Betty Blythe

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. 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.

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 Studios 1918 A Game With FateElaine HuntingtonVitagraph 1918 A Mother's Sin Lady FitzpatrickVitagraph 1918Over the TopMadame ArnotVitagraph 1918The Little RunawayEileen MurtaghVitagraph 1918 The Green GodMuriel TempleVitagraph 1918 The King of DiamondsLucille BennettVitagraph 1918 Tangled LivesHilda HowlandVitagraph 1918 The Business of LifeElena ClydesdaleVitagraph 1918 All ManBelle FoliotVitagraph 1918 Hoarded Assets Claire DawsonVitagraph 1918 Miss Ambition Edith WebsterVitagraph 1919 The Undercurrent MariskaSelect Pictures 1919 Silent Strength Ruth MadisonVitagraph 1919 Beauty-Proof Carol ThorpeVitagraph 1919 Beating the Odds Hebe NorseVitagraph 1919 Fighting Destiny Caryl RundlegeVitagraph 1919 The Man Who Won Barbara Le MoyneVitagraph 1919 Dust of Desire Corrinne Torrence Vitagraph 1920 Bunny WinstonL. J. Gasnier Productions 1920 The Third Generation Helen Van DusenBrentwood Film Corporation 1920 The Silver Horde Mildred WaylandEminent Authors Pictures, Inc. 1920 Burnt Wings HelenUniversal Films 1920 Nomads of the North Nanette RolandJames Oliver Curwood Productions Inc. 1921 The Truant Husband Vera DelauneyRockett Film Corp. 1921 Just Outside the DoorGloria WheatonWeber Productions 1921 The Queen of Sheba The Queen of ShebaFox Film 1921 Mother o' Mine Fan BaxterThomas H. Ince Productions 1921 Charge ItMillie GarrethEquity Pictures 1922 The Darling of the RichCast memberB.B. Productions 1922 His Wife's HusbandOlympia BrewsterPyramid Pictures 1922 How Women Love Rosa RomaB.B. Productions 1922 Fair LadyCountess MargheritaBennett Pictures Corp. 1923 Chu-Chin-Chow ZahratMGM 1923 The Truth About Wives Helen FrazerB. B. Productions 1923 Sinner or Saint Mademoiselle IrisB. B. Productions 1923 The Darling of the Rich Charmion WinshipB. B. Productions 1924 Southern Love DoloresGraham-Wilcox Productions 1924 The Breath of Scandal Sybil RussellB. P. Schulberg Productions 1924 The Spitfire Jean Bronson Murray W. Garsson Productions 1924The Recoil Norma SelbeeGoldwyn Pictures 1924The Folly of Vanity Mrs. RidgewayFox Film 1924In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter Rita SismondiGoldwyn 1925 Speed Mary WhippleBanner Productions 1925 She AyeshaReciprocity Films 1925 Percy LolitaThomas H. Ince Productions 1926 Mother's Boy Cast member 1926 Le Puits de Jacob Cast member 1927 Snowbound Julia BarryTiffany-Stahl Productions 1927 Eager Lips PaulaChadwick Pictures 1927 The Girl from Gay Paree Mademoiselle FanchonTiffany-Stahl Productions 1927 A Million Bid Mrs. GordonWarner Bros. 1928 Domestic Troubles Cast member 1928 Sisters of Eve Mrs. Wenham GardnerTrem Carr 1928 Glorious Betsy Princess FrederickaWarner Bros. 1928 Into No Man's LandThe CountessExcellent Pictures Corp. 1928 The Mysterious LadyMGM 1931 Stars of Yesterday Archive footageVitaphone 1932 Tom Brown of Culver Dolores DelightUniversal 1932 Lena Rivers Mrs. Mathilda NicholsTiffany Productions 1932 Back Street (unknown)Universal 1933 Before Midnight Mavis FryColumbia1933 Pilgrimage Janet PrescotFox Film 1933Only Yesterday Mrs. Vincent Universal 1934 The Scarlet Letter InnkeeperLarry Darmour Productions 1934 A Girl of the Limberlost Mrs. Parker, "The Bird Woman"Monogram Pictures 1934 Money Means Nothing Mrs. FerrisMonogram Pictures 1934 Night Alarm Elizabeth Van DusenLarry Darmour Productions 1934 Badge of Honor Mrs. Van AlstyneMayfair Pictures 1934 Ever Since Eve Mrs. VandegriftFox Film 1934 I've Been Around (unknown)Universal Pictures 1935 Anna Karenina (unknown)MGM 1935The Spanish Cape MysteryMrs. GodfreyLiberty Pictures 1935Cheers of the CrowdLil Langdon WaltonMonogram Pictures 1935The Fighting LadyMrs. HanfordFanchon Royer Pictures 1935The 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 Pictures 1936 Rainbow on the River Flower buyerPrincipal Productions, Inc. 1936 Yours for the Asking Society womanParamount 1936 The Gorgeous Hussy Mrs. WainwrightMGM 1937 Conquest Princess Mirska (uncredited) MGM 1937 Espionage PassengerMGM 1937 Topper Mrs. Goodrich (uncredited) 1938 Hold That Kiss (unknown)MGM 1938 Gangster's BoyMrs. DavisMonogram Pictures 1938 Romance of the Limberlost Mrs. ParkerMonogram Pictures 1938 Delinquent Parents Mrs. WhartonProgressive Pictures 1938 Man-Proof Country club womanMGM 1938 Little Tough Guys in Society (unknown)Universal Studios 1939 The Women Mrs. South (uncredited)MGM 1940 Earl of Puddlestone Millicent Potter-PotterRepublic Pictures 1940 Misbehaving Husbands Effie ButlerProducers Releasing Corporation 1941 Our Wife (unknown)Columbia Pictures 1941 Tuxedo Junction Miss HornblowerRepublic Pictures 1941 Honky Tonk Mrs. WilsonMGM 1941 Federal Fugitives MarciaProducers Releasing Corporation 1941 Top Sergeant Mulligan Mrs. LewisMonogram Productions 1941 The Miracle Kid Madam GloriaJohn T. Coyle Productions 1942 Two Yanks in Trinidad (unkniown)Columbia Pictures 1942 Dawn on the Great Divide Mrs. Elmira CorkleMonogram Productions 1942 Freckles Comes Home Mrs. PotterMonogram Productions 1942 House of Errors Mrs. Martha RandallProducers Releasing Corporation 1942 Yokel Boy ReporterRepublic Pictures 1943 Presenting Lily Mars Dowager MGM 1943 Mr. Muggs Steps Out Margaret MorganMonogram Pictures 1943 Sarong Girl Miss EllsworthMonogram Productions 1943 Bar 20 Mrs. StevensHarry Sherman Productions 1943 Spotlight Scandals Mrs. BakerBanner Productions 1943 Girls in Chains Mrs. GreyAtlantis Picture Corporation 1944 The Chinese Cat Mrs. Manning Monogram Pictures 1944 Where Are Your Children? Mrs. Cheston Monogram Pictures 1945 Her Highness and the Bellboy Diplomat's Wife (uncredited)MGM 1945 Abbott and Costello in Hollywood Mrs. MurdockMGM 1945 Docks of New York Mrs. DarcyMonogram Pictures 1945 Love, Honor and Goodbye wifeRepublic Pictures 1945 They Were Expendable Officer's Wife (uncredited)MGM 1945 Adventure Mrs. Buckley (uncredited)MGM 1946 Undercurrent Saleslady (uncredited)MGM 1946 The Undercover Woman Cissy Van HornRepublic Pictures 1946 A Fig Leaf for Eve Lavinia SardhamCarey Westen Corp 1946 Joe Palooka, Champ Mrs. StaffordMonogram Pictures 1946 The Hoodlum Saint (unknown)MGM 1946 The Kid from Brooklyn Mrs. LeMoyne's friend (uncredited)Samuel Goldwyn Productions 1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice Customer (uncredited)MGM 1947 Jiggs and Maggie in Society Mrs. VacuumMonogram Productions 1947 Song of Love Lady with Opera Glasses (uncredited)MGM 1947 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Floor Manager (uncredited)Samuel Goldwyn Productions 1948 Cass Timberlane Nurse (uncredited)MGM 1948 Letter from an Unknown Woman Frau Kohner (uncredited)Republic Pictures 1948 Madonna of the Desert Mrs. BrownRepublic Pictures 1948 Luxury Liner Miss FenmoorMGM 1949 The Barkleys of Broadway Guest in lobby MGM 1949 Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters Mrs. Van BeldenMonogram Productions 1950 Jiggs and Maggie Out West Society Woman (uncredited)Monogram Productions 1951 Hollywood Story SelfUniversal Pictures 1955 The Lonesome Trail Mrs. Wells L & B Productions 1956 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, CBS 1958 The Lineup Mrs. DeSues 1 episode, CBS