Glenda Farrell
Glenda Farrell | |
|---|---|
 Farrell in Stolen Heaven (1938) | |
| Born | June 30, 1904 Enid, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 1971 (aged 66) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1928–1970 |
| Spouse(s) |
Dr. Henry Ross
(m. 1941; her death 1971) |
| Children | Tommy Farrell |
Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971)[1] was an American actress of film, television and theater. She is best known for her role as Torchy Blane in the 1930s Warner Bros. film series.[2] With a career spanning more than 50 years, Farrell appeared in over 100 films and television series, and numerous Broadway plays. She won an Emmy Award for best supporting actress for the television series Ben Casey in 1963, and received a star on the hollywood walk of fame on February 8, 1960.
Early life
Farrell was born to Charles and Wilhelmina "Minnie" Farrell of Irish and German descent in Enid, Oklahoma. She had two brothers Richard and Gene.
After her family moved to Wichita, Kansas, Farrell began her acting career at age 7 with a theatrical company, playing the role of Little Eva in the play Uncle Tom's Cabin. She received a formal education at the Mount Carmel Catholic Academy.[3] When her family moved to San Diego, California, she joined the Virginia Brissac Stock Company. Farrell made the third honor roll in Motion Picture Magazine’s "Fame and Fortune Contest." Her picture and biography was featured in the Magazine’s April 1919 issue, which also says Farrell has experience in the chorus, vaudeville and camp entertainments.[4]
Career
In 1925, Farrell was in the cast of Cobra and The Best People with actress Charlotte Treadway, at the Morosco Theater in Los Angeles. In 1928, she was cast as the lead actress in the play The Spider and made her film debut in a minor role in Lucky Boy. Farrell moved to New York in 1929, where she replaced Erin O'Brien-Moore as Marion Hardy in Aurania Rouverol's play Skidding. The play was later served as the basis of MGM's Andy Hardy film series. By April 1929 the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that she had played the role 355 times. Farrell appeared in a number of other plays, including Divided Honors, Recapture, and Love, Honor and Betray with George Brent, Alice Brady and Clark Gable.
In 1930, she starred in the comedy short film The Lucky Break with Harry Fox. And in July 1930, Film Daily announced that Farrell had been cast in Mervyn Leroy's film Little Caesar as the female lead, Olga Stassoff. Afterwards, she returned to Broadway and stars in On the Spot at the Forrest Theater. At the time, Farrell conceded that the motion pictures offer immense salaries, but felt the theater was the foundation of the actor's profession.[4] She appeared in several more plays and in 1932 stars in the hit play Life Begins. Her performance in play caught the attention of Warner Bros. president, Jack Warner, who signed her to a long-term contract with the studio. And cast her to re-create the role in Warner Bros' film adaptation of Life Begins later that year. Farrell would not return to the stage until 1939.
Farrell became one of Warner Bros.' most prolific actresses of the 1930s. In her first year with Warner Bros. Farrell starred in five films and appeared in twelve films in 1933, including I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Gambling Ship (1933) opposite Cary Grant and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). She also stars in the 1933 Columbia Pictures Lady for a Day by director Frank Capra. Farrell worked in over 20 films between 1934 and 1936, starring in films like, The Big Shakedown (1934) with Bette Davis, The Secret Bride (1934), Go into Your Dance (1935) and appeared opposite Dick Powell and Joan Blondell in the Academy Award nominated Gold Diggers of 1935 and Gold Diggers of 1937 musical film series. Farrell came to personify the smart and sassy, wisecracking dame of the '30s and '40s films. Farrell was very close friends with fellow Warner Bros. actress Joan Blondell, the two were frequently paired together and co-starred in nine films.[5]
In 1937, Farrell was given her own film series as Torchy Blane, "Girl Reporter".[6] In this role, she was promoted as being able to speak 400 words in 40 seconds. Warner Bros. began to develop a film adaptation of MacBride and Kennedy stories by detective novelist Frederick Nebel in 1936. For the film version, Kennedy is changed to a woman named Teresa "Torchy" Blane, and is now in love with MacBride's character. Director Frank MacDonald immediately knew who he wanted for the role of Torchy Blane. Farrell had already proved that she could play hard-boiled reporters in Mystery of the Wax Museum and Hi, Nellie!. She was quickly cast as Torchy with Barton MacLane playing detective Steve McBride in the first Torchy Blane film, Smart Blonde. On her portrayal of the Torchy Blane character, Farrell said in her 1969 Time interview:
So before I undertook to do the first Torchy, I determined to create a real human being—and not an exaggerated comedy type. I met those [news-woman] who visited Hollywood, and watched them work on visits to New York City. They were generally young, intelligent, refined and attractive. By making Torchy true to life, I tried to create a character practically unique in movies.[7]
Smart Blonde was a surprise hit and became a popular second feature with moviegoers. Warner Bros. starred her in several more Torchy Blane movies opposite Barton MacLane. She would portray Torchy Blane in seven films from 1937 to 1939. The films took Farrell's popularity to a new level. She was beloved by the moviegoing public and received a huge amount of fan mail for the Torchy Blane films. Along with starring in the Torchy Blane series, Farrell also appeared in a number of other films. And several radio series, including Vanity and Playhouse in 1937, and Manhattan Latin with Humphrey Bogart in 1938.
Farrell's portrayal of Torchy Blane was credited by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel as the inspiration for the Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, and the name of actress Lola Lane (who played the role once in 1938) as the inspiration for Lois' name.[8] Siegel also named, June Farrell, one of the character in his Funnyman comic book series after Farrell.
Farrell was elected to a one-year term as the honorary Mayor of North Hollywood in 1937, beating her competition Bing Crosby and Lewis Stone by 3 to 1 margin. Despite the fact that it began as publicity stunt by Warner Bros. Farrell took the job very seriously, attending functions, presentations and ceremonies. She was also put in charge when the North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that it wanted to put sewers along Ventura Highway and started the groundwork for that project.[9]
After seven years working in films, when her Warner Bros. contact expired in 1939, Farrell decides to return to her stage career once again. "There's something more satisfying about working in a play. You get that immediate response from the audience, and you feel that your performance is your own. In pictures, you get frustrated because you feel you have no power over what you’re doing." Farrell told syndicated columnist Bob Thomas in 1952.
Farrell stars in the lead role in the play Anna Christie at the Westport Country Playhouse in July 1939. And followed that with a summer stock production of S.N Behrman's Brief Moment. She co-starred with Lyle Talbot and Alan Dinehart in the long-running play Separate Rooms at the Broadway's Plymouth Theater for a successful 613 performance run throughout 1940 and '41.
In 1941, Farrell return to motion picture starring in director Mervyn LeRoy's film noir, Johnny Eager. She stars in the play The Life of Reilly on Broadway in April 1942. Throughout the '40s, '50s and '60s, she starred in numerous films, including the Academy Award nominated film The Talk of the Town (1942) with Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman, Heading for Heaven (1947) and the 1954 Charlton Heston adventure epic Secret of the Incas, upon which the film Raiders of the Lost Ark was based on a quarter century later.[10] She stars in comedy films Kissin' Cousins with Elvis Presley and The Disorderly Orderly with Jerry Lewis in 1964.
In 1949, Farrell made her television debut in The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre. She appeared in over 35 television series between 1950 and 1969. Including Kraft Theatre, Studio One in Hollywood, The United States Steel Hour, Bonanza and Bewitched. She won the Emmy Award for best supporting actress in 1963 for her performance in the television series Ben Casey.
Farrell briefly retired in the late '60s, but soon decides to return to her acting career. Farrell was appearing in Forty Carats on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre in 1969, when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She remained with the show until ill health forced her departure in November 1970.
Farrell has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to Motion Pictures, at 6524 Hollywood Boulevard.[11]
Personal life
In 1920, Farrell was hired to do a dance routine at a San Diego Navy benefit ball and met her first husband Thomas Richards.[12] They were married from 1921 to 1929. Their son, actor Tommy Farrell was born in 1921. In 1931, she was engaged to comic Jack Durant of the comedy duo "Mitchell & Durant", but never married him.[13] She dated screenwriter Robert Riskin a few years later.
In 1941, Farrell married Dr. Henry Ross,[14] a staff surgeon at New York's Ployclinic Hospital, and a West Point graduate and Army physician, who served on General Eisenhower's staff.[15] The couple met when Farrell sprained her ankle during the play Separate Rooms and was treated backstage by Ross, who had been called forth from the audience.[9] Farrell and Ross remained married until her death thirty years later.
Death
In 1971, Farrell died from lung cancer, aged 66, at her home in New York City and was interred in the West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York.[16] When Ross, who did not remarry, died in 1991, he was buried with her.[15] In 1977, Ross donated 38 acres of land to the Putnam County Land Trust, establishing the Glenda Farrell-Henry Ross Preserve.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Lucky Boy | Bit Part | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Lucky Break | Short | |
| 1931 | Little Caesar | Olga Stassoff | |
| 1932 | Scandal for Sale | Stella | Uncredited |
| Life Begins | Florette Darien | ||
| Three on a Match | Mrs. Black, Prisoner at Checkers Table | Uncredited | |
| I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang | Marie | ||
| The Match King | Babe | ||
| 1933 | |||
| Mystery of the Wax Museum | Florence Dempsey | ||
| Grand Slam | Blondie | ||
| Girl Missing | Kay Curtis | ||
| The Keyhole | Dot | ||
| Central Airport | |||
| How to Break 90 #2: Position and Back Swing | Golfer's Wife | Short, uncredited | |
| Gambling Ship | Jeanne Sands | ||
| Mary Stevens, M.D. | Glenda Carroll | ||
| Lady for a Day | Missouri Martin | ||
| Bureau of Missing Persons | Belle Howard Saunders | ||
| Man's Castle | Fay La Rue | ||
| Havana Widows | Sadie Appleby | ||
| 1934 | |||
| The Big Shakedown | Lily 'Lil' Duran | ||
| Hi, Nellie! | Gerry Krale | ||
| I've Got Your Number | Bonnie, aka Madame Francis | ||
| Dark Hazard | Valerie 'Val' Wilson | ||
| Heat Lightning | Mrs. 'Feathers' Tifton | ||
| Merry Wives of Reno | Bunny Fitch | ||
| The Personality Kid | Joan McCarty | ||
| Kansas City Princess | Marie Callahan | ||
| The Secret Bride | Hazel Normandie | ||
| 1935 | |||
| Gold Diggers of 1935 | Betty Hawes | ||
| Traveling Saleslady | Claudette Ruggles | ||
| Go Into Your Dance | Molly Howard, aka Lucille Thompson | ||
| In Caliente | Mis Clara Thorne | ||
| We're in the Money | Dixie Tilton | ||
| Little Big Shot | Jean | ||
| Miss Pacific Fleet | Mae O'Brien | ||
| 1936 | |||
| Snowed Under | Daisy Lowell, Wife #2 | ||
| The Law in Her Hands | Dorothy 'Dot' Davis | ||
| Nobody's Fool | Ruby Miller | ||
| High Tension | Edith McNeil | ||
| Here Comes Carter | Verna Kennedy | ||
| Gold Diggers of 1937 | Genevieve Larkin | ||
| 1937 | |||
| Smart Blonde | Torchy Blane | ||
| Fly-Away Baby | Torchy Blane | ||
| Dance Charlie Dance | Fanny Morgan | ||
| You Live and Learn | Mamie Wallis | ||
| Breakfast for Two | Carol Wallace | ||
| The Adventurous Blonde | Torchy Blane | ||
| Hollywood Hotel | Jonesie | ||
| Sunday Night at the Trocadero | Short | ||
| 1938 | |||
| Blondes at Work | Torchy Blane | ||
| Stolen Heaven | Rita | ||
| Prison Break | Jean Fenderson | ||
| The Road to Reno | Sylvia Shane | ||
| Exposed | 'Click' Stewart | ||
| Torchy Gets Her Man | Torchy Blane | ||
| Breakdowns of 1938 | Torchy Blaine | Short, uncredited | |
| 1939 | Torchy Blane in Chinatown | Torchy Blane | |
| Torchy Runs for Mayor | Torchy Blane | ||
| 1941 | Johnny Eager | Mae Blythe | |
| 1942 | |||
| Twin Beds | Sonya Cherupin | ||
| The Talk of the Town | Regina Bush | ||
| 1943 | |||
| City Without Men | Billy LaRue | ||
| A Night for Crime | Susan | ||
| Klondike Kate | Molly | ||
| 1944 | Ever Since Venus | Babs Cartwright | |
| 1947 | Heading for Heaven | Nora Elkins | |
| 1948 | I Love Trouble | Hazel Bixby | |
| Mary Lou | Winnie Winford | ||
| Lulu Belle | Molly Benson | ||
| 1949 | The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre | TV Series | |
| 1950 | The Silver Theatre | Gaudy Lady | TV Series |
| 1951 | Starlight Theatre | Dorine | TV Series |
| Faith Baldwin Romance Theatre | TV Series | ||
| The Prudential Family Playhouse | Effie Flound | TV Series | |
| 1952 | Apache War Smoke | Fanny Webson | |
| 1953 | Girls in the Night | Alice Haynes | |
| Tales of Tomorrow | TV Series | ||
| Armstrong Circle Theatre | Serena Price | 2 Episodes | |
| 1954 | Secret of the Incas | Mrs. Winston | |
| Susan Slept Here | Maude Snodgrass | ||
| 1955 | The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing | Mrs. Nesbit | |
| Goodyear Playhouse | Mrs. Davis | TV Series | |
| The Elgin Hour | Mrs. Dane | TV Series | |
| Justice | TV Series | ||
| 1956 | The Kaiser Aluminum Hour | TV Series | |
| The Alcoa Hour | Eloise Schroeder | TV Series | |
| Front Row Center | May Cooper | TV Series | |
| 1957 | The 20th Century-Fox Hour | Mae Swasey | TV Series |
| The Sheriff of Cochise | Sarah Avery | TV series | |
| Kraft Theatre | Stella Harvey / Alma Wilkes | 5 Episodes | |
| 1958 | Studio One in Hollywood | Claire / Mrs. Endsley / Irene | 4 Episodes |
| Cimarron City | Maggie Arkins | TV series | |
| 1959 | Middle of the Night | Mrs. Mueller | |
| The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen | TV Series | ||
| General Electric Theater | Mrs. Brady | TV Series | |
| The Bells of St. Mary's | TV Movie | ||
| Wagon Train | Belle MacAbee | TV Series | |
| Buick-Electra Playhouse | TV Series | ||
| 1960 | Play of the Week | Rose Frobisher | TV series |
| The Islanders | Mrs. Dan King | TV Series | |
| 1961 | Westinghouse Playhouse | Laura | TV Series |
| Special for Women: The Glamour Trap | Beauty Operator | TV Movie | |
| 1962 | Frontier Circus | Ma Jukes | TV Series |
| The Defenders | Edna Holley | TV Series | |
| Route 66 | Laverne | TV Series | |
| 1963 | Ben Casey | Martha Morrison | 2 Episodes Won—Emmy Award for outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress. |
| The United States Steel Hour | Grace Smith / Edna Huntington / Mrs. Rausch | 5 Episodes | |
| Rawhide | Mrs. Elizabeth Farragut | TV Series | |
| Dr. Kildare | Vera Dennis | TV Series | |
| The Fugitive | Mrs. Maggie Lambert | TV Series | |
| 1964 | Bonanza | Lulabelle 'Looney' Watkins | TV Series |
| Kissin' Cousins | Ma Tatum | ||
| The Disorderly Orderly | Dr. Jean Howard | ||
| 1968 | Felony Squad | Jeanette Anderson | TV Series |
| 1969 | Bewitched | Hortense Rockeford | TV Series |
| 1970 | Tiger by the Tail | Sarah Harvey |
References
- ^ "Glenda Farrell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ Bubbeo, Daniel. The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each - Glenda Farrell: The Gimme Girl. McFarland & Company. p. 74. ISBN 0786411376.
- ^ "Glenda Farrell: Her Life and Legacy". Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Aliperti, Cliff (September 10, 2013). "Glenda Farrell Biography and 1930s Hollywood Heyday". Immortal Ephemera. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "My Pal Glenda". Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ Backer, Ron (August 25, 2012). Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood - Torchy Blane: The Investigative Reporter. McFarland. p. 258. ISBN 0786469757.
- ^ Bubbeo, Daniel. The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each. McFarland & Company. p. 79. ISBN 0786411376.
- ^ Siegel, Joanne. "The True Inspiration for Lois Lane". Superman Home Page. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Bubbeo, Daniel. The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each. McFarland & Company. p. 80. ISBN 0786411376.
- ^ Mike French & Gilles Verschuere (2005-09-14). "Debora Nadoolman interview". TheRaider.net. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ "Glenda Farrell". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "Glenda Farrell: Diamond in the Rough". Classic Images. May 1998. Issue 275.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Actress To Wed In June, March 11, 1931, Page 11.
- ^ Valparaiso, Indiana. Vidette-Messenger, Glenda To Wed, February 6, 1941, Page 5.
- ^ a b "Dr. Henry Ross, 89, Eisenhower's Chief Of Health in War". New York Times. June 28, 1991. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
- ^ European Stars and Stripes, Actress Glenda Farrell Dies in N.Y. at Age 67, May 3, 1971, Page 6.
- Burlington, North Carolina Daily Times-News, Hollywood Gossip, March 29, 1934, Page 8.
- Long Beach, California Press-Telegram, Film and Drama, June 22, 1952, Page 31.
- Los Angeles Times, Studio and Stage, May 29, 1925, Page A7.
- Los Angeles Times, Glenda Farrell Praised for Art in Best People, October 4, 1925, Page 23.
- Los Angeles Times, Stage Star To Play In Films, July 9, 1930, Page A12.
- Van Neste, Dan. Glenda Farrell, Diamond in the Rough Classic Images May, 1998.
- 1930 United States Federal Census, April 15, 1930, Enumeration District 19-30, Sheet 15-A.
External links
- Glenda Farrell at IMDb
- Glenda Farrell at the Internet Broadway Database
- Glenda Farrell at AllMovie
- Glenda Farrell at Hollywood.com
- Literature on Glenda Farrell
- Glenda Farrell papers, 1929-1972 (bulk 1930s-1940s), held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- American stage actresses
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- Actresses from Oklahoma
- American people of German descent
- American people of Irish descent
- Deaths from lung cancer
- People from Enid, Oklahoma
- Cancer deaths in New York
- Burials at West Point Cemetery
- 1904 births
- 1971 deaths
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Warner Bros. contract players
- 20th-century American actresses