Helen Dale
born: 06 December 1902-1907
Norfolk, Virginia,
United States of America
died: 14 March 1946
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California,
United States of America
(congestive heart disease/alcoholism, age 38-43)
American actress who had a brief film career. Her death certificate gives her birth date and place as 06 December 1907 in Norfolk, Virginia, and her parents' names as Sarah Mae (Dale) and Bert Anthrim, birthplaces both unknown (the informant was Helen's husband, Paul Bragdon). I cannot locate anything matching for any Bert or Sarah or Helen Anthrim, or for any spelling variants (Antrim, etc.) I can think of.
I'm thinking it's more likely she was actually born Hazel Helen Dellmae Williams, daughter of Jane Lee Helen (Dale) and Bert L. Williams, who married then-assistant director and future Roach director Lewis R. Foster on 27 August 1924. The 1924 marriage certificate gives Miss Williams' age as 21 years old (b. ca. 1903), and has her living at 1710 Harvard in Hollywood, CA; it gives her birthplace as Virginia (which is also given as the birthplace for both of her parents), which matches the Norfolk, VA birthplace given on Helen's death certificate. Though this seems more concrete (the info more than likely came from the bride herself, rather than second-hand from a man whom the deceased had been married to for, at the longest, four years), I haven't found any census records or what-have-you matching for this Williams family either. Hazel H. Foster filed for divorce from Louis [sic] R. in November 1929; by the 1930 Census, she and Lewis were living separately (Helen Mae Foster, age 25, she and parents all b. VA, is living at 421½ Stanley Ave, Los Angeles). Hazel H. Foster is listed as filing again in August 1930, and the divorce was granted a month later.
Sometime between 1942 and 1946, Helen married Paul Odell Bragdon (1894-1948); in the 1942 Los Angeles City Directory, both Helen and Paul were living at Whitley Heights Apartments at 1930 Whitley Avenue (Helen is living there as early as the 1937 L.A. City Directory). She and her husband were living at the Regent Hotel (6162 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA) at the time of her death. Helen Dale Bragdon, a "retired actress" of "stage and screen," died there at 4:00pm on 14 March 1946, of congestive heart disease (12 months) due to malnutrition and alcoholism. She was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California on 19 March 1946.
Real name: Hazel Helen Dellmae Williams (or) [???] Anthrim
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

5


1932
Too Many Women
Sadie

1932
County Hospital
Hospital visitor in opening scene

1933
Asleep In The Feet
Woman who opens locker

1933
Maids A La Mode
Party guest

1933
One Track Minds
Train passenger

Acknowledgements:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8NH-DPH (1924 marriage - Hazel Helen Dellmae Williams)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCVW-YP1 (1930 Census - Helen Mae Foster)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9C6-927 (1940 Census)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGYD-4ZZ (CA Death Index)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CSWR-SGZM (death certificate)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/385479307/ (Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov 1929)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/608467631/ (Los Angeles Evening Express, 15 Nov 1929)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/608482204/ (Los Angeles Evening Express, 22 Aug 1930)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/380092000/ (Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep 1930)
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/683748207/ (Hollywood Citizen-News, 21 Jun 1946)
1930 LACD: Dale Helen Mrs h1026 Ingraham [?]
1932 LACD: Dale Helen M actor h432 S Detroit
1935 LACD: Dale Helene studiowkr h1975 N Beachwood dr [?]
1937 LACD: Dale Helen Mrs actor h1930 Whitley av
1938 LACD: Dale Helen M Mrs actor h1930 Whitley av
1939 LACD: Dale Helen h1930 Whitley av
1940 CAVR: 1930 N Whitley av
1941 LACD: Dale Helen actor h1930 Whitley av
1942 LACD: Dale Helen h1930 Witley [sic] av
1942 LACD: Bragdon Paul h1930 Whitley av [future husband]
1942 CAVR: 1930 N Whitley av
Jim Clewer (help and assistance)
Jim Jarvis (help and assistance)
Jesse Brisson (research and bio notes; identification in Asleep In The Feet, Maids A La Mode, County Hospital)

This page was last updated on: 26 June 2024