Portfolio: Jane Russell
One of the most memorable screen goddesses of the 1940s and '50s, actress and singer Jane Russell was promoted for her ample charms and curvaceous figure, which first graced the screen in Howard Hughes' "The Outlaw." But she also brought a torch song sultriness to her singing and a deft wit to such musical comedies as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
Left: Russell in the 1952 drama, "Montana Belle."
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
Portrait
Born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, in Bemidji, Minn., on June 21, 1921, she took acting lessons after her family moved to California, and did some modeling.
At age 19, while she was working as a receptionist, Russell was discovered by billionaire aviator and Hollywood producer Howard Hughes, who cast her in his western film, "The Outlaw."
"The Outlaw"
Jane Russell in a publicity photo for Howard Hughes' "The Outlaw."
Russell's revealing-for-the-time attire, and her steamy scenes opposite Jack Buetel as Billy The Kid, provoked a censorship battle that delayed the wide release of "The Outlaw" for years.
"The Outlaw"
Hughes reportedly had a brassiere designed especially for the 38D-24-36 Russell that would highlight her "physical attributes," though she denied ever wearing it.
"The Outlaw"
Filmed in 1941, "The Outlaw" was initially released in 1943, and opened nationally three years later (the censorship battles a key part of its publicity).
"The Outlaw"
Jane Russell and Jack Buetel in "The Outlaw."
Sportswoman
Actress Jane Russell tests her skill with a bow and arrow, July 25, 1941.
"Young Widow"
In 1946 Jane Russell starred in "Young Widow," a wartime drama about a woman's romantic complications after her Army Air Corps husband is killed overseas. It was the first glimpse of the actress for many in the U.S., as "The Outlaw" hadn't yet opened wide.
"Young Widow"
Jane Russell as a journalist in "Young Widow" (1946).
"Young Widow"
An ad for "Young Widow." The film was later re-released with the more salacious title, "The Naughty Widow."
Pinup Girl
An undated photo of Jane Russell.
Bob Waterfield and Jane Russell
Cleveland Rams player Bob Waterfield with wife, actress Jane Russell, sitting on bench watching the Rams practice for their championship game with winners of the Eastern Division in Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
The two, high school sweethearts, were married for 23 years before divorcing. Russell's second husband, actor Roger Barrett, died three months after they married in 1969.
"Paleface"
Jane Russell played Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope as a dentist in the western comedy, "The Paleface" (1948).
"Paleface"
You missed! Jane Russell is a target in "The Paleface."
"His Kind of Woman"
Jane Russell starred with Vincent Price and Robert Mitchum in the 1951 film noir, "His Kind of Woman."
"His Kind of Woman"
Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell in "His Kind of Woman" (1951).
"The Las Vegas Story"
Vincent Price is in some financial difficulty, and Jane Russell is his wife who becomes a tool in his plot, in the mystery, "The Las Vegas Story" (1952).
"Macao"
Produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Josef von Sternberg and Nicholas Ray, "Macao" (1952) featured Jane Russell as a night club singer caught up in a nefarious plot involving stolen jewels, gangsters and murder.
"Macao"
Jane Russell reteamed with Robert Mitchum in "Macao."
"Macao"
Jane Russell as a nightclub singer in "Macao."
In addition to her film work, Russell also performed on radio with Kay Kyser. In 1947 she recorded an album of torch songs for Columbia, "Let's Put Out the Lights," which only burnished her appeal.
"Son of Paleface"
Jane Russell returned in the sequel to "Paleface," the 1952 comedy, "Son of Paleface," in which she faced off against Bob Hope as "The Torch," a saloon singer/head of a gang of masked bandits.
"Montana Belle"
Jane Russell played the outlaw Belle Starr, traveling in disguise (the blonde wig is a giveaway) in the 1952 western, "Montana Belle."
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe played showgirls looking for love in all the wrong places in the sparkling musical comedy, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), based on the stage musical adapted from the Anita Loos novel.
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe sing "When Love Goes Wrong" by Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Adamson, from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
Actress Jane Russell poses on the set of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in Hollywood, Calif., Dec. 26, 1952.
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell press their heel prints into wet cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater to promote their film, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," in Los Angeles, June 26, 1953.
"The French Line"
The posters for "The French Line" (1953) shouted "J.R. in 3D - Need we say more?"
Russell refused to wear the bikini that producer Howard Hughes had designed for the film (about an heiress who switches places with a model, to find a man who's interested in more than her money - see, it's a movie), so Hughes devised a one-piece with cutaways that still managed to incense the Catholic Legion of Decency. The censors demanded, and got, cuts in Russell's dance number, "Lookin' for Trouble."
"The French Line"
Jane Russell in a publicity shot for a bubble-filled scene from "The French Line."
"Underwater!"
Jane Russell is a diver seeking sunken treasure in the shark-filled Caribbean in the adventure "Underwater!" (1955), directed by John Sturges.
"The Tall Men"
Clark Gable and Jane Russell starred in the Raoul Walsh western, "The Tall Men" (1955).
"Gentlemen Marry Brunettes"
Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain in "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" (1955), a sequel of sorts to "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," also written by Anita Loos, about showgirls who move to Paris to seek fame and fortune (and, of course, guys).
"Gentlemen Marry Brunettes"
Actress Jane Russell, as seen in the film, "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" (1955).
"Hot Blood"
Jane Russell is the hot-blooded gypsy in the 1956 film, "Hot Blood," costarring Cornell Wilde.
"The Revolt of Mamie Stover"
Jane Russell played a prostitute who tries, and fails, to make a new life for herself in Honolulu in the WWII drama, "The Revolt of Mamie Stover" (1956), directed by Raoul Walsh.
"The Revolt of Mamie Stover"
Jane Russell on the beach in Hawaii in "The Revolt of Mamie Stover" (1956).
"The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown"
In the comedy, "The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown" (1957), Ralph Meeker is one of a pair of small-time crooks who kidnap a Hollywood actress (Jane Russell) and hold her for random.
Russell made rare appearances in films in the 1960s, including the westerns "Johnny Reno" and "Waco," the Mafia comedy "Cauliflower Cupids," the counter-culture mystery, "Darker Than Amber," and the first "Billy Jack" film, "The Born Losers."
John Peoples and Jane Russell
Actress Jane Russell poses for pictures with her third husband, real estate broker John Peoples, in Santa Barbara, Calif., Feb. 1, 1974. They remained married until his death in 1999.
"The Las Vegas Story"
Left: A portrait of Jane Russell from "The Las Vegas Story."
By 1970 she left Hollywood films, but was featured on the TV series "Hunter" and "The Yellow Rose," and appeared on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's "Company." She also formed a gospel singing group with Connie Haines and Beryl Davis, and was also active in her church and charities.
In the 1970s and '80s Russell was most frequently seen in TV commercials for Playtex Bras.
Russell died from respiratory failure in 2011 at her home in Santa Maria, Calif., at the age of 89.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan