Beth Lydy ( 1896 – February 6, 1979), who also used the name Lyda Betti, was an American actress, operetta singer, writer, educator, and theatrical producer; she was the wife of violinist and broadcaster Eddy Brown.

Early life

Lydy was born in Indiana and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, where her father John W. Lydy worked as a government teacher on a

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...

reservation. She and her sister Ruth Lydy attended school in

Frankfort, Indiana Frankfort is a city in Clinton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 16,422 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Clinton County. History Brothers John, William and Nicholas Pence, previously of Warren County, Ohio, settl ...

, and in Chicago.

Career

Lydy's musical stage roles included Hilma in ''The Girl from Brazil'' (1916); Marlene in ''

Her Soldier Boy ''Az obsitos'' (''The Soldier on Leave'') is an operetta by Emmerich Kálmán. It has been performed under many different names. Performance history and versions The first version, in Hungarian, with a libretto by Károly von Bakonyi, premiered ...

'' (1916-1917), a wartime romance; and the title role in ''The Rainbow Girl'' (1918). During World War I Lydy performed in a vaudeville show in Greenwich, Connecticut put on by Stage Women's War Relief. She also contributed a recipe for "Deviled Crabs" to a 1916 celebrity cookbook that raised funds for the Red Cross. In the 1930s, Lydy wrote radio scripts for WOR, the New York radio station where her husband was musical director. The pair also produced summer musical programming in Connecticut between the World Wars.John Anthony Maltese
"Eddy Brown"
''American National Biography Online'' (January 2002 update). After World War II, she and Eddy Brown established the Accademia Internazionale di Bel Canto in Bordighera, Italy.Obituary
''Jewish Post'' (February 16, 1979): 16. In 1956, they accepted a joint position at the

University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, as artistic coordinators and master teachers.

Personal life

Lydy married violinist Eddy Brown as his second wife in 1926, in Riverside, California. She was widowed when Eddy Brown died in 1974."Eddy Brown, Violinist, 78, Dies; Prodigy Made Disks in 1920s"
''New York Times'' (June 18, 1974): 42. Lydy Brown died in 1979, in Peru, Indiana. She was about 83 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lydy, Beth 1890s births 1979 deaths Year of birth uncertain American stage actresses American women in World War I Actresses from Indiana People from Pine Ridge, South Dakota Actresses from South Dakota 20th-century American actresses University of Cincinnati faculty American women academics