Gloria Jean(bornGloria Jean Schoonover;April 14, 1926 – August 31, 2018)[1]was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances. She may be best remembered for her appearance withW. C. Fieldsin the filmNever Give a Sucker an Even Break(1941).
Gloria Jean | |
|---|---|
 Jean in 1947 | |
| Born | Gloria Jean Schoonover April 14, 1926 Buffalo, New York,U.S. |
| Died | August 31, 2018(aged 92) |
| Resting place | Mountain View Community Cemetery, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1929–1962 |
| Spouse |
Franco Cellini
(m.1962;div.1966) |
| Children | 1 |
Early years
editGloria Jean was born Gloria Jean Schoonover inBuffalo, New York,the daughter of Ferman and Eleanor Schoonover;[2]her ancestry wasPennsylvania Dutch.[3]She had three sisters, Sally, Lois, and Bonnie. The family was involved in her career, with Lois serving as stand-in for the actress and their father managing her career.[4]Gloria Jean was three years old when she first sang on radio, under the name "Baby Skylark."[2]
Singing
editThe family moved toScranton, Pennsylvania,where Gloria Jean sang withPaul Whiteman's orchestra on radio broadcasts. When she was 12, "she was engaged by a smallish New York opera company and became the youngest member of an opera troupe in the United States."[3]
Film
editUniversal
editGloria Jean was being trained as acoloratura sopranowhen her voice teacher, Leah Russel, took her to an audition held byUniversal Picturesmovie producerJoe Pasternakin 1938. Pasternak had guidedDeanna Durbinto stardom, and with Durbin advancing toingénueroles, Pasternak wanted a younger singer to make the same kind of musicals. He held auditions for a film calledThe Under-Pup.[5]
"There were hundreds of beautiful little girls there," Jean recalled. "I had been grabbed out of the sandbox, and I didn't look so nice. I had pigtails and my teeth were a little crooked. But that's what Joe liked."[5]
She told Pasternak she could not sing as the piano was out of tune. "My mother almost shot me. Joe said, `I like this kid. Let's get the piano tuned and bring her back tomorrow.' I got all kinds of lectures on the way home about being a little more subdued. When I sang the next day, I knew it went very well".[5]Up against all the others, Gloria Jean won the audition.[6]
Under contract to Universal, she was given the leading role in the featureThe Under-Pup(1939), which starredRobert CummingsandNan Greywho had been inThree Smart Girls Grow Upwith Durbin.[4]The film did well and Gloria Jean became instantly popular with moviegoers.[7]Universal's publicity department initially claimed the singer was 11 years old instead of 13; her actual age was not well known for many decades.
She co-starred withBing CrosbyinIf I Had My Way(1940) which was written, produced and directed by David Butler. She then starred in the well-receivedA Little Bit of Heaven(1940), which reunited her with many from theUnder-Pupcast, including Nan Grey; the male lead wasRobert Stackwho appeared opposite Durbin several times. Her rise to stardom caused some problems: in December 1940 she was sued by William Lustig, a Pennsylvania bandleader who had appeared with her during her local radio years; Lustig claimed to be her former agent.[8]
Her fourth picture became her best known:Never Give a Sucker an Even Break(1941), in which she co-starred withW.C. Fields."He had a reputation, I know, for not liking children, but he was very kind and considerate to me," said Gloria later. "I used to wonder, though, why he didn't eat on the set. When we broke for a meal he'd say, 'Get that kid off to school.' Of course, I know now, it was because he wanted to drink."[9]
Youth musicals
editUniversal recognized the need for musical entertainment during wartime, and Gloria Jean became one of the studio's most prolific performers; during the war years she made 14 feature films. Most were "hepcat" musicals geared to the teenagers of the day, and Universal used them to introduce new young talent, includingDonald O'Connor,Peggy Ryan,Mel Tormé,andMarshall Thompson.[10]She supportedThe Andrews SistersinWhat's Cookin'(1942) then appeared withDonald O'Connor,Jane Frazee,Robert Paigeand Peggy Ryan inGet Hep to Love(1942). It was directed byCharles Lamont,as wasWhen Johnny Comes Marching Home(1942) with O'Connor, Ryan, Frazee, andAllan Jones.She and O'Connor were top-billed inIt Comes Up Love(released 1943).
In 1942 she was cast, in her first dramatic performance, as a blind girl in one of four vignettes forJulien Duvivier'sFlesh and Fantasy(1943). The studio started admitting her real age.[11]Her performance won raves at the film's advance preview, and her segment was the best-received of the four. However, Universal removed the half-hour sequence and shelved it, at the insistence of a major stockholder who exerted a great deal of control at the studio.[6]Columnist Edwin Schallert commented at the time: "For Gloria the fact that she did not appear inFlesh and Fantasywas a heartbreak, and she declares she's had a number of them even thus far in her experience. She also expects to have more. She's philosophical about that. 'But I've liked every bit of my experiences during those five years, even the heartbreaks,' she said. 'TheFlesh and Fantasywas the worst, because the part I played in that really meant a lot to me. It was the first I'd ever done with real drama. But now they plan to develop that sequence into a full-length picture so that probably proves, as I've learned, that things generally work out for the best.' "[12]
In the wake ofFlesh and Fantasy,Universal tried to give Gloria Jean a smooth transition from adolescent roles to leading-lady status. She was outgrowing juvenile roles but was not yet mature enough for adult leads. In December 1942 she was tested for the female lead inPhantom of the Opera,[13]but was considered too young. She was then considered as the singing ingenue in a concurrentAbbott and Costellocomedy,It Ain't Hay(released 1943) but was considered too old.
Universal returned her to the budget-musical ranks. She and Peggy Ryan co-starred inMister Big(1943), a vehicle for Donald O'Connor. Gloria Jean's next starring film wasMoonlight in Vermont(1943) withRay Maloneand Betty McCabe, a one-shot attempt to create a new O'Connor-Ryan song-and-dance team.
In January 1944 Universal announced they wanted to launch Gloria Jean as a more adult star; she turned 18 in April. She co-starred withOlsen and Johnsonin the big-budgetGhost Catchers(1944), which featured singer-actorKirby Grant.The two vocalists worked so well together that Universal teamed them for two more features,[6]I'll Remember AprilandEasy to Look At(both released 1945).
When Gloria Jean's Universal contract expired at the end of 1944, her agent Eddie Sherman (who was also Abbott and Costello's manager) persuaded her against renewing it,[6]citing the need for "a transition period to make the change from child to adult roles."[14]This left Universal in a bind; the studio had already promised exhibitors three Gloria Jean pictures for the 1945 season. Universal solved the problem by rushing Gloria Jean through three final productions that had already been partially completed. The half-hour sequence fromFlesh and Fantasywas finally expanded into a feature-length melodrama,Destiny(1944); and scripts had already been prepared forFairy Tale Murder(1945) (released in the United States asRiver Gang) andEasy to Look At.[6]
Tours and aftermath
editAfter leaving Universal, Gloria Jean made personal appearances across America; the successful tour prompted a new tour of Europe. In England, her rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" (and the lyric "forgive us ourdebts") was taken by some critics as a pointed comment about America'slend-leasepolicy.[6]"It was all over the newspapers the next day, the story that I had come to London to insult Britons," said Gloria. "I was devastated."[9]Thus the European tour ended abruptly and Gloria Jean returned to Hollywood.[15]
Her family lawyer had vanished with her earnings and she was heavily in debt to federal tax authorities. To make matters worse, no directors wanted the former child star. "It was a mistake for me to stay away from Hollywood that long," she admitted in 1960. "You can easily be forgotten."[7]
She resumed her movie career as a freelance performer appearing inUnited Artists,Columbia Pictures,andAllied Artistsproductions, includingCopacabana(1947) withGroucho Marx.Four of her later films were directed byArthur Dreifuss:I Surrender Dear(1948) andManhattan Angel(1949) forSam Katzman,[16]then the Dreifuss-producedAn Old-Fashioned Girl(1949) forEagle Lion FilmsandThere's a Girl in My Heart(1949) for Allied Artists.[17]
Television
editGloria Jean began appearing on TV shows likeHollywood Theatre Time,Rebound,Death Valley Days,Hallmark Hall of Fame,The Colgate Comedy Hour,Your Favorite Story,Annie Oakley,andLux Video Theatre.Her best-known performances of the early 1950s were sixSnader Telescriptions(three-minute musicals syndicated for television), later compiled into the TV seriesShowtime.
She continued to appear sporadically in feature films, albeit low-budget ones.Wonder Valley(1952), produced on location in Arkansas, was Gloria Jean's first color movie but was laterlost.[6]Her next feature wasAir Strike(1955), a minor military drama.
AfterAir StrikeGloria Jean was hired by the owner of the Tahitian restaurant inStudio City, California,as a hostess,[18]greeting and seating dinner guests. She enjoyed the experience and occasionally ran the restaurant in her employer's absence. Show-business patrons were surprised that a film star had resorted to restaurant work, resulting in sympathetic feature stories in the national press.
Veteran Hollywood producerEdward Finney,himself a Gloria Jean fan, saw one of these reports and hired her to star in the lightweight comedyLaffing Time(filmed in 1959, re-released asThe Madcapsin 1964).[6]Jerry Lewisalso read that Gloria Jean was working in a restaurant, and signed her for a singing role in his latest production,The Ladies Man(1961).[19]Lewis removed almost all of her footage from the finished film; she appears only as an extra and has no dialogue. It was her last theatrical motion picture.
Her final appearances were inThe Dick Powell Theatre,Lockup,andSaints and Sinners.
Personal life
editNewspaper columnistBob Thomasreported that Gloria was engaged to a pilot who was killed in theKorean War.[18]Gloria Jean herself denied this, dismissing it as mistaken identity.
In 1962 she married Franco Cellini, an actor, but the marriage was troubled by his frequent absences. By 1966 they were divorced. "I seem to attract the drips and the drunks," she said. The union produced a son, Angelo.[5]
She had problems with the IRS. "Seems there had been a lot of mistakes in old income tax returns," she says. "So the Internal Revenue Service came along and seized all my assets. Everything... I decided, unlike so many other child stars, that instead of just sitting around waiting for work in the acting business, I'd pick myself up and go out and get a job."[9]
In 1965 she signed on with an employment agency, which sent her toRedkenCosmetics, where she worked as a receptionist until 1993.
"I'm very happy," she said in 1986. "I feel I had a wonderful past and I have a contented, happy present."[9]
Revived interest in her life and films
editIn December 1991, Gloria Jean was honored by theYoung Artist Foundationwith itsFormer Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award,recognizing her achievements within the film industry as a juvenile performer.[20]Gloria Jean also participated in various nostalgia and autograph shows, meeting fans and displaying memorabilia. She had always retained her fan following, and corresponded steadily with friends and admirers for the rest of her life.
Gloria Jean's films are beginning to receive new exposure:If I Had My Wayhas been restored to its original length and issued on DVD, followed by the DVD release ofNever Give a Sucker an Even Break.(Latter-day documentaries about W. C. Fields include recent clips of Gloria Jean, reminiscing about working with him.) Universal Pictures has struck new 35mm prints ofMister BigandGet Hep to Lovefor theatrical use. Her 1947 filmCopacabanais available on home video.
Final years
editAfter her retirement from Redken, Gloria Jean lived in California with her sister, Bonnie. After Bonnie died in 2007 she moved to Hawaii to live with her son Angelo and his family. (Angelo died in 2017.) Very late in life she suffered health problems, including two serious falls that slowed her mobility, and a heart condition. She died of heart failure and pneumonia on August 31, 2018, in a hospital near her home inMountain View, Hawaii.[1]She is survived by her daughter-in-law and four grandchildren.
Her authorized biography,Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven,was published in 2005. A tribute website, GloriaJeanSings.com, followed, also with Gloria Jean's cooperation. Her Internet presence includes a series of videos showing the actress as she appeared in recent years.
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Under-Pup | Pip-Emma Binns | First picture, for Universal |
| 1940 | If I Had My Way | Patricia Johnson | |
| A Little Bit of Heaven | Midge Loring | ||
| 1941 | Never Give a Sucker an Even Break | W.C. Fields's niece, Gloria Jean | |
| Jingle Belles | Song specialties | Short subject (reissued asWinter Serenade) | |
| 1942 | What's Cookin'? | Sue Courtney | |
| Get Hep to Love | Doris Stanley | (released outside the United States asShe's My Lovely) | |
| When Johnny Comes Marching Home | Marilyn Benton | ||
| 1943 | It Comes Up Love | Victoria Peabody | (released outside the United States asA Date with an Angel) |
| Mister Big | Patricia Davis | ||
| Moonlight in Vermont | Gwen Harding | ||
| 1944 | Ghost Catchers | Melinda Marshall | |
| Pardon My Rhythm | Jinx Page | ||
| Reckless Age | Linda Wadsworth | ||
| Destiny | Jane Broderick | Includes sequence deleted fromFlesh and Fantasy | |
| 1945 | I'll Remember April | April Garfield | |
| Easy to Look At | Judy Dawson | Last Universal picture | |
| River Gang | Wendy | Filmed earlier but release delayed by Universal; released outside the United States asFairy Tale Murder | |
| 1947 | Copacabana | Anne Stuart | Sam Coslowproduction for United Artists |
| 1948 | I Surrender Dear | Patty Nelson, aka Patty Hart | Columbia |
| Manhattan Angel | Gloria Cole | Columbia | |
| An Old Fashioned Girl | Polly Milton | Eagle-Lion | |
| 1949 | There's a Girl in My Heart | Ruth Kroner | Allied Artists |
| 1952 | Wonder Valley | Viva Ruth Liles production; no known usable prints exist | |
| 1955 | Air Strike | Marge Huggins | Robert L. Lippertproduction |
| 1959 | Laffing Time(reissued asThe Madcaps) | Sally Suffer | Edward Finney production |
| 1961 | The Ladies' Man | Girl in boarding house | Paramount |
Radio appearances
edit| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Lux Radio Theatre | The Under-Pup[21] |
References
edit- ^ab"Gloria Jean, '30s and '40s Singer and Actress, Dead at 92 - ExtraTV.com".Extra.
- ^abDickenson, Fred (January 26, 1941)."Jingle, Jingle, Little Star".New Mexico, Albuquerque. Albuquerque Journal. p. 16.RetrievedJanuary 2,2016– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^ab"Gloria Jean Started Acting Career Early".Statesville Daily Record.North Carolina, Statesville. Statesville Daily Record. October 25, 1947. p. 16.RetrievedJanuary 2,2016– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^abMann, May (March 16, 1941)."Child Star Growing Up -- She Wears First 'Formal'".The Ogden Standard-Examiner.Utah, Ogden. The Ogden Standard-Examiner. p. 15.RetrievedJanuary 2,2016– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^abcd"Gloria Jean Savors Days of Child Stardom" Patricia Ward Biederman. Los Angeles Times 6 Oct 1985: se5.
- ^abcdefghScott MacGillivrayand Jan MacGillivray,Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven,iUniverse, Bloomington, IN, 2005
- ^abGloria Jean: Delightful child actress and singer of the 1930s whose career faded when she reached adulthood The Times 22 Sep 2018: 78.
- ^Child Actress Sued by Agent: Action in East Asks Gloria Jean and Her Parents Pay $525,000 Los Angeles Times 27 Dec 1940: 3.
- ^abcd'New Deanna Durbin' a receptionist: Whatever happened to Gloria Jean?: [SUN Edition] Mitchell Smyth Toronto Star.Toronto, Ontario.02 February, 1986: D4
- ^Gloria Jean, Child Singing Sensation in 1940s Films, Dies at 92 Slotnik, Daniel E. New York Times Sep 5, 2018.
- ^WHAT'S NEWS IN HOLLYWOOD?: New York Times 6 Dec 1942: X3.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (January 23, 1944). "Starlet's Career Enters Adult Phase With a Bang: Public to Meet Gloria Jean It Does Not Know Public Suddenly to Meet Grown-up Gloria Jean".Los Angeles Times.p. B1.
- ^DRAMA: Gloria Jean Probable Choice for 'Phantom' Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times ( 29 Dec 1942: 10.
- ^Vernon, Terry (February 26, 1962)."TeleVues".Independent.California, Long Beach. Independent. p. 32.RetrievedJanuary 2,2016– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Gloria Jean: Child actress and singer whose career faded in her twenties The Daily Telegraph9 Oct 2018: 29.
- ^"Frank Bacon's Life Subject of Movie", New York Times, January 26, 1948: 15.
- ^Power, Andrews Rivals; Gloria Jean in New Deal Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 19 July 1948: 15.
- ^abThomas, Bob (September 29, 1960)."Former Child Star Seeks a Comeback".The Lawton Constitution.Oklahoma, Lawton. The Lawton Constitution. p. 31.RetrievedJanuary 2,2016– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Comedian Signs Ex-Child Star".Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.Texas, Lubbock. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. October 30, 1960. p. 68.RetrievedJanuary 2,2016– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"13th Annual Youth in Film Awards".YoungArtistAwards.org.Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2011.RetrievedMarch 31,2011.
- ^"Those Were the Days".Nostalgia Digest.38(3): 32–39. Summer 2012.
External links
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