The Outlaw (1943)
Jane Russell, the actress discovered by zillionaire Howard Hughes in the early 1940s who went on to embody the definition of on-screen voluptuousness, died Feb. 28, 2011, at the age of 89. The cause was reportedly a respiratory-related illness.
Growing up in the 1970s, my first encounter with Ms. Russell was not via one of her nearly two-dozen movies, but rather her TV commercials for Playtex Cross-Your-Heart bras, wherein she would speak of how its design was perfect for “full-figured gals.” I didn’t catch up with her films on television until a few years later, beginning with the 1953 comedy musical The French Line. The movie was so-so, but Ms. Russell, in the eyes of this then-15-year-old boy, was simply staggering.
When taking a look at Jane Russell’s full body of work (no pun or disrespect intended … really!), you come away realizing that it’s the lady you remember and not necessarily her movies. C’mon, is there anyone out there who’s really a fan of the Hughes-produced 1955 snoozer Underwater!, which was really more about Russell’s appearance in a bathing suit than it was about searching for sunken treasures off the coast of Cuba?
That Jane Russell overcame the obvious limitations that were put on her to become a legendary figure on the American cinema landscape is a tribute to her formidable on-screen presence, as well as an acknowledgment of the undeniable power of the star-making machine that is Hollywood.
The Paleface (1948)
Here are our three favorite Jane Russell movies:
The Outlaw (1943)
Let’s hear it for the indispensable trashy western produced and directed by Howard Hughes that turned the debuting 22-year-old Russell into an overnight sensation. Okay, it’s not a great western, Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday’s presence notwithstanding, but as the film’s delightfully monikered Rio McDonald, Sweet Jane is simply smoldering. Be sure to take note of how her co-stars (Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston, among them) are checking out her cleavage as frequently as the film-going audience probably was.
Available on DVD
The Paleface (1948)
Russell did well by the Wild West — perhaps it was the all-American, wide-openness of the backdrop, which seemed to match the lady’s bigger-than-life presence. She teamed with Bob Hope in this comic western playing the role of Calamity Jane, who’s on a mission to find out who’s smuggling guns to the Indians. As part of her cover, Jane marries cowardly dentist Peter Potter, the perfect role for the one-liner-spouting Hope. Not one of Hope’s great comedies, The Paleface still offers some fun, particularly when the leading man is cracking wise about all that Ms. Russell has to offer.
Available on DVD
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Howard Hawks’ film adaptation of the 1949 stage musical offered Russell her most memorable and arguably finest screen role. Her Dorothy Shaw holds her own opposite Marilyn Monroe’s Lorelei Lee as the two sing, dance and seduce their way to France on a luxury ocean liner voyage. Monroe’s “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” number has since become iconic, but I’ve always gotten a bigger kick out of Lady Jane’s “Ain’t There Anyone Here For Love,” which she belts out in the ship’s testosterone-filled gymnasium. Gentlemen was reportedly Russell’s favorite film.
Available on DVD
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