Blanche Payson (born Mary Elizabeth Bush, September 20, 1881 – July 4, 1964) was an American film actress.

Biography

Payson was born as Mary Elizabeth Bush to Thomas and Sarah Bush. She first attracted public notice when she served as policewoman in the Toyland exhibit at the Panama Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. She also performed in vaudeville. She was married to Eugene Payson in San Francisco prior to 1910, who died before 1915. Payson then moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles and began her film career with the Mack Sennett studio, with her first film being ''Wife and Auto Trouble''. She appeared in short films in mostly uncredited roles. She appeared in nearly 160 films between 1916 and 1946. At , she towered over both men and women co-stars in the many slapstick comedies she appeared, as a foil for such comedians as

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

and similar popular acts of the time. She often played brutal and dominant women, such as

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

's wife in '' Helpmates'' (1932) or

Bobby Hutchins Robert E. Hutchins (March 29, 1925 – May 17, 1945) was an American child actor who was a regular in the '' Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1927 to 1933. A native of Tacoma, Washington, he was given the nickname of Wheezer after running a ...

' stepmother in the

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

comedy '' Dogs Is Dogs'' (1931). She was born in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

and died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. Payson was married to Allen Love.

Partial filmography

* '' Wife and Auto Trouble'' (1916) * ''

A La Cabaret ''A La Cabaret'' is a 1916 silent comedy short directed and written by Walter Wright and starring Ora Carew, Joseph Belmont, Blanche Payson, and Joseph Callahan. The film premiered on August 19, 1916. The black and white film was produced by Ma ...

'' (1916) * ''

A Social Cub ''A Social Cub'' is a 1916 short silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson. Cast * Elizabeth De Witt * Gonda Durand * Harry Gribbon * Reggie Morris * Blanche Payson * Della Pringle * Gloria Swanson * Josef ...

'' (1916) * ''

The Sultan's Wife ''The Sultan's Wife'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Bobby Vernon and Gloria Swanson. The film is also known under the title ''Caught in a Harem''. Plot Gloria follows sailor boyfriend Bobby t ...

'' (1917) * ''

Bears and Bad Men ''Bears and Bad Men'' is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Larry Semon and featuring Stan Laurel. Cast * Larry Semon as Larry Cutshaw * Madge Kirby as The Slawson Daughter * Stan Laurel as Pete * William McCall as Stranded acto ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Land of Jazz ''The Land of Jazz'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Directed by Jules Furthman and written by Barbara La Marr, it starred Eileen Percy and Ruth Stonehouse. Cast *Eileen Percy as Nina Dumba ...

'' (1920) * ''

Three Ages ''Three Ages'' is a 1923 black-and-white American feature-length silent comedy film starring comedian Buster Keaton and Wallace Beery. The first feature Keaton wrote, directed, produced, and starred in (unlike ''The Saphead'', in which he only ...

'' (1923) * ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot inc ...

'' (1925) * '' Oh Doctor!'' (1925) * ''

Half a Man One half ( : halves) is the irreducible fraction resulting from dividing one by two or the fraction resulting from dividing any number by its double. Multiplication by one half is equivalent to division by two, or "halving"; conversely, ...

'' (1925) * ''

We Moderns ''We Moderns'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Colleen Moore. The film was produced by Moore's husband John McCormick and was released through First National Pictures. It was based on the p ...

'' (1925) * ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...

'' (1926) * '' For Heaven's Sake'' (1926) * ''

Peaceful Oscar ''Peaceful Oscar'' is a 1927 American comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle. Cast * Lloyd Hamilton * Toy Gallagher * Henry Murdoch * Blanche Payson * Billy Hampton See also * Fatty Arbuckle filmography __NOTOC__ These are the films of th ...

'' (1927) * ''

Should Men Walk Home? ''Should Men Walk Home?'' is a 1927 American short silent comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Mabel Normand and featuring Oliver Hardy and Eugene Pallette. Cast * Mabel Normand as The Girl Bandit * Creighton Hale as The Gentlema ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Bachelor's Baby ''The Bachelor's Baby'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by Frank R. Strayer and produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. An extant film in European archive. Cast *Helene Chadwick - Eleanor Carter *Harry Myers - Bill Taylor *Midget Gu ...

'' (1927) * ''

Figures Don't Lie ''Figures Don't Lie'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and written by Ethel Doherty, Grover Jones, Louise Long, Herman J. Mankiewicz, and B. F. Zeidman. The film stars Esther Ralston, Richard Arlen, Ford ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Broadway Melody ''The Broadway Melody'', also known as ''The Broadway Melody of 1929'', is a 1929 American pre-Code musical film and the first sound film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. It was one of the first musicals to feature a Technicolor sequen ...

'' (1929) * '' Below Zero'' (1930) * ''

Our Wife Our Wife may refer to: * Our Wife (1931 film) ''Our Wife'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Hal Roach comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. It was directed by James W. Horne and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Oliver is making plans to be ma ...

'' (1931) * '' Dogs Is Dogs'' (1931) * ''

I Surrender Dear "I Surrender Dear" (sometimes written as "I Surrender, Dear") is a song composed by Harry Barris with lyrics by Gordon Clifford, first performed by Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra with Bing Crosby in 1931, which became his first s ...

'' (1931) * '' Helpmates'' (1932) * ''

The Impatient Maiden ''The Impatient Maiden'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by James Whale, starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke, and released by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Schayer and Winifred Dunn, based on the novel ...

'' (1932) * ''

Drifting Souls ''Drifting Souls'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Louis King and starring Lois Wilson, Theodore von Eltz and Raymond Hatton.Pitts p.435 Cast * Lois Wilson as Linda Lawrence * Theodore von Eltz as Joe Robson * Raymond Hatt ...

'' (1932) * ''

Impatient Maiden ''The Impatient Maiden'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by James Whale, starring Lew Ayres and Mae Clarke, and released by Universal Pictures. The screenplay was written by Richard Schayer and Winifred Dunn, based on the nove ...

'' (1932) * '' Among the Missing'' (1934) * ''

Hoi Polloi Hoi polloi (; ) is an expression from Greek that means "the many" or, in the strictest sense, "the people". In English, it has been given a negative connotation to signify the masses. Synonyms for ''hoi polloi'' include "the plebs" (plebeians) ...

'' (1935) * ''

Dizzy Doctors ''Dizzy Doctors'' is a 1937 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 21st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the come ...

'' (1937) * ''

All Over Town ''All Over Town'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by James W. Horne and starring Olsen and Johnson. Cast * Ole Olsen as Olsen *Chic Johnson as Johnson * Mary Howard as Joan Eldridge * Harry Stockwell as Don Fletcher *Franklin Pangbor ...

'' (1937) * ''

Slander House ''Slander House'' is a 1938 American film directed by Charles Lamont. The film's producer was Ben Judell of Progressive Pictures, known for low-budget exploitation films with provocative titles; other films released by Progressive the same year ...

'' (1938) * ''

Cookoo Cavaliers ''Cookoo Cavaliers'' is a 1940 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 51st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring th ...

'' (1940) * ''

An Ache in Every Stake An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

'' (1941) * ''

Blondie for Victory ''Blondie for Victory'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. It is the 12th entry in the Blondie series. Plot Blondie Bumstead forms a civilian defense group, Housewives of Am ...

'' (1942) * ''

Ghosts on the Loose ''Ghosts on the Loose'' is a 1943 American comedy horror film and the fourteenth film in the East Side Kids series, directed by William Beaudine. The picture co-stars horror film icon Bela Lugosi as well as Ava Gardner in one of her earliest rol ...

'' (1943)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Payson, Blanche 1881 births 1964 deaths American film actresses Actresses from Santa Barbara, California People from Santa Barbara, California 20th-century American actresses Vaudeville performers