Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. ", A staunch Republican, Russell supported causes like getting "the Bible back in schools." It was yet another setback for Russell, but her patience would soon pay off. Hollywood was just a job. What happened to Marilyn Monroes mother. Russell also acted in touring productions of plays and musicals. Sadly, In June 1962, Fox dismissed the actress after repeated and extended absences from the set of Somethings Got to Give. Marilyn loved children and she was desperate to be a mother. Following the success of The Outlaw, Russell tried her hand at a musical careerbut it didnt exactly go as she planned. In February 2011, the actress died of respiratory failure in Santa Maria, California. In 1950, she recorded a single, "Kisses and Tears", with Frank Sinatra and The Modernaires for Columbia. They have a little art to them. At first, filming went off without a hitchthat is, until Howard Hughes stepped in, While making His Kind of Woman, Mitchum came up with a cheeky nickname for Russell, calling her Hard John for her rigid Christian beliefs. [56] In fact, while making her most famous film, the classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Jane Russell actually tried to convert her co-star, Marilyn Monroe, to Christianity. [35], Russell was portrayed by Renee Henderson in the CBS miniseries Blonde (2001), based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates and portrayed leaving her imprints at Grauman's along with Marilyn Monroe in the HBO film Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), starring Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino. In 1940, a nationwide search by Hughes for a new, voluptuous actress took Russell to Hollywood. Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend, exclusively tells Closer Weekly, on newsstands now. She married her high school boyfriend, Bob Waterfield, whom she married on April 24, 1943. . While Hughes didnt get as creepy with her as he did other starlets, he was once quoted as saying: There are two good reasons why men go to see [Russell], and those are enough.. Advertisement Russell confessed that she began to drink after the loss of her husband, and that her family had to confront her about her problem and urge her to seek treatment. They later adopted another son, Robert, and a daughter, Tracy. While Tommy went on to live happily ever after in Hollywood with Russell, things werent so easy for his birth mother. Ralph Kramden (played by Jackie Gleason) arrives home "dead" tired, vowing to go straight to bed after dinner, quipping, "You couldn't get me out of this house tonight if you told me that Jane Russell was runnin a party upstairs and she couldn't get started until I arrived!" Survivors include her children, Thomas K. Waterfield, Tracy Foundas and Robert "Buck" Waterfield, along with six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. "Oh, often, very often.". More experienced when she was working with Monroe, Russell helped assuage the younger actress' nerves, and made sure she came to set. Russell's career revived when she was cast as Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948) on loan out to Paramount. Hughes infamous invented bra now lives in a Hollywood museum. In 2003, she told the Daily Mail, "These days Im a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot, but not a racist.". Then, after all that, the film ended up as a financial flop. Prior to coming on board, she was the digital coordinator at a full-service auction house. Were always looking for your input! In 1968 Russell married Roger Barrett, an actor she'd met when they were in a stock company production together. Russell and Waterfield also had exciting success on the homefront. She and husband Robert Waterfield adopted a 15-month-old British boy, Tommy Kavanaugh, in December 1952. There were dirty tricks.. Robert Waterfield, Thomas Waterfield, Tracy Waterfield. There was a major scandal and a court case, after which Russell was allowed to formalise the adoption."[41]. ", Photo of Jane Russell wearing an orange dress, with large drop earrings, in a studio portrait, against a white background, circa 1955. On top of that, she is the namesake for the Jane Russell Peaks in Alaska. She read scripts, worked hard and her subsequent films were intelligent. Columbia Records released her innuendo-laden album Lets Put Out the Lights in 1947, but Russell later revealed that she hated the album, saying it was horrible. One song in the albums reissue? Russell lived a full life, from her days as a wartime pin-up girl to her Hollywood career and to her retirement years, where she was a philanthropist and active churchgoer, according to . Russell had immediately connected to the young boy for a heartbreaking reasonhe reminded her of her younger brother Billie, who had passed away at just 16 months old. She appeared in The Tall Men (1955), a Western starring Clark Gable, and The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956). It was a critical and commercial failure. In 1953, Russell and her first husband, former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bob Waterfield, formed Russ-Field Productions. She always worked with macho film-makers and wished she had worked with a "woman's director" such as George Cukor. As a result, Russell just didnt think Monroe took her own life. In February 1952, Russell and Waterfield adopted a baby girl, whom they named Tracy. Afterward, Monroe said, "Jane tried to convert me, and I tried to introduce her to Freud.". [21] Her contract with Hughes ended in February 1954. Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. botched abortion shed had earlier in her life, so Jane adopted three kids with Bob: Buck as well as his sister, Tracy, and brother, Thomas. His reaction was devastating. Her buxom chest was so popular, variety show host Bob Hope even once introduced her by saying The two and only Jane Russell., Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, Glamorous Facts About Hollywood Actresses, Wild Facts About Howard Hughes, The Most Eccentric Man In Hollywood, "The Bride Kissed The Best Man" And Other Real-Life Wedding Disasters, These Stories Of Unforgettable Close Calls Made Our Jaws Drop, I Couldnt Believe My Eyes: Utterly Insane Real-Life Discoveries, These Nightmare Weddings Made Us Say I DONT!. With husband Bob Waterfield, Russell created Russ-Field, an independent production company that made films with and without Russell. A collection of some of Russell's gospel and secular recordings was issued on CD in Britain in 2005, and it includes more secular recordings, including Russell's spoken-word performances of Hollywood Riding Hood and Hollywood Cinderella backed by a jazz group that featured Terry Gibbs and Tony Scott. Contrary to countless incorrect reports in the media since the release of The Outlaw,[citation needed] Russell did not wear the specially designed underwire bra that Howard Hughes had designed and made for her to wear during filming. Russell married three times. Russell co-starred with Clark Gable in The Tall Men (1955) at 20th Century Fox, one of the most popular films of the year, with earnings of $6 million. They were both fervently anti-Clinton Republicans and her last words to my girlfriend were "get married". . I've seen plenty of pin-up pictures that have sex appeal, interest, and allure, but they're not vulgar. One British politician was so outraged that he called for baby Thomass return to the UK. The film was a huge success, Russell's biggest hit since The Outlaw, making over $5 million. It was reissued on CD in 2009 under the title Fine and Dandy, and the CD included some demo and soundtrack recordings, as well. He was to meet his biological family. They have two children. Russell did two more film noirs: The Las Vegas Story (1952) with Price and Victor Mature, and Macao (1952) with Mitchum. When a reporter asked her about her reputation for being hard-nosed about her faith, she had a sassy retort: Christians can have big breasts too.. Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, actor, born 21 June 1921; died 28 February 2011, Voluptuous star of The Outlaw and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. The Capitol LP was issued on CD in 2008, in a package that also included the choral singles by the original quartet and two tracks with Fleming replacing Della Russell. [5] Russell's parents lived in Edmonton, Alberta until shortly before her birth and returned to that city nine days after her birth, where they lived for the first one or two years of her life. I got to know her in the late 90s when she and John came to Scotland. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Russell made just over 20 films, but only a handful of those are remembered: her first film, The Outlaw (1943); the comedy western The Paleface (1948), with Bob Hope; and the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), co-starring Marilyn Monroe. She sang with the Kay Kyser Orchestra on radio, and recorded two singles with his band, "As Long As I Live" and "Boin-n-n-ng!" Did Jane Russell have any adopted children? Paramount borrowed Russell for a reunion with Hope, Son of Paleface (1952), which was another hit. A Town Called Hollywood: Top Stars Now Share in Profits of Major Pictures". Russells mother was a stage mom if there ever was one. In 1950s America, Jane Russells scandalous hour-glass figure caused an absolute frenzy. The subtly-named Boin-n-n-ng!. Buck explained: "She would say, You have to turn it on when you're out and turn it off when you go home. [28], In October 1957, she debuted in a successful solo nightclub act at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Russell, who believed her back alley abortion had rendered her infertile, became an outspoken opponent of abortion for any reason, including rape and incest. The World War II sex symbol died at her Californian home from a respiratory-related illness on Monday (28.02.11), her daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield confirmed. She was a recovering alcoholic who had gone into rehab at age 79, and described herself in a 2003 interview, saying, "These days, I am a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot, but not a racist. Closer Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Della Russell, no relation to Jane, soon left the group, but Jane, Haines and Davis followed up with a trio LP for Capitol Records, The Magic of Believing. Where are Jane Russells children today? A few years later, she went into rehab for alcoholism, a problem she had battled for decades. In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract by film mogul Howard Hughes,[8] and made her motion-picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous figure. Russell was married three times, first to Bob Waterfield, from 1943 until their divorce in July 1968. Jane Russell died on February 28, 2011, in Santa Maria, California. Jane Russell was 89. She was a buxom 19 year old working in a humdrum job at a doctors office when infamous Hollywood director Howard Hughes walked through the door. "[1][43], Russell resided in the Santa Maria Valley along the Central Coast of California. The film drew attention to her curvaceous figure, which was often associated with her. In 1954, she and Waterfield set up an independent production company, Russ-Field. He succumbed to a heart attack after only three months of marriage. She perished young, at just 53and the circumstances are chilling. Film mogul Howard Hughes plucked the Minnesota-born beauty out of obscurity at age 19.. She also co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.'. In 1955, she founded Waif, an organization to place children with adoptive families, and which pioneered adoptions from foreign countries by Americans. The two became friends, and Russell once brought Monroe to a Bible study group. Eventually, Russells good looks were bound to land her a romance, and in 1943 she got one. Any talk of pregnancy termination is an assumption on our part, Michelle Vogel, author of Marilyn Monroe: Her Films, Her Life, explained. He explained that the director of the film, John Sturges, had wanted to keep the cast working through Christmas. While making The Outlaw, Hughes designed a now-infamous underwire bra just for Russell to further propel her cleavage onwards and upwards for the movie. [1], Russell's mother arranged for her to take piano lessons. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1967, Russell filed for divorceonly for Waterfield to file a counter-suit, saying that his soon-to-be ex drank too much and was prone to habitual intemperance.. Despite her constant portrayal as a sex symbol, Jane was described as "an extremely strong Christian woman" who carried her faith until the last day. Underwater! Write by: . Jane Russell passed away. "[11] Howard Hughes said, "There are two good reasons why men go to see her. The outcry was so negative that her husband and others in Hollywood wanted Russell to return the boy something she refused to do. Scott Fortner, Marilyn Monroe historian and collector, also confirmed that Marilyn never met her father. In the 70s, she also started to appear in Playtex bra advertisements on television, once more becoming a household name. Shes also worked as a translator, editor, and writer for a stable of commercial clients. Her MA in Art History is from Concordia University, where her area of study was contemporary Canadian art. Marilyn Monroe once said, "Jane tried to convert me (to religion), and I tried to introduce her to Freud". She had a simple explanation for what ended her movie career: "I was getting too old! In December 1952, they adopted a 15-month-old boy, Thomas, whose birth mother, Hannah McDermott, had moved to London to escape poverty in Northern Ireland, and, in 1956, they adopted a nine-month-old boy, Robert John. Russell rose to fame after movie director Howard Hughes picked her to appear in the 1943 movie, "The Outlaw." In her autobiography, Russell said that the revealing outfit was an alternative to Hughes' original suggestion of a bikini, a very racy choice for a movie costume in 1954. That year, she got married to her high school sweetheart, Bob Waterfield, who was a quarterback for the UCLA Bruins at the time. Russell starred again with Hope in a sequel, Son of Paleface (1952), and also made another western, Montana Belle (1952). [citation needed], In the film Philomena (2013), Russell's photograph appears on a wall; a character states that Russell bought a child for 1000 from the tainted Sean Ross Abbey in Ireland featured in this true-life film, but this claim is countered in at least one recent British report, which states that in the mid-1950s, Russell and her husband "rather informally adopted a son from a woman living in London, but originating in Derry, Northern Ireland. However, the adoption soon drew condemnation from both the public and Parliament. In 2006, her eyesight began to deteriorate. In an interview, Russell later said "I certainly wasn't trying to convert her to religion because I don't like religion", denoting that she didn't consider Christianity "a religion". The other original members were Connie Haines, Beryl Davis and Della Russell. Tracey Diane Waterfield was born January 5th, 1960 in Canadian, Texas to James and Sandra Waterfield with an older brother named Rickey Waterfield and younger sister Cindy Young. We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. The voluptuous Russell was a popular pin-up during the Korean War as wellso popular, that the forces there named a pair of embattled hills in her honor. [4], On the musical front, Russell formed a gospel quartet in 1954, with three other members of a faith-sharing group called the Hollywood Christian Group. [7] Her early ambition was to be a designer of some kind, until the death of her father in his mid-40s, when she decided to work as a receptionist after graduation. In Montana Belle (1952), she was a singing dance hall girl. Russell and McDermott came to an agreement over little Thomas and soon after, Russell took him home and the Waterfields became a family of four. Then, a few years later after suffering from a respiratory illness, tragedy struck. . At that studio, Russell co-starred with Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra in a musical comedy, Double Dynamite, shot in 1948 and released in 1951. And for Montana Belle, she sang "The Gilded Lily.". Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! Marilyn Monroe would be 96-years-old if she were alive today. Russell was a prominent supporter of the Republican Party, and attended Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration, along with such other notables from Hollywood as Lou Costello, Dick Powell, June Allyson, Hugh O'Brian, Anita Louise and Louella Parsons. She was unable to have children due to a botched abortion she'd had earlier in her life, so Jane. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. She . Then it's ugly. Russell attended Van Nuys High School. Sadly, the failure of The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown went far beyond disappointing ticket sales. He said: "and my mom said, 'No, we're shutting down, and I'm going home!. She also fulfilled later engagements in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe. I dont think a star has any business posing in a vulgar way.. He was a UCLA All-American, Cleveland Rams quarterback, Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Los Angeles Rams head coach, and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Russell was no fool, and she knew that Hughes and the rest of Hollywood were trading in on her curvaceous figure. After being reminded by his wife, Alice, of his reluctance to attend even a party that Jane Russell was throwing, an insulted Kramden rants, "I was talking about Jane Russell: I said nothing about any party that Norton's running!". [40] At the height of her career, Russell started the "Hollywood Christian Group", a weekly Bible study at her home which was attended by many of the leading names in the film industry. [39] They spent the majority of their married life residing in Santa Maria, California. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. in why did ruby bentall leave the paradise. Aug 29, 2021 01:40 A.M. Jane Russell, a delectable actress who rose to fame in the 1940s after her first film "The Outlaw," never had kids naturally owing to her infertility caused by a back street abortion. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. She loved the quick pace of the filming, was delightfully droll with her annihilating put-downs, and she and Hope became lifelong friends. On the film's much-delayed nationwide release, it was denounced by the church. She died at her home in 507 Boscoe Ct, Santa Maria. "A man should be the head of the household," she once told me, "and a woman should be the heart.". [36] She was left unable to bear children, after a botched abortion in her teenage years robbed her of her fertility.[37]. Russell co-starred with Robert Mitchum in His Kind of Woman (1951) and Macao (1952). The American actress real name Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926 at the Los Angeles County Hospital in California. [38] of a respiratory-related illness on February 28, 2011. Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell was an American actress, singer, and model. In February 1952, Russell and Waterfield adopted a baby girl, whom they named Tracy. She replied: "Sometimes life is a valley of tears and sometimes it's the top of the mountain." Although the actress was born in Minnesota, she grew up in Southern California, where she studied acting and music and eventually began to work as a model. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Her favorite co-star Bob Hope once introduced her as "the two and only Jane Russell". He joked, "Culture is the ability to describe Jane Russell without moving your hands. While waiting for The Outlaw to be widely released, Russell worked on Young Widow (1946). Lets just, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Twentieth Century Fox, His Kind of Woman (1951), RKO Radio Pictures, The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957), United Artists, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Thuggish Facts About James Cagney, The Man Who Broke The Hollywood System, Dauntless Facts About Richard Halliburton, The Wanderlust Wunderkind, Intimidating Facts About George C. Scott, The Most Difficult Man In Hollywood, Wild Facts About Chris McCandless, The Man Who Walked Away. Her mother was an actor who became a lay preacher. Just two short months after her divorce, Russell hastily married actor Roger Barrett. Russell counted the 1957 film The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown among her best work, but it was a flop. When the interviewer brought up Monroes connection to the Kennedys, Russell agreed that she believed they had a part in her friends untimely demise. 0. what region receives the least amount of direct sunlight . Even against those "odds," she became one of the most desirable women in Hollywood, known for her sultry appeal and curvaceous figurebut behind the scenes, Russell knew tragedy and heartbreak far too well. You couldn't go on acting in those years if you were an actress over 30. Tania Waterfield. Thankfully, the flick was a massive hit for Paramount that yearbut for Russell, the best was yet to come. Russell moved from the Midwest to California, where she had her first film role in Howard Hughes ' The Outlaw (1943). In her autobiography, Russell said that she found Hughes baffling bra invention to be incredibly uncomfortableso she devised a way to get around wearing it. Jane was born in Minnesota, but her family moved to Southern California, where she studied acting and music and ultimately found work as a model. All rights reserved. Those movies did well, but her turn in The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957), about a kidnapped star who starts to sympathize with her captors, didn't succeed at the box office. tracy waterfield daughter of jane russell. [1][2] She was the eldest child and only daughter of the five children of Geraldine (ne Jacobi) and Roy William Russell, who married on March 22, 1918, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She pushed her daughter toward the dramatic artsand then, tragedy struck. Buck Waterfield, Tracy Waterfield, Thomas . In addition to music, she was interested in drama and participated in stage productions at Van Nuys High School. The obituary was featured in Legacy on February 28, 2011. . AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. She posted for photos and became a popular pin-up girl during that timeespecially with WWII servicemen. Photograph: Snap/Rex Features, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star Jane Russell dies at 89. Russell sang two songs in the movie. In the early 50s, the longtime couple adopted a baby girl. Any talk of pregnancy termination is an assumption on our part, Michelle Vogel, author of Marilyn Monroe: Her Films, Her Life, explained. 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tracy waterfield daughter of jane russell