# 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 (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 Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California 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

* Bella Donna, L-R, L'Estrange, Blythe, Frederick
* Queen of Sheba
* Queen of Sheba poster
* Photoplay cover
* Shadowland
* Darling of the Rich advertisement

## 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 1920 | Occasionally Yours [fr] | 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. | |
| 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 | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 1925 | Speed | Mary Whipple | Banner Productions | |
| 1925 | She | Ayesha | Reciprocity Films | |
| 1925 | Percy | Lolita | Thomas H. Ince Productions | |
| 1926 | Mother's Boy | Cast member | | |
| 1926 | Le Puits de Jacob | Cast member | | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | |
| 1931 | Stars of Yesterday | Archive footage | Vitaphone | |
| 1932 | Tom Brown of Culver | Dolores Delight | Universal | |
| 1932 | Lena Rivers | Mrs. Mathilda Nichols | Tiffany Productions | |
| 1932 | Back Street | (unknown) | Universal | |
| 1933 | Before Midnight | Mavis Fry | Columbia |
| 1933 | Pilgrimage | Janet Prescot | Fox Film | |
| 1933 | Only Yesterday | Mrs. Vincent | Universal | |
| 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 | |
| 1934 | Ever Since Eve | Mrs. Vandegrift | Fox Film | |
| 1934 | I've Been Around | (unknown) | Universal Pictures | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 1940 | Earl of Puddlestone | Millicent Potter-Potter | Republic Pictures | |
| 1940 | Misbehaving Husbands | Effie Butler | Producers Releasing Corporation | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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. 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 1949 | The Barkleys of Broadway | Guest in lobby | MGM | |
| 1949 | Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters | Mrs. Van Belden | Monogram Productions | |
| 1950 | Jiggs and Maggie Out West | Society Woman (uncredited) | Monogram Productions | |
| 1951 | Hollywood Story | Self | Universal Pictures | |
| 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. | |
| Television |||||
| Year | Title | Role | Network/notes | Ref(s) |
| 1952 | Racket Squad | Mrs. Burton | 1 episode, CBS | |
| 1958 | The Lineup | Mrs. DeSues | 1 episode, CBS | |