Episode 2: “The Devil’s Disciple” (originally aired November 1973)

“We were cast as husband and wife,” Allelia Scott said.

In November 1973, Allelia Scott, then Allelia Worrall, acted opposite Mark Scott in the Aggie Players’ production of “The Devil’s Disciple.” Their offstage story mirrored thousands of onstage romances — with a heroine just out of reach in Act I.

“I was engaged to somebody else at the time,” Allelia said. “But that fell apart because he really got pretty weird on me. He wanted us to change our religion so we could be better atheists. And I said, ‘Oh. A little bit of your head is on quite backwards, sideways, maybe it’s upside down.’ So that, you know, was just never going to work.”

By Act II, hijinks of the supporting cast intervened. The Scotts found themselves pushed together by The Aggie Players whether they planned it or not.

“The director’s wife had decided Mark and I would be a good couple, so she had kind of influenced things in this cast decision,” Allelia said. “And then during the cast party, the wrap party, they kept trying to get us isolated in the kitchen together so that he would ask me out to a football game.”

It wasn’t long before Mark and Allelia caught on. He, on the encouragement of cast and crew, asked her to go to the Rice game — just in time for Act III. A&M’s football game against Rice that year went down as one of the most violent in A&M history.

“Their band did a parody of A&M,” Buster Williford said. He played saxophone in the Aggie Band at the time. “We had just marched. We were in the stands. They wore these funky hats, did this military mis-step, and then they had these leashes and played, ‘Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?’ Making fun of Reveille. Then they made this bad T and started playing the war hymn. And hell broke loose.”

A&M fans, specifically alumni, left the stands to storm the field. A brawl broke out between the schools, and the Rice band was escorted from the stadium by police to break up the chaos — a truly theatrical setting for the Scotts’ first date.

After the game, Mark and Allelia headed to a friend’s house for a quiet final scene.

“My good buddies were making bets on how soon we’d get married,” Mark said.

Neither of the two remember who won the bet. But what they do remember is the epilogue.

“Forty-nine years of marriage,” Allelia said. “And it all started here.”