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Jana Lund

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With Johnny Carson in 1955
Rin Tin Tin and Lund in a T.V. promo reminder about daylight saving time

Jana Lund, born Jana Cozette Ekelund, (August 28, 1933 – July 20, 1991) was an American model, actress, and singer.[1][2][3] She began her career as a young child actor.[4] She had numerous roles on television shows[1] and supporting roles in various films.

Early life

Lund was born in Los Angeles to a family of actors.[5] Her younger sister was Caryll Ann Ekelund, who appeared in the Shirley Temple film The Blue Bird and died of burns from fire before the film's release.[6] She also had five older brothers.

Jana Ekelund attended Marymount College for a year and College of the Pacific for a year.[7]

Career

She performed on a California radio show at age three.[8] She appeared in Our Gang comedies.[7][9][10]

In August 1953, Lund was featured in an eight-page swimsuit spread in the magazine Pageant.[5] She was part of advertising campaigns and appeared on television shows.[5][11] In 1955, she joined The Johnny Carson Show as a singer.[10]

Don't Knock the Rock (1956) was her first film as an adult.[12] Lund appeared with Elvis Presley in the 1957 film Loving You;[13][14] she gave him his first onscreen kiss.[15] They reportedly kissed on their first meeting at the insistence of director Hal Kanter.[16]

In the opening scene of Frankenstein 1970, she is pursued down a country lane.[17] She portrayed Connie, the leader of the Hellcats, in High School Hellcats.[18] She was a guest on the "Boomerang Bait" episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective in 1959.[19]

Lund was also a recording artist.[3] Variety called her album "Johnny, the Dreamer" "a moody ballad that shows off newcomer Jana Lund as a dramatic stylist" and "Wishing Well" a "fair ballad with a breathless approach that attracts listeners"[20] Comparing the album to contemporaneous releases by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, another reviewer said "Lana Lund, the new Liberty star, may have the most sensuous voice of them all".[21] She was a member of the Pied Pipers[22] and the Roger Wagner Chorale, the latter with whom she sang at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[23][24]

A nightclub entertainer, Lund performed in Jerry Lewis' Los Angeles nightclub in 1962. Variety noted that she was a "pert little blonde" who was "known more for her telethesping than her singing" and that she sounded "light but pleasant". Variety called her an average singer and said that she had a "soft, sweet quality".[25]

Personal life

She enjoyed water skiing and skin diving.[26] While she was at her college dormitory one night in 1952, two of her classmates dumped cold water on her as she slept on a top bunk. She woke up surprised, fell off the bed, and damaged three of her teeth. She sued them for $77,400 in damages, settling for $4,000 the day after a trial began in 1954.[27]

Lund and Elvis Presley dated for a time.[28] Lund married Hollywood lawyer Arthur Crowley in 1962 after dating him for several years.[29][15][30] They had two children; they divorced in 1976.[15] She died on July 20, 1991.[31]

Partial filmography

Discography

  • "Johnny the Dreamer" / "Wishing Well" on Liberty records[3][20]

References

  1. ^ a b "5 Sep 1957, 18 - The Atlanta Constitution at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Langman, Larry; Finn, Daniel (April 28, 1995). A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313292651 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c "Clipped From The Paducah Sun". April 4, 2005. p. 18 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Clipped From The Sacramento Bee". July 12, 1956. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c "Jana Lund". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Tiny Film Actress Dies from Flames". The San Francisco Examiner. 1939-11-05. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  7. ^ a b "Jana Lund, 21, is Veteran of Theater". The Sacramento Bee. 1956-07-18. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  8. ^ Lane, Lydia (1957-11-08). "Individuality Beats Beauty". The Times Dispatch. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  9. ^ "4350,000 Good-bye; Drama of Avarice". The Minneapolis Star. 1955-07-07. p. 55. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  10. ^ a b "$350,000 Good-bye; Drama of Avarice", The Minneapolis Star (July 7, 1955), p. 55.
  11. ^ "Jana Lund". www.listal.com.
  12. ^ "The Cold Front". Dayton Daily News. 1957-01-13. p. 68. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  13. ^ "Loving You, poster, Elvis Presley, Jana Lund, 1957". Getty Images.
  14. ^ "Loving You (1957)". British Film Institute. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c Miller, Daniel (March 24, 2011). "The Remarkable Life and Quiet Death of Hollywood's Forgotten Superlawyer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  16. ^ "Oh! That Kiss! And Jana, Presley Meet." Salt Lake Tribune. July 10, 1957. Page 21. Via Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ Warren, Bill (January 12, 2017). Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, The 21st Century Edition. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625058 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ Smith, Gary A. (April 28, 2009). The American International Pictures Video Guide. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786433094 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "The David Janssen Archive". davidjanssen.net.
  20. ^ a b Gross, Mike. "Music: Jocks, Jukes and Disks." Variety (Archive: 1905-2000); Los Angeles Vol. 207, Iss. 12, (Aug 21, 1957): 44. Via Proquest.
  21. ^ "Pupular Records: Show Biz Greats In LP Revival", The Boston Globe (November 21, 1957), p. 38.
  22. ^ "Songs of Childhood Feature Phone Hour." Corona Daily Independent. November 1, 1954. Page 6. Via Newspaper Archive.
  23. ^ "New Performers WIll Appear in Rosalie Monday". The Sacramento Bee. 1956-07-12. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  24. ^ Walsh, Travis. Capt. Eastwold New Cabaniss Commander. Corpus Christi Times. August 3, 1953 Page 13. Via Newspaper Archive.
  25. ^ Night Club Reviews: Jerry Lewis' L. A. Variety (Archive: 1905-2000); Los Angeles Vol. 226, Iss. 7, (Apr 11, 1962): 74. Via Proquest.
  26. ^ Carrollton, Betty (1957-09-05). "Southern Hospitality Is Her Dish". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  27. ^ "TV Singer Wins $4,000 Damages for Two Teeth." Pacific Stars And Stripes. April 11, 1954. Page 9. Via Newspaper Archive.
  28. ^ Gregory, James (2016). "Why Elvis is Often Lonely". The Elvis Presley Story. Edizioni Savine. ISBN 9788896365977 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ "Juror Incident Cited in Paternity Suit Trial". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  30. ^ "Attorney to Wed Singer Janet Lund". Independent. Long Beach, California. CNS. October 15, 1962. p. 15 – via newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Obituary for Jana CROWLEY (Aged 57)". The Los Angeles Times. 1991-07-25. p. 322. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  32. ^ a b c d e f "Jana Lund". British Film Institute. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  33. ^ Variety's Film Reviews: 1954–1958. Variety's Film Reviews. Vol. 9. New York: Bowker. 1983. ISBN 9780835227872.
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