Glenda Farrell

Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971)[1] was an American actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, Farrell appeared in over 100 films and television series, as well as numerous Broadway play; and won an Emmy Award in 1963 for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her performance as Martha Morrison in the medical drama television series Ben Casey.[2]

Glenda Farrell
Circa 1930s
Born	(1904-06-30)June 30, 1904 Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	May 1, 1971(1971-05-01) (aged 66) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	West Point Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1928–1970
Spouse(s)	Thomas Richards ​ ( m. 1921; div. 1929) Dr. Henry Ross ​ ( m. 1941; her death 1971)
Children	Tommy Farrell

Farrell began acting on stage as a child and continued with various theatre companies and on Broadway before signing with Warner Bros. Embodying the brassy blonde character of the early talkies. Farrell was a signature 1930s Warner Bros. star, starring in films such as Little Caesar (1931), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and Lady for a Day (1933). Starting with Smart Blonde (1937), Farrell played Torchy Blane, the hard-boiled, wisecracking reporter in a series of popular films; which later was credited by comic book writer Jerry Siegel as the inspiration for the DC Comics reporter, Lois Lane. After leaving Warner Bros. in 1939, Farrell remained active in film, television and theatre throughout rest of her career.

Early life

Farrell was born in Enid, Oklahoma, to Wilhelmina "Minnie" (nee Messer, 1879-1931) of German descent and Charles A. Farrell (1873-1937) of Irish and Cherokee descent.[3][4] Farrell was the only daughter and had two younger brothers, Eugene and Richard.[5] After her family moved to Wichita, Kansas, Farrell began acting on stage with a theatrical company at age seven, playing the role of Little Eva in the play Uncle Tom's Cabin. Farrell's mother had never achieved her desire of being an actress, encouraged and supported her daughter's acting interests.[5] When her family moved to San Diego, California, a teenage Farrell joined the Virginia Brissac Stock Company. Farrell made the third honour roll in Motion Picture Magazine's "Fame and Fortune Contest". Her picture and biography were featured in the magazine's April 1919 issue, which also stated that Farrell had some experience in the chorus, vaudeville, and camp entertainments.[6] Farrell received a formal education at the Mount Carmel Catholic Academy.[7]

Career

1928–1939: Stage and films

In 1928, Farrell was cast as the lead actress in the play The Spider and made her film debut in a minor role in Lucky Boy. Farrell moved to New York City in 1929, where she replaced Erin O'Brien-Moore as Marion Hardy in Aurania Rouverol's play Skidding. The play later served as the basis for the Andy Hardy film series. By April 1929, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that she had played the role 355 times. Farrell appeared in a number of other plays, including Divided Honors, Recapture, and Love, Honor and Betray with George Brent, Alice Brady, and Clark Gable.

Farrell in I've Got Your Number (1934)

In 1930, she starred in the comedy short film The Lucky Break with Harry Fox, and in July 1930 Film Daily announced that Farrell had been cast in Mervyn LeRoy's film Little Caesar as the female lead, Olga Stassoff. Afterward, she returned to Broadway and starred in On the Spot at the Forrest Theater. At the time, Farrell conceded that motion pictures offered immense salaries, but felt the theater was the foundation of the actor's profession.[6] She appeared in several more plays.

In 1932, Farrell starred in the hit play Life Begins. Her performance caught the attention of Jack Warner, who signed her to a contract with the Warner Bros. film studio and cast her to recreate the role in Warner Bros.' film adaptation of Life Begins later that year. Farrell did not return to the stage until 1939.

In her first two years with Warner Bros., Farrell starred in 17 films, including Girl Missing (1933), Gambling Ship (1933), Man's Castle (1933) opposite Spencer Tracy, and Columbia Pictures' Lady for a Day (1933) by director Frank Capra. Farrell sometimes would work on three pictures that were shooting at the same time[1] and managed to transition from one role to another effortlessly. She worked in over 20 movies between 1934 and 1936, starring in films such as Go into Your Dance (1935), Little Big Shot (1935) and High Tension (1936).

Farrell was close friends with fellow Warner Bros. actress Joan Blondell,[8] and throughout the early 1930s, they were paired as a comedy duo in a series of five Warner Bros. movies: Havana Widows (1933), Kansas City Princess (1934), Traveling Saleslady (1935), We're in the Money (1935) and Miss Pacific Fleet (1935). She also appeared with Blondell in the Academy Award-nominated Gold Diggers of 1935 and Gold Diggers of 1937 musical film series. Farrell and Blondell co-starred in a total of nine films. Together, they came to personify the smart and sassy, wisecracking dames of '30s and '40s film.

In 1937, Farrell began starring as Torchy Blane, the fast-talking wisecracking newspaper reporter.[9] Warner Bros. had started to develop a film adaptation of "MacBride and Kennedy" stories by detective novelist Frederick Nebel in 1936. For the film version, Kennedy is changed to a woman named Theresa "Torchy" Blane and is in love with MacBride's character. Director Frank MacDonald immediately knew whom he wanted for the role of Torchy Blane. Farrell had already proved that she could play hard-boiled reporters in Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and Hi, Nellie! (1934); and was quickly cast as Torchy with Barton MacLane playing detective Steve McBride in the first Torchy Blane film Smart Blonde (1937).

Farrell and Barton MacLane in Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)

Smart Blonde was a surprise hit and became a popular second feature with moviegoers. Warner Bros. starred her in several more Torchy Blane movies opposite Barton MacLane. She portrayed Torchy in seven films from 1937 to 1939. The films took Farrell's popularity to a new level. She was beloved by the moviegoing public and received a huge amount of fan mail for the films. On her portrayal of the Torchy Blane character, Farrell said in her 1969 Time interview: "So before I undertook to do the first Torchy, I determined to create a real human being—and not an exaggerated comedy type. I met those [news-women] who visited Hollywood and watched them work on visits to New York City. They were generally young, intelligent, refined, and attractive. By making Torchy true to life, I tried to create a character practically unique in movies."[2]

Along with starring in the Torchy Blane series, Farrell appeared in a number of other films, including Breakfast for Two (1937), Hollywood Hotel (1937), and Prison Break (1938). Additionally, she performed in several radio series, including Vanity and Playhouse in 1937, and Manhattan Latin with Humphrey Bogart in 1938.

Farrell was elected to a one-year term as the honorary mayor of North Hollywood in 1937, beating her competition Bing Crosby and Lewis Stone by a three-to-one margin. Even though it began as a Warner Bros. publicity stunt, Farrell took the job seriously, attending functions, presentations, and ceremonies. She was also put in charge when the North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that it wanted to put sewers along Ventura Highway and started the groundwork for that project.[2]

In 1939, Farrell left Warner Bros. when her contract expired. Several factors resulted in her decision including, feeling Warner Bros. was typecasting her as a newspaper reporter, a disagreement by Jack Warner for a pay rise, and wanting to return to the theatre. Farrell later told syndicated columnist Bob Thomas in 1952: "There's something more satisfying about working in a play. You get that immediate response from the audience, and you feel that your performance is your own. In pictures, you get frustrated because you feel you have no power over what you're doing".

1939–1969: Television, stage, and films

Farrell starred in the lead role in the play Anna Christie at the Westport Country Playhouse in July 1939, then followed that with a summer stock production of S. N. Behrman's play Brief Moment. She co-starred with Lyle Talbot and Alan Dinehart in the long-running play Separate Rooms at Broadway's Plymouth Theater for a successful 613-performance run throughout 1940 and 1941.

In 1941, Farrell returned to motion pictures, starring in director Mervyn LeRoy's film noir, Johnny Eager. She starred in the play The Life of Reilly on Broadway in April 1942. Throughout the '40s, '50s, and '60s, Farrell continued to appear in numerous films, including the Academy Award-nominated The Talk of the Town (1942), Heading for Heaven (1947), and the 1954 Charlton Heston adventure epic Secret of the Incas.[10]

Farrell in 1962 with Chill Wills in the television series Frontier Circus

Farrell made her television debut in 1949 in the anthology series The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre. She appeared in over 40 television series between 1950 and 1969, including Kraft Theatre, Studio One in Hollywood, The United States Steel Hour, Bonanza, and Bewitched.

In 1963, she guest-starred in the ABC medical drama series Ben Casey as Martha Morrison in the two-part episode "A Cardinal Act of Mercy". She won the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding performance in a supporting role by an actress. Farrell co-starred with her son Tommy Farrell in two comedy films in 1964: Kissin' Cousins with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis in The Disorderly Orderly.

Farrell briefly retired in 1968, but soon decided to return to acting. Farrell's final work in her long career was the Broadway play Forty Carats. She was appearing in Forty Carats at the Morosco Theatre until ill health forced her to leave the play a few months later. Farrell was eventually diagnosed with lung cancer.[2]

Personal life

In 1920, Farrell was hired to do a dance routine at a Navy benefit ball in San Diego. There she met her first husband, Thomas Richards.[11] They were married from 1921 to 1929. Their son, actor Tommy Farrell, was born in 1921. In 1931, she was engaged to Jack Durant of the comedy duo "Mitchell and Durant" but never married him.[12] She dated screenwriter Robert Riskin a few years later.

In 1941, Farrell sprained her ankle during a performance of the play Separate Rooms, and was treated backstage by Dr. Henry Ross, who had been called forth from the audience.[2] Farrell and Ross were married soon after.[13] Ross was a staff surgeon at New York's Polyclinic Hospital and West Point graduate, who later served as chief of the public health section on General Eisenhower's staff.[14] Farrell and Ross remained married until her death 30 years later. Farrell was a devout Catholic.[15]

Death

In 1971, Farrell died from lung cancer, aged 66, at her home in New York City and was interred in the West Point Cemetery in West Point, New York.[16][17] When Ross, who did not remarry, died in 1991, he was buried with her.[14]

Legacy

Comic book writer Jerry Siegel credits Farrell's portrayal of Torchy Blane as the inspiration for the fictional Daily Planet reporter and Superman's love interest, Lois Lane.[18] Siegel also named June Farrell, one of the characters in his Funnyman comic book series, after Farrell.

On February 8, 1960, Farrell received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to motion pictures, at 6524 Hollywood Boulevard.[19]

In 1977, Farrell's husband Dr. Henry Ross donated 38 acres of land to the Putnam County Land Trust, establishing the Glenda Farrell–Henry Ross Preserve.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1928	Lucky Boy		Uncredited
1930	The Lucky Break		Short
1931	Little Caesar	Olga Stassoff
1932	Scandal for Sale	Stella	Uncredited
	Life Begins	Florette Darien
	Three on a Match	Mrs. Black
	I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang	Marie Woods
	The Match King	Babe
1933	Mystery of the Wax Museum	Florence Dempsey
	Grand Slam	Blondie
	Girl Missing	Kay Curtis
	The Keyhole	Dot
	How to Break 90 #2: Position and Back Swing	Golfer's Wife	Short, Uncredited
	Gambling Ship	Jeanne Sands
	Mary Stevens, M.D.	Glenda Carroll
	Lady for a Day	Missouri Martin
	Bureau of Missing Persons	Belle Howard Saunders
	Havana Widows	Sadie Appleby
	Man's Castle	Fay La Rue
	Central Airport
1934	The Big Shakedown	Lily 'Lil' Duran
	Hi Nellie!	Gerry Krale
	Dark Hazard	Valerie 'Val' Wilson
	I've Got Your Number	Bonnie
	Heat Lightning	Mrs. Tifton
	Merry Wives of Reno	Bunny Fitch
	The Personality Kid	Joan McCarty
	Kansas City Princess	Marie Callahan
	The Secret Bride	Hazel Normandie
1935	Gold Diggers of 1935	Betty Hawes
	Traveling Saleslady	Claudette
	Go into Your Dance	Molly Howard
	In Caliente	Clara
	We're in the Money	Dixie Tilton
	Little Big Shot	Jean
	Miss Pacific Fleet	Mae O'Brien
1936	Snowed Under	Daisy Lowell
	The Law in Her Hands	Dorothy 'Dot' Davis
	Nobody's Fool	Ruby Miller
	High Tension	Edith McNeil
	Here Comes Carter	Verna Kennedy
	Gold Diggers of 1937	Genevieve Larkin
1937	Smart Blonde	Torchy Blane
	Fly-Away Baby
	Dance Charlie Dance	Fanny Morgan
	You Live and Learn	Mamie Wallis
	Sunday Night at the Trocadero	Glenda Farrell	Short
	Breakfast for Two	Carol Wallace
	The Adventurous Blonde	Torchy Blane
	Hollywood Hotel	Jonesy
1938	Blondes at Work	Torchy Blane
	Stolen Heaven	Rita
	Prison Break	Jean Fenderson
	The Road to Reno	Sylvia Shane
	Exposed	'Click' Stewart
	Torchy Gets Her Man	Torchy Blane
	Breakdowns of 1938	Torchy Blane	Short, uncredited outtakes
1939	Torchy Blane in Chinatown	Torchy Blane
	Torchy Runs for Mayor
1941	Johnny Eager	Mae Blythe
1942	Twin Beds	Sonya Cherupin
	The Talk of the Town	Regina Bush
1943	City Without Men	Billie LaRue
	A Night for Crime	Susan Cooper
	Klondike Kate	Molly
1944	Ever Since Venus	Babs Cartwright
1947	Heading for Heaven	Nora Elkins
1948	I Love Trouble	Hazel Bixby
	Mary Lou	Winnie Winford
	Lulu Belle	Molly Benson
1952	Apache War Smoke	Fanny Webson
1953	Girls in the Night	Alice Haynes
1954	Secret of the Incas	Mrs. Winston
	Susan Slept Here	Maude Snodgrass
1955	The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing	Mrs. Nesbit
1959	Middle of the Night	Mrs. Mueller
	The Bells of St. Mary's		TV movie
1961	A String of Beads		TV movie
	Special for Women: The Glamour Trap	Beauty Operator	TV movie
1964	Kissin' Cousins	Ma Tatum
	The Disorderly Orderly	Dr. Jean Howard
1970	Tiger by the Tail	Sarah Harvey	(final film role)

Television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949	The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
1950	The Silver Theatre	Gaudy Lady
1951	Starlight Theatre	Dorine
	Faith Baldwin Romance Theatre
	Prudential Family Playhouse	Effie Flound
1953	Tales of Tomorrow
	Armstrong Circle Theatre	Serena Price	2 episodes
1955	Goodyear Playhouse	Mrs. Davis
	The Elgin Hour	Mrs. Dane
	Justice
1956	The Kaiser Aluminum Hour
	The Alcoa Hour	Eloise Schroeder
	Front Row Center	May Cooper
1957	The 20th Century-Fox Hour	Mae Swasey
	The Sheriff of Cochise	Sarah Avery
	Kraft Theatre	Stella Harvey / Alma Wilkes	5 episodes
1958	Studio One in Hollywood	Claire / Mrs. Endsley / Irene	4 episodes
	Cimarron City	Maggie Arkins
1959	The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen
	General Electric Theater	Mrs. Brady
	Wagon Train	Belle MacAbee
	Buick-Electra Playhouse
1960	Play of the Week	Rose Frobisher
	The Islanders	Mrs. Dan King
1961	Westinghouse Playhouse	Laura
1962	Frontier Circus	Ma Jukes
	The Defenders	Edna Holley
	Route 66	Laverne
1963	Ben Casey	Martha Morrison	2 episodes Won the Emmy Award for outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress.
	The United States Steel Hour	Grace Smith / Edna Huntington / Mrs. Rausch	5 episodes
	Rawhide	Mrs. Elizabeth Farragut
	Dr. Kildare	Vera Dennis
	The Fugitive	Mrs. Maggie Lambert
1964	Bonanza	Lulabelle 'Looney' Watkins	Episode: "The Pure Truth"
1968	Felony Squad	Jeanette Anderson
1969	Bewitched	Hortense Rockeford

References

1. "Hollywood Star Walk: Glenda Farrell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
2. Bubbeo, Daniel. "Glenda Farrell: The Gimme Girl". The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each. McFarland & Company. pp. 74, 79–80, 82. ISBN 0786411376.
3. "Wilhelmina "Minnie" Messer". Geni. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
4. "Charles A. Farrell (1874-1937)". Find A Grave. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
5. Nollen, Scott (2014). Glenda Farrell: Hollywood's Hardboiled Dame. Baltimore: Midnight Marquee Press, Inc. pp. 13–17. ISBN 9781936168477.
6. Aliperti, Cliff (September 10, 2013). "Glenda Farrell Biography and 1930s Hollywood Heyday". Immortal Ephemera. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
7. "Glenda Farrell: Her Life and Legacy". Retrieved March 13, 2016.
8. "My Pal Glenda". Hollywood Magazine. January 1936. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
9. Backer, Ron (August 25, 2012). Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood - Torchy Blane: The Investigative Reporter. McFarland. p. 258. ISBN 0786469757.
10. Mike French & Gilles Verschuere (2005-09-14). "Debora Nadoolman interview". TheRaider.net. Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
11. Van Neste, Dan. "Glenda Farrell: Diamond in the Rough". Classic Images. May 1998. Issue 275.
12. "Los Angeles Actress To Wed In June", Los Angeles Times, March 11, 1931, p. 11.
13. "Glenda To Wed", The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Indiana. February 6, 1941, p. 5.
14. "Dr. Henry Ross, 89, Eisenhower's Chief Of Health in War". The New York Times. June 28, 1991. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
15. Garson Kanin, “Glenda Farrell 1904-1971”, New York Times, May 16, 1971, p. 14. (Retrieved 2017-05-04.)
16. "Actress Glenda Farrell Dies in N.Y. at Age 66", European Stars and Stripes, May 3, 1971, p. 6.
17. Garson Kanin, “Glenda Farrell 1904-1971”, New York Times, May 16, 1971, p. 14. (Retrieved 2017-05-04.)
18. Siegel, Joanne. "The True Inspiration for Lois Lane". Superman Home Page. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
19. "Glenda Farrell". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved March 13, 2016.

• "Hollywood Gossip", The Daily Times-News (Burlington, North Carolina), March 29, 1934, p. 8.
• "Film and Drama", Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California), June 22, 1952, p. 31.
• "Studio and Stage", Los Angeles Times, May 29, 1925, p. A7.
• "Glenda Farrell Praised for Art in Best People", Los Angeles Times, October 4, 1925, p. 23.
• "Stage Star To Play In Films", Los Angeles Times, July 9, 1930, p. A12.
• 1930 United States Federal Census, April 15, 1930, Enumeration District 19-30, Sheet 15-A.
• “Glenda Farrell, Film Star, Dies at 66”, New York Times, May 2, 1971, p. 74. (Retrieved 2017-05-04.)

External links

• Glenda Farrell on IMDb 
• Glenda Farrell at the Internet Broadway Database
• Glenda Farrell at the TCM Movie Database
• Glenda Farrell at AllMovie
• Glenda Farrell at Hollywood.com
• Literature on Glenda Farrell
• Glenda Farrell papers, 1929-1972 (bulk 1930s-1940s), held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts