Speaking for a generation of movie going bachelors, Bob Hope
once asked, "How would like to tussle with Russell?" Jane
Russell made tongues wag with her movie debut role (in the hay)
in
Howard Hughes' Outlaw (1943). At the time
there was much ado about the amount of cleavage Russell showed
in that film. The censors complained and it took three years before the
film was in general release. It was a box office smash not so much for
it's brilliant story or acting, but rather its fame rested solely on Russell's
chest. Soon afterwards she co-starred with Hope in several
of his star vehicles like
The Paleface (1948), Road
to Bali
(1952, cameo role) and Son of Paleface (1952).
Another big role for Russell came in 1953 alongside
Marilyn
Monroe in Gentleman Prefer Blondes. Besides her
acting talents, Russell has also spent most of her life as
a champion for children helping both with the forwarding of adoption programs
and child welfare legislation.
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