Last night, the world learned of the sad, sad news of Jane Russell's passing. Many of the memorial articles I've read about Jane have remembered her sexpot reputation, focusing on her bosomy debut performance in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw, where Hughes created the cantilever bra to further accentuate her famous chest (of Russell, Hughes once said, "There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough"). But Jane was so much more than a bombshell beauty - she was a talented actress and a lovely woman.
Her film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was the first classic film that I truly obsessed over - I watched it practically on loop when I was younger, forcing all of my friends to watch it as well (I have a distinct memory of all of my friends and I crammed onto my queen bed, watching GPB on my sixteenth birthday).
Blondes is always a delight to watch - I have seen the film dozens and dozens of times, but it's always such a treat that it never feels old. Though Marilyn Monroe, and her legendary "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" performance, are perhaps most associated with the Fox masterpiece, I think that Jane was as much (if not more) the star of the film. The deadpanned humor she brought to Dorothy Shaw, the "hobo collector" show girl who falls in love with poor men (much to the dismay of her money-loving BFF Lorelei Lee), is glorious! Her singing and dancing abilities (as well as her ability to be shoved into a pool by hulking Olympic athletes, with grace and in heels!) are on par with her acting abilities, and everyone seemed to agree - Jane's name was listed above Marilyn's in the credits, after all.
Blondes is always a delight to watch - I have seen the film dozens and dozens of times, but it's always such a treat that it never feels old. Though Marilyn Monroe, and her legendary "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" performance, are perhaps most associated with the Fox masterpiece, I think that Jane was as much (if not more) the star of the film. The deadpanned humor she brought to Dorothy Shaw, the "hobo collector" show girl who falls in love with poor men (much to the dismay of her money-loving BFF Lorelei Lee), is glorious! Her singing and dancing abilities (as well as her ability to be shoved into a pool by hulking Olympic athletes, with grace and in heels!) are on par with her acting abilities, and everyone seemed to agree - Jane's name was listed above Marilyn's in the credits, after all.
As an actress, Jane leaves a stunning legacy of strong-willed women with undeniable sensuality, but would never compromised their selves or their integrity to the will of men. In an age when so many other female characters in films were little more than two-dimensional femme fatales, or nondescript wives, girlfriends, daughters, and friends, Jane's list of film personas was remarkably different, and set her apart from the rest of the Hollywood crowd.
"I've got plenty of time to daydream and I'd rather daydream than do anything in the world." - Jane Russell
Title: from "Bye Bye Baby" (Jane Russell, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
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