Blyth Daly, also spelled Blythe Daley (December 5, 1901 – October 16, 1965) was an actress who appeared in stage productions on Broadway and who appeared in several silent and sound films. She is better known for her relationships and friendships in the underworld of the Hollywood and New York City lesbian acting community than for her acting career itself. She was the daughter of established stage actor

Arnold Daly Arnold Daly (October 22, 1875 – January 13, 1927) was an American actor, playwright, and producer. He was the father of actress and Algonquin Round Table personality Blyth Daly. Biography He was born Peter Christopher Arnold Daly in Brook ...

and his wife Mary Blythe. In 1919, Frank Case, manager of the

Algonquin Hotel The Algonquin Hotel is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numer ...

, began hosting popular and well known members of the acting and writing community, with the group being dubbed the " Algonquin Round Table", with members including

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

, actress

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

Harpo Marx Arthur "Harpo" Marx (born Adolph Marx; November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Grou ...

and others. Daly, never what was called an "official member" of the group, attended through her association with Bankhead,

Estelle Winwood Estelle Winwood (born Estelle Ruth Goodwin, 24 January 1883 – 20 June 1984) was an English actress who moved to the United States in mid-career and became celebrated for her wit and longevity. Early life and early career Born Estelle Ruth Go ...

and actress

Eva Le Gallienne Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, Le Gallienne gave up her Broadway appearances to devote herself to founding t ...

, with the four of them being dubbed "The Four Riders of the Algonquin" due to their appearances together at the " Algonquin Round Table". Daly was bisexual, as was Bankhead, and Le Gallienne was well known inside the acting community as being lesbian. The three became close friends and associates for decades, but of the three, Daly's acting career never took off to the same extent. She had many bit-parts in early silent films (always uncredited), and from the 1930s to 1950s she had many small appearances in both silent and then talking films, which decreased as time went on, while she failed to break into mid roles or starring roles. By the 1960s she had all but disappeared, apart from a minor role in ''

The Chapman Report ''The Chapman Report'' is a 1962 American Technicolor drama film starring Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda, Claire Bloom and Glynis Johns. It was made by DFZ Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by ...

'' (1962). Daly died on October 16, 1965, aged 63.

Filmography

*''

'' (1962) *'' A Star Is Born'' (1954) as Miss Fusselow * ''

The Model and the Marriage Broker ''The Model and the Marriage Broker'' is a 1951 romantic comedy film about a marriage broker. Though Jeanne Crain (as the model) is top billed, the movie revolves around Thelma Ritter's character (the broker), in a rare leading role for Ritter. ...

'' (1951) as Receptionist * ''

It's a Joke, Son! ''It's a Joke, Son!'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff (in his final directorial role in a film) featuring radio comedian Kenny Delmar as Senator Beauregard Claghorn, the inspiration for the cartoon character Foghorn L ...

'' (1947) as Daughters of Dixie member * ''That's Gratitude'' (1934) as Nora * '' Her Man'' (1930) as Dance Hall Girl

References

External links

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Blyth Daly
at Gay History Wiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Daly, Blyth 1901 births 1965 deaths American stage actresses American silent film actresses Bisexual actresses Bisexual women American LGBT actors LGBT actors from England 20th-century American actresses Actresses from London Algonquin Round Table 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 20th-century LGBT people