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1-12 of 12
- Actress
- Soundtrack
The youngest of five children, and born with the drab, unlikely name of Josephine Cottle on April 5, 1922, this pleasantly appealing, Texas-born, auburn-haired beauty was only seventeen months old when her father, William, passed away. The family moved from Bloomington (her home town) to McDade (between Austin and Houston), where her mother, Minnie, made ends meet as a seamstress and milliner. The family eventually settled in Houston, where Gale took dance and ice skating lessons, developed a strong interest in acting, and performed in high school dramatics. Encouraged by her teachers, Gale by chance entered and was chosen the winner of a local radio talent contest called Jesse L. Lasky's "Gateway to Hollywood" in 1939. This took her and her mother to Hollywood, where she captured the national contest title.
Handed the more exciting stage moniker of "Gale Storm", she was soon put under contract to RKO Pictures. Although she was dropped by the studio after only six months, she had established herself enough to find work elsewhere, including at Monogram and Universal. Appearing in a number of "B" musicals, mysteries and westerns, her wholesome, open-faced prettiness made her a natural for filming. The programmers, however, that she co-starred in were hardly the talk of the town. Making her inauspicious debut with Tom Brown's School Days (1940), her '40s movies bore such dubious titles as Let's Go Collegiate (1941), Freckles Comes Home (1942), Revenge of the Zombies (1943), Sunbonnet Sue (1945), Swing Parade of 1946 (1946), and Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950), indicating the difficulty of finding material worthy of her talent. Arguably, her better movies include the family Christmas tale It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), which co-starred Don DeFore; the overlooked western comedy The Dude Goes West (1948) opposite Eddie Albert; and the film noir piece The Underworld Story (1950) with Dan Duryea.
After years of toiling in films, Gale finally turned things around at age 30 by transplanting herself to the small screen. Her very first TV series, My Little Margie (1952), which was only supposed to be a summer replacement series for I Love Lucy (1951), became one of the most watched sitcoms in the early '50s while showing up in syndicated reruns for decades. Co-starring the popular film star Charles Farrell as her amiable dad, Gale's warmth and ingratiating style suited TV to a tee, making her one of the most popular light comediennes of the time. She segued directly into her second hit series as a cruise ship director in The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1956), which was better known as "Oh! Susannah" after it went into syndication. Co-starring woebegone Zasu Pitts as the ship's manicurist and her "Ethel Mertz" counterpart, this show lasted a season longer than her first.
In the midst of all this, the (gasp!) thirty-something star dared to launch her own Las Vegas nightclub and pop recording careers. Always looking much younger than she was, she produced a number of Billboard chart makers, including "I Hear You Knocking" (her first hit), "Memories Are Made of This", "Ivory Tower" and her own cover of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". Her most successful song of the decade was "Dark Moon", which peaked at #4.
Gale's film career took a sharp decline following the demise of her second series in 1960. Most of her focus was placed modestly on the summer stock or dinner theater circuit, doing a revolving door of tailor-made comedies and musicals such as "Cactus Flower", "Forty Carats", "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and "South Pacific". She finally appeared again on TV in a The Love Boat (1977) segment in 1979 after nearly a two-decade absence. It was later revealed in Gale's candid autobiography "I Ain't Down Yet" (1981) and on the talk show circuit that the disappearance was triggered by a particularly vicious battle with alcohol. Years later, Gale became an outspoken and committed lecturer, helping to remove the stigma attached to such a disease, particularly as it applied to women.
Fully recovered, she has been widowed twice (by actor Lee Bonnell in 1986 and Paul Masterson in 1996). Incredibly accommodating over the years, Gale has appeared on the nostalgia and film festival circuits to the delight of her many fans. She died on June 27, 2009, at a Danville, California convalescent home at age 87.- Actor
- Writer
Richard Hillman was born on 13 December 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Bring It On (2000), Detroit Rock City (1999) and Boys and Girls (2000). He died on 27 June 2009 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.- Fayette Pinkney was born on 10 January 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Sanford and Son (1972), Musik aus Studio B (1961) and The Dick Emery Special (1979). She died on 27 June 2009 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Buster Slaven was born on 30 October 1922 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He was an actor, known for The Devil Is a Sissy (1936), Ridin' Down the Trail (1947) and Range Beyond the Blue (1947). He was married to Betty (Conklin) Jackson. He died on 27 June 2009 in Walnut Creek, California, USA.
- Spyros Kalogirou was born on 3 November 1922 in Athens, Greece. He was an actor, known for Tzimis o Tigris (1966), The Trial of the Judges (1974) and High Treason (1971). He was married to Evagelia Samiotaki. He died on 27 June 2009 in Athens, Greece.
- Music Department
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Cheryl Aranda was born on 17 August 1963 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Sin_Eater (2012), Mother's Day (2013) and Rules of the Road: JC Bike Safety PSA (2012). She was married to Frank Aranda. She died on 27 June 2009 in Diamond Bar, California, USA.- Jackie Washington was born on 12 November 1919 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (1980), Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (1966) and ABC's Nightlife (1964). He died on 27 June 2009 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
- Pilar Salarrullana was born on 17 November 1937 in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. She died on 27 June 2009 in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Kishore Sarja was a director and writer, known for Thutta Mutta (1998), Baava Baamaida (2001) and Jodi (2001). Kishore died on 27 June 2009 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.- Willy Kyrklund was born on 27 February 1921 in Helsinki, Finland. He was a writer, known for Teatterituokio (1962), Sitkeä Geronimo (1970) and Bröllopet (1978). He died on 27 June 2009 in Uppsala, Uppsala län, Sweden.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Soundtrack
Jay Bennett was born on 24 December 1912 in New York City, New York, USA. Jay was a writer, known for Monodrama Theater (1953), High Tension (1953) and The Woman Who Wouldn't Die (1965). Jay was married to Sally Stern. Jay died on 27 June 2009 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA.- Additional Crew
Harvey Cohen was born on 13 September 1951 in New York City, New York, USA. Harvey is known for David Blaine: Street Magic (1997) and David Blaine: Magic Man (1998). Harvey died on 27 June 2009 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.