Changes: Willie Scott

Revision as of 18:20, 5 February 2014

"The biggest trouble with her is the noise."

Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott was an American singer and actress who found some measure of success in Shanghai in the early 1930s.

Biography

"I'm going home to Missouri, where they never ever feed you snake before ripping your heart out and lowering you into hot pits. This is not my idea of a swell time!"

―Willie Scott^[src]

Wilhelmina Scott was raised on a farm in Missouri, but from a young age her ambitions lay firmly in Hollywood. While her parents were poultry farmers, one of her grandfathers had been a stage magician.^[2]

Having won a beauty contest, she tried to make a career as a singer, dancer, and actress, but was unable to break into the American film industry during the Great Depression, and struck out in Chicago and New York City^[2]. Scott escaped to the Far East, where she landed roles in several Shanghai productions. Her efforts earned her the attention of local crime lord Lao Che, who hired her as a singer for his popular nightspot, Club Obi Wan.^[3]

In 1935, Scott — now known by her stage name, Willie — had just completed her main role in singing a Mandarin version of Cole Porter's Anything Goes when she joined the table of her boss, Lao Che, who was in negotiation with the archaeologist Indiana Jones. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation, she made light of Jones' profession. When Kao Kan drew a revolver on Jones, Jones grabbed a long fork to take Scott hostage. After Jones was poisoned, Scott scrambled around looking for the misplaced diamond, while Jones sought the antidote. Scott found the vial of antidote and slipped it into her dress. As gunfire erupted, Jones cut a gong loose, and rolled it toward a window, grabbing Scott, and escaped to the street.^[1]

In Short Round's car, Scott proved to be unhelpful by losing Jones' revolver, and was dismayed when Jones reached into her dress to retrieve the antidote. As they reached Nang Tao Airport, Art Weber recognized her as he helped them board a plane to escape. After the plane took off, she had some angry words for Jones, claiming that he couldn't take his eyes off her. She changed out of her evening dress into Jones' more functional dinner jacket and pants, after he changed into his adventuring gear.^[1]

Waking up on the flight, Scott discovered that the pilot and co-pilot had abandoned the plane. She woke up Jones, who realized that the plane was going to crash without fuel. Grabbing onto Jones, she and Short Round leaped out of the plane, and used an inflatable raft to safely land and skid down the mountains into a river in India.^[1]

Indywillie1edited — Willie served Primate Parfait

Reaching Pankot Palace, she was relieved for the nicer amenities, but was disgusted by menu of exotic foods at the Guardian of Tradition Dinner, like Primate Parfait. Jones was later able to provide her with an apple. A fledgling romance between Scott and Jones stalled abruptly when Willie nearly became the victim of human sacrifice, perpetrated by the underground Thuggee cult and its maniacal leader, Mola Ram.^[1]

Just as Scott was being lowered into a pit of molten lava, Indy and Short Round came to her rescue. With the aid of Captain Blumburtt and his Eleventh Poona Rifles, Pankot Palace was freed from the grip of Ram and the Thuggee. Willie, Indy, and Short Round returned to the United States but that was a story in and of itself.^[3]

At some point during their time together, Willie was kidnapped in Hong Kong with Jones taking up the chase on a motorcycle. She and Short Round were also trapped in a burning room but the pair escaped by pulling down the flaming curtains and jumping through the window.^[4]

Legacy

Indiana Jones kept a flyer of Willie Scott's performance at Club Obi Wan and an autographed picture of her in his journal.^[5] By 1957, Jones had placed a framed photograph of Scott in his living room.^[6]

Personality and traits

Easy — Indiana Jones and Willie Scott exchange words.

Willie Scott had a fondness for diamonds and a fear of insects.^[1] She could speak some Chinese in addition to her native English.^[4] Indiana Jones recorded a list of pros and cons about Scott in his journal - with "Speaks her mind" as both a pro and a con.^[7]

Traveling in India, Scott felt out of her element, being forced to rough it, and shrieking every time something frightened her. Disliking the smell of her elephant, she dumped her entire bottle of perfume on the head of her mount - though her elephant ended up dumping her in a puddle.^[1]

Behind the scenes

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Willie Scott was portrayed by Kate Capshaw, who married director Steven Spielberg in 1991.

Like Indiana Jones and Short Round, the character is named after a pet dog: Willie was the dog of Spielberg. Scott's full forename as Wilhelmina is both a nod to the Wilhelm scream, the stock sound effect used in all four theatrical Indiana Jones pictures, and the character's piercing cries.

Willie Scott appears in the Indiana Jones segment of George Lucas' Super Live Adventure which combined elements from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom. She meets Indiana Jones during her performance of "Anything Goes" but is introduced to the archaeologist at Club Obi Wan by René Emile Belloq. After the brawl breaks out, the singer joins Jones and the show's protagonist Hiromi and the three journey to the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. There, they are caught in a spike trap similar to the chamber from Temple of Doom. Though Jones rescues them, Scott inadvertently reactivates it again with Jones inside and this time Hiromi makes the save. Belloq arrives but is killed when he opens the Ark and Hiromi continues on with her adventure.

In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a prop photograph was created showing Scott in her dress from Paris that can been seen in the background of the fifth chapter on the DVD at Indiana Jones' house while he discusses Francisco de Orellana with Mutt Williams. The picture sits by a lamp next to the window.

Appearances

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (Pictured only)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (First appearance)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom comic
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (Mentioned only) (Mac version)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Pictured only)

Non-canon appearances

Sources

Notes and references

[ToD-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 ^1.7 ^1.8 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

[UG-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide

[ToD_novel-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel

[TSR_Indy-4] 4.0 ^4.1 The Adventures of Indiana Jones

[5] The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

[6] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

[7] The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 Having won a beauty contest, she tried to make a career as a singer, dancer, and actress, but was unable to break into the American film industry during the [[Great Depression]], and struck out in [[Chicago]] and [[New York City]]<ref name="UG">''[[Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide]]''</ref>. Scott escaped to the Far East, where she landed roles in several [[Shanghai]] productions. Her efforts earned her the attention of local crime lord [[Lao Che]], who hired her as a singer for his popular nightspot, [[Club Obi Wan]].<ref name="ToD novel">[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (novel)|''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' novel]]</ref>
-[[File:Anything.jpg|thumb|Willie Scott performing ''Anything Goes''.]]
+[[File:Anything.jpg|thumb|Willie Scott performing ''Anything Goes''.|252x252px]]
 In [[1935]], Scott — now known by her stage name, Willie — had just completed her main role in singing a Mandarin version of [[Cole Porter]]'s ''[[Anything Goes]]'' when she joined the table of her boss, Lao Che, who was in negotiation with the archaeologist [[Indiana Jones]]. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation, she made light of Jones' profession. When [[Kao Kan]] drew a revolver on Jones, Jones grabbed a long fork to take Scott hostage. After Jones was poisoned, Scott scrambled around looking for the misplaced [[Peacock's Eye|diamond]], while Jones sought the antidote. Scott found the vial of antidote and slipped it into her dress. As gunfire erupted, Jones cut a gong loose, and rolled it toward a window, grabbing Scott, and escaped to the street.<ref name="ToD" />
-[[File:ToD-gun4.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Willie loses the gun.]]
+[[File:ToD-gun4.jpg|thumb|left|Willie loses the gun.|251x251px]]
 In [[Short Round]]'s car, Scott proved to be unhelpful by losing Jones' revolver, and was dismayed when Jones reached into her dress to retrieve the antidote. As they reached [[Nang Tao Airport]], [[Art Weber]] recognized her as he helped them board a [[Ford Tri-Motor Airplane|plane]] to escape. After the plane took off, she had some angry words for Jones, claiming that he couldn't take his eyes off her. She changed out of her evening dress into Jones' more functional dinner jacket and pants, after he changed into his adventuring gear.<ref name="ToD" />