“THE BRUNETTE BOMBSHELL”
∗ Born June 21, 1921 in Bemidji, Minnesota; father was an Army lieutenant, mother was an actress and lay preacher
∗ Moved with her family to Los Angeles area; performed in stage productions at Van Nuys High School
∗ Became a photo model following her father’s death in 1937; studied drama and acting at Max Reinhardt’s Theatrical Workshop
∗ Signed seven-year contract with Howard Hughes in 1940; starred in The Outlaw, his first film; completed filming in 1941 (much of it near Yuma and Tuba City) but Hollywood censors objected to the prominence of her 38D bust; benefited from extensive promotional campaign by Hughes capitalizing on the controversy; released on a limited basis in 1943, but general release delayed until 1946, when it became a hit
∗ Was a popular pin-up girl with American servicemen during World War II – most notoriously in seductive poses on a haystack from Hughes’s five-year publicity campaign for The Outlaw
∗ Appeared in two dozen other movies, most notably Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) with Marilyn Monroe; played Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948) and Son of Paleface (1952); starred in Foxfire (1955), filmed partly in Kingman and Oatman
∗ Formed Russ-Field Productions in 1955 with husband Robert Waterfield; produced and starred in four films: Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), The King and Four Queens (1956) Run for the Sun (1956) and The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957)
∗ Placed her handprints and footprints in front of Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (famously with Marilyn Monroe) in 1953; awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960
∗ Launched musical career in 1947, singing with the Kay Kyser Orchestra; recorded “Kisses and Tears” with Frank Sinatra (1950); formed the Hollywood Christian Group gospel quartet in 1954, selling two million copies of the traditional spiritual “Do Lord”; debuted as a solo nightclub act in Las Vegas (1957) and performed around the world
∗ Recovered from alcoholism; was strongly “pro-life” after an illegal abortion during high school left her infertile; formed weekly bible study group for actors; appeared occasionally on religious TV programs
∗ Championed passage of the Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment of 1953, which allowed children fathered by American servicemen overseas to be placed for adoption in the United States; founded the World Adoption International Fund (WAIF) in 1955, ultimately placing more than 50,000 children with adoptive families; received Living Legacy Award from the Women’s International Center in 1989 for her work with adoption groups; adopted three children herself
∗ Served as longtime TV spokeswoman for Playtex “Cross Your Heart” bras for full-figure women during the 1960s and 1970s
∗ Guest starred in a 1960 episode of the syndicated TV series Death Valley Days; guest starred in three episodes of NBC-TV prime-time soap opera The Yellow Rose in 1984; guest starred in a 1986 episode of NBC-TV series Hunter
∗ Starred in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Company for six months in 1971, succeeding original star Elaine Stritch
∗ Moved to Sedona with third husband, real estate broker John Peoples, in the late 1970s, living on Hy-View Lane; performed regularly at Dudes restaurant and bar, which the couple owned (now site of the Coffee Pot restaurant)
∗ Wrote autobiography, My Path and My Detours, in 1985; described herself in 2003 as “a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded conservative Christian bigot, but not a racist”
∗ Portrayed in 1996 TV movie Norma Jean and Marilyn and in 2001 CBS-TV mini-series Blonde, a fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe
∗ Retired to Santa Maria, California (150 miles northwest of Los Angeles) after Peoples’ death in 1999 to be closer to her youngest son
∗ Organized (at age 84) a musical show called “The Swinging Forties” featuring herself and a dozen local residents of Santa Maria, which performed twice a month; said she created the show out of boredom because there was wasn’t much for older folks to do
∗ Was visited by Leonardo DiCaprio, who wanted to learn more about Howard Hughes when he was filming 2004 film The Aviator
∗ Voted one of the 40 Most Iconic Movie Goddesses of All Time in 2009 by Glamour magazine; inspired naming of “The Jane Russell Peaks” twin mountains in Alaska
∗ Selected by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) cable channel as its “Star of the Month” for April 2020
∗ Died February 28, 2011 of respiratory failure in Santa Maria, California, and her ashes scattered in Pacific Ocean
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