The decade of the 1930s was the heyday of celebrity elopements to Yuma. Chartering midnight airplane flights to Yuma for marriage became a fad among Hollywood stars which in turn helped to create an image of Yuma as the “Gretna Green of the Southwest.” References to couples “heading to Yuma” (for marriage) began appearing in popular films and articles. And justice of the peace Earl Freeman—the “marrying judge of Yuma”—became an unlikely national celebrity. Freeman’s successor, Ed Winn, superior court judge Henry Kelly, and even a few local clergymen also presided over celebrity marriages of the 1930s. Yuma attracted fewer eloping celebrities in the 1940s and 1950s, even as the number of overall Yuma County marriages increased. Wedding chapels also began to appear in Yuma at the close of the 1930s as competition heated up within Yuma’s “marriage industry.”
Loretta Young & Grant Withers—January 26, 1930
Strange as it seems, Hollywood’s “elope to Yuma” craze was kicked off in January 1930 by a well-known, but underage, actress. On Sunday January 26, 1930 actress Loretta [Gretchen] Young and actor Grant Withers, 25, eloped by airplane to Yuma where they were married by justice of the peace Earl Freeman. The young couple had been first taken from the Fly Field airport to the Orange Avenue home of court clerk Sara Badgley to obtain a marriage license. (Not coincidentally, the court clerk lived across the street from the justice of the peace.)
Although she had only recently turned 17, Loretta lied on her marriage license application that she was 19. Her mother filed for an immediate annulment but later gave her parental consent. Nonetheless, the marriage—Loretta’s 1st of 3 and Grant’s 2nd of 4—ended in divorce a year later.
Lewis Stone & Hazel Woof—October 19, 1930
“Love Finds Andy Hardy” (1938)
Actor Lewis Stone, 50, and piano instructor Hazel Woof, 29, eloped to Yuma on October 19, 1930. It was the third marriage for Stone, and it lasted until his death in 1953.
Lewis Stone would later be known for his role as Judge Hardy in the Andy Hardy movie series with Mickey Rooney. But the actor’s Yuma marriage was not officiated by a judge—the couple was married on a Sunday afternoon at the Methodist church by Rev. Brooks.
Mary Astor & Dr. Franklyn Thorpe—June 29, 1931
On June 29, 1931 Lucile Laughanke Hawks, 25, and Dr. Franklyn Thorpe, 39, eloped to Yuma by automobile and were married by justice of the peace Earl Freeman. The fact that “Lucile Laughanke Hawks” was the real name of actress Mary Astor seems to have fooled everyone in Yuma. The marriage was not disclosed by the couple for nearly five months. Mary Astor’s first husband, director Kenneth Hawks, had been killed in a aerial filming accident a year earlier, and the actress credited Dr. Franklyn Thorpe with her recovery from that tragedy.
The couple divorced in 1935, and the following year’s custody fight for daughter Marylyn was one of early Hollywood’s most sensational episodes. And in February 1937 Mary Astor would elope to Yuma for a second time . . .
Gloria Swanson & Michael Farmer—November 9, 1931
In August 1931 film star Gloria Swanson married her fourth husband, Michael Farmer, in New York, but, since the divorce from husband number three was not yet final in August, the couple remarried in Yuma on November 9, 1931. The local newspaper reported that Gloria Swanson, 31, and Michael Farmer, 29, “sped to Yuma in a tan Rolls Royce roadster” to be married by justice of the peace Earl Freeman at the Yuma Courthouse.
Following her 1934 divorce from Michael Farmer, Gloria Swanson married twice more. In addition to her 6 marriages, Swanson had long-term relationships with Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and actor Herbert Marshall, each of whom were married men who did not intend to divorce their wives.
Gloria Swanson returned to Yuma on December 7, 1934 with actor Herbert Marshall, not to get married, but to serve as witnesses to the marriage of their Hollywood colleagues Evelyn Laye and Frank Lawton. The Yuma paper noted that Swanson went largely unrecognized since “she wore heavy dark-rimmed glasses and was dressed plainly.”
Sharon Lynn & Benjamin Glazer—January 16, 1932
Actress Sharon Lynn, 25, and screenwriter Benjamin Glazer, 44, eloped to Yuma by airplane on January 16, 1932 for a Saturday afternoon wedding at the Yuma Courthouse. Justice of the peace Earl Freeman married the couple in the presence of many local onlookers. The marriage lasted until Benjamin Glazer’s death in 1956.
Sharon Lynn starred in numerous silent films and talkies, including the Laurel & Hardy classic, “Way Out West.” Benjamin Glazer was an Oscar-winning screenwriter and a film producer. However, the wedding party also included Hollywood superstars, John Gilbert and Dolores Del Rio, and it was this pair that drew most of the admirers who crashed the wedding at the Yuma Courthouse.
Bette Davis & Harmon Nelson—August 18, 1932
On August 18, 1932 actress Bette [Ruth Elizabeth] Davis, 24, and musician Harmon Nelson, 25, eloped to Yuma by automobile, accompanied by Bette’s mother and sister. According to the Yuma Morning Sun, the couple was married by justice of the peace Earl Freeman in the court clerk’s office. However, Bette Davis’ autobiography, The Lonely Life, states that “Rev. Schalbaugh of the Indian Mission married us.” Wire service articles at the time also credited Rev. Schalbaugh as the officiant of the marriage. Quite possibly, the wedding party stopped off at the St. Thomas Indian Mission on their way out of town in order to have a church wedding— in addition to the civil ceremony.
What is certain is that Bette Davis and Harmon Nelson’s wedding day was hot (115°). In a 1941 Ladies Home Journal profile, Bette Davis recalled standing before the minister, “. . . my clothes wringing wet and perspiration streaming down my face.”
Bette Davis’ marriage to Harmon Nelson was her first of four. When Harmon Nelson filed for a divorce from Bette Davis in 1938, he asserted that ” . . . she thought her work was more important than her marriage.”
Jean Harlow & Hal Rosson—October 15, 1933
Jean Harlow’s short life was full of triumphs and tragedies. When the 22-year-old “platinum blonde” actress eloped to Yuma with Hal Rosson, 38, on September 18, 1933, she had already been married twice—most recently to director Paul Bern, whose gunshot death a year earlier had been ruled a suicide. Husband number three, Harold “Hal” Rosson, was an MGM cinematographer.
The Harlow–Rosson elopement was an after-hours enterprise. After arriving at Yuma’s Fly Field at 3:35 a.m., the couple was take to the residence of court clerk Donald Wisener to obtain a marriage license, and then to the home of justice of the peace Earl Freeman for the marriage ceremony. Following a Yuma breakfast, the newlyweds departed for Hollywood at 5:30 a.m.
Jean Harlow was granted a divorce from Hal Rosson after 8 months of marriage. On June 7, 1937 Jean Harlow died at age 26 of kidney failure, a tragedy which stunned the Hollywood community and movie fans everywhere.
Sally Eilers & Harry Joe Brown—October 22, 1933
Actress Sally Eilers, 23, and director Harry Joe Brown, 41, eloped to Yuma by airplane on Sunday October 22, 1933. The wedding party of twelve included noted gossip columnist Louella Parsons. The Hollywood VIPs were shuttled from Fly Field in three taxicabs—first to the residence of court clerk Donald Wisener to obtain a marriage license, and then to the San Carlos Hotel for the ceremony. However, the wedding party had to wait on the hotel’s fourth floor while justice of the peace Earl Freeman was being tracked down at his ranch near Somerton.
Carol Landis & Irving Wheeler—January 14, 1934
On January 14, 1934 San Bernardino high school student Frances Lillian Rideste, 15, eloped to Yuma with Irving Wheeler, 19. Frances, who in a few years would be known as film star Carole Landis, was accompanied by her older sister Dorothy who served as a witness to the wedding ceremony conducted by Rev. R.R. Pulliam of Yuma’s Baptist church. Frances lied on the marriage license application that she was 18, while Irving lied that he was 21. When the bride’s mother learned of the Yuma elopement, she made a successful motion for an annulment. However, when her father gave his consent a few months later, Frances [Carole] and Irving remarried. The young couple separated after only 3 weeks.
Carole Landis died at age 29 on July 5, 1948. Her suicide was linked to her recent affair with married actor Rex Harrison. The actress had married 4 times since her Yuma elopement, but each marriage was short-lived.
Heather Angel & Ralph Forbes—August 30, 1934
The above headline tells most of the story of the August elopement to Yuma of film stars Heather Angel, 25, and Ralph Forbes, 29. The couple left Hollywood by car (at 2 a.m.), but soon became stranded with an engine bearing failure. A service station operator drove the elopers to Yuma where they were married by justice of the peace Earl Freeman. The newlyweds then headed back to Los Angeles—by train.
William Wyler & Margaret Sullavan—November 25, 1934
On Sunday morning November 25, 1934 director William Wyler, 32, and leading lady Margaret Sullavan, 25, took a one-day break from their current film project, “The Good Fairy,” to elope by airplane to Yuma. The couple, who had reportedly known each other for only 8 weeks, were married at justice of the peace Earl Freeman’s residence with Mrs. Freeman serving as one of the witnesses. It was Wyler’s first marriage and Sullavan’s second. (She and actor Henry Fonda were married from 1931-1933.)
William Wyler continued directing films through the 1960s, winning three Best Director Academy Awards (“Mrs. Miniver,” “The Best Years of Our Lives,” and “Ben-Hur.” His second marriage—to actress Margaret Tallichet—lasted 42 years until Wyler’s death in 1981. Margaret Sullivan was an acclaimed stage and film actress whose career highlights included 4 films with long-time friend, Jimmy Stewart. Her life came to a sad end at age 50 when she overdosed on pills on New Year’s Day 1960.
Rex Lease & Elsa Roberts—March 23, 1935
On March 23, 1935 western film star Rex Lease, 32, and aspiring actress Elsa Roberts, 29, were married at the San Carlos Hotel by justice of the peace Earl Freeman. The local newspaper noted that bad luck could be in the couple’s future, since the bride had dropped and broken her mirror walking up the courthouse steps to secure a marriage license. In fact, the marriage ended in divorce a year later—as did all of Rex Lease’s five marriages.
In an acting career that spanned nearly 40 years, Rex Lease appeared in over 300 films. His career peaked around the time of his Yuma marriage—“The Cowboy and the Bandit” was from 1935—but his starring roles were strictly limited to B-westerns.
Tay Garnett & Helga Moray—April 1, 1935
On April 1, 1935 Hollywood director Tay Garnett, 40, and actress/writer Helga Moray, 24, were remarried at the San Carlos Hotel by justice of the peace Earl Freeman.
There have been numerous instances of couples marrying in Yuma to “make things legal” when it was discovered that for various reasons their earlier marriages were invalid (or were possibly invalid). Tay Garnett and Helga Moray had been married at sea by a ship’s captain in November 1934, and questions had arisen regarding the bride’s citizenship, since she was a native of South Africa.
Errol Flynn & Lili Damita—June 19, 1935
On June 19, 1935 Hollywood newcomer Errol Flynn, 26, and French-American actress Lili Damita,30, eloped to Yuma for a courthouse wedding conducted by justice of the peace Earl Freeman. On the marriage license application the bride entered her real name of Liliane Marie-Madeleine Carré, while falsely stating that, like her husband, she was 26 years old. In reality, Lili was nearly 5 years older than Errol.
“A very little man married us for two dollars. The greatest bargain Lili Damita ever got. She parlayed that eventually to over a million dollars.“ —Errol Flynn. My Wicked, Wicked Ways (1959)
The 1942 divorce of Errol Flynn and Lili Damita was an acrimonious split. Lili’s second marriage occurred twenty years later. Errol Flynn, who married twice more, died in 1959 at the age of 50. His handsome, charming on-screen personality masked a self-destructive life filled with scandal and excess.
Robert Armstrong & Gladys du Bois—January 10, 1936
Actor Robert Armstrong, 45, and songwriter Gladys du Bois, 28, eloped by airplane to Yuma on January 10, 1936. The couple was wed at the residence of justice of the peace Earl Freeman at 2:30 a.m. The marriage, which was Robert Armstrong’s third (of four), ended in divorce in 1939.
Frances Farmer & Leif Erickson—February 8, 1936
Actress Frances Farmer, 22, and actor Leif Erickson, 22, were married at the Yuma Courthouse on February 8, 1936 by justice of the peace Earl Freeman. No, the groom’s real name was not “Leif Erickson,” although he used that stage name for most of his long acting career in film and television. The name entered on the couple’s Yuma marriage license application was “William W. Anderson.” The Farmer-Erickson marriage ended in divorce in 1942.
Frances Farmer was a highly intelligent and talented stage and film actress, but her troubled life included a controversial involuntary residence in a psychiatric hospital from 1945-1950.
Ted Healy & Betty Hickman—May 15, 1936
On May 15, 1936 comic actor Ted Healy, 39, eloped to Yuma with Betty Hickman, 21, in a plane chartered by Paul Mantz. Betty was an aspiring actress and a former competitive swimmer. Judge Henry Kelly was awoken at his residence to perform the 2 a.m. marriage ceremony.
Betty Hickman, the second wife of Ted Healy, was granted a divorce from the actor in October 1936. The couple reconciled, however, and on December 21, 1937 their son Theodore John Healy was born. Tragically, Ted Healy died just 4 days later.
John Barrymore & Elaine Barrie—November 8, 1936
Acclaimed actor John Barrymore, 55, and his 21-year-old “protege,” Elaine Barrie were married by justice of the peace Earl Freeman shortly after midnight on November 9, 1936. The bride’s parents accompanied the couple on their aerial elopement. In an apparent attempt to downplay the age disparity, Barrymore claimed to be 48 on his marriage license application.
John Barrymore’s 4th marriage was a rocky one. Elaine Barry was granted a divorce after only a few months but later had the decree set aside. Then in May 1939 John Barrymore filed for divorce, charging his wife (and her mother) of defrauding him of $300,000. After a settlement was reached, the divorce became final in November 1940.
John Barrymore died on May 29, 1942 at age 60. Elaine Barrie’s 2003 obituary noted that she was the only one of Barrymore’s ex-wives to attend his funeral.
Billy Wilder & Judith Coppicus Iribe—December 22, 1936
When Samuel “Billy” Wilder, 30, eloped to Yuma on December 22, 1936 with “socialite” Judith Coppicus Iribe, 25, he was a struggling screenwriter who had emigrated from Europe only two years earlier. The Yuma marriage was not given newspaper coverage at the time, but it has since been documented by Wilder biographer Gene Phillips. The couple divorced in 1947.
Billy Wilder returned to Yuma in 1942 to film desert scenes for his second directorial effort, “Five Graves to Cairo.” This was an excellent war film that was truly “ripped from the headlines” of the day. The Wilder films which followed (e.g. “Sunset Boulevard,” “Double Indemnity”) cemented the director’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s all-time greats.
Ed “Strangler” Lewis & Bobbie Lee West—January 11, 1937
Ed “Strangler” Lewis was a five-time world champion pro wrestler who was arguably one of the most popular American athletes of the 1920s. The “Strangler” nickname was a reflection of his trademark headlock move, but the wrestler’s real name was Robert Herman Julius Friedrich—not Ed Lewis.
Mary Astor & Manuel Martinez del Campo—Feb. 18, 1937
Actress Mary Astor managed to keep her June 1931 Yuma marriage a secret for 5 months, but her second Yuma elopement was quickly revealed despite denials by the newlyweds. On February 18, 1937 Actress Mary Astor, 30, eloped by air to Yuma with Manuel Del Campo, 25. The groom was variously identified in press reports as a “Mexican aristocrat,” an actor, and a sportsman. On the marriage license application Manuel Del Campo listed his occupation as “insurance clerk.” The couple was married at 4:30 a.m. at the home of Superior Court Judge Henry Kelly.
Following the Yuma marriage ceremony, Manuel Del Campo departed for Mexico City for his father’s funeral, while Mary Astor returned to Hollywood. For this reason, the couple tried to keep the marriage a “secret.” The bride had used her real name, “Lucile L. Thorpe,” and the court clerk had written “no publicity” on the application at the groom’s request—all to no avail, since the story soon broke of Mary Astor’s second Yuma elopement.
Mary Astor’s marriage to Manuel Del Campo ended in divorce in December 1942, and she was awarded custody of three-year-old son Anthony. She married for the 4th time in 1945, and was granted her final divorce in 1955. Mary Astor died at age 81 in 1987.
Fred Noonan & Mary Martinelli—March 27, 1937
Just weeks before embarking on a historic around-the-world flight attempt with Amelia Earhart, pilot/navigator Fred Noonan, 43, eloped to Yuma with Oakland hairdresser Mary Martinelli, 39. The couple, who drove to Yuma, made plans to settle in Oakland once Fred returned from his impending aerial journey. Tragically, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared and presumably died on July 2, 1937, having completed three-fourths of their planned itinerary. One year later, Mary Noonan married Harry Ireland, a “wealthy retired broker” from Santa Barbara.
The image below is from a June 5, 1937 letter from Fred Noonan to wife Mary (“Bea”) sent from Fortaleza, Brazil: “Well, Honey, there is not much to tell except to say I love my little brown-eyed sweetheart more and more each day–and I miss her terribly–and will be so happy when I hold her in my arms again. Going to the airport now so will close. Sending all my love to the dearest of all wife’s [sic].”
Miriam Hopkins & Anatole Litvak—September 4, 1937
Miriam Hopkins’ account of her Yuma marriage:
Actress Miriam Hopkins, 34, and director Anatole Litvak, 35, eloped by airplane to Yuma on Labor Day weekend 1937, where they were reportedly the 42nd couple married that Saturday by justice of the peace Ed Winn. Legendary director Fritz Lang was part of the wedding party at the San Carlos Hotel, and the justice of the peace, mistaking Lang for the groom, initially directed his ceremonial questions to the wrong man! It was clearly a long day for Ed Winn–Actress Alice Faye, who eloped to Yuma with Tony Martin on the same day, noted that she and Tony were the 51st couple married by the justice of the peace.
Hopkins was one of Hollywood’s top actresses of the 1930s, and Litvak had a 40-year directorial career, including “Sorry, Wrong Number,” “The Snake Pit,” and other acclaimed films. The marriage, which was Hopkins’ third of four and Litvak’s first of two, ended in a 1939 divorce.
Stan Laurel & Illeana Shavalova—Jan. 1 / Feb. 27, 1938
Comedy legend Stan Laurel, 47, and Russian singer, Vera Ivanova Shavalova, 28, eloped to Yuma by train on New Year’s Day 1938. The bride, who was known professionally as “Illeana” was Stan’s 3rd wife (of 4). Laurel’s multiple remarriages have led some sources to inflate his marriage totals.
The couple’s 5 a.m. marriage was officiated by justice of the peace Ed Winn at his residence. Stan Laurel’s previous wife, Virginia, challenged the legality of the marriage, claiming that her divorce from Stan had not been finalized. For this reason, Stan and Illeana returned to Yuma for another 5 a.m. ceremony at the Ed Winn residence on February 27, 1938.
Stan Laurel’s ex-wife, Virginia Ruth Rogers, followed the elopers to Yuma in an effort to stop the wedding. She even created a disturbance at the newlywed’s hotel honeymoon suite.
The great comedy team, Laurel and Hardy, released their classic film, “Way Out West” shortly after the Laurel–Shavalova marriage(s). In 1941, after the couple divorced, Stan Laurel and Virginia Ruth Rogers remarried (in Las Vegas). In 1946 they “re-divorced.”
On May 6, 1946 Stan Laurel eloped to Yuma for a third time. Stan and his 4th wife, Ida Raphael, remained together until Stan Laurel’s death in 1965.
Lee Tracy & Helen Thomas Wyse—July 19, 1938
Actor Lee Tracy, 40, and “socialite” Helen Thomas Wyse, 26, attempted to elope by air to Yuma on July 19, 1938. The chartered airplane was forced down in Brawley, California by a “dead motor.” The elopers were able to borrow a car from Brawley citrus grower George Cutshaw—who was well-known as a former major league second baseman.
When they finally arrived in Yuma, where the temperature was 110°, Lee and Helen were married at the Presbyterian parsonage by Rev. Raymond Acheson. The local paper noted that Lee Tracy was wearing a “heavy brown wool suit.”
Constance Moore & Johnny Maschio—April 29, 1939
On April 29, 1939 actress Constance Moore, 19, eloped to Yuma with her agent Johnny Maschio, 36. Despite their age difference, the couple remained married for 59 years until John Maschio’s death at the age of 95.
Constance Moore was a trained singer who appeared in several Hollywood musicals, but she is probably best remembered for her early role as Lieutenant Wilma Dearing in the Buck Rogers movie serials playing opposite Buster Crabbe. Constance Moore’s 2005 obituary in The Guardian stated that this role made the young actress an “unlikely feminist icon.”
Leo Gorcey & Katherine Marvis—May 16, 1939
Leo Gorcey appeared in several “Dead End Kids” and “Bowery Boys” films, always playing streetwise, smart-talking characters. Gorcey’s first of five marriages was an aerial elopement to Yuma with 16-year-old dancer, Katherine Marvis. Superior Court Judge Henry Kelly married the young couple at the Yuma Courthouse. Since the bride’s mother accompanied the pair and gave parental consent, Katherine did not need to lie about her age. The twenty-one-year-old groom was accompanied by two fellow “Dead End Kids” actors, including Huntz Hall, who would elope to Yuma in 1940 for the first of his four marriages. Following her five-year marriage to Leo Gorcey, Katherine Marvis married comedy legend Groucho Marx (her senior by 33 years)!
Janet Gaynor & Adrian Adolph Greenburg—August 14, 1939
On August 14, 1939 actress Janet Gaynor, 35, and costume designer “Adrian” eloped to Yuma by chauffer-driven automobile. They were married by justice of the peace Ed Winn at the San Carlos Hotel.
Janet Gaynor was a top female star of Hollywood’s silent era and the early years of “talkies.” She won the first Best Actress Academy Award in 1927. Gaynor retired from acting following her Yuma marriage to Adrian Adolph Greenburg—aka “Adrian.” Adrian’s fashion designs were an important component of the style and elegance of many of MGM’s best-loved films. The couple remained married until Adrian’s death in 1959.
More 1930s Celebrity Elopements (previously profiled)
These celebrity elopements are discussed in other “Married in Yuma” articles on this site:
