Sally Jane Bruce (born December 2, 1948, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

) is an American former child performer, best known for playing little Pearl Harper in Charles Laughton's 1955 film noir '' The Night of the Hunter''.

Life and career

Sally Jane Bruce was born on December 2, 1948, in

; the daughter of country singer Jewell Edwards, who worked with

Spade Cooley Donnell Clyde "Spade" Cooley (December 17, 1910 – November 23, 1969) was an American convicted murderer and former Western swing musician, big band leader, actor, and television personality. In 1961 he was arrested and convicted for the Ap ...

and his Orchestra.''Literature - Heaven & Hell To Play With: The Filming of The Night of the Hunter, Limelight Editions, New York, 2002 - pages 92-93''

''The Night of the Hunter''

Before Charles Laughton cast five-year-old Sally Jane for the role of little Pearl Harper in his thriller classic '' The Night of the Hunter'', she was already considered a veteran of TV, radio, and such films as ''Kids Will Be Kids'' (aka ''Mischief Makers'' or ''Best Dog Wins'' as the working title of the 1954 16 minute short film by Jules White was also known). According to a

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 stud ...

press release, mentioned in Preston Neal Jones' documentary book on the shooting of '' The Night of the Hunter'': "... she got her big break by singing with a full orchestra for a contest sponsored by a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

. Winning that

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

led to her first role in a

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1907 – May 22, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy ''I Married Joan'', Davis had a successful earl ...

comedy, and ultimately to the attention of (producer) Paul Gregory". Laughton later told

Davis Grubb Davis Alexander Grubb (July 23, 1919 – July 24, 1980) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his 1953 novel '' The Night of the Hunter'', which was adapted as a film in 1955 by Charles Laughton. Biography Born in M ...

, the original author of the story, that he found little Sally Jane to be "a repulsive, little insensitive pie-faced 'teacher’s pet'" — and yet, this was precisely why he cast her as Pearl.

The Pretty Fly

The ''Pretty Fly'' song was sung live and a cappella by Sally Jane while shooting the scene on the river stage, but because of her too fragile voice, tendency to speed up the phrases, and noise of the river, it was replaced by a studio recording made by a professional singer
Betty Benson

Post-acting career

After '' The Night of the Hunter'', there are no further acting roles of Sally Jane Bruce recorded to date. Until her retirement, Sally Jane Bruce worked as a grade school teacher and faculty advisor in

Santa Maria, California Santa Maria (Spanish for "St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately northwest of Santa Barbara and northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 109,707 at the 202 ...

, teaching young children about gardening and the meaning of the environment.

Family

Sally Jane Bruce married Peter Woelper in 1973 and divorced him in 1991. She now lives in

Arroyo Grande, California Arroyo Grande (Spanish for "Big Creek") is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 18,441 as of the 2020 census, up from 17,252 as of the 2010 Census. History The earliest inhabitants of the Arroyo Gran ...

References

She now goes by her married name Sally Corwin Woelper.

Sources

* Preston Neal Jones, Heaven & Hell To Play With: The Filming of The Night of the Hunter, Limelight Editions, New York, 2002. (on the shooting of '' The Night of the Hunter'', 1955)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Sally Jane 1948 births Living people 20th-century American actresses American child actresses American film actresses Schoolteachers from California American women educators Actresses from Los Angeles People from Arroyo Grande, California People from Santa Maria, California 21st-century American women