Mary Elliott Cummings; Film Star, Actor’s Ex-Wife

Mary Elliott Cummings, 82, third wife of the late actor Robert Cummings and a starlet in her own right. A native of Gaffney, S.C., she grew up singing and dancing and was named state Azalea Queen. She began her entertainment career in New York, where she understudied Betty Grable in Broadway’s “Dubarry Was a Lady” and later appeared in “My Sister Eileen.” The beautiful, blond Elliott also sang in night clubs and, as a model, appeared on the cover of Collier’s magazine and publicized the first rubber swimsuit for Goodyear Tire Co. She later had film contracts with Paramount and MGM and during World War II entertained troops in the North Atlantic and South Pacific theaters. Among her films were “Girl Crazy,” “Thousands Cheer” and “A Guy Named Joe.” She was introduced to the actor Robert Cummings by portrait photographer Paul Hesse, and married Cummings in Riverside’s historic Mission Inn on March 3, 1945. Elliott abandoned her career to rear their five children. The couple separated Oct. 25, 1967, and the actor sued his wife for divorce. She countersued for separate maintenance. Their divorce, granted Jan. 15, 1970, was one of the first finalized under California’s “no-fault” divorce law. In her charitable activities, Mary Elliott Cummings served as president of the ARCS Foundation and worked extensively with the National Charity League. On March 5 in Beverly Hills of cancer.