“The Tragic Life of Classic Cinema Star Gail Russell” (082) - 4/07/2025

Hollywood legend has it that ethereal beauty GAIL RUSSELL was discovered after a Paramount Studios talent manager picked up two hitchhiking Santa Monica high school boys who told him all about the "Hedy Lamarr of Santa Monica High School." Allegedly, he then tracked down Russell at school and arranged for a screen test. The rest, as they say, is Hollywood history. If only it had been that easy. Russell, who was painfully shy and had no interest in a career as an actress was pushed in front of the camera by her ambitious mother and the executives at Paramount who saw dollar signs in her startling blue eyes. This week, we explore the life and career of one of Hollywood’s most tragic beauties, GAIL RUSSELL. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Fallen Star: A Biography of Gail Russell (2016), by Steven Glenn Ochoa;

John Wayne: The Life and Legend (2015), by Scott Erman;

It’s the Pictures That Got Smaller: Charles Brackett on Billy Wilder (2104), edited by Anthony Slide;

“Paramount Official Biography of Gail Russell,” March 1940, Paramount Pictures;

“Gail Russell,” May 1971, by Jim Meyer, Film Fan Monthly;

“Stars Attend Funeral of Gail Russell,” August 30, 1961, Los Angeles Times;

“Private Rites Scheduled Today for Gail Russell,” August 29, 1961, Los Angeles Times;

“Gail Russell Found Dead At Home,” May 28, 1961, Los Angeles Times;

“Gail Russell Threatens to Sue on Wayne Case Charge,” October 21, 1953, The Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express;

“Gail Russell Held On Drunk Driving Charges,” November 25, 1953, Los Angeles Times;

“Film Star Gail Russell Jailed As Drunk Driver,” November 25, 1953, LA Daily News;

“Gail Russell Fights Drunk Driving Charge; Trial Set,” November 27, 1953, The Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express;

“Gail Russell Charges $150 Drunk Charge,” January 18, 1954, The Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express;

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour (1943), starring James Lydon & Diana Lynn;

Lady In The Dark (1944), starring Ginger Rogers & Ray Milland;

The Uninvited (1944), starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, & Gail Russell;

Our Hearts Were Young And Gay (1944), starring Gail Russell & Diana Lynn;

Salty O'Rourke (1945), starring Alan Ladd & Gail Russell;

The Unseen (1945), starring Joel McCrea & Gail Russell;

Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), starring Gail Russell & Diana Lynn;

Calcutta (1947), starring Alan Ladd & Gail Russell;

Angel And The Badman (1947), starring John Wayne & Gail Russell;

Night Has A Thousand Eyes (1948), starring Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell, & JohnLund;

Moonrise (1948), starring Dane Clark & Gail Russell;

Wake of the Red Witch (1948), starring John Wayne & Gail Russell;

Song of India (1949), starring Turban Bey & Gail Russell;

El Paso (1949), starring John Wayne, Sterling Hayden, & Gail Russell;

The Great Dan Patch (1949), starring Dennis O’Keefe;

Captain China (1950), starring John Payne & Gail Russell;

7 Men From Now (1956), starring Randolph Scott & Gail Russell;

The Tattered Dress (1957), starring Jeff Chandler & Jeanne Crain;

The Silent Call (1961), starring Gail Russell & Roger Mobley

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