A new PBS documentary is shining a long-overdue spotlight on Hazel Scott, the Trinidadian-born jazz virtuoso, Hollywood star, and civil rights trailblazer whose career was tragically cut short during the Red Scare—a period of intense anti-communist suspicion in the U.S. that led to widespread blacklisting of entertainers, politicians, and intellectuals.
The new documentary American Masters – The Disappearance of Miss Scott premiered nationwide on Friday, February 21, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. It explores Scott’s meteoric rise to fame, her groundbreaking achievements, and the devastating impact of McCarthy-era blacklisting. The documentary will be available for streaming until March 22.
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1920, Hazel Scott was a musical wonder and was trained by her mother, a classically trained pianist and music teacher. Four years later, she left the Caribbean for Harlem, New York with her mother and grandmother, and by the age of eight she was a pupil of Professor Walter Damrosch at the Juilliard School of Music.
Scott’s undeniable talent led to a vibrant jazz career performing with the likes of Max Roach and Charles Mingus in some of New York City’s most iconic venues, including Café Society, Cotton Club, and Carnegie Hall. She later transitioned to film, starring as herself in movies such as Something to Shout About, I Dood It, and Rhapsody in Blue. In 1950, Scott made history as the first Black American to host her own nationally syndicated television show, The Hazel Scott Show, featuring performances alongside jazz greats like Charles Mingus and Max Roach.
Beyond her musical brilliance, Scott was a fierce advocate for civil rights. She refused to perform before segregated audiences, called out Hollywood’s discriminatory treatment of Black actors, and even took a restaurant to court for refusing to serve her. In 1945, she married Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the first Black American congressman from New York, forming a powerful duo in the fight for racial equality.
However, Scott’s outspoken activism made her a target. During the 1950s Red Scare, she was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to answer accusations of communist ties. Though she defended herself forcefully, the backlash led to her being blacklisted, effectively ending her career in the U.S. To evade political fallout, Scott moved to Paris in 1957, where she appeared in the French Gilles Grangier crime film Le désordre et la nuit (1958). In 1963, she marched alongside other African-American expatriates, including James Baldwin, to the U.S. Embassy in Paris in support of the March on Washington. She did not return to the U.S. until 1967, after the Civil Rights Movement had brought significant legislative changes, including the prohibition of racial segregation and enforcement of voting rights.
Scott continued to perform occasionally in nightclubs while making appearances on daytime television. She remained an influential figure until her passing. On October 2, 1981, Hazel Scott died of cancer at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan at the age of 61. She is buried at Flushing Cemetery in Queens, New York, near legendary musicians Louis Armstrong, Johnny Hodges, and Dizzy Gillespie.
The Disappearance of Miss Scott is the first known documentary centered on Scott’s life, featuring archival footage, animation, and interviews with notable figures, including country star Mickey Guyton, actresses Amanda Seales and Tracie Thoms, jazz musicians Camille Thurman and Jason Moran, and Scott’s son, Adam Clayton Powell III. Jamaican-American Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph lends her voice to excerpts from Scott’s unpublished autobiography, offering a deeply personal look at a woman who refused to compromise her principles.
The documentary aims to reintroduce audiences to Hazel Scott’s extraordinary contributions to music, film, and civil rights, restoring her rightful place in history as a pioneering artist and activist.
