Madge Bellamy - Scandal and Decline

Scandal and Decline

In San Francisco in 1943, Bellamy was accused of assault with a deadly weapon for shooting (or shooting at) her wealthy lover, Stanwood Murphy. The incident generated much publicity and effectively ended her already fading career. The facts of the case remain somewhat cloudy. Shortly after the shooting, Bellamy was quoted as saying, "I only winged him, which is what I meant to do. Believe me, I'm a crack shot". Some show business references state outright that she shot him. But her defense attorney, the legendary Jake Ehrlich, contended the actress never hit Murphy despite firing several shots at him at close range, and Ehrlich described that as proof that Bellamy had merely intended to scare her lover.

Bellamy acknowledged having an affair with the married Murphy, a scandalous admission at the time. But attorney Ehrlich characterized her as a wronged woman. He said she had always refused any gifts or support from her rich lover, relying instead on Murphy's promise to marry her once he was divorced. When Murphy married someone else, Ehrlich said, the humiliated actress set out to teach him a lesson. Amid all the claims and counter-claims, the publicity-shy Murphy soon stopped cooperating with investigators. The charge against Bellamy was eventually dropped.

Bellamy made her last screen appearance in Northwest Trail in 1945. She lived in poverty for much of her post-screen life, worked selling tools in a shop and was unsuccessful in her attempts at becoming a published novelist. In the 1980s, however, she sold her property during the California real estate boom and by her account made more money than she had during her years in films.