Gloria Jean (born Gloria Jean Schoonover; April 14, 1926 – August 31, 2018)
was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances. She is probably best remembered today for her appearance with
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathe ...
in the film ''
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
''Never Give a Sucker an Even Break'' (known in some international releases as ''What a Man!'') is a 1941 Universal Pictures comedy film starring W. C. Fields. Fields also wrote the original story, under the pseudonym "Otis Criblecoblis." Fields ...
'' (1941).
Early years
Gloria Jean was born Gloria Jean Schoonover in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of Ferman and Eleanor Schoonover;
[ ] her ancestry was
Pennsylvania Dutch.
[ She had three sisters, Sally, Lois, and Bonnie. The family was involved in her career, with Lois serving as stand-in for the actress and their father managing her career.][ ] Gloria Jean was three years old when she first sang on radio, under the name "Baby Skylark."[
]
Singing
The family moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Gloria Jean sang with Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...
's orchestra on radio broadcasts. When she was 12, "she was engaged by a smallish New York opera company and became the youngest member of an opera troupe in the United States."[ ]
Film
Universal
Gloria Jean was being trained as a coloratura soprano when her voice teacher, Leah Russel, took her to an audition held by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
movie producer Joe Pasternak
Joseph Herman Pasternak (born József Paszternák; September 19, 1901 – September 13, 1991) was a Hungarian-American film producer in Hollywood. Pasternak spent the Hollywood "Golden Age" of musicals at MGM Studios, producing many successfu ...
in 1938. Pasternak had guided Deanna Durbin
Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...
to stardom, and with Durbin now advancing to ingénue roles, Pasternak wanted a younger singer to make the same kind of musicals. He held auditions for a film called ''The Under-Pup''.
"There were hundreds of beautiful little girls there," Jean recalled. "I had been grabbed out of the sandbox, and I didn't look so nice. I had pigtails and my teeth were a little crooked. But that's what Joe liked."
She told Pasternak she could not sing as the piano was out of tune. "My mother almost shot me. Joe said, `I like this kid. Let's get the piano tuned and bring her back tomorrow.' I got all kinds of lectures on the way home about being a little more subdued. When I sang the next day, I knew it went very well". Up against hundreds of others, Gloria Jean won the audition.Scott MacGillivray Scott MacGillivray (born June 29, 1957) is an American non-fiction author specializing in motion picture history.
His book ''Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward,'' revised and expanded in 2009, chronicles the later films of Stan Laurel and Ol ...
and Jan MacGillivray, ''Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven'', iUniverse, Bloomington, IN, 2005
Under contract to Universal, she was given the leading role in the feature '' The Under-Pup'' (1939), which starred Robert Cummings
Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...
and Nan Grey
Nan Grey (born Eschal Loleet Grey Miller; July 25, 1918 – July 25, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Grey was born in Houston, Texas. In 1934, at age 16, she went to Hollywood with her mother for a holiday. She was persuaded by ...
who had been in ''Three Smart Girls Grow Up
''Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' is a 1939 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster, written by Felix Jackson and Bruce Manning, and starring Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, and Helen Parrish. Durbin and Grey reprise their roles from ''Three Sm ...
'' with Durbin.[ The film did well and Gloria Jean became instantly popular with moviegoers.][Gloria Jean: Delightful child actress and singer of the 1930s whose career faded when she reached adulthood
The Times 22 Sep 2018: 78.] Universal's publicity department initially claimed the singer was 11 years old instead of 13; her actual age was not well known for many decades.
She co-starred with Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
in ''If I Had My Way
''If I Had My Way'' is a 1940 musical comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Bing Crosby and Gloria Jean. Based on a story by David Butler, the film is about a construction worker who takes charge of the daughter of a friend killed i ...
'' (1940) which was written, produced and directed by David Butler. She then starred in the well-received '' A Little Bit of Heaven'' (1940), which reunited her with many from the ''Under-Pup'' cast, including Nan Grey; the male lead was Robert Stack
Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...
who appeared opposite Durbin several times.
Her fourth picture became her best known: ''Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
''Never Give a Sucker an Even Break'' (known in some international releases as ''What a Man!'') is a 1941 Universal Pictures comedy film starring W. C. Fields. Fields also wrote the original story, under the pseudonym "Otis Criblecoblis." Fields ...
'' (1941), in which she co-starred with W.C. Fields
WC or wc may refer to:
* Water closet or flush toilet
Arts and entertainment
* ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film
* WC (band), a Polish punk rock band
* WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California
* Westside Connection, former ...
. "He had a reputation, I know, for not liking children, but he was very kind and considerate to me," said Gloria later. "I used to wonder, though, why he didn't eat on the set. When we broke for a meal he'd say, 'Get that kid off to school.' Of course, I know now, it was because he wanted to drink."
In December 1940 she was sued by William Lustig, a Pennsylvania bandleader who had appeared with her during her local radio years; Lustig claimed to be her former agent.
Youth musicals
Universal recognized the need for musical entertainment during wartime, and Gloria Jean became one of the studio's most prolific performers; during the war years she made 14 feature films. Most were "hepcat" musicals, which were geared to the teenage market of the day, and Universal often used them to introduce new young talent, including Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
His b ...
, Peggy Ryan
Margaret O'Rene Ryan (August 28, 1924 – October 30, 2004) was an American dancer and actress, best known for starring in a series of movie musicals at Universal Pictures with Donald O'Connor and Gloria Jean.
Career
Ryan joined her paren ...
, Mel Tormé, and Marshall Thompson
James Marshall Thompson (November 27, 1925 – May 18, 1992) was an American film and television actor.
Early years
Thompson was born in Peoria, Illinois. He and his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Laurence B. Thompson, moved to California when he was a ...
. She supported The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...
in ''What's Cookin'
''What's Cookin'?'' is a 1942 American musical film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring The Andrews Sisters, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige and Gloria Jean. The film is based on the story ''Wake Up and Dream'' written by Edgar Allan Woolf.
Plot ...
'' (1942) then appeared with Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
His b ...
, Jane Frazee
Mary Jane Frehse (July 18, 1915 – September 6, 1985), was an American actress, singer, and dancer.
Professional life
Jane, age six, and her 12-year-old sister Ruth formed a singing vaudeville act known as The Frazee Sisters.[Robert Paige
Robert Paige (born John Arthur Paige, December 2, 1911 – December 21, 1987) was an actor and a TV newscaster and political correspondent and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime: he was the only actor ever allowed t ...]
and Peggy Ryan in ''Get Hep to Love
''Get Hep to Love'' is a 1942 musical film starring Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige and Peggy Ryan. The film was directed by Charles Lamont.
Plot
Doris Stanley is an adolescent singer ("14 going on 15") billed as an ...
'' (1942). It was directed by Charles Lamont
Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 11, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. He directed several Abbott and Costello comedies and many Ma and Pa Kettle films.
Biography
A Calif ...
as was ''When Johnny Comes Marching Home
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Roud 6637), sometimes "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", is a popular song from the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the ...
'' (1942) with O'Connor, Ryan, Frazee, and Allan Jones. She and O'Connor were top-billed in '' It Comes Up Love'' (1943) and '' Mister Big'' (1943). She was in '' Moonlight in Vermont'' (1943) with Ray Malone.
She was cast, in her first dramatic performance, as a blind girl in one of four vignettes for Julien Duvivier's ''Flesh and Fantasy
''Flesh and Fantasy'' is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Robert Cummings, and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous ...
'' (1943). The studio started admitting her real age. Her performance won raves at the film's advance preview, and her segment was the best-received of the four. However, Universal removed the half-hour sequence and shelved it, at the insistence of a major stockholder who exerted a great deal of control at the studio. Gloria said this decision was a "heartbreak... because the part I played in that really meant a lot to me. It was the first I'd ever done with real drama."[Patric Knowles; British Actor
Los Angeles Times 27 Dec 1995: VYB5.]
Universal tried to give Gloria Jean a smooth transition from adolescent roles to leading-lady status; she was outgrowing juvenile roles but was not yet mature enough for adult leads. In December 1942 she was tested for the female lead in ''Phantom of the Opera'', but was considered too young. She was then considered as the singing ingenue in a concurrent Abbott and Costello comedy, ''It Ain't Hay
''It Ain't Hay'' is a 1943 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.
Plot
Cab driver Wilbur Hoolihan accidentally kills a hack horse owned by King O'Hara and his daughter, Princess O’Hara, by feeding it candy. In hopes of raising ...
'' (released 1943) but was considered too old.
In January 1944 Universal announced they wanted to launch Gloria Jean as a more adult star and were developing "three or four stories". Resuming her string of musicals, Gloria Jean co-starred with Olsen and Johnson in the big-budget ''Ghost Catchers
''Ghost Catchers'' is a 1944 American comedy horror film. Ole Olson and Chic Johnson are nightclub owners, helping their neighbors rid an old house of ghosts. Their club's headwaiter Jerry (Leo Carrillo) is really a gangster trying to scare off th ...
'' (1944), which featured singer-actor Kirby Grant
Kirby Grant (November 24, 1911 – October 30, 1985), born Kirby Grant Hoon Jr., was a long-time B movie and television actor, mostly remembered for having played the title role in the Western-themed adventure television series ''Sky King''. B ...
. The two vocalists worked so well together that Universal teamed them for two more features. She starred in ''Pardon My Rhythm
''Pardon My Rhythm'' is a 1944 movie starring Gloria Jean, Patric Knowles, and Evelyn Ankers, featuring Mel Tormé and Bob Crosby, and directed by Felix E. Feist.
Cast
*Gloria Jean as Jinx Page
*Patric Knowles as Tony Page
*Evelyn Ankers as Ju ...
'' (1944) opposite Mel Torme
Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to:
Biology
* Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL)
* National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL
People
* Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...
, ''Reckless Age
''Reckless Age'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Felix E. Feist and written by Gertrude Purcell and Henry Blankfort. The film stars Gloria Jean, Henry Stephenson, Kathleen Howard, Franklin Pangborn, Andrew Tombes, Marshall Thompson, Jan ...
'' (1944) and '' I'll Remember April'' (1945) with Kirby Grant. In May 1944 she turned eighteen.
When Gloria Jean's Universal contract expired at the end of 1944, her agent Eddie Sherman (who was also Abbott and Costello's manager) persuaded her against renewing it, citing the need for "a transition period to make the change from child to adult roles."[ ] This left Universal in a bind; the studio had already promised exhibitors three Gloria Jean pictures for the 1945 season. Universal solved the problem by rushing Gloria Jean through three final productions that had already been partially completed. The half-hour sequence from ''Flesh and Fantasy
''Flesh and Fantasy'' is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Robert Cummings, and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous ...
'' was expanded into a feature-length melodrama, ''Destiny
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
'' (1944); and scripts had already been prepared for '' Fairy Tale Murder'' (1945) (released in the United States as ''River Gang'') and '' Easy to Look At'' (1945) (co-starring Kirby Grant).
Arthur Dreifuss Films
After leaving Universal, Gloria Jean made personal appearances across America; the successful tour prompted a new tour of Europe. In England, her rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" (and the lyric "forgive us our ''debts''") was taken by some critics as a pointed comment about America's lend-lease policy. "It was all over the newspapers the next day, the story that I had come to London to insult Britons," said Gloria. "I was devastated." Thus the European tour ended abruptly and Gloria Jean returned to Hollywood.
Her family lawyer had vanished with her earnings and she was heavily in debt to the US tax authorities. To make matters worse, no directors wanted the former child star. "It was a mistake for me to stay away from Hollywood that long," she admitted in 1960. "You can easily be forgotten."
She resumed her movie career as a freelance performer appearing in United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
, Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
, and Allied Artists productions, the best-known being '' Copacabana'' (1947) with Groucho Marx. Four of her later films were directed by Arthur Dreifuss
Arthur Dreifuss (sometimes credited as Dreyfuss; March 25, 1908 – December 31, 1993)[I Surrender Dear
"I Surrender Dear" (sometimes written as "I Surrender, Dear") is a song composed by Harry Barris with lyrics by Gordon Clifford, first performed by Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra with Bing Crosby in 1931, which became his first s ...](_blank)
'' (1948) and '' Manhattan Angel'' (1949) for Sam Katzman
Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and director. Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financial backers.
E ...
. then the Dreifuss-produced ''An Old-Fashioned Girl
''An Old-Fashioned Girl'' is a novel by Louisa May Alcott first published in 1869.
The first six chapters of the novel were serialised in the '' Merry's Museum'' magazine between July and August 1869. Alcott added another thirteen chapters bef ...
'' (1949) for Eagle Lion and ''There's a Girl in My Heart
''There's a Girl in My Heart'' is a 1949 American musical comedy film directed by Arthur Dreifuss, starring Lee Bowman, Elyse Knox, and Gloria Jean. It was made by Allied Artists with many former contract stars from Universal.
Filming started ...
'' (1949) for Allied Artists.
Television
Gloria Jean began appearing on TV shows like ''Hollywood Theatre Time
''Hollywood Premiere Theatre'' was the original title of an American television program that was broadcast more often as ''Hollywood Theatre Time'' on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Television Network from September 20, 1950 to October 5, ...
'', '' Rebound'', ''Death Valley Days
''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...
'', '' Hallmark Hall of Fame'', ''The Colgate Comedy Hour
''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the series ...
'', ''Your Favorite Story
''Your Favorite Story'' is a syndicated TV anthology series that was broadcast in the United States from 1953 to 1955. The program was also known as ''My Favorite Story''. It was premiered in December 1954 with the title ''Your Favorite Playhouse'' ...
'', ''Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.
Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...
'', and ''Lux Video Theatre
''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
Overview
The ''Lux Vid ...
''. Her best-known performances of the early 1950s are six Snader Telescriptions
Snader Telescriptions, produced for television from 1950 to 1952, were film versions of popular and classical music performances. Singers, dancers, orchestras, and novelty acts appeared in the Snader musicals. They were produced by Louis D. Snader, ...
(three-minute musicals syndicated for television), later compiled into the TV series ''Showtime''.
She also continued to appear in feature films, albeit low-budget ones. '' Wonder Valley'' (1953), produced on location in Arkansas, was Gloria Jean's first color movie and is now a lost film
A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress.
Conditions
During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...
. Her next feature was ''Air Strike'' (1955), a minor military drama.
After ''Air Strike'' Gloria Jean was hired by the owner of the Tahitian restaurant in Studio City, California as a hostess,[ ] greeting and seating dinner guests. She enjoyed the experience and occasionally ran the restaurant in her employer's absence. Show-business patrons were surprised that a film star was now involved in restaurant work, resulting in sympathetic feature stories in the national press.
Veteran Hollywood producer Edward Finney
Edward Francis Finney (1903–1983) was an American film producer and director.Pitts p.174 He is best known as the man who introduced cowboy singer Tex Ritter to the moviegoing public.
Biography
Finney was educated at the City College of New Y ...
, himself a Gloria Jean fan, saw one of these reports and hired her to star in the lightweight comedy ''Laffing Time
''Laffing Time'' is a 1959 feature film starring Gloria Jean and El Brendel and directed by Alf Goulding. The film's producer, Edward Finney
Edward Francis Finney (1903–1983) was an American film producer and director.Pitts p.174 He is best ...
'' (filmed in 1959, re-released as ''The Madcaps'' in 1964). Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
also read that Gloria Jean was working in a restaurant, and signed her for a singing role in his latest production, ''The Ladies Man
''The Ladies Man'' is a 1961 American comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on June 28, 1961 by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
Herbert H. Heebert is a young man who loses his girlfriend, swears off romance, and then takes ...
'' (1961).[ ] Lewis removed almost all of her footage from the finished film; she appears only as an extra and has no dialogue. It was her last theatrical motion picture.
Her final appearances were in ''The Dick Powell Theatre
''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that ran on NBC from September 26, 1961, until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company.
Overview
The series was an anthology of various dramas ...
'', '' Lockup'', and '' Saints and Sinners''.
Personal life
Newspaper columnist Bob Thomas reported that Gloria was engaged to a pilot, but he was killed in the Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.[ Gloria herself denied this, dismissing it as mistaken identity.
In 1962 she married Franco Cellini, an actor, but he was often away. By 1966 they were divorced. "I seem to attract the drips and the drunks," she said. The union produced a son, Angelo.][Gloria Jean Savors Days of Child Stardom
PATRICIA WARD BIEDERMAN. Los Angeles Times 6 Oct 1985: se5.]
She had problems with the IRS. "Seems there had been a lot of mistakes in old income tax returns," she says. "So the Internal Revenue Service came along and seized all my assets. Everything... I decided, unlike so many other child stars, that instead of just sitting around waiting for work in the acting business, I'd pick myself up and go out and get a job. "
In 1965 she signed on with an employment agency, which sent her to Redken
Redken is an American hair care brand owned by L'Oréal Group under the Professional Products division.
History
The company was founded in 1960 by Jheri Redding and Paula Kent, thus the name, "Red-ken." Redken pioneered the "Scientific Approach ...
Cosmetics, where she worked as a receptionist until 1993.
"I'm very happy," she said in 1986. "I feel I had a wonderful past and I have a contented, happy present."['New Deanna Durbin' a receptionist Whatever happened to . . . . . .Gloria Jean?: UN EditionMitchell Smyth Toronto Star. Toronto Star; Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont2 Feb 1986: D4]
Revived interest in her life and films
In December 1991, Gloria Jean was honored by the Young Artist Foundation
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award, recognizing her achievements within the film industry as a juvenile performer. Gloria Jean also participated in various nostalgia and autograph shows, meeting fans and displaying memorabilia. She had always retained her fan following, and corresponded steadily with friends and admirers for the rest of her life.
Gloria Jean's films are beginning to receive new exposure: ''If I Had My Way'' has been restored to its original length and issued on DVD, followed by the DVD release of ''Never Give a Sucker an Even Break''. (Latter-day documentaries about W. C. Fields include recent clips of Gloria Jean, reminiscing about working with him.) Universal Pictures has struck new 35-mm prints of ''Mister Big'' and ''Get Hep to Love'' for theatrical use. Her 1947 film ''Copacabana'' is available on home video.
Final years
After her retirement from Redken, Gloria Jean lived in California with her sister, Bonnie. After Bonnie died in 2007 she moved to Hawaii to live with her son Angelo and his family. (Angelo died in 2017.) Very late in life she suffered health problems, including two serious falls that slowed her mobility, and a heart condition. She died of heart failure and pneumonia on August 31, 2018 in a hospital near her home in Mountain View, Hawaii
Mountain View is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States located in the Puna, Hawaii, District of Puna. The population was 3,924 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 2,799 at the 2000 United Stat ...
. She is survived by her daughter-in-law and four grandchildren.
Her authorized biography, ''Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven'', was published in 2005. A tribute website, GloriaJeanSings.com, followed, also with Gloria Jean's cooperation. Her Internet presence includes a series of videos showing the actress as she appeared in recent years.
Filmography
Radio appearances
References
External links
*
Gloria Jean Sings: tribute website with clips
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean, Gloria
1926 births
2018 deaths
Actresses from Pennsylvania
American child actresses
American women singers
American film actresses
American radio actresses
Actresses from Buffalo, New York
Actors from Scranton, Pennsylvania
Musicians from Scranton, Pennsylvania
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American women
American people of Pennsylvania Dutch descent