Ned Scott - Hollywood Years

Hollywood Years

Ned Scott arrived in Hollywood in February, 1935 and took up residence with Fred Zinnemann, Henwar Rodakiewicz and Gunther von Fritsch in a studio apartment complex at 7900 Honey Drive, North Hollywood. With his New York experience and recently finished film effort in Mexico, Ned Scott began free lance work as a still photographer. He was soon to come to the notice of producers David Loew, Walter Wanger and Lester Cowan for whom he photographed films in the latter half of the 1930s and early 1940s. Most notable are the two Walter Wanger films "Stagecoach" 1939 and "The Long Voyage Home" 1941. Both of these films were directed by John Ford. Some of his most recognizable work was yet to be created, however. In March 1945, Ned Scott signed a contract to perform still and portrait photography with Columbia Pictures, becoming a contract employee for the first time since entering Hollywood. Over the next three years Ned Scott worked with such stars as Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Humphrey Bogart, and Janet Blair. Salary was structured at $250 per week beginning the first year, then rising to $300 per week for the second year, and $350.00 per week for the last year. This period was his most prolific during which he shot 50,000 frames a year.

Ned Scott was recognized for the quality of his photography. Even though he had no formal, institutional training in photography prior to beginning his Hollywood career, Ned Scott soon found his still photographs published in books and nationally circulated periodicals. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with an 11 x 14 display of his character study image of Barry Fitzgerald as "Cocky" from "The Long Voyage Home". This exhibit was billed as a "Hollywood Studios Still Photography Show" featuring "Stars in Camera Art" in Fall of 1940. In the February 19 issue of Look Magazine, the editors honored him with a Photo of the Year award in 1946. The image which won him this award arose from his work for the film "Tars and Spars".