Kay Hughes

This "B"-level actress was one of the more wholesomely attractive, if minor, co-stars of westerns, crimers and serials of the late 30s. Her less-than-half-decade leading lady film career playing both vulnerable and resourceful ladies stretched just slightly into World War II territory. Kay was born Catherine Mary Rhoads in Los Angeles on January 16, 1914, and lived part of her childhood in her father's native Ohio. The child suffered a near fatal bout of pleurisy at the age of six which left her health extremely challenged. As a teenager she would be prone to sickness as well undergoing extensive rib surgery due to her severe infections. The family returned to California when she was 9. Kay's hopes of being a dancer were dashed due to her fragile health. Undeterred, she pursued modeling and acting roles and broke into film in feature-length dramas and musicals, including Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) (her debut: as a dancer), After the Dance (1935), George White's 1935 Scandals (193