Betty Blythe
| Betty Blythe | |
|---|---|
|
Betty Blythe as Queen of Sheba | |
| Born |
Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter September 1, 1893 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died |
April 7, 1972 (aged 78) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1916–1964 |
| Spouse(s) | Paul Scardon (1919–1954) (his death) |
Betty Blythe (September 1, 1893 – April 7, 1972) was an American actress best known for her dramatic roles in exotic silent films such as The Queen of Sheba (1921).
She is famous for being one of the first actresses to appear on film in the nude, or nearly so, during the Roaring Twenties.
She is reported to have said, "A director is the only man besides your husband who can tell you how much of your clothes to take off."[1]
Career
Born Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter, she began her stage work in such theatrical pieces as So Long Letty and The Peacock Princess.[2]
After touring Europe and the States, she entered films in 1918 at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, then she was brought to Hollywood's Fox studio as a replacement for actress Theda Bara.
As famous for her revealing costumes as for her dramatic skills, she became a star in such exotic films as The Queen of Sheba (1921), Chu-Chin-Chow (made in 1923; released by MGM in the US 1925) and She (1925).
She was also seen to good advantage in less revealing films like Nomads of the North (1920) with Lon Chaney and In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1924), produced by Samuel Goldwyn.
Other roles were as an opera star, unbilled in Garbo's The Mysterious Lady. She continued to work as a character actress. One of her last roles was a small uncredited role in a crowd scene in 1964's My Fair Lady.
Betty Blythe's name lives on through the Betty Blythe Vintage TeaRoom in West Kensington.
Personal life
Blythe was married to the movie director Paul Scardon from 1919 until his death in 1954.
Death
Betty Blythe died of a heart attack in Woodland Hills, California in 1972, aged 78. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Awards
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Betty Blythe has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame[3] located at 1706 Vine Street.[4]
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1917 | His Own People | Lady Mary Thorne | |
| 1918 | Hoarded Assets | Claire Dawson | |
| 1919 | Dust of Desire | Corrinne Torrence | |
| 1920 | Nomads of the North | Nanette Roland | |
| 1921 | Mother o' Mine | Fan Baxter | |
| 1922 | How Women Love | Rosa Roma | |
| 1923 | Chu-Chin-Chow | Zahrat | |
| 1924 | Southern Love | Dolores | |
| The Spitfire | Jean Bronson | ||
| The Recoil | Norma Selbee | ||
| 1925 | Speed | Mary Whipple | |
| She | Ayesha | ||
| 1927 | Snowbound | Julia Barry | |
| 1927 | The Girl from Gay Paree | Mademoiselle Fanchon | |
| 1928 | Glorious Betsy | Princess Fredericka | |
| 1931 | Adventure | ||
| 1932 | Tom Brown of Culver | Dolores Delight | |
| 1933 | Pilgrimage | Janet Prescot | |
| Only Yesterday | Mrs. Vincent | Uncredited | |
| 1934 | Night Alarm | Elizabeth Van Dusen | |
| 1935 | Ann Karenina | Woman | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Yours for the Asking | May | Uncredited |
| The Gorgeous Hussy | Mrs. Wainwright | ||
| 1937 | Topper | Mrs. Goodrich | Uncredited |
| Conquest | Princess Mirska | Uncredited Alternative title: Marie Walewska | |
| 1938 | Romance of the Limberlost | Mrs. Parker | |
| 1939 | The Women | Mrs. South | Uncredited |
| 1940 | Misbehaving Husbands | Effie Butler | |
| 1941 | Honky Tonk | Mrs. Wilson | |
| 1942 | Dawn on the Great Divide | Mrs. Elmira Corkle | |
| 1943 | Presenting Lily Mars | Dowanger | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat | Mrs. Manning | Alternative title: The Chinese Cat |
| A Fig Leaf for Eve | Lavinia Sardham | Alternative titles: Desirable Lady, Flaming Girls, Hollywood Nights, Not Enough Clothes. Reckless Youth, Room for Love, Strips and Blondes | |
| 1945 | Her Highness and the Bellboy | Diplomat's Wife | Uncredited |
| They Were Expendable | Officer's Wife | Uncredited | |
| Adventure | Mrs. Buckley | Uncredited | |
| 1946 | The Kid from Brooklyn | Mrs. LeMoyne's friend | Uncredited |
| The Postman Always Rings Twice | Customer | Uncredited | |
| Undercurrent | Saleslady | Uncredited | |
| 1947 | The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Floor Manager | Uncredited |
| Song of Love | Lady with Opera Glasses | Uncredited | |
| Cass Timberlane | Nurse | Uncredited | |
| Jiggs and Maggie in Society | Mrs. Vacuum | ||
| 1948 | Letter from an Unknown Woman | Frau Kohner | Uncredited |
| 1949 | The Barkleys of Broadway | Guest in Theater Lobby | Uncredited |
| Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters | Mrs. Van Belden | ||
| 1950 | Jiggs and Maggie Out West | Society Woman | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Hollywood Story | Betty Blythe - Old-time Movie Star | |
| 1955 | The Lonesome Trail | Mrs. Wells | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Lust for Life | Dowanger | Uncredited |
| 1957 | The Helen Morgan Story | Party Guest | Uncredited |
| 1964 | My Fair Lady | Lady at Ball | Uncredited |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1952 | Racket Squad | Mrs. Burton | 1 episode |
| 1958 | The Lineup | Mrs. DeSues | 1 episode |
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Betty Blythe. |
- Betty Blythe at the Internet Movie Database
- Betty Blythe at the Internet Broadway Database
- Betty Blythe at AllMovie
- Betty Blythe at Virtual History
|