care of her sick sister and but became ill herself and died shortly thereafter.
Talking Moviezzz: Whatever Happened to Debralee Scott
Debralee Scott Drank Herself to Death
Blog of Death
They say Cirrhosis ...
DeleteThanks for your recognition of not-really-famous talents. Didn't know Debralee had died, much younger than I am now. Such a beautiful lady, gone too soon.
ReplyDeleteShame she passed but she did not leave us with anything worth remembering. She should have been a waitress at a good coffee shop
ReplyDeleteWhat an idiotic thing to say, maybe you should have been a waitress
DeleteI remember her fondly from "Welcome Back Kotter" and "Mary Hartman."
ReplyDeleteI think I will remember her most from her 'Angie'stint, but, most of all, for her small role in the additional,"Airport' type footage filmed for 'Earthquake',for it's TV airing. Shame she's passed on.
ReplyDeleteShe looked so cute barefoot in her first movie. Never is mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI only remember Debralee Scott from the game shows. I do not remember her from the films.
ReplyDelete