Actress Gail Russell
The Tragic Life and Death of a Hollywood Star
Jul 29, 2009 Darla Sue Dollman
Gail Russell was a dark-eyed beauty who starred with some of the most popular leading men in Hollywood, including John Wayne, Joel McCrae and Alan Ladd. In spite of her successes, she was tortured by fear and used alcohol to calm her nerves. She eventually lost both her career and her life to the devastating effects of alcoholism.
Gail Russell's Painfully Shy Childhood
She was born Elizabeth L. Russell in Chicago, Illinois on September 21, 1924 to George and Gladys Russell. She was a shy child and often hid beneath her parent’s piano when they entertained. The family moved to Los Angeles when she was fourteen. Russell’s mother convinced her to audition at Paramount Studios and Gail was offered a standard seven year contract and $50 a week. She signed with Paramount as soon as she graduated from Santa Monica High School.
Russell’s Early Years with Paramount Studios
Although the studio hired an acting coach, Russell’s stage fright was a problem from the start. She made her first film appearance at nineteen in “Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour.” The following year she appeared in “Lady in the Dark” starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Although Russell’s role was hardly noteworthy, the film was nominated for three Oscars, which boosted her career. Critics compared her to Hollywood favorite Hedy Lamarr and Paramount cast her in two or more movies each year.
"The Uninvited" and the Start of a Deadly Disease
Her raven hair and enigmatic beauty was particularly suited to the ghost story plot of “The Uninvited,” her second film of 1944. She was again cast with Ray Milland, this time as his love interest. During filming, Russell’s stage fright was so great that one of her co-stars suggested she use alcohol to calm her nerves. Russell completed the film, but lost twenty pounds and later suffered a nervous breakdown. This film was also nominated for an Oscar, drawing even more attention to the young star, but her use of alcohol to calm her fears was the beginning of the end for Gail Russell.
Russell's Stressful Hollywood Life
Russell played Emily Kimbrough in the very well-received 1944 comedy “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.” The following year she starred as a schoolteacher opposite Alan Ladd in "Salty O'Rouke," another Oscar-nominated film, then with Joel McCrae in the supernatural tale "The Unseen." In 1946 she starred in "Our Hearts Were Growing Up," a sequel with Diana Lynn, and before the year was over she would complete yet another movie, “The Bachelor’s Daughters,” with Adolphe Menjou. Added to this grueling schedule was Russell’s tortuous ordeal with stage fright, which she continued to treat with a liberal dose of alcohol.
Gail Russell and John Wayne
In 1947, Russell performed one of her most famous roles as the innocent Quaker love of John Wayne in “The Angel and the Badman.” Rumors circulated that Russell and Wayne were having an affair, though they both denied anything more than friendship. In 1949, Russell once again starred as John Wayne's love interest in “Wake of the Red Witch.” When she learned that her husband had cast Russell in this role, John Wayne’s wife, actress Esperanza “Chata” Bauer, exploded in an alcoholic, jealous rage. When Wayne returned home late from the cast party, Bauer aimed a gun at her husband and pulled the trigger. The bullet barely missed Wayne’s head.
Russell's Criminal Record and the Loss of Her Career
Months later, Russell married her long-time boyfriend, television actor Guy Madison. In 1953, Russell was called to testify in John Wayne’s divorce trial and once again, Russell and Wayne both denied the affair. Two weeks later Russell was arrested for drunk driving, which fueled more rumors about an affair and caused serious damage to her marriage. Her alcoholic reputation troubled Paramount executives and they refused to renew her contract. Then Russell and Madison divorced, adding to her feelings of despair. In 1955, Russell left the scene of the crime after rear-ending another vehicle while intoxicated. In 1957 she drove her new convertible through the glass windows of Jan's Restaurant in Beverly Hills and the janitor was pinned beneath her vehicle. Remarkably, Russell was picked up by Universal Studios and continued to star with some of the most famous names in Hollywood, including Randolph Scott. However, in August of 1957, when she failed to appear in court, officers were sent to her home and found her drunk and unconscious. The hearing was held at General Hospital where she was bedridden with severe effects from alcoholism. She joined Alcoholics Anonymous and stayed with this organization for a year, to no avail.
Russell Succumbs to a Deadly Disease
In 1961, Russell starred in her last movie, "The Silent Call." When filming was completed, she locked herself in her Los Angeles studio apartment, sketching and drinking. On August 27 of that same year, 35-year-old Gail Russell died from an alcohol-induced heart attack. She is buried in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in Hollywood, California. Actress Jane Fonda modeled her Oscar-nominated role in the 1986 film “The Morning After” on the life of Gail Russell.
Resources:
“Gail Russell.” Turner Classic Movies Online Database: Retrieved July 26, 2009.
Harnisch, Larry. “Gail Russell-In Memorium.” Los Angeles Times/The Daily Mirror: July 5, 2007. Retrieved on July 26, 2009.
Gail Russell in
|
Comments
More in Film & TV
Latest Articles