Adrienne Ames

Born in Fort Worth, TX, in 1907, Adrienne Ames hit Hollywood in the late 1920s. Although her career only lasted about ten years, she crammed a lot of living into it--high-profile marriages (and divorces) and her reputation as a clothes horse and glamour queen par excellence far outshone her reputation as an actress.

In 1927, Ames began her film career as a stand-in for Pola Negri.

Her career lasted from 1929-40, during which she appeared in about 30 films, mostly "B" pictures.

In 1931 she married Bruce Cabot after leaving her second husband, a rich New York City stockbroker, but she and Cabot only lasted six years. In her divorce she told the court that the main reason she left him was that he was a violent, uncontrollable drunk.

The best-known of her movies would probably be You're Telling Me! (1934) with W. C. Fields. After her film career ended she worked as a radio commentator.

In 1938 the pair appeared before a US Tax Appeals Board to explain why she wrote off more than $9000 in wardrobe and jewelry on her 1934 tax form, which she claimed was necessary for "professional reasons" (as was her maid). She claimed that her "daily expenses" included flowers, massages, taxis and beauty work.

She was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1612 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

In her biography "Natural Blonde" (2000) Liz Smith indicates that her grandmother one time rented a room (at 1811 Jennings, Fort Worth, TX) to Adrienne Ames before Ames moved to Los Angeles. Smith says Ames died of lung cancer. (p.33).