Jane Russell is the legend of American cinema, who went down in the history of cinema with her role in the movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". However, she became widely known in the United States long before that thanks to the scandalous film "Outlaw", which emphasized the outstanding forms of the actress.
Biography and early years
Jane Russell was born on June 21, 1921 in Bemidji, Minnesota. The girl's father was a lieutenant in the US Army, and her mother was an actress in an itinerant theater company. Jane was the only girl in the family (she had 4 brothers). At birth, she was given the name Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, but everyone in the family just called her Jane. The girl's mother, dreaming of a career as a star for her daughter, believed that the combination "Jane Russell" would be perfect for the big screen.
When Jane's father retired, the family settled in Canada, but then moved to California. When Jane was still a child, the family moved to the San Fernando Valley and settled on a ranch in Van Nuys, leading a normal middle class life. Jane was educated at a local school and also took piano lessons. At an early age, she developed an interest in dramatic art, and the girl began to take part in school theater productions. However, Jane did not think about the profession of an actress then, intending to become a designer in the future. However, her plans were not destined to come true: when her father died, the girl was forced to go to work part-time in order to be able to financially help her mother. The girl got a job as a secretary, while moonlighting as a model. As a result, she managed to save enough money to attend acting classes. However, her attempts to break into Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount have failed.
"Outlaw" and the beginning of a career in cinema
Jane Russell was 19 years old, she was working as a secretary in a beauty salon, when the famous American entrepreneur Howard Hughes drew attention to her. At the time, he was looking for a new face for the Western Outlaw. As a result, Jane was approved for the role of the beloved of the protagonist, half Irish, half Mexican Rio MacDonald.
Although Jane took acting lessons and knew how to stay in front of the camera, it was not so much that attracted Hughes' attention as the girl's bright appearance and her fifth breast size, on which he focused special attention of the camera, later even designing a special "invisible" bra for Russell, giving so curvaceous Russell extra volume. And in the hayloft scene, special cross-lighting of spotlights was used, which again drew attention to the actress's forms.
As a result, the censors of The Motion Picture Production Code, who in those years screened the films for "morality" before their release, decided that the Western could not be admitted to the screen. However, instead of editing the film, Howard Hughes decided to take advantage of the scandal to gain public attention. He released the film in theaters in San Francisco in 1943 without the approval of the US Censorship Committee. However, he then removed the film from the box office and took up editing for release in 1946 - again without censorship approval.
Despite the strange fate of the film and the fact that it was practically never released, Russell became widely known. In a 1943 poll, American sailors called her "the girl we would like to see waiting for us at every port."
While waiting for the release of Outlaw, Russell worked on Young Widow (1946). She then partnered with Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948) as Calamity Jane. In this film, she herself performed the song "Buttons and Bows", which later won an Oscar.
In the 1951 film His Kind of Woman, Russell played with Robert Mitchum, and in the same year she shared the screen with Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx in Double Dynamite - the film despite its stellar line-up, it flopped at the box office. The following year, she starred in the second part of The Pale Face and the film Montana Belle, where she played a dancer.
Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe
However, the real success came to the actress in 1953, when she shared the screen with Marilyn Monroe in the comedy "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." The film, directed by Howard Hawke, became a favorite of Russell's film career. She and Monroe played two dancers who shared completely opposite views on love and relationships.
To the surprise of the set, there was no competitive spirit between the two actresses. On the contrary, Jane Russell took care of Monroe, who was famous for her nervous breakdowns, helping her prepare for filming. When Monroe locked herself in her booth after unsuccessful takes, Russell calmed her down and led her out onto the set by the hand. Subsequently, Monroe said that next to Russell it was easy for her to do her job. They became real friends, and Russell even brought Monroe to a Bible reading meeting one day. After that, Monroe said: "Jane tried to convert me, and I wanted to teach her the philosophy of Freud."
Other films and the end of the acting career
In 1954, Jane Russell starred in an experimental project for that time - the 3D film French Voyage. In 1955, she appeared in the film Gentlemen Marry Brunettes - which, despite the consonance of the names, had nothing to do with the hit with Marilyn Monroe. In the same year, another unusual project followed - the film "Underwater!", Which premiered in a specially built underwater cinema for this occasion.
Also under the label of his own production house "Russ-Field", founded by Russell with her husband, the films "Tall Men" (1955), Western with Clark Gable in the title role, and "The Rise of Mamie Stover" (1956) were filmed. Both films, with Jane Russell as the main star, had moderate box office success. However, the 1957 film The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown, about a star who fell in love with her own kidnapper, flopped at the box office. Several years later, Russ-Field was closed.
After several minor roles in the 60s, Russell decided to end her career in 1970 with a role in Darker than Amber. She very simply announced her desire to leave the cinema: “I'm getting old! Nowadays it is impossible to act in a movie if you are an actress well over 30”.
Other projects and later years
Despite a bumpy film career, Russell had a steady income. In 1954, she signed a contract with Howard Hughes for 6 films, according to which he also pledged to pay her $ 1,000 every week for 20 years. She received payments, even if she did not act in films.
In addition to working in films, Jane Russell was actively involved in musical creativity. In the 1940s, she performed with the Kay Kyser Orchestra. At the same time, she recorded the music album Let's Put Out the Lights. In 1954, Russell founded a women's choir that performed church songs. One of the songs, "Do Lord", became a hit in the United States. Russell also performed frequently on stage at nightclubs such as the Sands Hotel in Los Angeles.
In the 1970s, Russell took part in a commercial for Playtex bras, for which the actress received $ 100,000 a year.
After finishing her film career, Russell continued to perform on the stage and in cabaret. In 1971 she made her Broadway debut replacing actress Elaine Stritch in Company. She also sang the song "The Ladies Who Lunch".
In 1985, the actress published a memoir, My Path and My Detours.
Unfortunately, the actress had a drinking problem. In 1978, she was sentenced to four days in prison for drunk driving. After the death of her third husband, and then the death of her son, which followed one after another, Russell returned to alcohol again. She was 79 years old when her children decided to take the situation into their own hands and sent their mother to be treated for alcohol addiction.
Personal life and family
Jane Russell has been married three times. In 1943, she married her first high school love, Robert Waterfield, who became the coach of the Los Angeles Rams football team. The couple divorced in 1968.
In the same year, Russell remarried with actor Roger Barrett, who died of a heart attack just three months after the marriage.
The third husband of Jane Russell was John Calvin Peeples, a real estate agent. The actress was married to him until his death in 1999.
Due to an early abortion, Russell was later unable to have children. The actress compensated for her position with charitable work aimed at improving the lives of orphans and helping those who adopt children. In the 1950s, Russell founded the World Adoption International Fund, a fund that helped American parents adopt children from other countries. The actress herself, in her first marriage to Waterfield, adopted three children: a girl Tracy and two boys, Thomas and Robert.
Jane Russell died on February 28, 2011 in Santa Maria, California, from a respiratory illness. She was 89 years old.
