Lillian Gertrude Michael (June 1, 1911 – December 31, 1964) was an American film, stage and television actress.
Biography
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Michael, she was born in
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham.
...
. She graduated from Talladega High school at the age of 14. In her youth, she played piano and organ, and she began Little Theatres in two communities. She became a singer on the radio.
Michael attended the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, wh ...
to continue studying music. Her work there earned her a scholarship for studying five years in Italy.
Her childhood home in
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham.
...
was destroyed by fire in 2007.
In 1929 in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
she made her stage debut in the Stuart Walkerstock theater company. She subsequently appeared on Broadway in
Rachel Crothers
Rachel Crothers (December 12, 1878 – July 5, 1958) was an American playwright and theater director known for her well-crafted plays that often dealt with feminist themes. Among theater historians, she is generally recognized as "the most succes ...
' ''Caught Wet'' (1931). She entered the movies playing
Richard Arlen
Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television.
Biography
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Arlen attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served in Canada as a ...
's fiancée in ''Wayward'' (1932), but her best-remembered role is probably either as Rita Ross in ''
Murder at the Vanities
''Murder at the Vanities'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical film based on the 1933 Broadway show with music by Victor Young. It was released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen, stars Victor McLaglen, Carl Brisson, Jac ...
'' (1934), one of the last pre- Code films, in which she sang an ode to marijuana (''Sweet Marijuana''), or as Alica Hatton, the snooty society girl in the
Mae West
Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...
comedy ''
I'm No Angel
''I'm No Angel'' is a 1933 pre-Code film directed by Wesley Ruggles, and starring Mae West and Cary Grant. West received sole story and screenplay credit. It is one of her films that was not subjected to heavy censorship.
Plot
Tira (Mae West ...
'' (1933).
In 1937, Michael returned to the stage at the Cape Play House in Dennis, Massachusetts, with the lead in ''Damn Deborah''.
Among her television appearances, Michael was seen on ''
Fireside Theater
''Fireside Theatre'' (also known as ''Jane Wyman Presents'') is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the first successful filmed series on American television. Productions were low-budget and often based ...
'' eleven times between 1950 and 1955 and three times on ''
Schlitz Playhouse
''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both Television comedy, comedies and Dramatic programming, drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The ti ...
''. She also made a guest appearance on ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' in 1958 as Helen Rucker in "The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary."
She had an affair with writer Paul Cain (aka Peter Ruric). After they broke up, Cain, in his only novel published during his lifetime, ''Fast One'', based the character of the alcoholic lover on Michael.
Michael died on December 31, 1964, aged 53, in her Hollywood home.
Sailor Be Good
''Sailor Be Good'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by James Cruze and written by Ethel Doherty, Viola Brothers Shore and Ralph Spence. Starring Jack Oakie, Vivienne Osborne, George E. Stone, Max Hoffman Jr. and Lincoln Stedm ...
'' (1933) - Kay Whitney
* ''
A Bedtime Story
''A Bedtime Story'' is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic comedy film starring Maurice Chevalier.
Plot
Chevalier plays a Parisian playboy who finds himself obliged to care for an abandoned baby. The film was directed by Norman Taurog and also st ...
'' (1933) - Louise
* ''
Night of Terror
''Night of Terror'' is a 1933 American pre-Code horror film directed by Benjamin Stoloff, and starring Bela Lugosi, Sally Blane, Wallace Ford, and Tully Marshall. Despite receiving top billing, Bela Lugosi has a relatively small part. The film ...
'' (1933) - Sarah Rinehart
* '' Ann Vickers'' (1933) - Mona Dolphin
* ''
I'm No Angel
''I'm No Angel'' is a 1933 pre-Code film directed by Wesley Ruggles, and starring Mae West and Cary Grant. West received sole story and screenplay credit. It is one of her films that was not subjected to heavy censorship.
Plot
Tira (Mae West ...
Search for Beauty
''Search for Beauty'' is a 1934 American pre-Code dramedy film, with some musical Busby Berkeley-esque athletic sequences, directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino (the film was released shortly before Lupino's 16th ...
'' (1934) - Jean Strange
* ''
Bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
'' (1934) - Lady D'Argon
* ''
George White's Scandals
''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fi ...
'' (1934) - Miss Lee
* ''
Hold That Girl
''Hold That Girl'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and written by Dudley Nichols and Lamar Trotti. The film stars James Dunn, Claire Trevor, Alan Edwards, Gertrude Michael, John Davidson and Robert McWade. The f ...
'' (1934) - Dorothy Lamont
* ''
I Believed in You
''I Believed in You'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Irving Cummings and written by William M. Conselman. The film stars Rosemary Ames, John Boles, Victor Jory, Gertrude Michael, George Meeker and Leslie Fenton. The film was ...
'' (1934) - Pamela Banks
* '' The Witching Hour'' (1934) - Margaret Price
* ''
Murder at the Vanities
''Murder at the Vanities'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical film based on the 1933 Broadway show with music by Victor Young. It was released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen, stars Victor McLaglen, Carl Brisson, Jac ...
'' (1934) - Rita Ross
* ''
Murder on the Blackboard
''Murder on the Blackboard'' is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery/comedy film starring Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and James Gleason as Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Together, they investigate a murder at Withers' school. I ...
'' (1934) - Jane Davis
* ''
The Notorious Sophie Lang
''The Notorious Sophie Lang'' is a 1934 American crime drama film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Gertrude Michael, Paul Cavanagh and Alison Skipworth.Cleopatra'' (1934) - Calpurnia
* '' Menace'' (1934) - Helen Chalmers
* ''
Father Brown, Detective
''Father Brown, Detective '' is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Walter Connolly, Paul Lukas and Gertrude Michael. It is based on the 1910 Father Brown story "The Blue Cross" by G. K. Chesterton.
Plot
When ...
Four Hours to Kill!
''Four Hours to Kill!'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Richard Barthelmess.
Plot
Taft, a policeman, has fugitive murderer Tony Mako in custody and in handcuffs, two thousand miles from the prison from whi ...
Make Way for a Lady
''Make Way for a Lady'' is a 1936 romantic comedy/drama directed by David Burton, starring Herbert Marshall and Anne Shirley. June Drew ( Anne Shirley) is the teenaged "lady" based on Elizabeth Jordan's novel ''Daddy and I''.
Plot
June Drew ( ...
'' (1936) - Miss Eleanor Emerson
* '' Mr. Dodd Takes the Air'' (1937) - Jessica Stafford
* ''
Sophie Lang Goes West
''Sophie Lang Goes West'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by Charles Reisner, written by Frederick Irving Anderson, Doris Anderson, Brian Marlow and Robert Wyler, and starring Gertrude Michael, Lee Bowman, Sandra Storme, Buster Crabbe, B ...
'' (1937) - Sophie Lang
* ''
Just like a Woman
"Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan first released on his seventh studio album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' on June 20, 1966. It was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. A shorter edit was released as a sin ...
Hidden Power
''Hidden Power'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Jack Holt, Gertrude Michael and Dickie Moore.Parole Fixer
''Parole Fixer'' is a 1940 American crime film directed by Robert Florey.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover is credited for the source material, the 1938 book called ''Persons in Hiding'', a purported expose of corruptio ...
I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby
"I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" is an American popular song and jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew L ...
'' (1940) - Magda Delys
* ''
Slightly Tempted
''Slightly Tempted'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and written by Arthur T. Horman. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Peggy Moran, Johnny Downs, Elisabeth Risdon, George E. Stone and Gertrude Michael. The film was released ...
'' (1940) - Duchess
* '' Prisoner of Japan'' (1942) - Toni Chase
* ''
Behind Prison Walls
''Behind Prison Walls'' is a 1943 American crime film directed by Steve Sekely and written by Van Norcross. The film stars Alan Baxter (actor), Alan Baxter, Gertrude Michael, Tully Marshall, Edwin Maxwell (actor), Edwin Maxwell, Jacqueline Dalya ...
'' (1943) - Elinor Cantwell
* '' Women in Bondage'' (1943) - District Director Schneider
* '' Faces in the Fog'' (1944) - Nora Brooks
* ''
Three's a Crowd
''Three's a Crowd'' (also known as ''Three's Company, Too'' in the ''Three's Company'' syndication package) is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''Three's Company'' that aired on ABC from September 25 ...
'' (1945) - Sophie Whipple
* ''
Allotment Wives
''Allotment Wives'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by William Nigh and starring Kay Francis. Its plot is about an army investigator who tries to shut down a scam that preys on soldiers, and unknowingly falls in love with the woman behin ...
'' (1945) - Gladys Smith
* '' Club Havana'' (1945) - Hetty - Powder Room Attendant
* ''
That Wonderful Urge
''That Wonderful Urge'' is a 1948 20th Century Fox screwball comedy film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; November 27, 1948, page 190. It is a remake of ''Love Is News' ...
Darling, How Could You!
''Darling, How Could You!'' is a 1951 American period comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Joan Fontaine and John Lund. The script is based on the 1905 J. M. Barrie play ''Alice Sit-by-the-Fire''.
Plot
In late 1906, brother and ...
Women's Prison
This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities. As of 2013 across the world, 625,000 women and children were being held in penal institutions, and the female prison population was increasing in all continents.
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...
'' (3 episodes, 1952–1957) - the Duchess
* ''Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson'' (1 episode, 1954) - Lisa Jenssen
* ''
Cavalcade of America
''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially ...
'' (1 episode, 1953) - Major Pauline Cushman
* ''
Meet Corliss Archer
''Meet Corliss Archer'' is an American radio program from radio's Golden Age that ran from January 7, 1943, to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's ''A Date with Judy'', it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer repla ...
Private Secretary
A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family.
The role exists in ...
'' (1 episode, 1954) - Hollywood Star
* ''
The Ford Television Theatre
''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan
''The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'' is a crime drama series that aired in the United States in syndicated television from June 1957, to 1958. The first five episodes were made by Vision Productions in the United States, before production sw ...
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' (1 episode, 1958) - Helen Rucker
* ''
Sea Hunt
''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...