She Was Famous For Two Things That was Bob Hope's famous remark about Jane Russell. But there was much more to Jane than just the famous controversy Howard Hughes generated over her cleavage. Listen to her discuss Hughes, movies, and Marilyn Monroe. Also hear about Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's original inspiration in early 1960's Greenwich Village Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 -- February 28, 2011)[2] was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. Russell moved from the Midwest to California, where she had her first film role in 1943 with The Outlaw. In 1947, Russell delved into music before returning to films. After starring in multiple films in the 1950s, Russell again returned to music while completing several other films in the 1960s. She starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. Russell married three times and adopted three children and, in 1955, founded the World Adoption International Fund. For her achievements in film, she received several accolades including having her hand and foot prints immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Born in Bemidji,[3] Russell was the eldest child and only daughter of the five children of Roy William Russell (January 5, 1890 -- July 18, 1937) and Geraldine Jacobi (January 2, 1891 -- December 26, 1986). Her brothers are Thomas (born 1924), Kenneth (born 1925), Jamie (born 1927) and Wallace (born 1929).[4] Her father had been a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and her mother had been an actress with a road troupe.[5] Later the family moved to Southern California and her father worked as an office manager.[3] Russell's mother arranged for her to take piano lessons. In addition to music, she was interested in drama and participated in stage productions at Van Nuys High School.[6] Her early ambition was to be a designer of some kind, until the death of her father at forty-six, when she decided to work as a receptionist after graduation. She also modeled for photographers and, at the urging of her mother, studied drama and acting with Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop and with Russian actress Maria Ouspenskaya.[3] Russell in The Outlaw In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract by film mogul Howard Hughes[7] and made her motion picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous figure. Although the movie was completed in 1941, it was not released until 1943, and then in a limited release. It was finally released to a wide distribution in 1946. There were problems with the censorship of the production code over the way her ample cleavage was displayed. When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946. During that time, she was kept busy doing publicity and became known nationally.[8] Contrary to countless incorrect reports in the media since the release of The Outlaw, Russell did not wear the specially designed underwire bra that Howard Hughes had designed and made for her to wear during filming. According to Jane's 1988 autobiography, she said the bra was so uncomfortable that she secretly discarded it and wore her own bra with the cups padded with tissue and the straps pulled up to elevate her breasts.[9][10] With measurements of 38D-24-36 and standing 5'7" (97-61-91 cm and 1.7 meters), Russell was more statuesque than most of her contemporaries. Her favorite co-star Bob Hope once introduced her as "the two and only Jane Russell." He also joked, "Culture is the ability to describe Jane Russell without moving your hands." Howard Hughes said, "There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough." A publicity still for the movie showed her lying on a pile of straw, her blouse wide open showing ample cleavage and stretched tight across her voluptuous breasts. Her right hand was behind her head of black hair and the left hand held a pistol.[8] The image was a popular pin-up photo with servicemen during World War II. She did not appear in another movie until 1946 when she played Joan Kenwood in Young Widow for RKO. Speaking about her sex appeal, Jane Russell said, "Sex appeal is good—but not in bad taste. Then it's ugly. I don't think a star has any business posing in a vulgar way. I've seen plenty of pin-up pictures that have sex appeal, interest,and allure, but they're not vulgar. They have a little art to them. Marilyn's calendar was artistic."

• published: 10 Mar 2012
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