BLANCHE'S BABES
A list compiled by Craig Calman - author of the essential book 100 Years of Brodies with Hal Roach: The Jaunty Journeys of a Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Pioneer has come up with his own accompaniment of my Beauties And The Beast page in only a way Craig could. The very worst of what the 19th century had to offer us with its beautiful women. You have to admit though, it's a heck of a list, which is offered here in alphabetical order because quite frankly there is just no way of organizing them in any order of best to worst!
Selections by Crazy Craig; comments by Loud-mouthed Lord.

1   ORPHA ALBA

- Size: XXXXXL

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1871
2   MARISKA ALDRICH

- That's a bloke, surely?

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1881
3   ALICE BELCHER

- That nose!

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1869
4   LOUISE CARVER

- Shockingly beautiful.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1869
5   NORA CECIL

- A British babe. Damn she was gorgeous, wasn't she?

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1878
6   JOSEPHINE CROWELL

- I guess Canada was lacking in plastic surgeons when this woman was born.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1859
7   FERN EMMETT

- Seriously?

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1896
8   LOUISE EMMONS

- Looks like she fell off a cliff and landed face-first on the ground.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1858
9   FLORA FINCH

- Another Brit. Another face that could crack a mirror.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1867
10   ETHEL GRIFFIES

- And here's another Brit giving us a bad reputation!
[Note: She did not appear in any film for Hal Roach, but rather, one Laurel & Hardy feature with 20th Century Fox]

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1878
11   GALE HENRY

- Okay I have to confess I disagree with Craig here, as I have often felt a soft spot for Ms. Henry, but given that Craig is completely crazy and the fact this is his list....

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1893
12   AGGIE HERRING

- That face! Wow, that face! Why didn't somebody tell her?

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1876
13   FAY HOLDERNESS

- Dear god.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1881
14   MARGARET JOSLIN

- Not even if you paid me to.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1883
15   LAURA LA VARNIE

- There was an 1853?

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1853
16   VILLIE LATIMER

- This one is borderline. Somewhere between awful and terrible.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1880
17   MAE LAUREL

- Australia have got off lightly here, it would appear. I'm guessing poor old Stan (or young Stan as he would have been at the time) just wasn't fussy!

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1888
18   PATSY O'BYRNE

- If your clock suddenly stops it might be because she has just walked into the room.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1884
19   VIRGINIA SALE

- The equivalent of having your coffee without milk and sugar. Believe it or not, she is the youngest person on this list. You gotta laugh!

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1899
20   AGNES STEELE

- Another Aussie. Ha, it figures!

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1881
21   MERTA STERLING

- Looks like a right handful. Better make that TWO handfuls.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1883
22   MOLLY THOMPSON

- Born 34 years before the Titanic sank. They kind of resemble one another.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1878
23   DOROTHY VERNON

- And one from Deutschland...

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1875
24   ADELE WATSON

- And they just keep on coming.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1890
25   BONITA WEBER

- Whoah!

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1888
26   VERA WHITE

- A third Aussie?

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1893
27   DOROTHEA WOLBERT

- There's just no need for this.

BORN IN THE YEAR: 1874