Given my interest in film noir, I read several books and accepted the conventional wisdom as to Lizabeth Scott leading the isolated existence of a latter day Norma Desmond.

I can still recall first seeing her films "Desert Fury," "Dead Reckoning," and "Too Late for Tears," on local television back in the day when stations programmed movies constantly to fill out broadcast schedules. As for Scott's pronounced dislike for "Too Late for Tears," we can thank Todd Hughes for providing an explanation. Scott despised her character "Jane Palmer" who was pure evil personified. When I first saw the movie, I was astonished as it appeared as if the murderess was going to get away with it.

Once I began attending festivals and searching the Internet, I learned that Scott made occasional public appearances, when she wanted to do so. She was private, but not a complete recluse. I recall my surprise when she appeared in the audience an AFI event seated opposite two of her former leading men, Robert Cummings and Charlton Heston. Later, she appeared on stage at a retrospective on the career and films of producer Hal Wallis and, later, at an encore screening of "Pitfall" with director Andre De Toth. Years ago, I posted links to her interview at a function hosted by Janet Leigh (Leigh and Roddy McDowall also took part in interviews on the same occasion) at the Blackboard.

Something was amiss. Scott was not in hiding or total seclusion. According to some reports, she handled the chore of answering much her own fan mail with the help of a secretary. Hughes includes an interesting counterpoint by describing an exceedingly unpleasant encounter with Lauren Bacall as opposed to the more polite manners exhibited by Scott.

Burt Lancaster's refusal to work with Scott (after three films, if one counts "Variety Girl") seems understandable on several levels. Hal Wallis envisioned Lancaster and Scott being paired in a series of movies like Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake or Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Lancaster wanted no part of it. Some of the professional antagonism that ended their off screen friendship was political. Burt was a fierce liberal raised on the streets while Scott, the daughter of a grocer who owned his own small business and sent his children to parochial schools, was conservative. Lancaster also dismissive of Scott's acting abilities on account of her well known relationship with Wallis.

I doubt the new book will dispel the decades of "Confidential" rumors, but it seems that there was much more to Scott than the scandal sheet stereotype that has been repeated ad nauseam because it sells.

Lizabeth Scott would have definitely rated inclusion in "Dark City Dames," but under the circumstances such an extended interview was not on the cards.