Post by bossradio93 on Apr 7, 2005 13:39:07 GMT -5
Actress/Game Show Player Debralee Scott Dies at 52
She was introduced to television as the memorable Rosalie "Hotzi" Totzi on Welcome Back, Kotter. She was Cathy Shumway, the younger sister of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Angie.
Actress Debralee Scott, who was a frequent face as a game show celebrity in the late 1970s and early '80s, died Tuesday night at her new home in Amelia Island, Fl.
Scott, who had recently moved to the resort area near Jacksonville, turned 52 last Saturday. Long-time close friend Shelley Herman told TVgameshows.net of Scott's passing.
Scott turns up frequently on GSN's Match Game reruns, which she populated from 1976-80. Among her other game show credits: The $20,000 Pyramid (with Soupy Sales and Peter Lawford, among others), Chain Reaction and Password Plus.
In recent years, Scott became a personal manager based in both New York and Los Angeles.
Herman said Scott moved to north Florida to help care for her sister. "I talked to her Saturday on her birthday," said Herman. "A week before, she mysteriously went into a coma for three days. She woke from it joking with the nurses. She told me the nurse kept asking her, 'Do you know where you are?' She replied, 'Obviously, I'm in the hopsital.'"
Doctors apparently could not determine a reason for the coma. She returned home on her birthday to unpack belongings shipped from Brooklyn.
Scott, who was one of several favorites of the many supporting comedy actresses who populated the lower tier of Match Game, encountered a tragedy during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Her fiance, New York Port Authority officer J.D. Levi was killed. Scott worked tirelessly to help Levi's mother obtain money from the national relief fund for 9/11 victims' families.
Herman said Scott particularly enjoyed working for producer Bob Stewart. "A few years ago, I sent her a copy of a pilot she did, hosted by David Letterman for Bob Stewart," Herman said. "She loved seeing it and said she was sorry she didn't still have the sweater she wore on the show any longer."
Herman, a former writer for Supermarket Sweep, said Scott was crazy about the grocery game and frequently pleaded for a celebrity version so she could play.
According to Herman, Scott dated former Beatle Ringo Starr in the 1970s. "On one of her many appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, (Merv) introduced her by saying she was dating Ringo," remembered Herman. "Having just split up from Ringo, she yelled to Merv while standing in the wings, 'Not anymore!' It got a huge laugh."
Born April 2, 1953 in Elizabeth, N.J., Scott was the sister of producer Scott Bushnell and talent manager Jeri Scott. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
tvgameshows.net-April 7, 2005
She was introduced to television as the memorable Rosalie "Hotzi" Totzi on Welcome Back, Kotter. She was Cathy Shumway, the younger sister of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Angie.
Actress Debralee Scott, who was a frequent face as a game show celebrity in the late 1970s and early '80s, died Tuesday night at her new home in Amelia Island, Fl.
Scott, who had recently moved to the resort area near Jacksonville, turned 52 last Saturday. Long-time close friend Shelley Herman told TVgameshows.net of Scott's passing.
Scott turns up frequently on GSN's Match Game reruns, which she populated from 1976-80. Among her other game show credits: The $20,000 Pyramid (with Soupy Sales and Peter Lawford, among others), Chain Reaction and Password Plus.
In recent years, Scott became a personal manager based in both New York and Los Angeles.
Herman said Scott moved to north Florida to help care for her sister. "I talked to her Saturday on her birthday," said Herman. "A week before, she mysteriously went into a coma for three days. She woke from it joking with the nurses. She told me the nurse kept asking her, 'Do you know where you are?' She replied, 'Obviously, I'm in the hopsital.'"
Doctors apparently could not determine a reason for the coma. She returned home on her birthday to unpack belongings shipped from Brooklyn.
Scott, who was one of several favorites of the many supporting comedy actresses who populated the lower tier of Match Game, encountered a tragedy during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Her fiance, New York Port Authority officer J.D. Levi was killed. Scott worked tirelessly to help Levi's mother obtain money from the national relief fund for 9/11 victims' families.
Herman said Scott particularly enjoyed working for producer Bob Stewart. "A few years ago, I sent her a copy of a pilot she did, hosted by David Letterman for Bob Stewart," Herman said. "She loved seeing it and said she was sorry she didn't still have the sweater she wore on the show any longer."
Herman, a former writer for Supermarket Sweep, said Scott was crazy about the grocery game and frequently pleaded for a celebrity version so she could play.
According to Herman, Scott dated former Beatle Ringo Starr in the 1970s. "On one of her many appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, (Merv) introduced her by saying she was dating Ringo," remembered Herman. "Having just split up from Ringo, she yelled to Merv while standing in the wings, 'Not anymore!' It got a huge laugh."
Born April 2, 1953 in Elizabeth, N.J., Scott was the sister of producer Scott Bushnell and talent manager Jeri Scott. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
tvgameshows.net-April 7, 2005
