Babe London

Babe London
Born	Jean Glover (1901-08-28)August 28, 1901 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Died	November 29, 1980(1980-11-29) (aged 79) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Ruth Glover
Years active	1919 – 1960
Spouse(s)	Phil Boutelje (m. 1975–79)

Babe London (August 28, 1901 – November 29, 1980) was an American actress and comedian, most remembered for her onetime-only partnership with Oliver Hardy, in the 1931's Laurel and Hardy's two-reeler Our Wife.

Career

Born Jean Glover in 1901 in Des Moines, Iowa, London began her screen career as a teenager making her film debut in The Expert Eloper in 1919. She then appeared in A Day's Pleasure, performing opposite Charlie Chaplin. The two played seasick tourists on an excursion boat. London appeared in more than 50 silent films, including The Perfect Flapper, The Boob and the 1928 version of Tillie's Punctured Romance starring W. C. Fields. She worked with all the funny men of the day, including Harry Langdon and Chester Conklin.

At the height of her career, London weighed 255 pounds. Later, a heart condition necessitated a loss of 100 pounds, and her movie offers declined along with her weight. She never regained her earlier success. Her last most notable role was that of the toothless nurse Nora that Shemp Howard has eyes for in the Three Stooges film Scrambled Brains. Her last film appearance was in 1960's Sex Kittens Go to College.

In the late 1950s, London began a second career as a painter and devoted the last 20 years of her life to depicting on canvas the early years of Hollywood. She titled the series The Vanishing Era.

Personal life and death

In 1975, London married Hollywood musical director Phil Boutelje, whom she met after both retired to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. The Bouteljes lived their final years at the home until Boutelje's death on July 29, 1979. She bequeathed her personal memorabilia and 75 personal paintings to the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center.

Selected filmography

External links

• Babe London at the Internet Movie Database
• Babe London at AllMovie
• Babe London at Find a Grave