Gail Russell
{{short description|American actress (1924–1961)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gail Russell
| image = Gail Russell postcard photo circa 1950s.jpg
| caption = Russell {{circa}} 1950s
| imagesize =
| birth_name = Betty Gale Russell{{Cite web |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVSH-BGC6 |title=Betty Gale Russell – Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates |access-date=13 March 2017 |work=FamilySearch}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|9|21}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1961|8|26|1924|9|21}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
| awards = Hollywood Walk of Fame
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1943–1961
| spouse = {{marriage|Guy Madison|1949|1954|end=divorced}}
}}
Gail Russell (born Betty Gale Russell; September 21, 1924 – August 26, 1961) was an American film and television actress.
Early years
Gail Russell was born to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in Chicago and then moved to the Los Angeles area when she was a teenager. Her father was initially a musician but later worked for Lockheed Corporation. Before she ventured into acting, Russell had planned to be a commercial artist.{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Erskine|title=Around Hollywood|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3226122/pampa_daily_news/|work=Pampa Daily News|date=April 24, 1944|page=2|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = September 14, 2015}} {{Open access}} Her beauty saw her dubbed "the Hedy Lamarr of Santa Monica."{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Will Give All to Career Before Camera: Setbacks Fail to Halt Gifted Glamour Girl Gail Russell Goes All Out for Career Before Camera|author=Schallert, Edwin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Dec 31, 1944|page=B1}}
Career and life
Russell's beauty brought her to the attention of Paramount Pictures in 1942, and she signed a long-term contract with that studio when she was 18.{{cite news|title=Actress Gail Russell Loses Battle of the Bottle; Found Dead in Flat|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4040490/wisconsin_state_journal/|work=Wisconsin State Journal|date=August 28, 1961|location=Madison|page=4|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = January 14, 2016}} {{Open access}}
Russell later said, "suddenly there was this terrific amount of work for myself and no time to myself. It was that way for ten years."{{cite news|title=Faith Saved Me!: Ex-Chicagoan Gail Russell Was a Rising Hollywood Star When Trouble Came; Now She Knows What It Takes to Come Back|author=Russell, Gail|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=Jan 29, 1956|page=d22}}
At the age of 19, Russell made her film debut in the 1943 film Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour. She also had a small part in Lady in the Dark (1943) and was meant to play a role in Henry Aldrich Haunts a House when, in March 1943, she was cast in a key role in The Uninvited (1944) with Ray Milland. Joan Mortimer played Russell's role in Henry Aldrich instead.{{cite news|title='Virginian' Femme Lead Goes to Gail Russell: Columbia Slates 'Men of the Deep; Bruce Bennett Mentioned as Star|author=Schallert, Edwin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Apr 15, 1944|page=5}}
=Stardom=
File:Gail Russell & Guy Madison, 1946.jpg, April 1946]]
The Uninvited was directed by Lewis Allen and was a big success. Producer Charles Brackett claimed in his diary that filming with Russell was difficult.Brackett, Charles (2014). It's the Pictures That Got Small": Charles Brackett on Billy Wilder and Hollywood's Golden Age. Columbia University Press. p.219 {{ISBN| 9780231538220}} Allen said that Ray Milland would take Russell aside and continuously practice her lines with her. Allen also said, "She could only do about five or six lines, and then she'd burst into tears."Weaver, Tom (September 1997). "Welcoming the Uninvited". Fangoria. No. 166. p.15 According to Allen, Russell, who had not drunk alcohol before, began drinking it to calm herself at the suggestion of the head of make-up on set.
According to the National Box Office Digest, it was among the highest-grossing pictures in the United States with rentals of over $500,000.{{cite magazine|magazine=National Box Office Digest Annual|title=All Features Released in 1944|location=Los Angeles, California|url=https://archive.org/details/nationalboxoffic09nati/page/n7/mode/2up?q=All+Features+Released+in+1944|via=Internet Archive|year=1945}} A delighted Paramount announced Russell for Her Heart in Her Throat and True to the Navy with Eddie Bracken.{{cite news|title=DRAMA AND FILM: 'Pistol Packin' Mama' Rights Bring $250,000 Gail Russell's Screen Slate Includes 'True to the Navy' With Eddie Bracken|author=Schallert, Edwin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Sep 3, 1943|page=15}}
Allen directed Russell in Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944), in which she co-starred with Diana Lynn. It was another success.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
Russell co-starred opposite Alan Ladd in Salty O'Rourke (1945), a horse racing drama.{{cite news|title=SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Alan Ladd and Gail Russell to Co-Star -- Graetz Acquires 'Undercover,' English Film|work=THE NEW YORK TIMES|date=Feb 8, 1944|page=12}}
Her Heart in Her Throat became the third film Russell made with Allen, The Unseen (1945), an unofficial follow up to The Uninvited. True to the Navy became Bring On the Girls; Russell did not appear in that film.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
Then she and Lynn were in Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), a sequel to Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.{{cite news|title=SCREEN NEWS: Donlevy to Co-Star With Gail Russell, Diana Lynn|work=THE NEW YORK TIMES|date=Dec 8, 1944|page=26}} Paramount announced her as the female lead in The Virginian (1946) but she did not appear in the final movie.
She was reunited with Ladd in Calcutta (1947), shot in 1945 but not released until two years later. She made a cameo as herself in two all-star Paramount films, Duffy's Tavern (1945) and Variety Girl (1947).
=Loan-outs=
File:Angel and the Badman 1947.jpg in Angel and the Badman (1947)]]
Russell was borrowed by Andrew Stone for The Bachelor's Daughters (1946) at United Artists.{{cite news|title=3 TOP ROLES CAST FOR STONE'S FILM: Gail Russell, Claire Trevor and Ann Dvorak Will Appear in 'The Bachelor's Daughter' Of Local Origin|work=THE NEW YORK TIMES|date=25 Jan 1946|page=22}}
Republic Pictures borrowed her to be John Wayne's leading lady in a film Wayne was producing, Angel and the Badman (1947).{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Borrowed for 'Angel' Portrayal|author=Schallert, Edwin|date=11 Apr 1946|work=Los Angeles Times|page=A2}} Also at Republic she did Moonrise (1948) for Frank Borzage.
Russell returned to Paramount for Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), directed by John Farrow, who had made Calcutta. She reteamed with Wayne at Republic for Wake of the Red Witch (1948), which was a hit.{{cite news|title=GAIL RUSSELL 'REDISCOVERED' AFTER ROLE TROUBLE RUMORS: 'Fate' Picks Roles for Gail Russell|author=Schallert, Edwin|date=30 Jan 1949|work=Los Angeles Times|page=D1}}
She appeared in a Western, El Paso (1949), with John Payne for Pine-Thomas Productions, a production outfit who released through Paramount.
File:Gail Russell in Wake of the Red Witch trailer.jpg (1948)]]
Russell did Song of India (1949) for Columbia and The Great Dan Patch (1949) for United Artists.
Russell married actor Guy Madison on 1 August 1949.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Married|work=The New York Times|date=2 Aug 1949|page=16}} They separated in less than six months{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Separated|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=13 Jan 1950|page=4}} but later reunited, then separated in 1953, and divorced in 1954.
She made some more Pine-Thomas films: Captain China (1950) with Payne, and The Lawless (1951) with Macdonald Carey directed by Joseph Losey.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell and Carey to Co-Star in Movie|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=Mar 5, 1950|page=F3}}
By 1950 it was well known that she had a problem with alcoholism. According to Yvonne de Carlo, actress Helen Walker took Russell "under her wing and introduced her to the tranquilizing benefits of vodka" when they were Paramount contractees together.{{cite book |first1=Yvonne |last1=De Carlo |author-link1=Yvonne de Carlo |title=Yvonne : an autobiography |url=https://archive.org/details/yvonneautobiogra00deca_0 |last2=Warren |first2=Doug |date=1987 |publisher=St Martins Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/yvonneautobiogra00deca_0/page/72 72]|isbn=9780312002176 }} Russell was already drinking on set by her third film, 1944's The Uninvited, to ease her paralyzing stage fright and lack of confidence.{{cite book |last=Porter |first=Darwin |author-link=Darwin Porter |title=Howard Hughes: Hell's Angel |publisher=Blood Moon Productions, Ltd. |year=2005 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/howardhugheshell00darw/page/n551 618] |isbn=0-9748118-1-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/howardhugheshell00darw}} Paramount did not renew her contract.
She made Air Cadet (1951) for Universal.
=Legal troubles=
File:The Great Dan Patch (1949) 1.jpg (center) in The Great Dan Patch (1949)]]
In 1953 John Wayne's then-wife claimed during her divorce proceedings that Wayne and Russell had spent the night together. Wayne and Russell denied this.{{cite news|title=GAIL RUSSELL, FILM ACTRESS, IS FOUND DEAD: Empty Bottles Litter Her Apartment|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=Aug 28, 1961|page=b2}}
In November 1953 she was held in jail overnight after being arrested for drunk driving.{{cite news|title=GAIL RUSSELL SPENDS NIGHT IN JAIL: Gail Russell Held on Drunk Driving Charge|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Nov 25, 1953|page=1}} The following month she and Madison separated permanently.
In January 1954, in a court in Santa Monica, California, Russell pleaded guilty to a charge of drunkenness, receiving a $150 fine ({{Inflation|US|150|1954|r=-1|fmt=eq}}). The fine was in lieu of a jail sentence, with the provision that she not use intoxicants or attend night spots for two years. In the same court session, she received a continuance on a charge of driving while drunk.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Fined as Drunk, Weeps as Barfly Act Banned|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3226085/long_beach_independent/|work=Long Beach Independent|date=January 19, 1954|page=16|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = September 14, 2015}} {{Open access}}
She sued Madison for divorce in May 1954.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Sues Guy Madison for Divorce|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 28, 1954|page=23}} The divorce was finalized in October 1954. During the court proceedings Madison claimed that Russell would never do any housework and would not allow visitors or servants in the house.{{cite news|title=DID ALL HOUSEWORK, HE SAYS: Actor Guy Madison and Gail Russell Divorced|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Oct 7, 1954|page=4}}
In October 1954 she was admitted to a hospital in a coma after an attack of hepatitis.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell's Trial Delayed|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Dec 8, 1954|page=25}}
In February 1955 she hit another car containing a couple and their baby while driving. She was fined $50.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Fined $50|work=New York Times|date=Apr 23, 1955|page=22}} The couple later sued her for $30,000 ({{Inflation|US|30000|1955|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) and settled out of court.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Settles $30,000 Damage Suit|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Nov 28, 1956|page=A12}}
=Comeback=
Russell returned to work in a co-starring role with Randolph Scott in the western Seven Men from Now (1956), produced by her friend Wayne and directed by Budd Boetticher. The film and Russell's performance were lauded and she seemed poised to make a comeback.
Russell was expected to follow Seven Men from Now with Madame Courage, again with Boetticher as director, but the film was never made.{{cite news|title=Drama: Gail Russell to Star as Pioneer Nurse; Brian Donlevy Shifts to Film|author=Schallert, Edwin|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Oct 26, 1955|page=B7}}
Instead Russell appeared in an episode of Studio 57 and had a substantial role in The Tattered Dress (1957).{{cite news|author=Louella Parsons|title=Gail Russell, Restored To Health, Plans Film|work=The Washington Post and Times-Herald|date=Sep 23, 1955|page=46}}
In April 1957 she was found unconscious on the floor at her home.{{cite news|title=Police Find Gail Russell Unconscious in Home|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Aug 21, 1957|page=12}}
On July 5, 1957, she was photographed by a Los Angeles Times photographer after she drove her convertible into the front of Jan's Coffee Shop at 8424 Beverly Boulevard, injuring a janitor. After failing a sobriety test, Russell was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/07/gail-russell.html|title=Gail Russell: In memoriam|last1=Coates|first1=Paul V.|last2=Harnisch |first2=Larry |date=2007-07-05|publisher=latimesblogs.latimes.com|access-date=2009-04-06}} The janitor sued her for $75,000.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Faces Court|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 9, 1957|page=5}} She failed to appear at a court appearance and was discovered at home passed out due to drinking.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell's Condition Good|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Aug 22, 1957|page=B30}} She was fined $420, given a 30-day suspended sentence and put on three years' probation.{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Fined on Coast|work=New York Times|date=Mar 15, 1958|page=12}}
She appeared in No Place to Land (1958) for Republic.
She had roles in episodes of The Rebel and Manhunt. "I guess there are still a lot of doubts about me", she said in April 1960. "And this is one of the reasons why I want to get back to the business to prove to people I can do a picture. I'm stronger now. The future looks pretty good."{{cite news|title=Gail Russell Feels Fit for a Comeback|work=The Washington Post and Times-Herald|date=Apr 10, 1960|page=H5}}
In November 1960 she was announced for a film with Mark Stevens and George Raft called Cause of Death{{cite news|title=Harrison, Portman Up for 'Sherlock': Stevens Directs Gail Russell; Production in Spurt at 20th|author=Scheuer, Philip K.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Nov 15, 1960|page=B7}} but it appears to have not been made. She was top billed in her last film, the low-budget The Silent Call (1961).
Death
Russell moved to a small house where she lived alone. She would periodically try to stop drinking then start again. On one occasion, Russell was hospitalized. On August 26, 1961, she was found dead at her residence in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 36.{{cite news |url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/07/gail-russell.html |title=Gail Russell--in memoriam |date=5 July 2007 |access-date=12 January 2019 |newspaper=LA Times}} She was found by two neighbors who were concerned they had not seen her for several days. An empty vodka bottle was by Russell's side, and the house was full of empty bottles.{{cite news|title=Actress Gail Russell Found Dead at Home: Ex-Star's Death Laid to Natural Causes; Empty Liquor Bottle Found at Her Side GAIL RUSSELL|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Aug 28, 1961|page=B1}}{{cite news|title=Actress Gail Russell, 36, Found Dead at Her Home|work=The Washington Post and Times-Herald|date=Aug 28, 1961|page=B2}}
Russell died from liver damage attributed to "acute and chronic alcoholism" with aspiration of stomach contents as an additional cause.{{cite book |title=Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne |last=Davis |first=Ronald L |year=2001 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-3329-4 |page=137 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0wbaa9S53QC&q=died&pg=PA137 |access-date=July 26, 2010}} She was also found to have been suffering from malnutrition at the time of her death.{{cite book|last=Brettell|first=Andrew|author2=King, Noel |author3=Kennedy, Damien |author4= Imwold, Denise |others=Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather|title=Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies|publisher=Barrons Educational Series|year=2005|pages=251|isbn=0-7641-5858-9}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1943
| Virginia Lowry | Alternative title: Henry Gets Glamour |
| 1944
| Barbara (at 17) | |
| 1944
| Stella Meredith | |
| 1944
| Our Hearts Were Young and Gay | |
| 1945
| Barbara Brooks | |
| 1945
| Elizabeth Howard | |
| 1946
| Cornelia Otis Skinner | |
| 1946
| Eileen | Alternative title: Bachelor Girls |
| 1947
| Penelope Worth | Alternative title: Angel and the Outlaw |
| 1947
| Calcutta | Virginia Moore | |
| 1948
| Moonrise | Gilly Johnson | |
| 1948
| Jean Courtland | |
| 1948
| Angelique Desaix | |
| 1949
| Princess Tara | |
| 1949
| El Paso | Susan Jeffers | |
| 1949
| Cissy Lathrop | Alternative title: Ride a Reckless Mile |
| 1950
| Kim Mitchell | |
| 1950
| Sunny Garcia | Alternative title: The Dividing Line |
| 1951
| Janet Page | Alternative title: Jet Men of the Air |
| 1956
| | Episode: "Time, Tide and a Woman" |
| 1956
| Annie Greer | |
| 1957
| Carol Morrow | |
| 1958
| Lynn Dillon | Alternative title: Man Mad |
| 1960
| Cassandra | Episode: "Noblesse Oblige" |
| 1960
| Manhunt | Mrs. Clarke | Episode: "Matinee Mobster" |
| 1961
| Flore Brancato | |
Radio appearances
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Biography|Film|Television|Radio|Chicago|Los Angeles|California}}
{{Commons}}
- {{IMDb name|0751149}}
- {{Find a Grave|1389}}
- {{TCMDb name|id=167398%7C57021}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Gail}}
Category:Actresses from Chicago
Category:Alcohol-related deaths in California
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Category:Paramount Pictures contract players
Category:20th-century American actresses