March is Women’s History Month
Betty Bentley was born Elizabeth Marshall Burnley on August 2, 1916 in Manhattan, New York according to the New York, New York Birth Index at Ancestry.com. Her full name was in an obituary and at Find a Grave. Bentley was the youngest of four siblings born to Martin Dupree Burnley and Bessie Allen Birdsong, Mississippi natives who married on August 14, 1901 in St. Joseph, Michigan. In Chicago, Illinois, Martine was born on May 30, 1902 and Dupree John “Ray” on November 15, 1903. (The Cook County, Illinois, Birth Certificates Index, at Ancestry.com, recorded the name Herbert Lee Burnley with that date. Some documents had the birth year 1904.) In New York, Hardin John “Jack” was born on January 11, 1911.
The 1910 United States Census counted the Burnley family of four in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin was a cotton salesman. The budding talent of Martine was mentioned in the Atlanta Constitution (Georgia), February 16, 1910.
The 1910 United States Census counted the Burnley family of four in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin was a cotton salesman. The budding talent of Martine was mentioned in the Atlanta Constitution (Georgia), February 16, 1910.
The musicale given by Mrs. Eugenia R. Clarke in honor of her two 7-year-old pupils Saturday at 3:30 p. m., Miss Carolina Shivers, assisted by Miss Martine Burnley, was a pronounced success.Martin moved his family to New York, New York where he was a broker. Martine, a week shy of twelve, and Norton Ritcher were the youngest dancers to participate in the Castle Dance Carnival at Madison Square Garden.
Photograph detail, New York American, May 24, 1914
In the 1915 New York state census, the five Burnley members plus a nurse and servant resided at 490 Riverside Drive. The 1917 New York City directory listed Martin as a manager at E. F. Hutton & Company.
A year and three weeks after Betty’s birth, her father died on August 23, 1917. An obituary appeared in the Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, August 24, 1917.
A year and three weeks after Betty’s birth, her father died on August 23, 1917. An obituary appeared in the Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, August 24, 1917.
M. D. Burnley, Cotton of New York, Well Known Here, Is DeadMartine was in the chorus of the 1917 Broadway show Words and Music. In 1918 she performed in Let’s Go, and sang in the chorus of The Canary.
Mr. M. Burnley, a prominent cotton man, who for eight years lived in Atlanta as the representative of prominent cotton brokerage concerns of New Orleans, Chicago and New York, died at noon Thursday in New York City, according to news received here.
It was said of Mr. Burnley by Atlanta cotton men that he was the highest-salaried employe of any house connected with the New York cotton exchange. From the time he left Atlanta in the year 1912, up to the time of his death, Mr. Burnley was manager of the department of E. F. Hutton of New York.
Mr. Burnley was a native of Hazlehurst, Miss. He had been in the cotton brokerage business for many years. Among the firms with which he has been connected are the Atwood-Violet company, of New Orleans; Ware Leland Co. and Dick Brothers Co. During his residence in Atlanta Mr. Burnley was the Atlanta represetnative [sic] of the Gibert Clay Co. and Dick Brothers Co.
Mr. Burnley had been in ill health for about a year. He had an operation last winter, got better, took a trip to Florida but grew worse on his return to New York. He leaves a wife and four children, Martine, Dupree, Harkness [sic] and Bessie [sic] Burnley.
February 3, 1919
At age sixteen Martine’s photograph appeared in the August 1918 issue of Theatre magazine. She was in the chorus of Hitchy-Koo. Coincidentally, Hardin’s future wife, Dolores Farris, appeared in the 1923 production of Hitchy-Koo.
Martine was in the ensemble of She’s a Good Fellow which was reviewed in Variety, May 9, 1919 and Billboard, May 17, 1919.
Betty was almost three-and-a-half-years-old in the 1920 census (line 10). The household included her mother, Martine (an artist’s model) and Dupree (a broker’s clerk). Their address was 620 Riverside Drive. Hardin was with his paternal grandmother and aunts in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. When the 1920 New York City directory was released, the Burnleys’ address was 640 West 139th Street.
In 1921, Martine sang “Let Cutie Cut Your Cuticle” in the The Broadway Whirl. The New York Star, June 6, 1924, said Martine had an engagement with the Ziegfeld Follies.
Hardin rejoined the family in time for the 1925 New York state census (lines 10 to 14). Martine’s occupation was artist; her siblings were in school. The family lived at 201 West 84th Street in Manhattan.
Martine brought fourteen-year-old Hardin to the attention of King Features Syndicate in 1925. In Comic Book Marketplace #21, January-February 1993, Charlie Roberts interviewed Hardin who talked about his time watching the cartoonists at King Features Syndicate.
I remember there were five or six cartoonists working there at the time. Cliff Sterrett, George McManus, Walter Hoban and Harry Hershfield worked there and had their own offices. The art department was a separate room.In 1928 Martine and Dupree sailed with cast members of Good News for performances in Australia.
I often showed my stuff to the cartoonists in the office in order to get pointers and suggestions. That was one of the things I was supposed to do in order to learn. I eventually helped them out by doing backgrounds, inking and so on. I did lettering for Hershfield, and for Jimmy Murphy who did “Toots and Casper”. I lettered for him on a regular basis for quite a long time, and also for Cliff Sterrett who did “Polly and Her Pals”. At times, artists would need to re-use old strips if they were sick or way behind schedule, so I would letter new dialogue balloons and paste them over the old balloons on the art.
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The Argus (Melbourne, Australia), June 22, 1928
The Dominion (New Zealand), June 30, 1928, said
“Good News” in Melbourne.The Dominion, August 18, 1928, put the spotlight on Martine who had already returned home.
“Good News,” the Fuller’s new musical comedy production, was produced in Melbourne on Saturday.
The imported members of the company are Martine Burnley, Edith Murray, Viola Savoy, Dorothy Merritt, Victoria Regal, Sam Critcherson, Hal Baker, George Smithson, and Dick Bell.
It is a story of college life, and the characters are chiefly collegians.
One of the principal parts in “Good News,” Sir Benjamin and Mr. John Fuller’s new musical comedy, which has made such a great hit in Melbourne, is played by Miss Martine Burnley, a charming young American actress, who was born in Richmond, Virginia [sic], so, as she remarks, “I am a true American.” The little artist, although very young, has played numbers of splendid parts on the American stage, including the title role in “No, No, Nanette.” Her last success before sailing for Australia was scored in “Broadway Whirl.” Miss Martine studied dancing under the eminent master of the Russian ballet—Ivan Turazoff—and it was owing to her ability in this direction that she secured her first important engagement. Unlike most dancers, Miss Burnley can sing and act. At an early age she won a scholarship in singing from the Opera Guild in New York, and it was this success that tempted her to adopt a stage career. She has a splendid role in “Good News,” supplying most of the sentimental interest in the musical comedy.On the return voyage, the passenger list included birth dates: Dupree, November 15, 1904, a year younger; Martine, May 30, 1909, seven years younger! They departed Sydney on July 12, 1928 and arrived at San Francisco, California on August 3, 1928. Their address was 213 West 79th Street in New York.
In another coincidence, Hardin’s future wife, Dolores Farris, appeared in touring productions of Good News.
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Beginning in 1929, Hardin drew daily sports cartoons for King Features Syndicate. (More cartoons are here.)
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Ashland Times-Gazette (Ohio), July 26, 1929
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Daily Journal (Ballston Spa, New York), November 1, 1929
The Cincinnati Post (Ohio), November 5, 1929, published a photograph of Martine and said
After traveling all the way to Australia as a featured member of the “Good News” company, Miss Burnley now is back in this country. She has deserted the stage for radio and is appearing on Columbia chain programs.
Radio Revue, January 1930 and
Sunday Star (Washington, DC)
November 10, 1929
Brooklyn Daily Times (New York)
December 8, 1929
December 8, 1929
In the late 1920s, Betty and her family may have moved to Queens, New York. There was a Betty Burnley named in the Daily Star, December 19, 1928, as one of the dancers in a performance by Junior High School 126. (Frank Tashlin was a student in 1927.) The Daily Star, May 17, 1929, named a Betty Burnley who was on the honor roll at Flushing High School. The Burnleys have not yet been found in the 1930 census.
On August 14, 1933, seventeen-year-old Betty and William Ettinger Bentley married in Island Park, New York. Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born on July 7, 1934 in New York City. Hardin married Dolores C. Farris on May 14, 1936 in Armonk, New York. (A photograph of them was published in Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943–1946).
The society page of the Sarasota Herald (Florida), February 18, 1937, said Martine and her mother stayed at the Sarasota Terrace Hotel.
In 1940 all four Burnley siblings lived in Flushing, New York at 35-30 153rd Street. In apartment number five was their mother Bessie, commercial advertising artist Dupree, unemployed Martine (whose true age was 38), Betty (line 18) and her daughter Betsy. Betty was listed as a wife and single; apparently she was divorced. Apartment seven housed self-employed cartoonist Hardin and his wife Dolores.
After Hardin was dropped by King Features, he found work in the comic book industry. In 1939 he drew Bullet Bob which was published in Miracle Comics #4, March 1941.
At National/DC Comics, Hardin made his debut with a cover and Superman story in New York World’s Fair Comics #2, July 1940.
In Robin Synder’s The Comics, October 2003, Betty recalled lettering comics for her brother.
My brother, Jack Burnley, asked me in 1939 if I would like to do the lettering on the Superman cartoons he was illustrating.In the same issue, Jack said
I had never done lettering before but I do have artistic talents so I was interested in giving it a try.
Jack was pleased with my efforts so I went to work for him in his apartment and I also kept up the files of material that might be useful.
I never worked for Detective Comics nor met any of the artists and writers but I did hear stories of them and know their names.
After a while, Starman and Batman were added to the lettering assignments. This all turned out to be a fun job for me in many ways.
Jack has a very extensive collection of real Jazz records that we listened to as we worked. My other brother, Ray, joined us and was inking in some of the backgrounds. Jack’s wife, Dolores, provided treats from the kitchen and so we were a family group and it was very pleasant working there.
And so it went for about three years. Then World War II was going on and I felt that I should contribute something to the war effort. I regretfully stopped working for Jack, became a draftsman in a Defense plant and helped to design experimental airplanes for the Navy. ...
My sister, Betty Bentley, did all of the lettering in my comics work from late 1939 until the end of my Starman series in Sept. 1942. This includes The Golden Age Starman Archives and all my Superman work except the Sunday newspaper pages.
She had considerable artistic talent but was untrained and had no interest in pursuing an art career. Her lettering style was straight forward, aimed at complete legibility, with no stylistic flourishes.
It was always a pleasure working with her on the comics in my home in Flushing, N.Y.
She left the field in 1942 and became a highly successful businesswoman. ...
Action Comics #28, September 1940, courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Hardin said it was Betty’s “... earliest lettering and, in fact, the
first she ever did. This is a little crude, as it was her first ...”
In Alter Ego #2, Autumn 1999, Roy Thomas interviewed Hardin who explained how Dupree got into comics.
He never settled into any particular art line. He was interested in fine arts. He liked the French impressionists, and he liked to do illustrations, but he was never really successful. When I left King Features and went into comics, I took him with me, and he worked as my assistant. He did penciling and inking of some of the backgrounds.In October 1940, Dupree and Hardin signed their draft cards. Both had the same address and worked for Detective Comics. Dupree enlisted on November 30, 1942. He married Ann McCaskie on May 5, 1945. On the marriage certificate, the couple had the same occupation, draftsman. Dupree and probably Ann attended the 1945 DC Comics Christmas party. He was identified as number twenty on the yellow guest list.
He just got into it with me; he didn’t have a regular job otherwise, and it just turned out he was able to become a successful inker. But that was only through the association with me. He knew nothing about comics otherwise.
Betty has not yet been found in the 1950 census. Dupree, a cartoonist (line 13), and his wife had two children. The household included Martine. They lived in Queens, New York at 196 48th Avenue. A list of Dupree’s work is at the Grand Comics Database.
Hardin (line 21), a newspaper cartoonist, lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 1461 Brookline Boulevard. His in-laws were part of the household. The Grand Comics Database has a list of Hardin’s credits.
In the mid-1950s, Hardin moved to San Francisco. The 1958 city directory listed him at 235 Buckingham, apartment 105.
Martine passed away on December 25, 1956. The siblings’ mother died May 27, 1964. Less than four months later, Dupree’s death was on September 5, 1964.
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 said Betty studied at the Art Students League of New York. Who’s Who may have erred. It was Betty’s daughter, Elizabeth, who went there. Elizabeth’s marriage was reported in The New York Times, June 19, 1975.
Hardin filed his claim for Social Security benefits on December 31, 1975. At some point Betty moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1981 Hardin and his wife moved to Charlottesville.
Betty passed away on June 14, 2004 and laid to rest at Saint Georges Cemetery. The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Virginia), June 16, 2004, said
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 said Betty studied at the Art Students League of New York. Who’s Who may have erred. It was Betty’s daughter, Elizabeth, who went there. Elizabeth’s marriage was reported in The New York Times, June 19, 1975.
Hardin filed his claim for Social Security benefits on December 31, 1975. At some point Betty moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1981 Hardin and his wife moved to Charlottesville.
Betty passed away on June 14, 2004 and laid to rest at Saint Georges Cemetery. The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Virginia), June 16, 2004, said
Elizabeth B. BentleyA week later The Observer published an obituary.
After having received the Apostolic Blessing, Communion and the Last Rites of the Church, Mrs. Elizabeth Burnley Bentley died peacefully at home in the loving company of her family on Monday, June 14. The youngest child of Martin Dupree Burnley and his wife, Elizabeth “Bessie” Birdsong, she was born in New York on Aug. 2, 1916. She was preceded in death by her sister Martine Burnley, her brother Dupree Burnley and her niece Ann Dupree Burnley.
On Aug. 14, 1933, Elizabeth “Betty” Marshall Burnley married William Ettinger Bentley in Island Park, Long Island, N.Y., who predeceased her. They had one child, Elizabeth “Betsy” Burnley Bentley. Prior to her marriage, Betty Burnley attended Mount Saint Vincent-on-the-Hudson in Riverdale, N.Y., where, on Dec. 16, 1930, she became a convert to Catholicism and was baptized in the school chapel. Because of her beauty, her portrait was painted by Leonebel Jacobs, Dana Pond, Jonas Lee, Thomas Benton, Howard Hildebrandt, J. Knowles Hare, Howard Chandler Christie and Arthur William Brown. During “the Golden Age of Comic Strips,” she and her brother Dupree did the lettering and background artwork for their brother Jack Burnley’s acclaimed illustrations for Superman, Batman and Starman. All three are listed in Who’s Who of American Comic Books.
Bentley, Elizabeth Betty 87, died Monday, June 14, 2004 at her residence, after having received the Apostolic Blessing, Communion and the Last Rites of the Church. Born the youngest child of Martin Dupree Burnley and Elizabeth “Bessie” Birdsong, of New York on Aug. 2, 1916.Hardin’s passing came on December 19, 2006. An obituary appeared in the Daily Progress, December 21, 2006. His wife, Dolores, died on May 21, 2003.
On Aug. 14, 1933, Elizabeth “Betty” Marshall Burnley married William Ettinger Bentley in Island Park, Long Island, N.Y., who predeceased her. During WWII, Betty became a draftsman for the Navy’s Ford Instrument Co. and designed experimental airplanes for Edo Aircraft Co. She then opened her own religious articles and church supplies business, which she ran for 30 years.
When her daughter, Elizabeth “Betsy” Burnley Bentley married in 1975 to Howard Laverne Hamilton and moved to Charlottesville. Betty left New York City and accepted the position of resident manager of Hessian Hills Apartments, where she became known as Mrs. Bentley. When her son-in-law died in 2002, she left Hessian Hills to live with her daughter. Although she developed lung cancer, she was able to stay at home due to the care of her granddaughters, daughter and family companion, Mrs. Donna Fischer, guided by Hospice of the Piedmont.
Further Reading
Todd’s Blog, Early Superman Lettering
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999, Betty Bentley, Ray Burnley, Jack Burnley
Comic Book Marketplace #21, January–February 1993, A Conversation with Jack Burnley
Alter Ego #2, Autumn 1999, A Conversation with Jack Burnley
Todd’s Blog, Early Superman Lettering
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999, Betty Bentley, Ray Burnley, Jack Burnley
Comic Book Marketplace #21, January–February 1993, A Conversation with Jack Burnley
Alter Ego #2, Autumn 1999, A Conversation with Jack Burnley
Alter Ego #27, August 2003, abridgment of Jack Burnley’s The Dolores Farris Story
Forebears, Winter 1973, A Royal Descent: Louis IX, King & Saint
The Hereditary Register of the United States of America 1974, Elizabeth Burnley Bentley
The Hereditary Register of the United States of America 1974, Elizabeth Burnley Bentley
The Order of Americans of Armorial Ancestry Lineage of Members, Elizabeth Burnley Bentley Hamilton
Women in Comics Posts
(Next post on Monday: Shirley Smith, a Book Jacket Designer and Lettering Artist)
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