Elizabeth Patterson Dial (May 19, 1902 – March 23, 1945) was a writer and

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

actress of the 1920s. Later she married novelist

Rupert Hughes Rupert Raleigh Hughes (January 31, 1872 – September 9, 1956) was an American novelist, film director, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, military officer, and music composer. He was the brother of Howard R. Hughes Sr. and uncle of billionaire Howa ...

. She was born Elizabeth Patterson Dial in Madison, Florida.

Screen actress

Dial appeared in fourteen motion pictures, beginning with ''Gloria's Romance'' in 1916. The other films in which she appeared were in the three-year period from 1921-1924 and they included ''Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' (1921), ''Sonny'' (1922), ''Reno'' (1923), ''A Man's Mate'' (1924), and ''Married Flirts'' (1924).

Married to esteemed author

The actress became Mrs. Rupert Hughes on January 1, 1925. The famous author and Miss Dial were wed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and took their honeymoon in New York, New York. Patterson was a well-known writer herself, under her maiden name. With Hughes, the husband and wife became noted in literary circles and formed a writing team. Hughes called her his ''right arm'', saying she assisted him with his work and carried out her own. She experienced intense depressions. During these times Patterson became morose because she felt her writing was not up to the goal she had set for herself. Her moodiness about her work usually lifted and she felt better.

Death

Patterson Dial died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 42 in 1945. The circumstances were mysterious and the police could not determine whether it was an accident or suicide. Mrs. Hughes was found unconscious in her bed at home, 4751 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, by a maid. She died en route to a hospital in an ambulance sent by Hollywood Receiving Hospital. The Hughes had no children.

Filmography

* ''

Gloria's Romance ''Gloria's Romance'' is a 1916 American silent film serial starring Billie Burke. Serial films, also called chapter plays, were shorter films that were typically run before the main feature film, each of which was part of a longer story, and ende ...

'' (1916) * '' Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' (1921) * ''

Tol'able David ''Tol'able David'' is a 1921 American silent film based on the 1917 Joseph Hergesheimer short story of the same name. It was adapted to the screen by Edmund Goulding and directed by Henry King for Inspiration Pictures. A rustic tale of violenc ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Seventh Day The seventh day may refer to: * Saturday in some calendars * Sunday in other calendars * Friday in the Bahá'í calendar * Shabbat in Judaism * Sabbath in seventh-day churches * Qixi Festival, a Chinese festival that falls on the seventh day ...

'' (1922) * '' Sonny'' (1922) * '' Fury'' (1923) * '' Souls for Sale'' (1923) * ''

The Silent Partner ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1923) * ''

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

'' (1923) * '' A Lady of Quality'' (1924) * ''

Happiness Happiness, in the context of Mental health, mental or emotional states, is positive or Pleasure, pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishin ...

'' (1924) * ''

A Man's Mate ''A Man's Mate'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Edmund Mortimer and written by Charles Kenyon. The film stars John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Noble Johnson, Wilfrid North, Thomas R. Mills, and James Neill. The film was relea ...

'' (1924) * ''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'' (1924) * '' Married Flirts'' (1924)

References

Sources

* The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', "Sleeping Pills End Life of Rupert Hughes' Wife", March 24, 1945, Page A1. * ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', "Mrs Hughes Dies; Wife Of Novelist", March 24, 1945, Page 32. *

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

''Standard-Examiner'', "Rupert Hughes and Bride", January 1, 1925, Page 2.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dial, Patterson American silent film actresses Writers from Florida 1902 births 1945 deaths Actresses from Florida 20th-century American actresses People from Madison, Florida Drug-related deaths in California Barbiturates-related deaths 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers