Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean Gloria Jean’s career as a singer and actress spanned
more than 30 years. She began singing as a toddler. At the age
of five, she headlined her own radio show in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
By the age of 12, she was training for a professional career as a coloratura
soprano with a leading New York City operatic coach. In 1939, at
the age of 13, she was Universal Pictures’ brightest new star, threatening
to eclipse her predecessor, Deanna Durbin. She performed in films
with such greats as Bing Crosby, W. C. Fields, Groucho Marx, Donald
O’Connor, Mel Tormé, and the Andrews Sisters. As the 1940s
progressed, she proved herself as a gifted actress as well as a singer.
In the 1950s, she occasionally appeared on stage and on television
in both acting and singing roles. In the 1960s, Elvis Presley wanted
to make a film with her. Today, her appearances at celebrity autograph
shows and film screenings are eagerly attended.
Gloria Jean Sings -- Hear Gloria sing songs from her films!
Gloria Jean's Films -- A comprehensive list of Gloria's films, including synopses, co-stars, and song excerpts!
Photo Gallery and Memorabilia -- Browse through the photo gallery and visit a website that offers autographed photos and memorabilia!
Gloria Jean's Biography -- Browse through the book, or order a copy!
Gloria Jean Featured on the Web:
Gloria Jean on YouTube -- Visit Monkeytreasures' clips from Gloria's movies!
Greenbriar Picture Shows -- Visit John McElwee's website to see a feature about Gloria, plus photos not seen on this website! (Click on Archive and Links, and under Search by People, select "Jean, Gloria," and click the Search button. Go down the list and click on the movie reel next to the entry dated 5/21/06.)
Gloria Jean in the '30s & '40s -- Visit G.D. Hamann's blog for page after page of quotes from articles, reviews, and magazine squibs!
The golden age of Hollywood is not dead. Gloria Jean remembers what
it was like to co-star in a comedy with W. C. Fields, sing with Bing
Crosby, dance with Donald O’Connor, and watch Jack Pierce make up the
famous monsters at Universal Pictures. She remembers what it was like
being a teenage star in Hollywood, when her studio bosses dictated who
she socialized with, where she ate lunch -- and how much lunch she could
eat. Mel Tormé proposed marriage to her. Groucho Marx offered
her fatherly advice.
Gloria Jean’s fascinating life story, much of it told in
her own words, is recounted in a new biography, Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven
by Scott MacGillivray and Jan MacGillivray (iUniverse, 2005). Gloria
Jean was Universal Pictures’ brightest new star at the age of 13 in 1939.
She had already had a successful career as a child singer on radio in
her hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and was training for a career
in professional opera when she won an audition with producer Joseph Pasternak
to star in the film The Under-Pup.
She went on to make 26 more films over a 20-year period, appeared on
radio, stage, television, and in nightclubs, and had a successful second
career with Redken Laboratories after leaving show business in the early
1960s.
Although she was a popular star throughout the 1940s, helping
to launch other stars such as Donald O’Connor and Mel Tormé
in her films, Gloria Jean’s promising movie career never fully blossomed.
Studio politics, changes in the film industry, and poor advice kept
her from reaching the pinnacle she might have achieved, but she refuses
to be bitter about it. “You’re never going to learn about anything until
you’re confronted with these situations,” she says. “If you were going
to live a life where nothing happened, you wouldn’t be much of a person…
The way I look at it, I would consider my career a little bit of heaven.”
Gloria’s recollections in Gloria
Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven are seasoned by comments from
her sister Bonnie and supplemented by dozens of exclusive photos and
an in-depth examination of her career, including three previously “lost”
films that were rediscovered by the authors. The book is available directly
from the publisher (iUniverse) and online through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
In its review of the book, Kirkus Discoveries says: “Gloria Jean not
only had star-quality beauty and a dramatic flair, but also a pleasing
coloratura singing voice… The authors, an experienced husband-and-wife
film-historian team, bring great sensitivity and authority to their subject,
and Gloria Jean herself provides fascinating anecdotes of her career…
A must-read for film buffs that will hopefully stimulate further discussion
of Gloria Jean’s work.” The book has also received enthusiastic reader
reviews on Amazon.com.
About the authors:
Scott MacGillivray is the author of Laurel & Hardy:
From the Forties Forward, Castle Films: A Hobbyist’s
Guide, and The Soundies Distributing Corporation of
America (with Ted Okuda). Jan MacGillivray is a film columnist
who has contributed video reviews of vintage films to Filmfax
and Outré magazines.
This website is maintained by Jan and Scott MacGillivray.
Questions or comments? E-mail us at under-pup@earthlink.net.
All text is copyright ©
2006 by Scott MacGillivray and Jan MacGillivray.