Shirley Ross (born Bernice Maude Gaunt, January 7, 1913 – March 9, 1975) was an American actress and singer, notable for her duet with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

, " Thanks for the Memory" from ''

The Big Broadcast of 1938 ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' is a Paramount Pictures musical comedy film starring W. C. Fields and featuring Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of ''Big Broadcast'' movies that were variety show anthologies. ...

''. She appeared in 25 feature films between 1933 and 1945, including singing earlier and wholly different lyrics for the

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart' ...

song in ''

Manhattan Melodrama ''Manhattan Melodrama'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film, produced by MGM, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. The movie also provided one of Mickey Rooney's earliest film roles. (Rooney ...

'' (1934) that later became "

Blue Moon A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon ...

Early musical career

Ross was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

, the elder of two daughters of Charles Burr Gaunt and Maude C. (née Ellis) Gaunt. Growing up in California, she attended Hollywood High School and UCLA,United Press
"Co-Ed Crashes Gates of Hollywood Studio"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', December 26, 1933, p. 18. training as a classical pianist. By age 14, she was giving radio recitals and made her first vocal recordings at 20 with Gus Arnheims's band. Here she attracted the notice of the up-and-coming songwriting duo

, who selected her to sell their latest offerings to MGM. One song, which was later re-written as "

", led to a successful screen test in 1933 and then to a number of small parts in films that included ''

'' with

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

and

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

in which, made up to look black, she sang "The Bad in Every Man," an earlier version of "Blue Moon," in a Harlem nightclub.

Paramount

In 1936, MGM loaned her to Paramount, and she was paired with

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

in '' The Big Broadcast of 1937''. Although this was officially a leading role, the Big Broadcast format included a busy programme of musical comedy sketches with big-name performers who somewhat overshadowed her. But one press review declared that she had ‘one of the sweetest voices of any actress on the screen’ and predicted a big future for her. Paramount signed her to a five-year contract; meanwhile her introduction to the songwriting team of

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Oscar-winning song "Thanks for t ...

and

Ralph Rainger Ralph Rainger ( Reichenthal; October 7, 1901 – October 23, 1942) was an American composer of popular music principally for films. Biography Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York City, United States, Rainger initially embarked on a legal career, ...

would prove significant.

Working with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope

Her duet 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 ''

Waikiki Wedding ''Waikiki Wedding'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, and Shirley Ross. Crosby plays the part of Tony Marvin, a PR man charged with extolling the virtues of the Territory ...

'' was a Robin-Rainger number titled "

Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Americ ...

." Thus began a three-year period during which Ross was cast opposite either Crosby or

on five occasions. After a career interruption in the making of ''

This Way Please ''This Way Please'' is a 1937 American musical comedy directed by Robert Florey and featuring Charles "Buddy" Rogers, a popular singer from the days of vaudeville entertainment. According to historian Martin Grams, the film was the introduction ...

'' with Buddy Rogers, when she walked off the job, alleging that

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

's wife, Mary Livingstone, was trying to sabotage her scenes, she was cast opposite Hope in ''

''. Their duet, " Thanks for the Memory", became a huge hit and a defining moment for two careers headed in opposite directions – for Hope, a springboard to bigger and better things; for Ross, the pinnacle. It would prove to be her sole enduring claim to fame. The duet's great success sparked spin-off movies with Bob Hope, '' Thanks for the Memory'' (1938) and another called ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...

'' (1939; later renamed ''Rhythm Romance'' to avoid confusion with the unrelated 1959 feature). Although ''Thanks for the Memory'' did produce another hit song, "

Two Sleepy People "Two Sleepy People" is a song written on September 10, 1938 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Frank Loesser. Background The song " Thanks for the Memory", written for the February 1938 film '' The Big Broadcast of 1938'' by Leo Robin and Ralph Ra ...

", the films themselves made little impact, apparently reflecting Paramount's declining interest in musical comedy. Although Ross would have been willing to play straight drama and had performed well in ''Prison Wife'', Paramount relegated her to supporting roles in two minor romantic comedies, which did nothing for her career, even though one of them ('' Paris Honeymoon'') teamed her once more with Crosby. Her extremely promising career suffered a steep decline and never recovered.

Later career and death

Although Ross knew that her understated appeal was better suited to the screen than the stage, she played the lead in

’s Broadway musical '' Higher and Higher'' (1940), featuring the song "It Never Entered My Mind." The show was a critical failure. After a few forgettable movies and some radio work, most notably as a regular cast member on '' The Bob Burns Show'' between 1943 and 1947, Ross increasingly attended to her terminally ill husband Ken Dolan, which became an early retirement.Rick Du Brow
"Original 'Thanks for the Memory' Girl Prefers Family to Stardom; Once Musical Comedy Star"
''The Beaver Valley Times'' (Monday, July 20, 1959), p. 9. "Bob really had it from the start – and we're still close friends. I spoke with him on the phone for an hour yesterday." Ross died from cancer in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...

, aged 62. As her married name, Bernice Dolan Blum, was not well known, her death was not widely publicized. But Hope, with whom she had an enduring real-life friendship,"Cutie Silences Glib Bob Hope With a Smart Crack"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', September 18, 1938, p. D7.Email correspondence with Victoria Rosendahl, May 15, 2012. "Hope and Crosby sent a 5 foot tall cross with white carnations and a spray of red roses to her funeral. It was mobbed." did not fail to commemorate her death. He and Crosby sent a 5-foot tall cross with white carnations and a spray of red roses to her funeral. According to her daughter, it was mobbed.

Filmography

* '' Bombshell'' (1933) - Singer (uncredited) * '' Jail Birds of Paradise'' (1934, Short) - Shirley Ross * ''Morocco Nights'' (1934, Short) - Singer * ''

'' (1934) - Singer in Cotton Club * '' Hollywood Party'' (1934) - Singer of 'Feelin' High' (uncredited) * ''What Price Jazz'' (1934, Short) - Singer * '' The Girl from Missouri'' (1934) - Party Guest (uncredited) * ''Gentlemen of Polish'' (1934, Short) - Singer * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' (1934) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Buried Loot'' (1935, Short) - Girl in Apartment (uncredited) * ''Two Hearts in Wax Time'' (1935, Short) - Shirley (uncredited) * ''

Age of Indiscretion ''Age of Indiscretion'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Edward Ludwig and written by Leon Gordon and Otis Garrett. The film stars Paul Lukas, Madge Evans, Helen Vinson, May Robson, David Holt and Ralph Forbes. Plot Cast * Paul ...

'' (1935) - Dotty * ''

Calm Yourself ''Calm Yourself'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by George B. Seitz and written by Arthur Kober. The film stars Robert Young, Madge Evans, Betty Furness, Ralph Morgan, Nat Pendleton and Hardie Albright. The film was released on June ...

'' (1935) - Mrs. Ruth Rockwell * ''

I Live My Life ''I Live My Life'' is a 1935 American comedy-drama film starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne, and Frank Morgan, and is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe. Plot summary Kay Bentley (Joan Crawford), a bored socialite seeks ...

'' (1935) - Vi - drunken party guest dozing in armchair next to piano (uncredited) * '' It's in the Air'' (1935) - Cigar Stand Clerk (uncredited) * '' La Fiesta de Santa Barbara'' (1935, Short) - Herself * '' Devil's Squadron'' (1936) - Eunice * ''

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

'' (1936) - Trixie * '' The Big Broadcast of 1937'' (1936) - Gwen Holmes * ''

Hideaway Girl ''Hideaway Girl'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by George Archainbaud and written by David Garth and Joseph Moncure March. The film stars Shirley Ross, Robert Cummings, Martha Raye, Monroe Owsley, Elizabeth Russell and Louis Da Pron. ...

'' (1936) - Toni Ainsworth * ''

'' (1937) - Georgia Smith * '' Blossoms on Broadway'' (1937) - Sally Shea * ''

'' (1938) - Cleo Fielding * ''

Prison Farm A prison farm (also known as a penal farm) is a large correctional facility where penal labor convicts are forced to work on a farm legally and illegally (in the wide sense of a productive unit), usually for manual labor, largely in the open ai ...

'' (1938) - Jean Forest * '' Thanks for the Memory'' (1938) - Anne Merrick * ''

Dangerous to Know ''Dangerous to Know'' is a 1938 American crime film and starring Anna May Wong, Akim Tamiroff and Gail Patrick. The movie was directed by Robert Florey. Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' called the film a "second-rate melodrama, hardly ...

'' (1938) - Herself / Singer on Recording (voice, uncredited) * '' Paris Honeymoon'' (1939) - Barbara Wayne aka Countess De Remi * '' Cafe Society'' (1939) - Bells Browne * ''

'' (1939) - Lily Racquel * ''

Unexpected Father ''Unexpected Father'' is a 1939 American comedy drama film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Baby Sandy, Shirley Ross and Dennis O'Keefe.Rowan p.199 Plot When a former dancing partner is killed, an entertainer looks after his baby son wi ...

'' (1939) - Dianna Donovan * '' Kisses for Breakfast'' (1941) - Juliet Marsden * ''

Sailors on Leave ''Sailors on Leave'' is a 1941 American musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Art Arthur and Malcolm Stuart Boylan. The film stars William Lundigan, Shirley Ross, Chick Chandler, Ruth Donnelly, Mae Clarke and Cliff Nazarro. T ...

'' (1941) - Linda Hall * ''

A Song for Miss Julie ''A Song for Miss Julie'' is a 1945 American film directed by William Rowland (film director), William Rowland. Plot summary Cast *Shirley Ross as Valerie Kimbro *Barton Hepburn as George Kimbro *Jane Farrar as Julie Charteris *Roger Cla ...

'' (1945) - Valerie Kimbro (final film role)

Notes

References

External links

*
Portrait of Shirley Ross seated on a desk, 1933.
Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Press Coverage

* United Press
"Co-Ed Crashes Gates of Hollywood Studio"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', December 26, 1933, p. 18 * NEA (captioned photo)
"The perfect legs of Shirley Ross..."
''The Spokane Chronicle'' (Monday, March 26, 1934), p. 5 *
"Shirley Ross Wins Contract, Big Role"
''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', September 8, 1936, p. 17
"This Actress Proves Dangerous,"
''The Pittsburgh Press'' (Tuesday, October 6, 1936), p. 27
"New Star Tops State Musical,"
''Spokane Daily Chronicle'', October 12, 1936, p. 10 * Ed Sullivan
"Broadway: Building Up From a Terrific Letdown"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', October 24, 1936, p. 6
"'Big Broadcast' Comes Thursday: Cast for Carolina Picture Includes Benny, Gracie Allen and Burns"
''The Spartanburg Herald-Tribune'', November 1, 1936, p. 20
"'The Big Broadcast' Current Empire Film Has Mixture of Comedy and Music,"
''The Lewiston Daily Sun'', November 3, 1936, p. 2 * Sheilah Graham
"Hollywood Today: 'Those Who Wait' Include Stars of Filmdom,"
''The Milwaukee Journal'', November 16, 1936, p. 7
"Miss Ross Steals Show At Paramount"
''The Deseret News'', January 26, 1937, p. 11 * Eileen Percy
"Shirley Ross to Play Lead in 'This Way Please'"
''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', April 30, 1937, p. 2
"Romance in 'Waikiki Wedding: Crosby's Latest at American Said to be Topnotch,'"
''The San Jose News'', June 14, 1937, p. 13 * Louella O. Parsons
"Shirley Ross Has New Job"
''The Rochester Journal'', June 29, 1937, p. 6
"Theater Gossip: Runyon Story to be Filmed,"
''The St. Petersburg Independent'', August 20, 1937, p. 5-A
"Film Runyon's Story"
''The St. Petersburg Times'', September 12, 1937, p. 22 * United Press
"Bing Crosby Shoots 73 to Defeat Hope"
''The Eugene Register-Guard'', November 8, 1937, p. 6
"Right This Way, My Charming Little Chickadees"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', February 5, 1938, p. 10 * Associated Press wirephoto
"Finds 450 Dead,"
''The Spokane Spokesman-Review'', March 5, 1938, p. 13
"'Big Broadcast of 1938' Stars"
''The Rochester (PA) Daily Times'', March 31, 1938, p. 7
"Shirley Ross Gets a Leading Role in 'Paris Honeymoon'"
''The Schenectady Gazette'', May 18, 1938, p. 8 * Jimmy Fidler
"Hollywood Shots: Bing's lost ad lib in 'Paris Honeymoon',"
''The Reading Eagle'', June 22, 1938), p. 8 *

Sheilah Graham Sheilah Graham (born Lily Shiel; 15 September 1904 – 17 November 1988) was a British-born, nationally syndicated American gossip columnist during Hollywood's "Golden Age". In her youth, she had been a showgirl and a freelance writer for F ...

"Hollywood Clothes Offering Ideas to Brides, Travelers,"
''The Milwaukee Journal'', August 8, 1938, p. 2
Ad for "Prison Farm"
''The Meriden Record'', August 11, 1938, p. 13. "The man she loved put her in a prison more terrifying than Devil's Island."
"Cutie Silences Glib Bob Hope With a Smart Crack,"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', September 18, 1938, p. D7 * Associated Press
"Pair Off in Hollywood: Genevieve Tobin and Shirley Ross Are Newlyweds"
''The Lawrence Journal-World'', September 20, 1938, p. 12 * Louella O. Parsons
"It Was Ken Vs. Ken Until Shirley Chose Ken: Miss Ross and Dolan Reveal Marriage in Nevada,"
''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', September 20, 1938, p. 3
"Bob Hope Stars as 'Househusband',"
''The Spokane Chronicle'', January 3, 1939, p. 14
"Song Inspires Film,"
''The Melbourne Age'', January 7, 1939, p. 12 * Kaspar Monahan
"Two Screen Comedies on Warner Bill: Bob Hope and Shirley Ross Shine in Adaptation of Stage Hit,"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', January 14, 1939, p. 6 * Patricia Lindsay
"Faddish Diets Are Out, Says Beauty Expert"
''The Miami News'', June 30, 1939, p. 4-C * L.S.B. Shapiro
"A New Hit for Broadway"
''The Montreal Gazette'', April 13, 1940, p. 10 * Louella O. Parsons
"Film Actors Find New Careers on Broadway"
''Milwaukee Sentinel'', April 14, 1940, p. 7-D * Associated Press
"Shirley Ross Sets Pace for Comediennes on Broadway,"
''The Miami News'', May 4, 1940, p. 6-A * Jimmy Fidler
"Hollywood: Short Short Story,"
''The Pittsburgh Press'', August 19, 1940, p. 9 * Dee Lowrance
"Sister Sluggers: Ladies Of Hollywood Have Learned How To Flip A Mean Right and Are Glad to Oblige for the Camera"
''The Wilmington Star'', June 29, 1941, p. 18 * Captioned photo (ad for '' Kisses for Breakfast'')
"They're Much Married"
''St. Petersburg Times'', August 24, 1941, p. 21
"Beautiful Star Collects Rent"
''The Madera Tribune'', January 29, 1942, p. 1 * Associated Press
"Shirley Ross Granted Divorce From Dolan"
''The San Bernardino Sun'', January 8, 1944, p. 2 *

Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th birth ...

"Voice of Broadway: Gossip in Gotham"
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', January 24, 1944, p. 22 * Louella O. Parsons
"Hollywood: Snapshots of Hollywood Collected at Random"
''Milwaukee Sentinel'', July 2, 1945, p. 6 * Rick Du Brow
"Original 'Thanks for the Memory' Girl Prefers Family to Stardom; Once Musical Comedy Star"
''The Beaver Valley Times'', July 20, 1959, p. 9 * Polly Anderson
"How 'Thanks' became Hope's signature song"
''The Lumberton Robesonian'', May 25, 2003, p. 4C

Miscellaneous

*
Google Books – Roy Hemming on Shirley Ross (1991)

Google Books – Bernard K. Dick on Ross, Crosby & Hope (2007)

In My Mother's Kitchen: Life, Love, and Cooking with Shirley Ross

Photographs and literature
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Shirley 1913 births 1975 deaths Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American radio personalities Deaths from cancer in California Hollywood High School alumni People from Menlo Park, California Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska People from Greater Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers