Blanche Mehaffey
Encyclopedia
Blanche Mehaffey was an American showgirl and film actress from Cincinnati, Ohio
. Her hair was an auburn color.
She was the daughter of Edward Mehaffey and his wife soprano Blanche Berndt. She had a brother Edward Mehaffey Jr.
Mehaffey started as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies
before coming to Hollywood to play comedy roles in motion pictures. Show producer Florenz Ziegfeld
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 the group were Clara Bow
, Dorothy Mackaill
, and Hazel Keener
.
Her debut in movies was in the silent film
Fully Insured (1923) at Hal Roach . She played in many Hal Roach
comedies for a number of years with her leading men usually Charley Chase
and later Glenn Tryon
. She occasionally appeared in features such A Woman of the World
with Pola Negri
.
She dropped out of filming to study voice and languages for over a year in New York City
. Mehaffey returned to movies in Sunrise Trail (1931), a film which featured her playing opposite cowboy star Bob Steele
. The motion picture was her first talking movie.
Mehaffey wed oil well supply dealer George Joseph Hausen at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles, California
in January 1928. They stayed married only ten weeks before the actress obtained a divorce decree.
Blanche Mehaffey died in Los Angeles, California
in 1968, aged 59.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Her hair was an auburn color.
She was the daughter of Edward Mehaffey and his wife soprano Blanche Berndt. She had a brother Edward Mehaffey Jr.
Mehaffey started as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
before coming to Hollywood to play comedy roles in motion pictures. Show producer Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
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 the group were Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in the silent film era of the 1920s. It was her appearance as a spunky shopgirl in the film It that brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl." Bow came to personify the roaring twenties and is described as its leading sex...
, Dorothy Mackaill
Dorothy Mackaill
Dorothy Mackaill was an English-born American actress, most notably of the silent film era and into the early 1930s.-Early life:...
, and Hazel Keener
Hazel Keener
Hazel Keener was a motionpicture actress from Bettendorf, Iowa who was raised in Davenport, Iowa.Keener won a national beauty contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune and used her success to begin a film career in Hollywood. She was a lovely blonde, 5 feet 6 inches in height, 128 lbs.,...
.
Her debut in movies was in the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
Fully Insured (1923) at Hal Roach . She played in many Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
comedies for a number of years with her leading men usually Charley Chase
Charley Chase
Charley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies...
and later Glenn Tryon
Glenn Tryon
Glenn Tryon was an American film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He appeared in 67 films between 1923 and 1951.He was born in Julietta, Idaho and died in Orlando, Florida.-Selected filmography:...
. She occasionally appeared in features such A Woman of the World
A Woman of the World
A Woman of the World is a 1925 silent drama starring Pola Negri. It was directed by Mal St. Clair, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by their parent company Paramount Pictures.-Synopsis:...
with Pola Negri
Pola Negri
Pola Negri was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles from the 1910s through the 1940s during the Golden Era of Hollywood film. She was the first European film star to be invited to Hollywood, and became a great American star. She...
.
She dropped out of filming to study voice and languages for over a year in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Mehaffey returned to movies in Sunrise Trail (1931), a film which featured her playing opposite cowboy star Bob Steele
Bob Steele (actor)
Bob Steele was an American actor. He was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. After years of touring, the family settled down in Hollywood in the late 1910s, where his father, Robert N...
. The motion picture was her first talking movie.
Mehaffey wed oil well supply dealer George Joseph Hausen at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in January 1928. They stayed married only ten weeks before the actress obtained a divorce decree.
Blanche Mehaffey died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1968, aged 59.