RIP Scotty Bowers — 'Golden Age Of Hollywood' Pimp Dead At 96
It's a good old fashioned Hollywood scandal.
Instagram You don't have to become an actor to strike gold in Hollywood. There are plenty of other paths to success available to those who head out with their hearts dead set on success on the West Coast. There's business, real estate and a wealth of other opportunities. But none of those appealed much to Scotty Bower. He might be closer to 100 now, but in his prime Scotty Bowers claims that he was the pimp to the stars during Hollywood's Golden Age. Currently, one of his homes just went on the market and its revival has people once again digging into his fascinating life story. True or not true, it's still one heck of a whopper. Few men have lived the life Scotty Bowers claims to have lived. Who is Scotty Bowers?
1. Back On The Market
Scotty Bowers, age 96, has lived quite a life — that is, if you believe every story he tells you. In his prime, according to Scotty, he was the pimp to the stars in Hollywood! He wasn't just arranging dates (150 women in total for Katherine Hepburn) for people either, he often enjoyed his own sexual romps — like threesomes with Cary Grant!
The pimp, who also fought in WWII, lived a life of glamor and intrigue, to hear him tell it, and it was one that also paid off big time financially! Recently, Scotty was looking to sell one of his three L.A. properties to the tune of $1,497,000. The property has three bedrooms and is located in the heart of Hollywood, near Griffith Observatory. But Scotty wasn't born a high-flyer...
2. The Pimp's Early Life
Scotty wasn't born on the West Coast. In fact, he was born as a farm boy in the heart of Illinois. But that didn't keep him from sexual exploits at an early age. He said his first sexual relationship was with an adult male farmhand, though he poo-poos the notion that the man took advantage of him. "The only way … [someone] can ruin your life is when they run you over with a bus on the street. Even as a little, bitty kid ... I never saw anything wrong with anything. I went along with everything and I never told anybody." When Scotty's parents divorced, he left the farm with his moved and moved to Chicago where his life got a little darker. He had sex for money, offering his body up on street corners, and would often have sexual encounters with priests, making sure to blackmail them into paying him an impressive sum. When WWII hit, he served for three years and in 1945 decided it was time for another change.
3. Scotty Takes Hollywood
"When you're overseas, you're a long ways away, and how many guys get killed every day and you're burying people all the time … you do think you're never going to get back home. Many guys, when they got out of the service, they went back home again to the little town, to the farm; I upgraded myself and went to Hollywood," said Scotty about his decision to move West. When he arrived in Hollywood, he took the first job he could find: working as a gas station attendant. The location couldn't have been better for Scotty. It was right on Hollywood Boulevard. Before too long Scotty started to be counted on by gay men and women of Hollywood who heard he could arrange dates for them discreetly.
4. All The Dirt
It was the actor Walter Pidgeon who really helped Scotty become infamous. After the duo enjoyed a sexual romp of their own, Walter began connecting Scotty to the rich and famous, people who couldn't risk being caught in a same-sex relationship. Scotty excelled and finding them the company they craved. Scotty says that most of the hookups took place in his home, but it's unknown (since he's owned several properties) if the house he's selling is the one where he allowed clients to do their "business". Scotty relished the sexual encounters his gig provided him. He claims to have had a threesome with Ava Gardner and Lana Turner. he also claims to have slept with Spencer Tracy, who he alleges was only with lesbian Hepburn to help keep his secret under wraps.
5. His Royal Connection
But Scotty's extreme stories don't end there. He claims that he actually arranged for Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson (for whom he gave up his crown) to enjoy several private dates. "When I took people to see Wally and Edward, I never told one person, even though they were close buddies. They were seen as Duke and Duchess," he added. Scotty also believes that he has the key to the real reason Edward gave up the throne, too! "He liked to see guys and girls together and then sort of work his way in. If a guy wants to see a guy and a girl together, they’re usually gay or have a tendency to be gay — because if they were straight, why would they want the guy?"
6. He passed away on October 13th at 96
Scotty Bowers passed away on Sunday, October 13, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. He died of natural causes at his home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. He was 96.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.