The Dodge Sisters, Betty and Beth, were a popular dance team who peformed all over the world
Betty Jane Dodge was born on April 1, 1909 in Sprague, Washington. Her sister Dora Beth Dodge was born on September 10, 1910 in Lincoln, Washington. Their father, Dr. Homer Dodge, was a dentist and their mother, Dorothea, was a homemaker.. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1919. Betty and Beth started dancing in vaudeville when they were teenagers. The sisters were both petite with brown eyes and jet black hair. They looked so much alike that they claimed they were twins. While performing in New York City they were discovered by theatrical producer Julian Wyle. He offered them a lucrative contract in London. Their show, Turned Up, premiered at the New Oxford Theater in 1926. As a publicity stunt they offered $20 to any patron who could tell them apart. Betty and Beth toured all over England and even gave a special performance for The Prince Of Whales.
In 1927 they starred in the London musical Oh Kay. The following year they went to Paris to be headliners in the Follies Bergere. Their nickname was "the birds of paradise". The sisters returned to the United States in 1930 to appear in the MGM musical March Of Time. Unfortunately the film was never released. Then they costarred in A Night In Venice with Ted Healy. On May 8, 1930 Beth married Clarence Stroud, a vaudeville dancer who performed with his twin brother. Just four months after the wedding she filed for divorce. The couple remarried in 1932 and had two children - Beth and Charles. Tragedy struck in 1933 when their younger sister Ada Lou committed suicide. Their final film was the 1934 short Jailbird Of Paradise. The sisters started working on the radio and made occasional stage appearances. Beth filed for divorce in 1938 claiming Clarence had become abusive. She said "He slapped me and twisted my arm." In 1940 she sued Clarence for not supporting their children. Then Beth and her children moved to Chicago, Illinois where she continued to work in the theater.
* I have not been able to find any information about the sister after 1950
