Gloria Jean, '30s and '40s Singer and Actress, Dead at 92
She was number 189 on the list.
Gloria Jean, a singing actress who made over two dozen
movies from 1939 to 1959, died August 31 in Mountain View, Hawaii, at age 92, the
site GloriaJeanSings.com reports.
The cause was heart failure, according to her
daughter-in-law Jennifer Cellini in a family statement prepared by Scott
MacGillivray.
As a pre-teen, Gloria Jean Schoonover got her start singing
on the radio and in an opera troupe. The trained coloratura soprano was signed
to Universal Pictures in 1938, making her film debut in "The
Under-Pup" and becoming a sensation.
During her heyday, she starred with such greats as Bing
Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, and W.C. Fields, the latter of whom she appeared
with in 1941's "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break." Post-WWII, she
embarked on an international singing tour and starred in "Copacabana"
(1947) with Groucho Marx.
When her movie career cooled, she worked as a hostess in a
restaurant, a change of fortune that fed media coverage similar to that given
to former "The Cosby Show" star Geoffrey Owens, who was spotted
working as a grocery bagger last week. The press led to some final film roles
for the performer, including her last, in Jerry Lewis' "The Ladies
Man" (1961).
Upon her retirement from acting, Gloria Jean worked for
Redken Laboratories for 30 years.
She was preceded in death last year by her son, Angelo
Cellini.
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