Barbara Jo Allen

Barbara Jo Allen (born Marian Barbara Henshall,[1] September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an actress also known as Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 1950s. She based the character on a woman she had seen delivering a PTA literature lecture in a confused manner. As Vague, she popularized the catch phrase "You dear boy!"[2][3]

Barbara Jo Allen
Barbara Jo Allen
Born
Marian Barbara Henshall

(1906-09-02)September 2, 1906
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 14, 1974(1974-09-14) (aged 68)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Other namesVera Vague
OccupationActress
Years active1937–1963
Spouse(s)Barton Yarborough
(m. 19??; div. 1931)
Charles H. Crosby
​
(
m. 1931⁠–⁠1932)

Norman Morrell
​
(
m. 1943)
Children2

Early years

Allen was born in Manhattan, New York, to Charles Thomas Henshall and Grace Esther Selby (maiden; 1885–1916). Following her mother's death when Allen was 9, she went to live with an aunt and uncle in Los Angeles. She was educated at Los Angeles High School, UCLA, Stanford University, and the Sorbonne.[4] Her acting ability first surfaced in school plays. Concentrating on language at the Sorbonne, she became proficient in French, Spanish, German and Italian.

Radio, film and television

In 1933, Allen joined the cast of NBC's One Man's Family[5] as Beth Holly, followed by roles on Death Valley Days, I Love a Mystery and other radio series. According to Allen, her Vera Vague character was “sort of a frustrated female, dumb, always ambitious and overzealous… a spouting bureau of misinformation.” After Vera was introduced in 1939 on NBC Matinee, she became a regular with Bob Hope beginning in 1941. In the early 1940s, she was a regular on Signal Carnival, a weekly program on NBC-Pacific Red stations.[6]

Allen appeared in at least 60 movies and TV series between 1938 and 1963, often credited as Vera Vague rather than her own name. The character she created was so popular that she eventually adopted the character name as her professional name. From 1943 to 1952, as Vera, she made more than a dozen comedy two-reel short subjects for Columbia Pictures, two of which were nominated for Oscars in the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film category.

In 1948, she did less acting and instead opened her own commercial orchid business, while also serving as the Honorary Mayor of Woodland Hills, California. In 1953, as Vera, she hosted her own television series, Follow the Leader, a CBS audience participation show.

Preview of references ^ Grunwald, Edgar A., Ed. (1938). Variety Radio Directory 1938–1939. Variety, Inc. P. 1227 ^ Glickman, David (May 5, 1941). "Screenland Culls New Talent From Radio" (PDF). Broadcasting. Retrieved August 21, 2015.[permanent dead link] AdvancedSpecial charactersHelpCite ofessional name. From 1943 to 1952, as Vera, she made more than a dozen comedy two-reel short subjects for Columbia Pictures, two of which were nominated for Academy Awards in the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film category.

In 1948, she did less acting and instead opened her own commercial orchid business, while also serving as the Honorary Mayor of Woodland Hills, California. In 1953, as Vera, she hosted her own television series, Follow the Leader, a CBS audience participation show.

Animation

She also did voices for animation, especially for the Walt Disney Animation Studios, most notably as the voices of Fauna, the green fairy, in Sleeping Beauty (1959), Goliath II's mother in Goliath II (1960), and the Scullery Maid in The Sword in the Stone (1963), her final film role.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

As Vera Vague, Allen has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures at 1720 Vine Street and one for radio at 1639 Vine Street. Both were dedicated February 8, 1960.[7]

Personal life

Allen's first marriage was to actor Barton Yarborough. They had one child together, Joan. In 1946, the couple co-starred in the two-reel comedy short, Hiss and Yell, nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Subject. Allen married lumberman Charles Hopper Crosby October 19, 1931, in Reno, Nevada.[8]

In 1943, she married Bob Hope's producer, Norman Morrell. They had one child and were married for three decades, until her 1974 death in Santa Barbara, California.

Death

Allen died September 14, 1974, aged 68, in Santa Barbara, California.[9]

Filmography

Features:

Short Subjects:

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References
  1. "Smart Girl Makes Career of Being Rattlebrained". The Indiana Gazette. June 27, 1942. p. 11. Retrieved August 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Shreve Jr., Ivan G. Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, February 3, 2008.
  3. IMDb: Barbara Jo Allen
  4. "Creates a Frankenstein, Now She's Stuck with It for Life". The Vidette-Messenger. April 4, 1945. p. 5. Retrieved August 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Grunwald, Edgar A., Ed. (1938). Variety Radio Directory 1938–1939. Variety, Inc. P. 1227
  6. Glickman, David (May 5, 1941). "Screenland Culls New Talent From Radio" (PDF). Broadcasting. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  7. "Vera Vague". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  8. "Eastbay Man and Star of Stage Elope". Oakland Tribune. October 20, 1931. p. 20. Retrieved August 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 259.
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