Jane Russell

She was considered one of the sexiest females of Classic Hollywood. I guess she knew how to...do that!

[on her Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) co-star Marilyn Monroe] She once got her life so balled up that the studio hired a full-time secretary maid for her. So Marilyn soon got the secretary as balled up as she was, and she ended up waiting on the secretary, instead of vice-versa.

The two stars became friends, with Russell describing Monroe as "very shy and very sweet and far more intelligent than people gave her credit for". She later recalled that Monroe showed her dedication by rehearsing her dance routines each evening after most of the crew had left, but she arrived habitually late on set for filming. Realizing that Monroe remained in her dressing room due to stage fright, and that Hawks(the director) was growing impatient with her tardiness, Russell started escorting her to the set.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Perfect duet. I love this song. Who doesn't?

lalala....

I love tributes...i hate not knowing or forgetting.

R6 - you link isn't visible in the US (copyright restrictions)

Oh R7...that sucks! Ok, maybe you can see this tribute then! Kiss!

They made a powerful duet!

yes.

They were both fiery!

R10, same photo, a more clear copy of it.

Lol sorry...here is the said photo

I will always remember the number Jane Russell did in the gym with all those scantily-clad men in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".

The audience probably didn't know that number was put together by a gay man or that his boyfriend was one of the swimmers in the scene.

Two ladies of classic cinema together

I didn't know that either R14! Very interesting and cool.

I can't let out this one!

Nice link about Jane Russell.

Goodnight guys.

Wait...this is interesting too.

That's all for now

R16 is my favorite!

Ha ha ha ha

Jane Russell with a fuzzy cattish friend

Jane Russell and friend. Cute sunglasses.

Who was her GF?

Loool R23. Whaaaat?

Rare photograph of a script reading of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Elliott Reid, Tommy Noonan, Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe

Were Elliot Reid or Tommy Noonan gay?

Mrs.Pinky!

One more time...

Jane Russell and Irene Dunne.

Ew...

Is that my friend Irma in between Jane and Irene?

Lol my little margie, you are such a tease!

She wasn't that into the gays, OP/picture poster

Gimme facts R34 or that thing you implied never was real

If you can track this down, you'll see her face (and silence) when Cousins' brings up her status as a gay icon.

Silence means a lot, not necessarily denial...

Of course it's subjective, but I was left in doubt that Ms Russell did not embrace being a gay icon.

Maybe she felt a kind of embarrassment. That's not denial exactly. Ok, she was a Republican, but i don't think that an actress can feel annoyed by other people's sexuality. Maybe she felt a bit uncomfortable about her own sexuality, actresses are vain you know...

*bump!!!!!!!!!!!!

Her musical The French Line was originally supposed to star Fred Astaire and Dolores Gray.

Mary, really? I didn't know that hon, honestly.

Keep on talkin' sweetie, i like you

Who replaced Fred in The French Line?

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Jane's lesbian tendencies?

Too bad she left her horrible drunkenness (mostly) to become a Krazy Kristian.

Perhaps it was to squelch her urge to pick-up lovely young things.

Jane was not a fundie, she belonged to some off-the-beaten-path church. She didn't like that Pat Robertson crap. Also, she was an old-school Republican, not like the crazies around today.

R43 i guess it was Gilbert Roland.

Raquel Welch in her autobiography 'Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage' wrote:

'The Outlaw, starring Jane Russell, was considered a very risqué movie, and no one under the age of twenty-one was allowed to see it.'

She had a beautiful face.

@R14

Way one heard it a large percentage of those buff hunks in JR's "Ain't There Anyone Here For Love" number were gay. This could be a gay urban legend but...

Jane Russell was smoking hot in "Looking for Trouble" number from the film "The French Line". So much so the number was censored for American audiences. Europeans got to see Jane do her pelvic thrusts. In the USA shots show only above the waist or Jane was behind that stand.

Man, she was butch! She and Marilyn look more like a couple than friends.

Early in career, Russell had an abortion that left her unable to have children. She devoted much of her later years to working on behalf of orphaned children.

She was a conservative, yes, but she wasn't much of a hater ...

When examined by a physician after said abortion the man remarked at how bad a hatchet job was done on poor JR. He just couldn't believe someone would do that to a young woman.

Thank you R49 - she could really move and what a body.

In all of her publicity pictures she always looked pissed off. Even when she was smiling.

She, along with Kim Novak, has always been "a man in drag" to me.

@R53

TY, and YW.

What TFL film lacked in plot development it made up for (or at least tried anyway) with showcasing Jane Russell's figure. To round things out a host of other 1950's beauties in all their corseted/merry-widowed Dior New Look glamour.

Saw her in Company on Broadway. She replaced Stritch....tough as nails and very good in the role of Joanne. Took a tour in Sedona and the guide mentioned that she lived there about 10 times. Alcoholic Christian...gorgeous woman. And great spokeswoman for playtex bras.

I saw a marathon of hers last night on TCM.

Very versatile performer who stopped getting cast in things because she said she was "too old".

The ladies knew how to walk.

r57 Yeah, she's the TCM Star of the Month. I ended up staying up very late to finish watching "The Revolt of Mamie Stover," which seemed awfully risqué for the time period. I mean they could never come right out and say that Mamie was a whore, but they made it pretty obvious.

Unfortunately I fell asleep and missed that one.

Did you see "The French Line"? Whoah, that movie needs some remastering. Looks like it was filmed in a fish bowl.

Film "The French Line" was a Howard Hughes production, which meant much of it revolved around that man's fascination with Jane Russell's body, in particular her rack.

JM's big number was "Looking For Trouble" that was apparently too hot for censors, Roman Catholic Church and others to handle. Original filmed scene was changed (going to wide shots), and other things to make less focus on JM's figure. Happily more than enough copies of original uncensored are out there so people can see the real deal.

Jane Russell like many other brunettes of 19550's bombshell era often gets short shift compared to say likes of Marilyn Monroe. Both ladies were fantastic in their own way. But JM was slightly ahead in the talent department (along with brains and judgement), which is how she was able to continue with a career on Broadway and elsewhere after roles for Hollywood bombshell actresses died off.

Any gal from Texas

Jane Russell having a Wing-Ding!