Blanche Mehaffey (July 28, 1908 – March 31, 1968) was an American
showgirl
A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity.
History
Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...
and film actress.
Early life and career
The daughter of Edward Mehaffey and his wife, soprano Blanche Berndt, she had a brother, Edward Mehaffey Jr. She started as a dancer with the
Ziegfeld Follies
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Follies of the ...
before coming to
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
to play comedy roles in motion pictures. Show producer
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...
said she possessed the most beautiful eyes in the entire world. She was among the '' Baby Stars of 1924'' chosen by the Wampas. Others in that year's group were
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...
,
Dorothy Mackaill
Dorothy Mackaill (March 4, 1903 – August 12, 1990) was a British-American actress, most active during the silent film, silent-film era and into the Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code era of the early 1930s.
Early life
Born in Sculcoates, Kingston u ...
, and
Hazel Keener
Hazel Keener (October 22, 1904 – August 7, 1979) was a motion
picture actress from Fairbury, Illinois. She was raised in Davenport, Iowa.
Keener won a national beauty contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune and used her success to begin ...
.
Her debut in movies was in the
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...
''Fully Insured'' (1923) at
Hal Roach Studios
Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...
. She played in many Hal Roach comedies for a number of years with her leading men usually
Charley Chase
Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...
and later
Glenn Tryon
Glenn Tryon (born Glenn Monroe Kunkel; August 2, 1898 – April 18, 1970) was an American film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1951.
Biography
He was born as Glenn Monroe Kunke ...
. She occasionally appeared in features such ''
A Woman of the World
''A Woman of the World'' is a 1925 American silent comedy-drama film starring Pola Negri, directed by Mal St. Clair, produced by Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
As described in a review in a film magazine, C ...
'' (1925) with
Pola Negri
Pola Negri (; born Apolonia Chalupec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and fem ...
. Mehaffey dropped out of filming to study voice and languages for over a year in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
. Mehaffey returned to movies in ''
The Sunrise Trail
''The Sunrise Trail'' is a 1931 American Western film directed by John P. McCarthy and written by Wellyn Totman.Bob Steele. The motion picture was her first
talkie
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...
movie.
Personal life
Mehaffey wed oil-well supply dealer George Joseph Hausen at the Jonathan Club in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
on January 4, 1928. Ten weeks later, she obtained an interlocutory divorce decree. She was also married to the film producer
Ralph M. Like
Ralph M. Like (1894–1955) was an American film producer. He was involved with several independent film companies producing low-budget releases on Poverty Row. In 1932 he established Mayfair Pictures.Pitts p.231 Other companies he was involved ...
.
Filmography
* ''
The Battling Orioles
''Battling Orioles'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Fred Guiol and Ted Wilde and starring Glenn Tryon, Blanche Mehaffey, and John T. Prince.Munden p. 444
Synopsis
When a young barber's girlfriend is effectively kidnapped by ...
'' (1924)
* ''
The White Sheep
''The White Sheep'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Hal Roach and starring Glenn Tryon, Blanche Mehaffey, and Jack Gavin
John F. ('Jack') Gavin (9 February 1874 – 6 January 1938) was a pioneer Australian film actor and ...
'' (1924)
* ''
His People
''His People'' (also known as Proud Heart) is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Edward Sloman about a young, Jewish boxer growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
'' (1925)
* ''
A Woman of the World
''A Woman of the World'' is a 1925 American silent comedy-drama film starring Pola Negri, directed by Mal St. Clair, produced by Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
As described in a review in a film magazine, C ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Texas Streak
''The Texas Streak'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. A copy survives in a private collector's collection.The Runaway Express
''The Runaway Express'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Jack Dougherty, Blanche Mehaffey, and Tom O'Brien.Take It from Me'' (1926)
* '' The Silent Rider'' (1927)
* '' The Denver Dude'' (1927)
* ''
The Tired Business Man
''The Tired Business Man'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Allen Dale and starring Raymond Hitchcock, Dot Farley and Margaret Quimby.Munden p.816 It was produced and released by the independent studio Tiffany Pictures. The fil ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Finnegan's Ball
''Finnegan's Ball'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Blanche Mehaffey, Mack Swain and Cullen Landis. It is based on an 1894 Broadway play of the same title.Munden p.246
Synopsis
The Finnegan family ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Princess from Hoboken
''The Princess from Hoboken'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Allen Dale and featuring Boris Karloff. This is now considered to be a lost film.
Cast
* Edmund Burns as Terence O'Brien
* Blanche Mehaffey as Sheila O'Toole
* Eth ...
Smilin' Guns
Smilin' Guns is a 1929 American silent Western film, directed by Henry MacRae and starring Hoot Gibson.
Plot
Cowboy Jack "Dirty Neck" Purvin travels to San Francisco to learn how to become a refined gentleman to impress Helen van Smythe. Upon ...
The Sky Spider
''The Sky Spider'' (aka ''Spy Spider'') is a 1931 American "youth-oriented" adventure film.Farmer 1984, p. 327. Directed by Richard Thorpe, the film starred Glenn Tryon, Beryl Mercer, Blanche Mehaffey, Pat O'Malley and newcomer John Trent. ...
'' (1931)
* ''
White Renegade
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. W ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Riders of the North
''Riders of the North'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Bob Custer, Blanche Mehaffey and Eddie Dunn.
Cast
* Bob Custer as Mountie Sergeant Stone
* Blanche Mehaffey as Ann
* Eddie Dunn as Tim ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Dancing Dynamite
''Dancing Dynamite'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Noel M. Smith. It premiered in New York on 18 August 1931, and was distributed by State Rights and Mercury Pictures. ''Dancing Dynamite'' was filmed on location at Sa ...
'' (1931)
* ''
The Mystery Trooper
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Is There Justice?
''Is There Justice?'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by Stuart Paton and starring Rex Lease, Henry B. Walthall and Blanche Mehaffey.Langman & Finn p.125 It is now considered a lost film.
Synopsis
The brother of woman who died i ...
Passport to Paradise
''Passport to Paradise'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Jack Mulhall, Blanche Mehaffey and Eddie Phillips. It was produced as a second feature for release by the independent company Mayfair Pic ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Alias Mary Smith
''Alias Mary Smith'' is a 1932 American mystery crime film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Blanche Mehaffey, John Darrow and Raymond Hatton.Langman & Finn p.6 It was released by the independent company Mayfair Pictures.
Synopsis
A you ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Hypnotized
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Dynamite Denny
''Dynamite Denny'' is a 1932 American drama film directed by Frank R. Strayer from an original screenplay by W. Scott Darling. The film stars Jay Wilsey, Blanche Mehaffey, and William V. Mong. Produced by Action Pictures, it was distributed thr ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Border Guns
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
'' (1934)
* ''
North of Arizona
''North of Arizona'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Harry S. Webb and starring Jack Perrin, Blanche Mehaffey and Lane Chandler.Pitts p.306 It was a low-budget B film made by Reliable Pictures.
Main cast
* Jack Perrin as Jack Loom ...
'' (1935)
* ''
The Outlaw Tamer
''The Outlaw Tamer'' is a 1935 American western film directed by J.P. McGowan and starring Lane Chandler, Blanche Mehaffey and George 'Gabby' Hayes.Pitts p.151
Synopsis
A posse on the trail of masked bandit loses the trail of the wounded man. ...
'' (1935)
* ''
The Silent Code
''The Silent Code'' is a 1935 American Western film written by George Morgan and directed by Stuart Paton. It was the third of a scheduled six films in the "Morton of the Mounties" series, although this would be the last one made. The first two ...
Wildcat Saunders
''Wildcat Saunders'' is a 1936 American Western film written and directed by Harry L. Fraser. The film stars Jack Perrin, Blanche Mehaffey, William Gould, Fred Toones, Roger Williams, Tom London and Ed Cassidy. The film was released on March ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The Sea Fiend
''Devil Monster'' (1936) is an American adventure film directed by S. Edwin Graham. The working title of the film was ''The Great Manta'' and it was shown in Great Britain as ''The Sea Fiend'' in 1938. Also, a Spanish-language version entitled '' ...