Mary Beth Hughes (1919-1995)

biography

Born in Alton, Illinois, on November 13, 1919, beautiful actress 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).

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)

Free, Blonde and 21 (1940)

The Great Profile (1940)

Sleepers West (1941)

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

Never a Dull Moment (1943)

Over My Dead Body (1943)

Men on Her Mind (1944)

Take It Big (1944)

The Lady Confesses (1945)

Rimfire (1949)

Gun Battle at Monterey (1957)

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. Later, she took a steady job as a surgical assistant for a plastic surgeon. 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 on August 27, 1995, at the age of 75; she was survived by a son, Donald North. 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.

mary beth hughes films available from movies unlimited

These Glamour Girls [DVD](1939) DVD
In her first starring role, Lana Turner shines as a dime-a-dancer who gets invited to an upscale soiree by a drunken college man (Lew Ayres). What Turner lacks in high-society breeding, she more than makes up for with spunk as she stands her ground against a bunch of snobby sorority girls and winds up the hit of the party. Tom Brown, Richard Carlson, Jane Bryan also star in this mix of comedy and drama. 78 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
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.
Design For Scandal [DVD](1941) DVD
A reporter (Walter Pidgeon) agrees to romance a judge (Rosalind Russell) in an attempt to get her in a compromising position that will allow his boss (Edward Arnold) to blackmail her into going easy on him in his divorce case. Everything is going smoothly until Pidgeon realizes he's fallen for Russell--after he's already gotten the goods on her. Lee Bowman, Jean Rogers, Mary Beth Hughes also star in this romantic comedy. 85 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Charlie Chan, Vol. 5 [DVD] DVD
First, in "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" (1940), a surgeon provides Charlie (Sidney Toler) and #2 son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) with a tantalizing mystery. With Henry Gordon. Chan uncovers a sabotage ring within the airline industry in "Murder Over New York" (1940). Stars Toler, Sen Yung. "Charlie Chan in Panama" (1940) finds our hero frantically attempting to stop an evil plot while posing as a government employee. Toler, Jean Rogers star. Then, in "Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise" (1940), the gumshoe solves killings while on a boat voyage from Honolulu to San Francisco. Stars Toler, Sen Yung, Robert Lowery. Next, in "Dead Men Tell" (1941), Chan races to figure out who caused an elderly woman's death. With Toler, Sheila Ryan. "Charlie Chan In Rio" (1941) has the detective helping the Brazilian police solve two baffling slayings. With Toler, Mary Beth Hughes. Lastly, Chan is summoned to a "Castle In The Desert" (1942) when a killing occurs. Toler, Sen Yung star. 7 1/2 hrs. total on four discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; featurette; photo gallery; theatrical trailers.
The Alice Faye Collection, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
Five-disc set includes "Hollywood Cavalcade," "Rose of Washington Square," "The Great American Broadcast," "Hello, Frisco, Hello," and "Four Jills in a Jeep."
The Great American Broadcast [DVD](1941) DVD
After serving in World War I, two army buddies (John Payne and Jack Oakie) become partners in the burgeoning world of radio broadcasting. But the pair's smalltime operation is quickly squashed, prompting Payne's singing star wife (Alice Faye) to hit up an old flame (Cesar Romero) for a loan. When Payne and Faye break up, it's up to Oakie to reunite them during what becomes the first ever coast-to-coast radio show. Songs include the title tune, "Where You Are," "I Take to You." 91 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles; English, Spanish, French; featurettes; photo gallery; theatrical trailer.
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.
Poverty Row Studio Collections: PRC, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
First, a young man leaves his wife to make a name for himself as a fighter. Will "The Miracle Kid" (1941) go back after he learns of the rigors of the palooka world? Tom Neal ("Detour") stars with Carol Hughes; directed by William "One Shot" Beaudine. Next, Mary Beth Hughes is an ambitious girl with no "Men on Her Mind" (1944), vigorously pursuing a career as a radio and nightclub singer and ignoring all suitors' advances until she meets Edward Norris. Ted North, Alan Edwards also star. Includes the song "Heaven on Earth." Two-disc set also includes "The Payoff" and "The Contender" (1944).
The Lady Confesses [DVD](1945) DVD
As he prepares to get re-married, a gentleman discovers that his supposedly dead ex-wife is alive and well. But when the old flame is brutally murdered (and found quite deceased for real), he becomes the prime suspect. Now, his new fiancee becomes determined to clear his name by finding the real killers. Will the couple ever be able to straighten out the mess and get hitched? Noirish thriller stars Hugh Beaumont, Mary Beth Hughes, Edmund MacDonald. 64 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Doris Day Collection [DVD] DVD
The melodrama "Young Man with a Horn" (1950) stars Kirk Douglas as a driven trumpet player who devotes his life to music--to the exclusion of almost everything else. With Doris Day and Lauren Bacall. In "Lullaby of Broadway" (1951), stage singer Day arrives in New York to visit her one-time star mother (Gladys George), unaware that her ma's career has been cut short due to alcoholism. Charming and poignant musical co-stars Gene Nelson, S.Z. Sakall. Songs include "Just One of Those Things," "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." "Billy Rose's Jumbo" (1962) is a sensational filmed version of Rose's 1930's circus extravaganza. The movie soars thanks to a great Rodgers and Hart score, Busby Berkeley's musical sequences, and performances by Day, Stephen Boyd, and Jimmy Durante. Eight-disc set also includes "Calamity Jane," "Love Me of Leave Me," "The Pajama Game," "Please Don't Eat The Daisies," and "The Glass Bottom Boat." 14 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital mono, Dolby Surround 5.0, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; bonus cartoon; bonus shorts; featurettes; theatrical trailers.
Close To My Heart [DVD](1951) DVD
Unable to have children, married couple Ray Milland and Gene Tierney explore the possibility of adopting. After learning that the baby of a criminal is being held at the local police station, they become determined to gain custody. But will their obsession with raising the child negatively impact their chances with the adoption agency? Fay Bainter, Howard St. John co-star. 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Las Vegas Shakedown [DVD](1955) DVD
An honest businessman runs the show at El Rancho Casino, but finds out that a mobster he helped put behind bars is out to get him. While the hood prepares to take him out, our hero deals with various patrons before eventually having to face his old nemesis. Dennis O'Keefe, Coleen Gray, Thomas Gomez, and Robert Armstrong star in this crime drama. Soundtrack: English.
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.

mary beth hughes dvds available from amazon.com

mary beth hughes photos and posters available

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, Glenn Strange, 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 photos of Mary Beth Hughes.

mary beth hughes film now showing

Watch Mary Beth Hughes' 1948 film noir thriller Inner Sanctum