Female Flying Fingers

Hazel Scott

Hazel Scott applies her classical piano to swing in this colorized footage from the 1943 film “The Heat’s On”.

On July 3, 1950 Hazel Scott became the first woman of color to have her own television show with the premier of “The Hazel Scott Show” on the DuMont Television Network.

Unfortunately Scott was called to testify by the House Un-American Activities Committee that same year. Her television variety program was cancelled soon afterward on September 29, 1950.

This and mounting issues with racial equality promped Scott to eventually move to Paris during the late 1950’s in order to evade oppression in the United States.

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