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Mary Beth Hughes
1919-1995
Updated 3/28/2008 with more films available on DVD, as well as more photos.
biography
Born in Illinois in November 1919, beautiful Mary Beth Hughes was just a toddler when her parents divorced in the early 1920s. She and her mother eventually settled in Washington, D.C, where Hughes went to school. Her grandmother, a former stage actress, encouraged the young girl follow an acting career. Talented as a singer and actress, by the time she graduated from high school Hughes had logged many hours on stage. She went to Los Angeles where her grandmother lived and, after a few tough scrapes, made the transition to films when she was 19 years old at the top studio of the period, MGM. Her first roles were uncredited ones in MGM second features, yet her career ramped up quickly. As she matured as an actress, Hughes landed better roles in such MGM releases as The Women (1939; with Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Virginia Grey, and Marjorie Main); Dancing Co-Ed (1939; with Lana Turner and Richard Carlson); and Fast and Furious (1939; with Franchot Tone and Ann Sothern). Hughes moved on to a contract with 20th Century-Fox, where she was cast in starring roles in second features such as Four Sons (1940; with Don Ameche and Alan Curtis), The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941; with George Montgomery), and Dressed to Kill (1941; with Lloyd Nolan).
Various promotional photos of gorgeous Mary Beth Hughes. LEFT: Late 1930s or early 1940s photo. CENTER A: Striking mid-1940s color pic. CENTER B and RIGHT: Early 1950s Paramount photos
Hughes met handsome actor Ted North, who was also a 20th Century-Fox contract player, in 1940. They first acted together in the 20th Century-Fox mystery Charlie Chan in Rio (1941; with Sidney Toler and Cobina Wright), and after dating for a lengthy period, the couple wed in December 1943. Hughes and North acted in one more film together, the musical Men on Her Mind (1944). Following a string of films for PRC and Paramount, Hughes took a three-year hiatus from acting, during which she gave birth to a son. She did not return to films until 1947, following her divorce from Ted North. Sadly, both their careers were on the decline by the time the couple called it quits. Hughes then married actor/singer David Street and started a nightclub act with her new husband, but the act folded when the couple separated in the mid 1950s. Following their divorce, Street married actress Debra Paget.
the films of mary beth hughes
Four Sons (1940)
From the 20th Century-Fox war drama Free, Blonde and 21 with Alan Curtis, Don Ameche, and George Ernest
Free, Blonde and 21 (1940)
From the 20th Century-Fox drama Free, Blonde and 21 with Henry Wilcoxon. This film was directed by B-movie actor Ricardo Cortez
The Great Profile (1940)
From the 20th Century-Fox comedy The Great Profile. LEFT: With John Barrymore and Lionel Atwill. RIGHT: With John Barrymore and Willie Fung
Sleepers West (1941)
From the 20th Century-Fox noir release Sleepers West with Louis Jean Heydt
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
From the 20th Century-Fox western The Ox-Bow Incident
Never a Dull Moment (1943)
From the funny Universal second feature Never a Dull Moment
Over My Dead Body (1943)
From the 20th Century-Fox comedy Over My Dead Body with Milton Berle
Men on Her Mind (1944)
Hughes as Lily Durrell in the PRC musical Men on Her Mind
Take It Big (1944)
From the Paramount musical Take It Big
The Lady Confesses (1945)
With Hugh Beaumont in the PRC noir The Lady Confesses
Rimfire (1949)
From the Lippert western Rimfire
Gun Battle at Monterey (1957)
With Sterling Hayden in the Allied Artists western Gun Battle at Monterey
later years
Mary Beth Hughes film career began to ebb in the 1950s, but she frequently worked in television, often appearing with Red Skelton and Milton Berle, and also served as a pitchwoman. She also appeared in several stage productions and worked as singer in the early 1960s and took a steady job as a secretary. After a long hiatus that lasted throughout the 1960s, Hughes returned to films in the early 1970s in low-budget sexy comedies including How's Your Love Life? (1971; with John Agar, Grant Williams, and Mel Blanc), The Working Girls (1974; with Cassandra Peterson and Bob Schott), and Tanya (1976; with Tallie Cochrane), which was her final film. Sadly, Mary Beth Hughes passed away in August 1995 at the age of 75; she was survived by a son. In recent years she has become a cult favorite, in part due to Mystery Science Theater 3000's airing and DVD release of Hughes' fun 1944 PRC film I Accuse My Parents.
The Women [DVD](1939) DVD
Clare Booth Luce's celebrated play receives a sterling treatment from director George Cukor and an all-star cast. Soap opera and screwball comedy collide when Norma Shearer finds her marriage in trouble when Joan Crawford gets friendly with her man, while scandal maven Rosalind Russell spreads the word. Features a fashion show sequence shot in color. With Joan Fontaine, Mary Boland. 133 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish; alternate scene; documentaries; theatrical trailers.
Dressed To Kill [DVD](1941) DVD
Lloyd Nolan stars as two-fisted private eye Michael Shayne, whose long-delayed trip to the marriage bureau with girlfriend Joanne (Mary Beth Hughes) is interrupted by gunshots in a nearby theater. Shayne uncovers a bizarre series of murders in which the victims were dressed as their characters in a play, but can he solve the case and get to the altar? Third entry in Fox's "Michael Shayne" whodunit series also stars William Demarest, Sheila Ryan. 74 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish.
Michael Shayne Mysteries, Vol. 1 [DVD] DVD
From 1940 to 1942, Lloyd Nolan brought criminals to justice as Brett Halliday's hard-hitting gumshoe Michael Shayne. This two-disc collection starts with the series opener "Michael Shayne, Private Detective" (1940), in which Nolan is accused of killing the boyfriend of the racetrack mogul's daughter he was hired to watch. Marjorie Weaver co-stars. Next, a cross-country train ride with a murder trial witness is fraught with danger in "Sleepers West" (1941), with Nolan, Mary Beth Hughes and Lynn Bari. Nolan seeks diamond smugglers sabotaging the war effort on a Hawaii-bound ocean liner in "Blue, White and Perfect" (1942), with Hughes and George Reeves. And Nolan breaks up a phony spiritualist operation in "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" (1942), co-starring Weaver. 4 2/3 hrs. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; featurettes.
Orchestra Wives [DVD](1942) DVD
Vibrant tale of a newly-married Big Band trumpeteer whose marriage is considered a bad bet by the other band members and wives because of the schemes of a sultry lead singer. Glenn Miller and his Band, George Montgomery, Ann Rutherford, Cesar Romero, Lynn Bari, and Jackie Gleason star. Songs include "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo," "At Last," "Serenade in Blue." 97 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; photo gallery; theatrical trailer.
The Ox-Bow Incident [DVD](1943) DVD
Director William Wellman draws solid performances from an all-star cast (Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn and Jane Darwell) in his brooding, chilling study of the dangers and irony of the lynch mob mentality. Truly an American classic, based on the novel by Walter Van Tilburg Clark. 75 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; "Biography" episode; photo gallery.
The Great Flamarion [DVD](1945) DVD
Erich von Stroheim had one of his best roles as a misogynous circus marksman who catches the eye of his lovely assistant (Mary Beth Hughes), whose husband turns up mysteriously murdered. Directed by Anthony Mann. 78 min.
The Great Flamarion [VHS](1945) VHS
Erich von Stroheim had one of his best roles as a misogynous circus marksman who catches the eye of his lovely assistant (Mary Beth Hughes), whose husband turns up mysteriously murdered. Directed by Anthony Mann. 78 min.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: I Accuse My Parents [DVD] DVD
Joel and the bots are none too "happy in their work" when the Mads force them to view this sordid look at teenage delinquents. 93 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo.
I Accuse My Parents [DVD](1945) DVD
Egregious exploifeature that places its finger firmly upon the cause of juvenile delinquency! Watch as a young man is driven by inattentive, tipsy parents onto a sordid trail of organized crime and murder. Features the hit song "Are You Happy in Your Work?" Mary Beth Hughes, Robert Lowell star. 68 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono.
Last Of The Wild Horses [VHS](1948) VHS
They're not going to stay wild for long, though, because some sidewindin' owlhoot is rustling the area's cayuses six ways to Sunday. It's up to outlaw-turned-hero Duke (James Ellison) to set things right. With Mary Beth Hughes, Jane Frazee, Douglass Dumbrille and Olin Howlin as "Remedy." 85 min.
Inner Sanctum [DVD](1948) DVD
With an idea taken from the popular radio show of the era, this creepy tale focuses on the experiences of a woman riding a train who is told an eerie story by a fortune-teller. Charles Russell and Mary Beth Hughes star. 62 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Caged Fury [DVD](1948) DVD
A circus thriller starring Buster Crabbe as a lion-tamer who murders his assistant in order to tame a new gal under the big top. After a rival performer suspects the animal trainer is responsible for the deed, the excitement starts. Richard Denning, Sheila Ryan also star. 60 min.
Riders In The Sky [DVD](1949) DVD
Famed for its melodious title song, this amiable Gene Autry oater follows the legendary cowpoke as he helps a gal whose father has been framed for the murder of a gambler. There's frontier thrills aplenty as Autry and sidekick Pat Buttram come up against a treacherous blackhat determined to erect a tombstone for anyone foolhardy enough to interfere with his plans for revenge. Gloria Henry, Robert Livingston, and Champion co-star. 71 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; photo gallery; theatrical trailers; radio show excerpts; "The Phantom Empire" chapters.
Little Big Horn (1951)/Rimfire [DVD](1949) DVD
Twin bill of dark frontier dramas open with "Little Big Horn," in which a Cavalry unit trying to intercept Custer's forces and warn them of the awaiting Sioux ambush are being killed one by one by an unseen enemy. Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland, Jim Davis, Hugh O'Brian star. Next, a gambler hanged for a crime he didn't commit and an undercover agent searching for stolen gold are the intertwining elements of "Rimfire," with James Millican, Mary Beth Hughes, Reed Hadley, and Henry Hull. 150 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Showtime USA, Vol. 3: Hollywood Varieties (1949)/Holiday Rhythm (1950) [DVD] DVD
First, "Hollywood Varieties" finds the art of vaudeville resurrected through the new medium of television, as emcee Robert Alda introduces acts such as the Hoosier Hot Shots, Sandy and His Seals, The Four Dandies, and others. Glen Vernon, Peggy Stewart also star. Next, David Street gets into the "Holiday Rhythm" when a knock on the head sends him into a dream world where he sees stars (!) such as Sid Mellon, Peter Marshall, Tommy Noonan, and others. 121 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; art gallery; audio commentary; bonus short "Foto Facts #2" (1947); theatrical trailers.
Young Man With A Horn [DVD](1950) DVD
Classic melodrama stars Kirk Douglas as a driven trumpet player who devotes his life to music, to the exclusion of almost everything else. Doris Day and Lauren Bacall are the women in his life; Harry James performed Douglas' tunes. 112 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.
Working Girls [DVD](1975) DVD
Cassandra Peterson of "Elvira" fame is featured in a much-talked-about nude scene in this look at a group of women who use their bodies to make it in Los Angeles. Among them are Sarah Kennedy, who uses her body for barter--and gets a job as an assistant to a millionaire; Lynn Guthrie, who subsidizes her law school tuition by stripping; and Peterson, who teaches Guthrie all the right moves. Stephanie Rothman ("The Velvet Vampire") directs. 82 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono.
Working Girls [VHS](1975) VHS
Cassandra Peterson of "Elvira" fame is featured in a much-talked-about nude scene in this look at a group of women who use their bodies to make it in Los Angeles. Among them are Sarah Kennedy, who uses her body for barter--and gets a job as an assistant to a millionaire; Lynn Guthrie, who subsidizes her law school tuition by stripping; and Peterson, who teaches Guthrie all the right moves. Stephanie Rothman ("The Velvet Vampire") directs. 82 min.
Wilbur And The Baby Factory (1970)/Tanya [DVD](1976) DVD
"Wilbur and the Baby Factory" is a truly off-the-wall nudie-cutie classic about a young war protester who, in order to avoid being drafted, agrees to join a secret scientific experiment. His task: to help sire a race of super-children! Mixing social commentary, sex and psychedelic style, this sexploitation gem stars Tom Shea, Russ Meyer regular Stuart Lancaster and "Nashville's" Ronee Blakely as a protest singer. Then, originally advertised as "Tanya, Sex Queen of the S.L.A.," "Tanya" puts a sexy spin on the Patty Hearst story, detailing the exploits of the 20-year-old daughter of a newspaper heir as she's kidnapped by a group of motley revolutionaries. She's soon partaking in sexual encounters with all of them. Marie Andrews, Sasha Gibson star. 3 1/2 hrs. total. Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; theatrical trailers.
filmography
FILM
Tanya (1976) with Tallie Cochrane
The Working Girls (1974) with Cassandra Peterson and Bob Schott
How's Your Love Life? (1971) with John Agar, Grant Williams, William Hudson, Mel Blanc, and Eve Brent
Gun Battle at Monterey (1957) with Sterling Hayden, Pamela Duncan, Ted de Corsia, Lee Van Cleef, and Byron Foulger
Dig That Uranium (1956) with Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Raymond Hatton, and Myron Healey
Las Vegas Shakedown (1955) with Dennis O'Keefe, Coleen Gray, Thomas Gomez, Robert Armstrong, and Herb Vigran
Loophole (1954) with Barry Sullivan, Dorothy Malone, Charles McGraw, Don Haggerty, Don Beddoe, and Richard Reeves
Highway Dragnet (1954) with Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix, and Reed Hadley
Passage West (1951) with John Payne, Dennis O'Keefe, Arleen Whelan, and Frank Faylen
Close to My Heart (1951) with Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, and Fay Bainter
Holiday Rhythm (1950) with David Street, Tex Ritter, Sid Melton, and Tommy Noonan
Young Man with a Horn (1950) with Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Hoagy Carmichael, Jerome Cowan, and Nestor Paiva
Riders In the Sky (1949) with Gene Autry, Gloria Henry, Pat Buttram, Robert Livingston, Alan Hale Jr., Hank Patterson, and Kenne Duncan
Square Dance Jubilee (1949) with Don 'Red' Barry, Max Terhune, and Tom Tyler
The Devil's Henchmen (1949) with Warner Baxter, Mike Mazurki, Peggy Converse, and Regis Toomey
Grand Canyon (1949) with Richard Arlen, Reed Hadley, Grady Sutton, and Joyce Compton
Rimfire (1949) with James Millican, Reed Hadley, Henry Hull, and Fuzzy Knight
El Paso (1949) with John Payne, Gail Russell, Sterling Hayden, Gabby Hayes, Dick Foran, Henry Hull, and H.B. Warner
Last of the Wild Horses (1948) with James Ellison, Jane Frazee, Douglass Dumbrille, Reed Hadley, and Grady Sutton; once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Inner Sanctum (1948) with Charles Russell
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948) with Joe Kirkwood, Elyse Knox, William Frawley, Sheldon Leonard, and Lyle Talbot
The Return of Wildfire (1948) with Richard Arlen, Patricia Morison, James Millican, and Reed Hadley
Waterfront at Midnight (1948) with William Gargan, Richard Travis, Richard Crane, and Keye Luke
Caged Fury (1948) with Richard Denning, Sheila Ryan, and Buster Crabbe
The Lady Confesses (1945) with Hugh Beaumont
Rockin' in the Rockies (1945) with the Three Stooges and Tim Ryan
The Great Flamarion (1945) with Erich von Stroheim and Dan Duryea
I Accuse My Parents (1944) with Robert Lowell and Vivienne Osborne; once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Take It Big (1944) with Jack Haley, Harriet Nelson, Arline Judge, Fuzzy Knight, George Meeker, and Ozzie Nelson
Men on Her Mind (1944) with Edward Norris and Ted North
Timber Queen (1944) with Richard Arlen, June Havoc, Sheldon Leonard, and Dick Purcell
Never a Dull Moment (1943) with the Ritz Brothers, Frances Langford, George Zucco, Franklin Pangborn, and Jack La Rue
Melody Parade (1943) with Eddie Quillan, Tim Ryan, Irene Ryan, Mantan Moreland, and Armida
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) with Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, Harry Morgan, and Jane Darwell
Follow the Band (1943) with Eddie Quillan, Leon Errol, Robert Mitchum, Frances Langford, and Leo Carrillo
Good Morning, Judge (1943) with Dennis O'Keefe, Louise Allbritton, J. Carrol Naish, Louise Beavers, and Frank Faylen
Over My Dead Body (1943) with Milton Berle, Reginald Denny, Pat O'Malley, and Lon McCallister
Orchestra Wives (1942) with George Montgomery, Ann Rutherford, Glenn Miller, Lynn Bari, Carole Landis, and Cesar Romero
The Night Before the Divorce (1942) with Joseph Allen, Nils Asther, and Lynn Bari
Blue, White and Perfect (1942) with Lloyd Nolan, George Reeves, Steven Geray, Mae Marsh, and Ann Doran
Design for Scandal (1941) with Rosalind Russell, Walter Pidgeon, Edward Arnold, Lee Bowman, and Jean Rogers
Charlie Chan in Rio (1941) with Sidney Toler, Cobina Wright, Victor Jory, Victor Sen Yung, and Ted North
Dressed to Kill (1941) with Lloyd Nolan, Sheila Ryan, and William Demarest
The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941) with George Montgomery, Alan Mowbray, Minerva Urecal, and Fuzzy Knight
The Great American Broadcast (1941) with Alice Faye, Jack Oakie, John Payne, Cesar Romero, and the Ink Spots
Ride on Vaquero (1941) with Cesar Romero, Lynne Roberts, Chris-Pin Martin, Robert Lowery, and William Demarest
Sleepers West (1941) with Lloyd Nolan and Lynn Bari
The Great Profile (1940) with John Barrymore, Gregory Ratoff, John Payne, Anne Baxter, and Lionel Atwill
Lucky Cisco Kid (1940) with Cesar Romero, Dana Andrews, Chris-Pin Martin, and Johnny Sheffield
Four Sons (1940) with Don Ameche, Alan Curtis, Robert Lowery, and Sig Ruman
Star Dust (1940) with Linda Darnell, John Payne, Roland Young, Charlotte Greenwood, William Gargan, and Mary Healy
Free, Blonde and 21 (1940) with Lynn Bari, Joan Davis, Henry Wilcoxon, Robert Lowery, Chick Chandler, Elyse Knox, and Herbert Rawlinson
The Covered Trailer (1939) with James Gleason, Lucile Gleason, and Willie Best
Fast and Furious (1939) with Franchot Tone, Ann Sothern, Ruth Hussey, Lee Bowman, and Allyn Joslyn
Dancing Co-Ed (1939) with Lana Turner, Richard Carlson, Artie Shaw, Ann Rutherford, Lee Bowman, Leon Errol, Roscoe Karns, and Monty Woolley
The Women (1939) with Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, Marjorie Main, Virginia Grey, Ruth Hussey, and Hedda Hopper
These Glamour Girls (1939) with Lew Ayres, Lana Turner, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise, Marsha Hunt, Ann Rutherford, and Peter Lind Hayes
mary beth hughes links
The Official Mary Beth Hughes Website
This site offers personal recollections by friends and acquaintances of Mary Beth Hughes, in addition to biographical information, a filmography, and more.
Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen: Mary Beth Hughes
Check out this wonderful site for interesting bulleted information and a couple of photos of Mary Beth Hughes.
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This page premiered January 13, 2006.
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