Rita Flynn (born Edith Flynn; August 16, 1905 – December 31, 1973) was an American film actress. She is known for starring in

Fatty Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel ...

comedies and for appearing alongside

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

and

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

in ''

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman, and starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods ...

'' (1931).

Early life

She was born as Edith Flynn on August 16, 1905. Flynn was Miss San Francisco at the

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

All-American beauty pageant in 1925. From then, she became a theater performer and was known as Mickey Flynn.

Career

Flynn began her stage career in a New York musical comedy, receiving a favorable reception from

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

critics. She later left theater to become a film actress around 1929 when

sound film A sound film is a Film, 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, bu ...

became popular. Believing her theater monicker was not "ritzy enough" for film work, upon signing a contract with

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

in 1929, she insisted from that point that she would identify as Rita Flynn. Among her earliest film work was as a

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. While synchronized dancing indicative of a chorus line was vogue during the first half of th ...

in the 1929 films

and Fast Life. After receiving much attention for her part in the musical The Girl from Woolworth's, she got more prominent roles in the 1930 films Sweet Mama and Top Speed. Flynn was the headline act in the ''Hollywood Girls'' short films, including The Lure of Hollywood and

Hollywood Luck ''Hollywood Luck'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dar ...

, being the only member of the original trio of girls to appear in the entire run. She left show business in 1933.

Personal life

Flynn was reportedly set to marry Pat Rooney III in 1929, son of the actor, according to a report by the ''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the '' East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ...

'' in February 1929. In 1931, Flynn was expecting to marry David Coplin, a wealthy

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...

, however Coplin was not seeking marriage, instead just companionship. In filing court papers, Flynn said that she experienced "untold humiliation and loss of reputation" as she gave up her career and hurriedly travelled to New York in anticipation of marriage. In his own defence, Coplin alluded to a discovery he made relating to affairs with other men that Flynn had been involved with. Flynn went before the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

in December 1932 seeking emotional damages of $250,000. She married McKinley Bryant, a millionaire racer, in November 1933 in New York. She was given away by film producer

Joseph M. Schenck Joseph Michael Schenck (; December 25, 1876 – October 22, 1961) was a Russian-born American film studio executive. Life and career Schenck was born to a Jewish family in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russian Empire. He emigrated to New York City ...

. The couple quietly divorced in 1941.

Death

Flynn died on December 31, 1973, in Los Angeles.

Filmography

*'' My Man'' (1928) *''

'' (1929) *'' Fast Life'' (1929) *'' The Girl from Woolworth's'' (1929) *''

Lord Byron of Broadway ''Lord Byron of Broadway'' (1930), also known as ''What Price Melody?'', is an American Pre-Code musical drama film, directed by Harry Beaumont and William Nigh. It was based on a best selling book by Nell Martin, which "was widely praised by c ...

'' (1930) *'' Top Speed'' (1930) *''

Be Yourself! ''Be Yourself!'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Fanny Brice and Robert Armstrong. The plot involves an entertainer (Brice) managing a boxer (Armstrong). The cinematographer was Karl S ...

'' (1930) *'' Sweet Mama'' (1930) *''

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Maga ...

'' (1931) *''

'' (1931) *'' Crashing Hollywood'' (1931) *'' The Lure of Hollywood'' (1931) *'' Queenie of Hollywood'' (1931) *'' Three Hollywood Girls'' (1931) *'' Hollywood Lights'' (1932) *''

'' (1932)

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Rita 1905 births 1973 deaths Actresses from Tucson, Arizona American film actresses American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses