Helen Lynd (actress)

Helen Lynd, also known as Helene Lynch, (January 18, 1902 – April 1, 1992) was an American actress and comedienne active on stage and in film.

Helen Lynd
Lyle in Hats Off (1936)
Born	(1902-01-18)January 18, 1902 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	April 1, 1992(1992-04-01) (aged 90) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Other names	Helene Lynch
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1919–1949
Spouse	Al Melick

Early life and career

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey on January 18, 1902,^[1] Helen Lynd began her career in 1919 as a chorus girl in Ned Wayburn's Demi Tasse Revue at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway.^[2] In her early career she performed under the name Helene Lynch, and it was this name that she used in tryout performances of a new musical, Phil Charig's Yes, Yes, Yvette, in Boston in May 1927.^[2] By the time Yes, Yes, Yvette reached Broadway's Sam H. Harris Theatre on October 3, 1927, she was billed as Helen Lynd in the role of Mabel Terry; her first significant part on the stage for which The New York Times reviewer praised her execution of "low comedy".^[3]

In 1928 Lynd returned to Broadway as Frankie Shultz in the Jack Yellen and Milton Ager musical Rain or Shine at George M. Cohan's Theatre which was written as a starring vehicle for comedian Joe Cook.^[4] She left that production later in the year to star as Penny in Oscar Hammerstein II and Vincent Youmans's short lived musical Rainbow at the Gallo Opera House.^[5] After this she starred in the music revues The Little Show (1929-1930) and The Earl Carroll Vanities (1931-1932).^[1] Her other Broadway credits included Ladies' Money (1934, as Margie), Battleship Gertie (1935, as Gertie), The Hook-up (1935, as Virginia Bryce), and The Illustrators' Show (1936, multiple roles).^[1]

After the mid-1930s, Lynd was primarily active as a film actress in California into the late 1940s. She began her film career in 1930 starring in the short films Purely an Accident^[6] andWedding Bells.^[7]

Personal life and death

Helen Lynd died in Beverly Hills, California on April 1, 1992.^[1] She was married to the talent agent Al Melick.^[8]

Filmography

• Purely an Accident (1930)^[6]
• Wedding Bells (1930)^[7]
• Success (1931, as Molly)^[9]
• Maybe I'm Wrong (1932)^[10]
• Tee for Two (1932, as Blonde vocalist)^[11]
• The Build Up (1933, the Beach Boy's Sweetheart)^[12]
• Hats Off (1936, as Ginger Connolly)^[13]
• Swingtime in the Movies (1938, as Lorna)^[14]
• Of Mice and Men (1939, as Susie)^[15]
• When Tomorrow Comes (1939, as the waitress)^[16]
• Flight at Midnight (1939, as Josephine)^[17]
• The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939, as Marie Templeton)^[18]
• Lucky Partners (1940, as Ethel)^[19]
• Murder in the Air (1940, as Dolly)^[20]
• Power Dive (1941, as Giggly Blonde)^[21]
• The Strawberry Blonde (1941, as Josephine)^[22]
• Here Comes Happiness (1941, as Flo)^[23]
• You're Telling Me (1942, as Miss Ames)^[23]
• The Great Man's Lady (1942, as Bettina Sempler)^[24]
• Moonlight in Havana (1942, as Daisy)^[25]
• So Proudly We Hail! (1943, as Lt. Elsie Bollenbacher)^[26]
• When the Wife's Away (1946, as Dolly)^[27]
• Any Number Can Play (1949, as Ellen)^[23]