Shirley Ross
Encyclopedia
Shirley Ross was an American
actress and singer.
Ross was born Bernice Gaunt in Omaha, Nebraska
but her family relocated to California when she was a child. She studied at Hollywood High School
and the University of California
and auditioned successfully for Gus Arnheim
's band during her second year at university. She made her first recordings at the age of 20 with Arnheim in 1933.
Her film career began in 1933 and the following year she introduced the melody of the song "Blue Moon
" for the Clark Gable
movie Manhattan Melodrama
, only with different lyrics. Ross first achieved prominence appearing opposite Bing Crosby
in the 1937 film Waikiki Wedding
, in which she and Crosby sang "Blue Hawaii
". In The Big Broadcast of 1938
she sang "Thanks for the Memory
" with Bob Hope
. She again teamed with Hope the following year to sing "Two Sleepy People
" in the 1938 film Thanks for the Memory
.
Ross also introduced "The Lady's in Love with You
" in the 1939 film Some Like It Hot
featuring Bob Hope
, which is not the 1959 comedy starring Marilyn Monroe
, Jack Lemmon
, and Tony Curtis
, although both films share the same name.
Her sole Broadway
appearance was in the Rodgers and Hart
musical Higher and Higher
in 1940. Ross recorded four songs from the show including "It Never Entered My Mind
". She made her final film, A Song for Miss Julie, in 1945.
She died from cancer in Menlo Park, California
, aged 62.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and singer.
Ross was born Bernice Gaunt in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
but her family relocated to California when she was a child. She studied at Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
and the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and auditioned successfully for Gus Arnheim
Gus Arnheim
Gus Arnheim was an early popular band leader. He is noted for writing several songs with his first hit being "I Cried for You" from 1923. He was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s...
's band during her second year at university. She made her first recordings at the age of 20 with Arnheim in 1933.
Her film career began in 1933 and the following year she introduced the melody of the song "Blue Moon
Blue Moon (song)
"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
" for the Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
movie Manhattan Melodrama
Manhattan Melodrama
Manhattan Melodrama is a 1934 crime melodrama film, produced by MGM, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy...
, only with different lyrics. Ross first achieved prominence appearing opposite Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
in the 1937 film Waikiki Wedding
Waikiki Wedding
Waikiki Wedding is a 1937 musical film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby. Bing plays the part of Tony Marvin, a PR man charged with extolling the virtues of Hawaii. The female lead is Shirley Ross....
, in which she and Crosby sang "Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii (song)
Blue Hawaii is a popular song written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger for the 1937 Paramount Pictures film Waikiki Wedding, starring Bing Crosby and Shirley Ross...
". In The Big Broadcast of 1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938 is a Paramount Pictures film featuring W.C. Fields and Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of Big Broadcast movies that were variety show anthologies...
she sang "Thanks for the Memory
Thanks for the Memory
"Thanks for the Memory" is a popular song, with music composed by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Shep Fields and His Orchestra with vocals by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross...
" with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. She again teamed with Hope the following year to sing "Two Sleepy People
Two Sleepy People
"Two Sleepy People" is a song written on September 10, 1938 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Frank Loesser.As well as being recorded by Carmichael himself, the song has been performed and recorded by a number of artists including Al Bowlly, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Art Garfunkel, Fats Waller,...
" in the 1938 film Thanks for the Memory
Thanks for the Memory (1938 film)
Thanks for the Memory is a 1938 film starring Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and directed by George Archainbaud. The title is from the song that later became Hope's theme, which first appeared in The Big Broadcast of 1938 earlier the same year...
.
Ross also introduced "The Lady's in Love with You
The Lady's in Love with You
"The Lady's in Love with You" is a popular song.The music was written by Burton Lane, the lyrics by Frank Loesser. The song was published in 1939. The song was a major hit for the Glenn Miller orchestra, featuring a rare spoken interlude by Miller and vocal by Tex Beneke.The song has become a...
" in the 1939 film Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot (1939 film)
Some Like It Hot is a 1939 comedy film starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, and Gene Krupa. The movie was directed by George Archainbaud, and the screenplay was written by Wilkie C. Mahoney and Lewis R. Foster, based on the play The Great Magoo by Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler, which performed briefly on...
featuring Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, which is not the 1959 comedy starring Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, and Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, although both films share the same name.
Her sole Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
appearance was in the Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Lorenz Hart...
musical Higher and Higher
Higher and Higher (musical)
Higher and Higher is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and book by Gladys Hurlbut and Joshua Logan and produced by Dwight Deere Wiman. It ran on Broadway for 84 performances in 1940.-Production:...
in 1940. Ross recorded four songs from the show including "It Never Entered My Mind
It Never Entered My Mind
"It Never Entered My Mind" is a show tune from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Higher and Higher , where it was introduced by Shirley Ross.-Notable recordings:...
". She made her final film, A Song for Miss Julie, in 1945.
She died from cancer in Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in 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; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
, aged 62.