Beatrice Roberts
Encyclopedia
Alice Beatrice Roberts was an American film actress. She was briefly married to the cartoonist and showman Robert L. Ripley and a mistress of Louis B. Mayer
.
She was born in Manhattan
of Jewish ancestry. She married Robert Ripley on October 31, 1919, about the time he invented his Believe It or Not
cartoon strip. The marriage was short lived – they separated three months later and were divorced in 1926. Ripley never spoke about the marriage, calling himself a "confirmed bachelor".
After her marriage, Roberts entered several beauty pageants including the 1924 and 1925 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey (as Miss Manhattan, 1924, and Miss Greater New York, 1925). She won the "Most Beautiful Girl in Evening Gown" award each time.
She went to Hollywood in 1933 and between then and 1946, she appeared in nearly 60 films, including Tall Timber (1937) and Love Takes Flight (also 1937), in which she starred opposite Bruce Cabot
. Many of her roles were small and uncredited. Her most notable role was that of Queen Azura in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
, a 1938 serial.
She was a mistress to MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer in 1935 and 1936, while under contract to his company. In the 1940s, Roberts married John Wesley Smith.
Her last movie contract was with Universal, and her final appearances were in Criss-Cross and Family Honeymoon. Her acting career never becoming the success she had dreamed of, she left Hollywood in 1949. She died in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
.
She was born in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
of Jewish ancestry. She married Robert Ripley on October 31, 1919, about the time he invented his Believe It or Not
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
cartoon strip. The marriage was short lived – they separated three months later and were divorced in 1926. Ripley never spoke about the marriage, calling himself a "confirmed bachelor".
After her marriage, Roberts entered several beauty pageants including the 1924 and 1925 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey (as Miss Manhattan, 1924, and Miss Greater New York, 1925). She won the "Most Beautiful Girl in Evening Gown" award each time.
She went to Hollywood in 1933 and between then and 1946, she appeared in nearly 60 films, including Tall Timber (1937) and Love Takes Flight (also 1937), in which she starred opposite Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
. Many of her roles were small and uncredited. Her most notable role was that of Queen Azura in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars is a 1938 serial film of 15 episodes, based on the comic strip Flash Gordon. It is the second of three Flash Gordon serials made between 1936 and 1940....
, a 1938 serial.
She was a mistress to MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer in 1935 and 1936, while under contract to his company. In the 1940s, Roberts married John Wesley Smith.
Her last movie contract was with Universal, and her final appearances were in Criss-Cross and Family Honeymoon. Her acting career never becoming the success she had dreamed of, she left Hollywood in 1949. She died in Plymouth, Massachusetts.