Tube City Almanac

May 14, 2014

McKeesport Native Was World's First 'Matadora'

Category: History || By Andi Cartwright

(Photos from the Dec. 7, 1955, issue of "The Village Voice.")


When Harriet Elizabeth Dingledein left McKeesport for New York in 1945, it most likely never occurred to her that she was beginning a journey that would not only take her around the globe, but into a world previously only occupied by men.

The pretty teenager changed her name to "Bette Ford" and soon was a highly sought-after model, becoming "the face" for three high-profile brands --- The Camay Bride, The Parliament Cigarette girl, and the Jantzen Swimsuit girl.

While on location for a shoot in Bogota, Columbia, she attended a bullfight, and became enraptured. She decided to move to Mexico to learn everything she could of the sport.

In 1955, she made her first public appearance as a bullfighter at the Plaza Mexico, the first woman to do so, and, much like her modeling career, soon found success.

Her quick wit and agility helped make the 90-pound Bette a formidable foe for the hulking half-ton bulls that she fought. The contrast captivated the crowds. Warner Brothers made a short film about her new career titled "Beauty and the Bull."

Although women were prohibited from bull-fighting in Spain, she had a very successful career in Mexico, Panama and the Philippines, with over two-hundred kills. She did not, however, come away unscathed, and did suffer many broken bones and being gored several times. But her tenacity and fearlessness in the face of death kept her going, and gained her the nickname "Guts."

The American public was fascinated by her. She appeared on "What's My Line?" and was a regular on "The Jimmy Durante Show" and "The Jackie Gleason Show." She was also friends with writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer and William Styron, and it's said that Hemingway was greatly impressed by her intelligence.

Upon ending her career as a matadora, she became an actress, working in films such as "Sudden Impact," and many TV shows, including "Cheers," "ER" and "The Wonder Years." She is still active today.

To learn more about McKeesport History, visit the McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center in Renziehausen Park.

Andi Cartwright is founder of the McKeesport Memories Facebook page and a member of the board of directors at McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center, as well as host of the "McKeesport History Minute" heard on WEDO (810) radio.






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