THE TRAGIC LIFE OF CLASSIC CINEMA STAR GAIL RUSSELL (Ep. 82)

Hollywood legend has it that ethereal beauty GAIL RUSSELL was discovered after a Paramount Studios talent manager picked up two hitchhiking Santa Monica high school boys who told him all about the "Hedy Lamarr of Santa Monica High School." Allegedly, he then tracked down Russell at school and arranged for a screen test. The rest, as they say, is Hollywood history. If only it had been that easy. Russell, who was painfully shy and had no interest in a career as an actress was pushed in front of the camera by her ambitious mother and the executives at Paramount who saw dollar signs in her startling blue eyes. This week, we explore the life and career of one of Hollywood’s most tragic beauties, GAIL RUSSELL.

SHOW NOTES:

Sources:

Fallen Star: A Biography of Gail Russell (2016), by Steven Glenn Ochoa;

John Wayne: The Life and Legend (2015), by Scott Erman;

It’s the Pictures That Got Smaller: Charles Brackett on Billy Wilder (2104), edited by Anthony Slide;

“Paramount Official Biography of Gail Russell,” March 1940, Paramount Pictures;

“Gail Russell,” May 1971, by Jim Meyer, Film Fan Monthly;

“Stars Attend Funeral of Gail Russell,” August 30, 1961, Los Angeles Times;

“Private Rites Scheduled Today for Gail Russell,” August 29, 1961, Los Angeles Times;

“Gail Russell Found Dead At Home,” May 28, 1961, Los Angeles Times;

“Gail Russell Threatens to Sue on Wayne Case Charge,” October 21, 1953, The Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express;

“Gail Russell Held On Drunk Driving Charges,” November 25, 1953, Los Angeles Times;

“Film Star Gail Russell Jailed As Drunk Driver,” November 25, 1953, LA Daily News;

“Gail Russell Fights Drunk Driving Charge; Trial Set,” November 27, 1953, The Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express;

“Gail Russell Charges $150 Drunk Charge,” January 18, 1954, The Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express;

TCM.com;

Movies Mentioned:

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour (1943), starring James Lydon & Diana Lynn;

Lady In The Dark (1944), starring Ginger Rogers & Ray Milland;

The Uninvited (1944), starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, & Gail Russell;

Our Hearts Were Young And Gay (1944), starring Gail Russell & Diana Lynn;

Salty O'Rourke (1945), starring Alan Ladd & Gail Russell;

The Unseen (1945), starring Joel McCrea & Gail Russell;

Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), starring Gail Russell & Diana Lynn;

Calcutta (1947), starring Alan Ladd & Gail Russell;

Angel And The Badman (1947), starring John Wayne & Gail Russell;

Night Has A Thousand Eyes (1948), starring Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell, & JohnLund;

Moonrise (1948), starring Dane Clark & Gail Russell;

Wake of the Red Witch (1948), starring John Wayne & Gail Russell;

Song of India (1949), starring Turban Bey & Gail Russell;

El Paso (1949), starring John Wayne, Sterling Hayden, & Gail Russell;

The Great Dan Patch (1949), starring Dennis O’Keefe;

Captain China (1950), starring John Payne & Gail Russell;

7 Men From Now (1956), starring Randolph Scott & Gail Russell;

The Tattered Dress (1957), starring Jeff Chandler & Jeanne Crain;

The Silent Call (1961), starring Gail Russell & Roger Mobley

[BritInvLvr]

Another excellent episode. Thank you for enriching us with your knowledge.

[donaldauguston]

Wonderful podcast - though quite sad. Thank you and take care, DA

[JaneMcKee-lb]

She is so beautiful, such a sad story.

[olekobethepinheadedboy]

Excellent podcast. After watching Angel and the Badman, I became a Gail fan for life. For me, this was the saddest story to come out of Hollywood.

[birgitbedesky]

I love her in Angel and the Badman. You can see how gentle Wayne is with her. I love her in The Uninvited, where she brings out her vulnerability. I am unsure which orher films i have seen her in..oh yes Wake of the Red Witch😊
She had Agoraphobia and needed help with this. I am very phobic of heights and justvthinking of being on a beam 50bstories high every day would make me drink too. What did her parents have to say about her drinking and death? What about her brother? Wayne's 2nd wife was a real doozy who also died of alcoholism. Wayne was not thinking with his mind when he got involved with her. When her mom lived with them, it was sheer horror because Chata was like her mom. Yikes! Another brilliant, thoughtful, and sensitive edition about this ethereal actress.

[reneevoicebrand]

Tragedy, anger, and pain came through on your podcast. Through NO FAULT of her own Gail Russell was thrust into being the breadwinner because her mother said, 'we need the money'. Children aren't responsible for funding the family. Parents are. I don't think Gail knew who she really was. As an actress she was playing parts, but deep down, she had very little experience to draw from. Alcohol is numbing. It keeps you from feeling. If only she was allowed to fully express herself through her painting and artwork. Maybe we wouldn't have been given the gift of seeing her on the movie screen but she could have been given the gift of a life well-lived.

[DavidN]

Marvelous, and sadly cautionary, episode. My grandmother's favorite, and, as such, an actress I literally grew up watching on "Dialing for Dollars" and/or late night weekend television. It's high time someone filmed her story, although what actress out there could match those extraordinary eyes while giving their all to such a tragic descent is beyond me at present. Will have to study on it. More, please, Steve & Nan, thank you.
💞🙌🎭🎥👑🎥🎭🙌💞

[katherinesanborn]

Bless her poor heart, what a sad story. Appreciate how you handled her story so lovingly and respectfully. RIP dear sweet angel.

[adelebz]

This was an eye-opening episode. Alcohol has destroyed so many promising talents. So, so sad!!!😢😮😢😮

[KerryLockhart-zd]

This is one of my all-time favorite non-superstar performers. I fell in love with Gail Russell after seeing her in "Angel and the Badman" with John Wayne. I think she was one of the great beauties in Hollywood history, with the most hauntingly beautiful eyes I've ever seen. She had all the talent to be a truly great actor, but, apparently, not the desire. Reportedly, she eas pushed into acting by a frustrated actress mother. This is one of Hollywood's great tragic stories in my oponion. I would rather have seen Gail Russell live to a ripe old age as a happy woman, even though I loved her on the silver screen. Thank you to the hosts for this story, tragic though it is.

[KerryLockhart-zd]

Sorry for the typos in my comments. Gail Russell is supernatural!