Jobyna Ralston, a cherubic and curly-locked comedienne of the silent cinema, was born to a mother, Mrs. Kemp Raulston, a portrait photographer, who named her after her favorite actress, Jobyna Howland. Her mother, who harbored ambitions for her daughter to achieve similar fame, trained her to that end. After a failed teenage marriage to a local farmer, Jobyna left her Tennessee home and moved to New York in 1919 to join the Ned Wayburn dancing academy, a popular springboard for aspiring actresses.
In 1920, she made her screen debut in Reelcraft "Cuckoo" comedy shorts made in Jacksonville, Florida. Around the same time, she co-starred in Humor Risk (1921),which marked the film debut of the Marx Brothers, and is now considered a lost film. The following years, she made her one Broadway appearance in "Two Little Girls in Blue" by George M. Cohan.
Deciding that comedy was her forte, Jobyna went to Hollywood in 1922, starting as an extra with Hal Roach. She was cast in a rare dramatic role in The Call of Home (1922),then partnered with French comedian Max Linder and subsequently starred in Roach's James Parrott comedies. When Harold Lloyd became aware of her talent, he picked her as his leading lady, succeeding his wife-to-be Mildred Davis.
By that time, Jobyna had already been in 60 one-reel comedy shorts for Hal Roach. She proceeded to star in six of Lloyd's features, including Why Worry? (1923),The Freshman (1925),and The Kid Brother (1927),which showcased her ability to combine considerable comedic talent with pathos. Her performance in Girl Shy (1924) was praised by Variety, which commented that "Jobyna Ralston... proves herself considerable of an actress [sic] in addition to being decidedly pretty".
In 1927, Jobyna was cast in a featured role in the Academy Award-winning drama Wings (1927),whose star, Richard Arlen, she married in January of that year. She eventually divorced Arlen in 1945 on the grounds of desertion, obtaining a $250,000 settlement. As a freelance comedienne, she appeared in leading roles opposite stars like Eddie Cantor, Charles Ray, and Buck Jones.
Jobyna also starred with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in an obscure Frank Capra melodrama, The Power of the Press (1928). She made just three talkies, The College Coquette (1929),Rough Waters (1930),and Sheer Luck (1931). Her career as a motion picture actress effectively came to an end due to her noticeable lisp and impending pregnancy.
