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 talkies over the course of her career.

 

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Wednesday, February 10, 2021. 

Betty Blythe - Actress.

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Profile :

#Blythe, c. 1920* 

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

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Spouse(s)

Paul Scardon - ​(m. 1919; died 1954)​

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2. Introduction :

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 talkies over the course of her career.

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3. Early life :

She was born Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter in Los Angeles, where she attended Westlake School for Girls, and the University of Southern California. Betty had already 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. Prior to then, women were expected to wear stockings with full dresses or skirts into the water.

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4. Career :

#Still (left to right) of Melbourne MacDowell, Lon Chaney and Blythe in Nomads of the North, 1920*

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 wore nothing 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 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.

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5. Personal life :

Blythe was married to the movie director Paul Scardon from 1919 until his death in 1954. She reportedly made $3,500,000 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 Woodland Hills, California in 1972, aged 78. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

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6. Awards and memorials :

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 Tea Room in West Kensington, London, England.

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7. Gallery :

#Bella Donna, L-R, L'Estrange, Blythe, Frederick*

#Queen of Sheba poster*

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8. Filmography :

Film credits of Betty Blythe

Year Title Role Studio/notes Ref(s)

1915 Bella Donna dancer (uncredited) Famous Players Film Company

1917 His Own People Lady Mary Thorne Vitagraph Studios

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1918 A Game With Fate Elaine Huntington Vitagraph

1918 A Mother's Sin Lady Fitzpatrick Vitagraph

1918 Over the Top Madame Arnot Vitagraph

1918 The Little Runaway Eileen Murtagh Vitagraph

1918 The Green God Muriel Temple Vitagraph

1918 The King of Diamonds Lucille Bennett Vitagraph

1918 Tangled Lives Hilda Howland Vitagraph

1918 The Business of Life Elena Clydesdale Vitagraph

1918 All Man Belle Foliot Vitagraph

1918 Hoarded Assets Claire Dawson Vitagraph

1918 Miss Ambition Edith Webster Vitagraph

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1919 The Undercurrent Mariska Select Pictures

1919 Silent Strength Ruth Madison Vitagraph

1919 Beauty-Proof Carol Thorpe Vitagraph

1919 Beating the Odds Hebe Norse Vitagraph

1919 Fighting Destiny Caryl Rundlege Vitagraph

1919 The Man Who Won Barbara Le Moyne Vitagraph

1919 Dust of Desire Corrinne Torrence Vitagraph

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1920 Occasionally Yours Bunny Winston L. J. Gasnier Productions

1920 The Third Generation Helen Van Dusen Brentwood Film Corporation

1920 The Silver Horde Mildred Wayland Eminent Authors Pictures, Inc.

1920 Burnt Wings Helen Universal Films

1920 Nomads of the North Nanette Roland James Oliver Curwood Productions Inc.

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1921 The Truant Husband Vera Delauney Rockett Film Corp.

1921 Just Outside the Door Gloria Wheaton Weber Productions

1921 The Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba Fox Film

1921 Mother o' Mine Fan Baxter Thomas H. Ince Productions

1921 Charge It Millie Garreth Equity Pictures

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1922 The Darling of the Rich Cast member B.B. Productions

1922 His Wife's Husband Olympia Brewster Pyramid Pictures

1922 How Women Love Rosa Roma B.B. Productions

1922 Fair Lady Countess Margherita Bennett Pictures Corp.

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1923 Chu-Chin-Chow Zahrat MGM

1923 The Truth About Wives Helen Frazer B. B. Productions

1923 Sinner or Saint Mademoiselle Iris B. B. Productions

1923 The Darling of the Rich Charmion Winship B. B. Productions

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1924 Southern Love Dolores Graham-Wilcox Productions

1924 The Breath of Scandal Sybil Russell B. P. Schulberg Productions

1924 The Spitfire Jean Bronson Murray W. Garsson Productions

1924 The Recoil Norma Selbee Goldwyn Pictures

1924 The Folly of Vanity Mrs. Ridgeway Fox Film

1924 In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter Rita Sismondi Goldwyn

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1925 Speed Mary Whipple Banner Productions

1925 She Ayesha Reciprocity Films

1925 Percy Lolita Thomas H. Ince Productions

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1926 Mother's Boy Cast member

1926 Le Puits de Jacob Cast member

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1927 Snowbound Julia Barry Tiffany-Stahl Productions

1927 Eager Lips Paula Chadwick Pictures

1927 The Girl from Gay Paree Mademoiselle Fanchon Tiffany-Stahl Productions

1927 A Million Bid Mrs. Gordon Warner Bros.

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1928 Domestic Troubles Cast member

1928 Sisters of Eve Mrs. Wenham Gardner Trem Carr

1928 Glorious Betsy Princess Fredericka Warner Bros.

1928 Into No Man's Land The Countess Excellent Pictures Corp.

1928 The Mysterious Lady MGM

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1931 Stars of Yesterday Archive footage Vitaphone

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1932 Tom Brown of Culver Dolores Delight Universal

1932 Lena Rivers Mrs. Mathilda Nichols Tiffany Productions

1932 Back Street (unknown) Universal

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1933 Pilgrimage Janet Prescot Fox Film

1933 Only Yesterday Mrs. Vincent Universal

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1934 Two Heads on a Pilow Mrs. Walker Liberty Pictures

1934 The Scarlet Letter Innkeeper Larry Darmour Productions

1934 A Girl of the Limberlost Mrs. Parker, "The Bird Woman" Monogram Pictures

1934 Money Means Nothing Mrs. Ferris Monogram Pictures

1934 Night Alarm Elizabeth Van Dusen Larry Darmour Productions

1934 Badge of Honor Mrs. Van Alstyne Mayfair Pictures [78]

1934 Ever Since Eve Mrs. Vandegrift Fox Film

1934 I've Been Around (unknown) Universal Pictures

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1935 Anna Karenina (unknown) MGM

1935 The Spanish Cape Mystery Mrs. Godfrey Liberty Pictures

1935 Cheers of the Crowd Lil Langdon Walton Monogram Pictures

1935 The Fighting Lady Mrs. Hanford Fanchon Royer Pictures

1935 The Perfect Clue Ursula Chesebrough Larry Darmour Productions

1935 Western Courage Mrs. Hanley Columbia Pictures

Larry Darmour Productions

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1936 It's Up to You Martha Raphael G. Wolff, Inc.

1936 Murder at Glen Athol Ann Randel Invincible Pictures

1936 Rainbow on the River Flower buyer Principal Productions, Inc.

1936 Yours for the Asking Society woman Paramount

1936 The Gorgeous Hussy Mrs. Wainwright MGM

1937 Conquest Princess Mirska (uncredited) MGM

1937 Espionage Passenger MGM

1937 Topper Mrs. Goodrich (uncredited)

1938 Hold That Kiss (unknown) MGM

1938 Gangster's Boy Mrs. Davis Monogram Pictures

1938 Romance of the Limberlost Mrs. Parker Monogram Pictures

1938 Delinquent Parents Mrs. Wharton Progressive Pictures

1938 Man-Proof Country club woman MGM

1938 Little Tough Guys in Society (unknown) Universal Studios

1939 The Women Mrs. South (uncredited) MGM

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1940 Earl of Puddlestone Millicent Potter-Potter Republic Pictures

1940 Misbehaving Husbands Effie Butler Producers Releasing Corporation

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1941 Our Wife (unknown) Columbia Pictures

1941 Tuxedo Junction Miss Hornblower Republic Pictures

1941 Honky Tonk Mrs. Wilson MGM

1941 Federal Fugitives Marcia Producers Releasing Corporation

1941 Top Sergeant Mulligan Mrs. Lewis Monogram Productions

1941 The Miracle Kid Madam Gloria John T. Coyle Productions

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1942 Two Yanks in Trinidad (unkniown) Columbia Pictures

1942 Dawn on the Great Divide Mrs. Elmira Corkle Monogram Productions

1942 Freckles Comes Home Mrs. Potter Monogram Productions

1942 House of Errors Mrs. Martha Randall Producers Releasing Corporation

1942 Yokel Boy Reporter Republic Pictures

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1943 Presenting Lily Mars Dowager MGM

1943 Mr. Muggs Steps Out Margaret Morgan Monogram Pictures

1943 Sarong Girl Miss Ellsworth Monogram Productions

1943 Bar 20 Mrs. Stevens Harry Sherman Productions

1943 Spotlight Scandals Mrs. Baker Banner Productions

1943 Girls in Chains Mrs. Grey Atlantis Picture Corporation

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1944 The Chinese Cat Mrs. Manning Monogram Pictures

1944 Where Are Your Children? Mrs. Cheston Monogram Pictures

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1945 Her Highness and the Bellboy Diplomat's Wife (uncredited) MGM

1945 Abbott and Costello in Hollywood Mrs. Murdock MGM

1945 Docks of New York Mrs. Darcy Monogram Pictures

1945 Love, Honor and Goodbye wife Republic Pictures

1945 They Were Expendable Officer's Wife (uncredited) MGM

1945 Adventure Mrs. Buckley (uncredited) MGM

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1946 Undercurrent Saleslady (uncredited) MGM

1946 The Undercover Woman Cissy Van Horn Republic Pictures

1946 A Fig Leaf for Eve Lavinia Sardham Carey Westen Corp

1946 Joe Palooka, Champ Mrs. Stafford Monogram 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

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1947 Jiggs and Maggie in Society Mrs. Vacuum Monogram Productions

1947 Song of Love Lady with Opera Glasses (uncredited) MGM

1947 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Floor Manager (uncredited) Samuel Goldwyn Productions

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1948 Cass Timberlane Nurse (uncredited) MGM

1948 Letter from an Unknown Woman Frau Kohner (uncredited) Republic Pictures

1948 Madonna of the Desert Mrs. Brown Republic Pictures

1948 Luxury Liner Miss Fenmoor MGM

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1949 The Barkleys of Broadway Guest in lobby MGM

1949 Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters Mrs. Van Belden Monogram Productions

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1950 Jiggs and Maggie Out West Society Woman (uncredited) Monogram Productions

1951 Hollywood Story Self Universal Pictures

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1955 The Lonesome Trail Mrs. Wells L & B Productions

1956 Lust for Life Dowager (uncredited) MGM

1957 The Helen Morgan Story Party Guest (uncredited) Warner Bros.

1964 My Fair Lady Lady at Ball (uncredited) Warner Bros.

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9. Television :

Year Title Role Network/notes Ref(s)

1952 Racket Squad Mrs. Burton 1 episode, CBS

1958 The Lineup Mrs. DeSues 1 episode, CBS

End.

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