Day 5 - Jane Russell

Lately I've been approaching life with the attitude of What Would Jane Russell Do? or more precisely, What Would Dorothy Shaw Do?, referring to one of my favorite characters in film - her role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  Dorothy, and in many ways, Jane Russell too, was confident, sexy, smart, a good friend and knew how to handle herself.  She has a good line for any situation and could outwit any guy in the room.  

I've been feeling less than confident lately, and that led to me to think more about this tough-talking leading lady.  Her role as Dorothy might not have fit with the title of the film, but she's more grounded than Loralei (Marilyn Monroe) and winds up with the better guy in the end.  I wish I could just have a thimble-full of her confidence.  Or her glamor.  Or her beauty.  Or her unabashed talent.     

Jane asks "Anyone Here for Love?" in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ( Twentieth Century Fox, 1953)

Jane Russell was originally known more for her status as a pin-up girl.  Her film Double Dynamite (1951) (which is hilarious, by the way!) wasn't named after the combination of her two male stars, Sinatra and Groucho Marx, but by her well-known, ahem, assets.  What I love about her though is her gumption - she could hold her own on screen in comedies with Bob Hope, film noirs with Robert Mitchum, and in musicals with Marilyn Monroe.  I've seen her in five films: The Paleface, Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, His Kind of Woman and Double Dynamite, and while Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is my favorite, all of them have been very entertaining.  It's nice to see a woman with that kind of simmering coolness; she could probably out-leer Mitchum, since they both hold the market on that "don't give a damn" attitude.  Recently I've been reading up on her life off-screen and it turns out she was just as much of a fireball as her character Calamity Jane.  She spent her life as a pro-life advocate after a traumatic and dangerous abortion as a teenager.  An independent, strong-willed and opinionated woman, even if you don't agree with her politics, you can still admire her grit. 

When I mentioned to Catherine that Jane Russell would be my Friday post (oops!), she nodded and asked if I'd also be writing about big stars too.  I'm not sure why Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas don't count as "big" but I asked her what she meant.  "Someone like Judy Garland" she said.  While I like Judy Garland as much as the next person, I don't really have much I want to write about her right now.  The point of movies and of blogging about film stars is to write about which films and which actors/actresses inspire you.  Maybe Jane Russell isn't as big as Judy, but it doesn't dim her legacy or her influence.  Like I said, stars depend on the people that never leave them, and as long as there are fans, there will always be fame.  Maybe we could all look to Ms. Russell for some of her conviction and character which seems to be sadly lacking in stars today. As for me, the next time I meet a guy, I'm going to pretend I'm Jane Russell and see if I can channel some of her wit and self-possession.