Betty Blythe (born Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter; 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 appeared in 63 silent films and 56 sound films over the course of her career.
Early life and education She was born Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter in Los Angeles, where she attended Westlake School for Girls and the University of Southern California. Betty had shortened her name to Betty Blythe when she and three other women posed for a photo shoot of the newest swim fashion for women, a bathing suit. Previously, women were expected to wear stockings with full dresses or skirts into the water.
Career
Blythe began her stage work in such theatrical pieces as So Long Letty and The Peacock Princess. She worked in vaudeville as the "California Nightingale" singing songs such as "Love Tales from Hoffman".
In 1915, she had an unbilled part in Bella Donna for Famous Players Film Company. After her first Vitagraph Studios role in the 1917 vehicle, she was given a leading role in the studio's 1918 film A Game with Fate.
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) (in which she at times wore little above the waist except a string of beads), Chu-Chin-Chow (made in 1923; released by MGM in the US 1925) and She (1925). She was seen to good advantage in 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 later roles was a small, uncredited role in a crowd scene in 1964's My Fair Lady.
Personal life Blythe was married to the movie director Paul Scardon from 1919 until his death in 1954. She reportedly made $3.5 million when she sold a section of land that is now part of the Sunset Strip. She lost her fortune in the 1929 stock market crash.
She died of a heart attack in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1972, aged 78. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Legacy For her contributions to the film industry, Betty Blythe has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1708 Vine Street.
Her name lives on through the Betty Blythe Vintage Tearoom in West Kensington, London, England.
Gallery
Filmography
Film credits of Betty Blythe Year Title Role Studio/notes1915 Bella Donna dancer (uncredited)Famous Players Film Company1917 His Own People Lady Mary ThorneVitagraph Studios1918 A Game With FateElaine HuntingtonVitagraph1918 A Mother's Sin Lady FitzpatrickVitagraph1918Over the TopMadame ArnotVitagraph1918The Little RunawayEileen MurtaghVitagraph1918 The Green GodMuriel TempleVitagraph1918 The King of DiamondsLucille BennettVitagraph1918 Tangled LivesHilda HowlandVitagraph1918 The Business of LifeElena ClydesdaleVitagraph1918 All ManBelle FoliotVitagraph1918 Hoarded Assets Claire DawsonVitagraph1918 Miss Ambition Edith WebsterVitagraph1919 The Undercurrent MariskaSelect Pictures1919 Silent Strength Ruth MadisonVitagraph1919 Beauty-Proof Carol ThorpeVitagraph1919 Beating the Odds Hebe NorseVitagraph1919 Fighting Destiny Caryl RundlegeVitagraph1919 The Man Who Won Barbara Le MoyneVitagraph1919 Dust of Desire Corrinne Torrence Vitagraph1920 Bunny WinstonL. J. Gasnier Productions1920 The Third Generation Helen Van DusenBrentwood Film Corporation1920 The Silver Horde Mildred WaylandEminent Authors Pictures, Inc.1920 Burnt Wings HelenUniversal Films1920 Nomads of the North Nanette RolandJames Oliver Curwood Productions Inc.1921 The Truant Husband Vera DelauneyRockett Film Corp.1921 Just Outside the DoorGloria WheatonWeber Productions1921 The Queen of Sheba The Queen of ShebaFox Film1921 Mother o' Mine Fan BaxterThomas H. Ince Productions1921 Charge ItMillie GarrethEquity Pictures1922 The Darling of the RichCast memberB.B. Productions1922 His Wife's HusbandOlympia BrewsterPyramid Pictures1922 How Women Love Rosa RomaB.B. Productions1922 Fair LadyCountess MargheritaBennett Pictures Corp.1923 Chu-Chin-Chow ZahratMGM1923 The Truth About Wives Helen FrazerB. B. Productions1923 Sinner or Saint Mademoiselle IrisB. B. Productions1923 The Darling of the Rich Charmion WinshipB. B. Productions1924 Southern Love DoloresGraham-Wilcox Productions1924 The Breath of Scandal Sybil RussellB. P. Schulberg Productions1924 The Spitfire Jean Bronson Murray W. Garsson Productions1924The Recoil Norma SelbeeGoldwyn Pictures1924The Folly of Vanity Mrs. RidgewayFox Film1924In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter Rita SismondiGoldwyn1925 Speed Mary WhippleBanner Productions1925 She AyeshaReciprocity Films1925 Percy LolitaThomas H. Ince Productions1926 Mother's Boy Cast member1926 Le Puits de Jacob Cast member1927 Snowbound Julia BarryTiffany-Stahl Productions1927 Eager Lips PaulaChadwick Pictures1927 The Girl from Gay Paree Mademoiselle FanchonTiffany-Stahl Productions1927 A Million Bid Mrs. GordonWarner Bros.1928 Domestic Troubles Cast member1928 Sisters of Eve Mrs. Wenham GardnerTrem Carr1928 Glorious Betsy Princess FrederickaWarner Bros.1928 Into No Man's LandThe CountessExcellent Pictures Corp.1928 The Mysterious LadyMGM1931 Stars of Yesterday Archive footageVitaphone1932 Tom Brown of Culver Dolores DelightUniversal1932 Lena Rivers Mrs. Mathilda NicholsTiffany Productions1932 Back Street (unknown)Universal1933 Before Midnight Mavis FryColumbia1933 Pilgrimage Janet PrescotFox Film1933Only Yesterday Mrs. Vincent Universal1934Two Heads on a PillowMrs. Walker Liberty Pictures1934 The Scarlet Letter InnkeeperLarry Darmour Productions 1934 A Girl of the Limberlost Mrs. Parker, "The Bird Woman"Monogram Pictures1934 Money Means Nothing Mrs. FerrisMonogram Pictures1934 Night Alarm Elizabeth Van DusenLarry Darmour Productions 1934 Badge of Honor Mrs. Van AlstyneMayfair Pictures1934 Ever Since Eve Mrs. VandegriftFox Film1934 I've Been Around (unknown)Universal Pictures1935 Anna Karenina (unknown)MGM1935The Spanish Cape MysteryMrs. GodfreyLiberty Pictures1935Cheers of the CrowdLil Langdon WaltonMonogram Pictures 1935The Fighting LadyMrs. HanfordFanchon Royer Pictures1935The Perfect ClueUrsula ChesebroughLarry Darmour Productions 1935Western CourageMrs. HanleyColumbia PicturesLarry Darmour Productions 1936 It's Up to You MarthaRaphael G. Wolff, Inc.1936 Murder at Glen Athol Ann RandelInvincible Pictures1936 Rainbow on the River Flower buyerPrincipal Productions, Inc.1936 Yours for the Asking Society womanParamount1936 The Gorgeous Hussy Mrs. WainwrightMGM1937 Conquest Princess Mirska (uncredited) MGM1937 Espionage PassengerMGM1937 Topper Mrs. Goodrich (uncredited)1938 Hold That Kiss (unknown)MGM1938 Gangster's BoyMrs. DavisMonogram Pictures1938 Romance of the Limberlost Mrs. ParkerMonogram Pictures1938 Delinquent Parents Mrs. WhartonProgressive Pictures 1938 Man-Proof Country club womanMGM1938 Little Tough Guys in Society (unknown)Universal Studios1939 The Women Mrs. South (uncredited)MGM1940 Earl of Puddlestone Millicent Potter-PotterRepublic Pictures1940 Misbehaving Husbands Effie ButlerProducers Releasing Corporation1941 Our Wife (unknown)Columbia Pictures1941 Tuxedo Junction Miss HornblowerRepublic Pictures1941 Honky Tonk Mrs. WilsonMGM1941 Federal Fugitives MarciaProducers Releasing Corporation1941 Top Sergeant Mulligan Mrs. LewisMonogram Productions1941 The Miracle Kid Madam GloriaJohn T. Coyle Productions1942 Two Yanks in Trinidad (unkniown)Columbia Pictures1942 Dawn on the Great Divide Mrs. Elmira CorkleMonogram Productions1942 Freckles Comes Home Mrs. PotterMonogram Productions1942 House of Errors Mrs. Martha RandallProducers Releasing Corporation1942 Yokel Boy ReporterRepublic Pictures1943 Presenting Lily Mars Dowager MGM1943 Mr. Muggs Steps Out Margaret MorganMonogram Pictures1943 Sarong Girl Miss EllsworthMonogram Productions1943 Bar 20 Mrs. StevensHarry Sherman Productions1943 Spotlight Scandals Mrs. BakerBanner Productions1943 Girls in Chains Mrs. GreyAtlantis Picture Corporation1944 The Chinese Cat Mrs. Manning Monogram Pictures1944 Where Are Your Children? Mrs. Cheston Monogram Pictures1945 Her Highness and the Bellboy Diplomat's Wife (uncredited)MGM1945 Abbott and Costello in Hollywood Mrs. MurdockMGM1945 Docks of New York Mrs. DarcyMonogram Pictures1945 Love, Honor and Goodbye wifeRepublic Pictures1945 They Were Expendable Officer's Wife (uncredited)MGM1945 Adventure Mrs. Buckley (uncredited)MGM1946 Undercurrent Saleslady (uncredited)MGM1946 The Undercover Woman Cissy Van HornRepublic Pictures1946 A Fig Leaf for Eve Lavinia SardhamCarey Westen Corp1946 Joe Palooka, Champ Mrs. StaffordMonogram Pictures1946 The Hoodlum Saint (unknown)MGM1946 The Kid from Brooklyn Mrs. LeMoyne's friend (uncredited)Samuel Goldwyn Productions1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice Customer (uncredited)MGM1947 Jiggs and Maggie in Society Mrs. VacuumMonogram Productions1947 Song of Love Lady with Opera Glasses (uncredited)MGM1947 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Floor Manager (uncredited)Samuel Goldwyn Productions1948 Cass Timberlane Nurse (uncredited)MGM1948 Letter from an Unknown Woman Frau Kohner (uncredited)Republic Pictures1948 Madonna of the Desert Mrs. BrownRepublic Pictures1948 Luxury Liner Miss FenmoorMGM1949 The Barkleys of Broadway Guest in lobby MGM1949 Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters Mrs. Van BeldenMonogram Productions1950 Jiggs and Maggie Out West Society Woman (uncredited)Monogram Productions1951 Hollywood Story SelfUniversal Pictures1955 The Lonesome Trail Mrs. Wells L & B Productions1956 Lust for Life Dowager (uncredited)MGM 1957The Helen Morgan Story Party Guest (uncredited)Warner Bros.1964 My Fair Lady Lady at Ball (uncredited)Warner Bros. Television Year Title Role Network/notes1952 Racket Squad Mrs. Burton 1 episode, CBS1958 The Lineup Mrs. DeSues 1 episode, CBS
References
Further reading
External links
Betty Blythe at Virtual History