By Raquel Stecher
With her smoldering gaze, voluptuous body, and on-screen charisma, Jane Russell was the epitome of a sexy movie star. Best known for her performances in films such as The Outlaw (1943) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) where she appears opposite Marilyn Monroe, Russell broke the mold for what motion picture actress should look like and what she should wear. As biographer Christina Rice writes her book Mean… Moody… Magnificent! Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend: “she carved out a place for herself in Hollywood and became one of its more recognizable figures.”
Born on June 21st of 1921, Jane Russell and her family moved from Minnesota to southern California. As a teenager, Russell was discovered by photographer Tom Kelley who taught her all the industry secrets on how best to look on camera. This came in handy when an agent for film producer Howard Hughes spotted her at a photo shoot. She auditioned for the western The Outlaw and alongside fellow newcomer Jack Buetel were quickly cast as the leads.
While the film was shot in November 1940 until March 1941, it wasn’t released for another two years. What commenced was one of the longest and most elaborate marketing campaigns in Hollywood history. Much of the focus was on Russell’s figure, complete with a very tantalizing movie poster. If you’ve ever watched Martin Scorsese’s film The Aviator (2004), you may remember Leonard DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, designing a bra for Russell and proving to the Breen’s office that Russell’s low cut top was no more revealing than those of other actresses who came before her.
Russell remained under contract with Hughes for 30 years, collaborating with him on several films for his studio RKO and for various independent projects. She was also loaned out to studios like MGM and 20th Century Fox. For RKO, she starred alongside Robert Mitchum in two noirs: His Kind of Woman (1951) and Macao (1952). And over at Paramount she teamed with comedian Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948) and its sequel Son of Paleface (1952).
Russell was often adorned in tight-fitting costumes that showcased her curvaceous figure. According to biographer Christina Rice, Russell’s gold evening gown in Macao was “made of metal mesh that weighed twenty-one pounds and cost $550 (roughly equivalent to $6,000 in 2020) to make. Jane needed three people to help her get into the dress, and when the cameras were rolling, she had to be careful how she moved since the metal made a clinking sound easily picked up by the microphones.”
Russell was never a serious actress, but she was a talented entertainer. She dazzled on screen, sang in most of her films, and even danced in a few of them. The apex of her career came with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), a big musical production directed by Howard Hawks for 20th Century Fox. Many actresses turned it down because they feared they would be overshadowed by whichever blonde was cast in the lead role of Lorelei. This didn’t frighten Russell one bit and she held her own alongside Marilyn Monroe, who at the time was still fairly new to the scene but was about to become a mega-star.
Jane Russell worked throughout the 1950s and 1960s, taking several breaks to deal with personal matters including her tempestuous first marriage to Robert Waterfield, a professional football player, the adoption of her three children, and her humanitarian work to advocate for international adoption. Russell retired from film after making Darker Than Amber (1970) but appeared on Broadway, in smaller productions, and made guest appearances on a handful of TV shows. At the end of her life, Russell focused on her family and her religious beliefs. However, she never gave up her connection to the entertainment industry. She was open to interviews for all types of media and invitations to festivals and shows. She even advised Martin Scorsese when he was preparing to make The Aviator (2004). Russell passed away in 2011, leaving behind a dazzling legacy of performances for future generations to enjoy.
The following Jane Russell films are available to rent on DVD Netflix!
Raquel Stecher has been writing about classic films for the past decade on her blog Out of the Past. She attends the TCM Classic Film Festival as well as other events where old movie fanatics get together to geek out. Raquel has been a devoted DVD Netflix member since 2002! Follow her on her blog Out of the Past or find her on Twitter @RaquelStecher and @ClassicFilmRead, Facebook, and Instagram.