Mary Beth Hughes
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Mary Beth Hughes (November 13, 1919 - August 27, 1995) was an American film actress. An actress as a child, Hughes was offered a movie contract in 1938 which began her film career. She was married to actor Ted North from 1943 until their divorce in 1947. In the early sixties she entertained as a nightclub singer after briefly leaving show business. The B-movie actress with a cult following briefly returned to films in the 1970s in supporting roles.
Mary Beth appeared in over sixty movies in her career, guest-starred on television shows such as "The Red Skelton Show" and "Dragnet," and dated Robert Stack, star of "The Untouchables" and later "Unsolved Mysteries."
[edit] Trivia
- Was a natural red head, but is best known as a platinum blonde. You can see her as a red head in: The Lady Confesses, Waterfront at Midnight, The Great Flamarion and Caged Fury.
- Producer Edward Small tried to make a Jean Harlow bio-pic in the early '40s starring Mary Beth Hughes as Harlow, but could not come to a financial agreement with the Harlow estate.
- Two of her films were featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000: I Accuse My Parents and Last of the Wild Horses.
- Was TV's first celebrity forecaster, "The Weather Miss," for Los Angeles station KTLA.
- Had one son, Donald.
- Weighed 172 pounds when she first arrived in Hollywood. Studios told her she needed to lose 50 pounds before she could be hired.
- Was slated to star in A Yank in the R. A. F., but was replaced with Betty Grable at the last minute with no explanation.
- Her favorite movie she starred in was The Great Profile.
- Appeared in stage productions of The Seven Year Itch, Pajama Tops, All About Eve and Oh Women, Oh Men, among others.
- Enjoyed knitting and beading in her spare time.
[edit] Selected films
- Dressed to Kill (1941)
- The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
- I Accuse My Parents (1944) a film spoofed on the television program Mystery Science Theater 3000.
- The Great Flamarion (1945)
- Loophole (1954)
