Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star Jane Russell, who became a controversial Hollywood sex symbol, has died at the age of 89.
Russell, best known as the voluptuous star of 1940s and 1950s movies, died of respiratory failure at her home in Santa Maria, central California.
The actress, who later in life was the 'full-figured girl' in television bra ads, was at her best in comedies that, subtly or not, spoofed her sexpot image and focused on her figure.
The eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes discovered Russell and put her in her first movie, The Outlaw, which stuck her with the sexpot image based on her bosom, the bra for which reportedly was size 38D.
 |
 |
| Looking petulant as her tight-fitting peasant blouse slipped off one shoulder |
Russell sings at a restaurant in Santa Maria, California, in 2002 |
Using his considerable marketing skills, Hughes had the sultry Russell photographed languishing on a bed of straw, looking petulant as her tight-fitting peasant blouse slipped off one shoulder.
His publicity mill ground out photos of the beauty in low-cut costumes and swimsuits, and she became famous, especially as a pin-up for World War II soldiers.
To contain her ample bust, Hughes — the designer of the 'Spruce Goose' airplane — used his engineering skills to make Russell a special push-up bra (one she said she never wore).
Censors held up The Outlaw for almost three years before a limited release in 1943.
'Except for comedy, I went nowhere in the acting department,' Russell said in her autobiography. 'The truth is that, more often than not, I've been unhappy about the pictures I've been in.'
The promotional material was so striking that in one poll Russell was voted 'favourite actress' before the voters had even seen her act.
Another release of the film in 1950 drew more poor reviews and mediocre business.
Although her look and her hourglass figure made her the subject of numerous nightclub jokes, unlike Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and other pin-up queens of the era, Russell was untouched by scandal in her personal life. During her Hollywood career she was married to American football quarterback Bob Waterfield.
In 1948 Hughes bought the ailing RKO studio and that year she made her most successful film, a loan to Paramount for The Paleface. Bob Hope, who once introduced the actress as 'the two and only Miss Russell', teamed with her in the Western spoof which led to a sequel.
In 1953 Russell paired with Marilyn Monroe in her biggest hit, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In the musical based on the novel by Anita Loos she and Monroe teamed up to sing Two Little Girls From Little Rock and seek romance in Paris.
In 1955, she made the sequel Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (without Monroe) and starred in Foxfire with Jeff Chandler. But by the 1960s, her film career had faded.
'Why did I quit movies?' she remarked in 1999. 'Because I was getting too old! You couldn't go on acting in those years if you were an actress over 30.'
She continued to appear in nightclubs, television and musical theatre, including a stint on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Company. She formed a singing group with Connie Haines and Beryl Davis, and they made records of gospel songs.
 |
| Jane Russell photographed in publicity shots for The Outlaw (1943) |
At the age of 60, Russell's figure once again gained the attention of millions — this time on television screens advertising a brand of bras for 'full-figured' women. In the 1980s she made a few guest appearances in the TV series 'The Yellow Rose'
Russell once told an interviewer that 'Christians have bosoms, too, you know,' and in her autobiography she talked about the conflict between her religious faith and her image. She also expressed regret over her extra-marital affairs, her divorce and her alcoholism.
In 1978, she made headlines by being jailed for four days for drunken driving and began her successful battle against alcoholism.
She was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota, and the family later moved to Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Her mother was a lay preacher, and she encouraged the family to build a chapel in their backyard.
Her early ambition was to design clothes and houses, but that was postponed until her later years. While working as a receptionist, she was spotted by a movie agent who submitted her photos to Hughes.
Although she had all but abandoned Hollywood after the 1960s for a quieter life, her daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield said Russell remained active until just a few weeks ago when her health began to fail.
Until then she was active with her church, charities that were close to her heart and as a member of a singing group that made occasional appearances around Santa Maria.
She was the leader of the Hollywood Christian Group, a cluster of film people who gathered for Bible study and good works.
By her own account, Russell's marriage to football hero Bob Waterfield was tempestuous. They had no biological children, due to an inept back-alley abortion Russell underwent in her youth, and instead adopted three children. The 24-year marriage ended in bitter divorce in 1968.
That year she married actor Roger Barrett; three months later he died of a heart attack. In 1978 she married developer John Peoples, and they lived in Sedona, Arizona, and later, Santa Barbara. He died in 1999 of heart failure.
© Daily Mail, London |
E-mail
