Jump to content

Gale Storm: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
AnomieBOT (talk | contribs)
Bots
6,574,615 edits
m Dating maintenance tags: {{Fact}}
 
(76 intermediate revisions by 35 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American actress, singer}}
{{Short description|American actress, singer (1922–2009)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Gale Storm
| name = Gale Storm
| image = GaleStorm.jpg
| image = Gale Storm pin-up, Yank, The Army Weekly, March 10, 1944.png
| caption = Storm pin-up from ''[[Yank, The Army Weekly]]'', 1944
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Storm in the 1940s.
| birth_name = Josephine Owaissa Cottle
| birth_name = Josephine Owaissa Cottle
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|04|05|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|04|05|mf=y}}
Line 11: Line 10:
| death_place = [[Danville, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Danville, California]], U.S.
| resting_place =
| resting_place =
| occupation = [[Traditional pop music|Traditional pop]] singer<br />[[Actress]]
| occupation = Actress, singer
| years_active = 1940-1989
| years_active = 1940&ndash;1989
| label_name = [[Dot Records]]
| label_name = {{plainlist|
* [[Dot Records|Dot]]
* [[London Records|London]]
⚫
| website = [http://www.galestorm.tv galestorm.tv]
}}
⚫
| spouse = {{marriage|Lee Bonnell|1941|1986|end=died}}<br />{{marriage|Paul Masterson|1988|1996|end=died}}
⚫
| website = {{URL|galestorm.tv}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Lee Bonnell|1941|1986|end=died}}
⚫
* {{marriage|Paul Masterson|1988|1996|end=died}}
}}
| children = 4
| children = 4
}}
}}


'''Josephine Owaissa Cottle''' (April 5, 1922 &ndash; June 27, 2009), known professionally as '''Gale Storm''', was an American actress and singer who starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, ''[[My Little Margie]]'' and ''[[The Gale Storm Show]]''. Six of her songs were top ten hits. Storm's greatest success was a [[cover version]] of "[[I Hear You Knockin']]," which hit #2 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] chart in 1955.
'''Josephine Owaissa Cottle''' (April 5, 1922 &ndash; June 27, 2009),<ref name="NYT"/> known professionally as '''Gale Storm''', was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, ''[[My Little Margie]]'' and ''[[The Gale Storm Show]]''. Six of her songs were top ten hits. Storm's greatest recording success was a [[cover version]] of "[[I Hear You Knockin']]," which hit No. 2 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] chart in 1955.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Storm was born in [[Bloomington, Texas|Bloomington]] in [[Victoria County, Texas|Victoria County]] in [[South Texas]]. The youngest of five children, she had two brothers and two sisters. Her father, William Walter Cottle, died after a year-long illness when she was just 17 months old, and her mother, Minnie Corina Cottle, struggled to rear the children alone.
Storm was born in [[Bloomington, Texas]], United States.<ref name="NYT"/> The youngest of five children, she had two brothers and two sisters. Her father, William Walter Cottle, died after a year-long illness when she was only 17 months old, and her mother, Minnie Corina Cottle, struggled to raise the children alone.{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}}


⚫
Storm attended Holy Rosary School in what is now [[Midtown, Houston]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Gabriel, Cindy|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/heights-news/article/Holy-Rosary-Catholic-School-alums-to-gather-for-2108796.php|title=Holy Rosary Catholic School alums to gather for 'Last Hurrah' Sunday|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=2003-04-24|access-date=2020-05-31}}</ref> She performed in the drama club at both [[Albert Sidney Johnston]] Junior High School and [[San Jacinto High School (Houston, Texas)|San Jacinto High School]].{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}}
Storm's elder sister Lois gave her baby sister the middle name "Owaissa", a [[Norridgewock]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] word meaning "bluebird." Her mother took in sewing, then opened a millinery shop in [[McDade, Texas]], which failed, and finally moved her family to [[Houston]]. Storm learned to be an accomplished dancer and became an excellent ice skater at Houston's Polar Palace.{{fact|date=June 2020}}


⚫
When Storm was 17, two of her teachers urged her to enter a contest on ''[[Gateway to Hollywood]]'', broadcast from the [[CBS Radio]] studios in [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]].<ref name=Sun>{{cite news|title=Notable Deaths Elsewhere: Gale Storm, 87|date=June 30, 2009|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|page=16}}</ref> First prize was a one-year contract with a movie studio, which she won, and was immediately given the stage name Gale Storm. Her performing partner (and future husband), Lee Bonnell from [[South Bend, Indiana]], became known as Terry Belmont.{{Citation needed |date=November 2023}}
⚫
Storm attended Holy Rosary School in what is now [[Midtown, Houston|Midtown]] [[Houston]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Gabriel, Cindy|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/heights-news/article/Holy-Rosary-Catholic-School-alums-to-gather-for-2108796.php|title=Holy Rosary Catholic School alums to gather for `Last Hurrah' Sunday|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=2003-04-24|accessdate=2020-05-31}}</ref> She performed in the drama club at both [[Albert Sidney Johnston]] Junior High School and [[San Jacinto High School (Houston, Texas)|San Jacinto High School]].

⚫
When Storm was 17, two of her teachers urged her to enter a contest on ''[[Gateway to Hollywood]]'', broadcast from the [[CBS Radio]] studios in [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]].<ref name=Sun>{{cite news|title=Notable Deaths Elsewhere: Gale Storm, 87|date=June 30, 2009|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|page=16}}</ref> First prize was a one-year contract with a movie studio. She won and was immediately given the stage name Gale Storm. Her performing partner (and future husband), Lee Bonnell from [[South Bend, Indiana]], became known as Terry Belmont.


==Career==
==Career==
[[File:Gale Storm My Little Margie 1953.jpg|thumb|Storm in ''My Little Margie'' in 1953]]
[[File:Gale Storm My Little Margie 1953.jpg|thumb|Storm in ''My Little Margie'' in 1953]]
Storm had a role in the radio version of ''[[Big Town#Radio|Big Town]]''.<ref name="ig103041">{{cite news|last1=Wolf|first1=Tom|title=Television Promises to Create New Market for 'Etheral' Beauty|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1938223/television_promises_to_create_new/|agency=The Indiana Gazette|date=October 30, 1941|page=32|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=March 7, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> After winning the contest in 1940, Storm made several films for the [[RKO Radio Pictures]] studio. Her first was ''[[Tom Brown's School Days (1940 film)|Tom Brown's School Days]]'', playing opposite [[Jimmy Lydon]] and [[Freddie Bartholomew]].<ref name=Sun/> She worked steadily in low-budget films released during this period. In 1941, she sang in several [[soundies]], three-minute musicals produced for "movie jukeboxes".
Storm had a role in the radio version of ''[[Big Town#Radio|Big Town]]''.<ref name="ig103041">{{cite news|last1=Wolf|first1=Tom|title=Television Promises to Create New Market for 'Etheral' Beauty|newspaper=The Indiana Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1938223/television_promises_to_create_new/|agency=The Indiana Gazette|date=October 30, 1941|page=32|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 7, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> After winning the contest in 1940, Storm made several films for the [[RKO Radio Pictures]] studio. Her first was ''[[Tom Brown's School Days (1940 film)|Tom Brown's School Days]]'', playing opposite [[Jimmy Lydon]] and [[Freddie Bartholomew]].<ref name=Sun/> She worked steadily in low-budget films released during this period. In 1941, she sang in several [[soundies]], three-minute musicals produced for "movie jukeboxes".


She acted and sang in [[Monogram Pictures]]' [[Frankie Darro]] series, and played ingénue roles in other Monogram features with the [[East Side Kids]], [[Edgar Kennedy]], and [[the Three Stooges]], most notably in the film ''[[Swing Parade of 1946]]''. Monogram had always relied on established actors with reputations, but in Gale Storm, the studio finally had a star of its own. She played the lead in the studio's most elaborate productions, both musical and dramatic. She shared top billing in Monogram's ''[[Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher]]'' (1943), opposite Edgar Kennedy, [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]], and [[Frank Graham (voice actor)|Frank Graham]] in the role of Jones, a character derived from network radio.
She acted and sang in [[Monogram Pictures]]' [[Frankie Darro]] series, and played ingénue roles in other Monogram features with the [[East Side Kids]], [[Edgar Kennedy]], and [[the Three Stooges]], most notably in the film ''[[Swing Parade of 1946]]''. Monogram had always relied on established actors with reputations, but in Gale Storm, the studio finally had a star of its own. She played the lead in the studio's most elaborate productions, both musical and dramatic. She shared top billing in Monogram's ''[[The Crime Smasher]]'' (1943), opposite Edgar Kennedy, [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]], and [[Frank Graham (voice actor)|Frank Graham]] in the role of Jones, a character derived from network radio.


Storm starred in a number of films, including the romantic comedies ''[[G.I. Honeymoon]]'' (1945) and ''[[It Happened on Fifth Avenue]]'' (1947), the Western ''[[Stampede (1949 film)|Stampede]]'', and the 1950 film-noir dramas ''[[The Underworld Story]]'' and ''[[Between Midnight and Dawn]]''. U.S. audiences warmed to Storm and her fan mail increased. She performed in more than three dozen motion pictures for Monogram, experience which made possible her success in other media.
Storm starred in a number of films, including the romantic comedies ''[[G.I. Honeymoon]]'' (1945) and ''[[It Happened on Fifth Avenue]]'' (1947), the Western ''[[Stampede (1949 film)|Stampede]]'' (1949), and the 1950 film-noir dramas ''[[The Underworld Story]]'' and ''[[Between Midnight and Dawn]]''. U.S. audiences warmed to Storm and her fan mail increased. She performed in more than three dozen motion pictures for Monogram, experience which made possible her success in other media.


In the 1950s, she made singing appearances on such television variety programs as ''[[The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom]].''<ref name=tvcom>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/pat-boone-chevy-showroom/show/2193/episode.html?tag=list_header;paginator;1&season=1|title=Episode Guide, ''Pat Boone Chevy Showroom''|publisher=tv.com|accessdate=November 17, 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.researchvideo.com/footage-libraries/pat-boone-chevy-showroom.html|title=''The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom''|publisher=researchvideo.com|access-date=November 17, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715175256/http://www.researchvideo.com/footage-libraries/pat-boone-chevy-showroom.html|archive-date=July 15, 2011|df=}}</ref>
In the 1950s, she made singing appearances on such television variety programs as ''The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.''<ref name=tvcom>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/pat-boone-chevy-showroom/show/2193/episode.html?tag=list_header;paginator;1&season=1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205031939/http://www.tv.com/pat-boone-chevy-showroom/show/2193/episode.html?tag=list_header;paginator;1&season=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 5, 2013|title=Episode Guide, ''Pat Boone Chevy Showroom''|website=Tv.com|access-date=November 17, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.researchvideo.com/footage-libraries/pat-boone-chevy-showroom.html|title=''The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom''|website=Researchvideo.com|access-date=November 17, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715175256/http://www.researchvideo.com/footage-libraries/pat-boone-chevy-showroom.html|archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>


In 1950, Storm made her television debut in ''[[Hollywood Premiere Theatre]]'' on ABC. From 1952 to 1955, she starred in ''[[My Little Margie]]'', with former [[silent film]] actor [[Charles Farrell]] as her father. The series began as a summer replacement for ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' on CBS,<ref name=Sun/> but ran for 126&nbsp;episodes on [[NBC]] and then CBS. The series was broadcast on [[CBS Radio]] from December 1952 to August 1955 with the same actors. Her popularity was capitalized on when she served as hostess of the ''NBC Comedy Hour'' in the winter of 1956. That year, she starred in another situation comedy, ''[[The Gale Storm Show]]'' (''Oh! Susanna''), featuring another silent movie star, [[ZaSu Pitts]]. The show ran for 143 episodes on CBS and ABC between 1956 and 1960. Storm appeared regularly on other television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. She was both a panelist and a "mystery guest" on CBS's ''[[What's My Line?]]''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S7vezUGa5k What's My Line? - Gale Storm; Robert Monkhouse (panel) (Nov 10, 1957)]</ref>
In 1950, Storm made her television debut in ''[[Hollywood Premiere Theatre]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. From 1952 to 1955, she starred in ''[[My Little Margie]]'', with former [[silent film]] actor [[Charles Farrell]] as her father. The series began as a summer replacement for ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' on [[CBS Television]],<ref name=Sun/> but ran for 126&nbsp;episodes on [[NBC]] and then CBS. The series was broadcast on [[CBS Radio]] from December 1952 to August 1955 with the same actors. Her popularity was capitalized on when she served as hostess of the ''NBC Comedy Hour'' in the winter of 1956.
In 1956, Storm starred in a [[situation comedy]], ''[[The Gale Storm Show]]'' (''Oh! Susanna''), featuring another silent movie star, [[ZaSu Pitts]]. The show ran for 143 episodes on CBS and ABC between 1956 and 1960. Storm appeared regularly on other television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957 she was both a panelist and a "mystery guest" on CBS's ''[[What's My Line?]]''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S7vezUGa5k What's My Line? - Gale Storm; Robert Monkhouse (panel) (Nov 10, 1957)]</ref>


==Recording artist==
==Recording artist==
[[File:Gale Storm Billy Vaughn The Gale Storm Show 1958.JPG|thumb|180px|Storm with [[Billy Vaughn]]. The two wrote "You're My Baby Doll" and performed it on Storm's television show in 1958.]]
[[File:Gale Storm Billy Vaughn The Gale Storm Show 1958.JPG|thumb|180px|Storm with [[Billy Vaughn]]. The two wrote "You're My Baby Doll" and performed it on Storm's television show in 1958.]]
In [[Gallatin, Tennessee|Gallatin]], [[Tennessee]], in November 1954, a 10-year-old girl, Linda Wood, was watching Storm on a Sunday night [[television]] variety show, [[NBC]]'s ''[[Colgate Comedy Hour]]'', hosted by [[Gordon MacRae]], singing one of the popular songs of the day.
In [[Gallatin, Tennessee|Gallatin]], [[Tennessee]], in November 1954, a 10-year-old girl, Linda Wood, was watching Storm on a Sunday night [[television]] variety show, [[NBC]]'s ''[[Colgate Comedy Hour]]'', hosted by [[Gordon MacRae]], singing one of the popular songs of the day. Linda's father asked her who was singing and was told it was Gale Storm from ''My Little Margie''. Linda's father [[Randy Wood (record producer)|Randy Wood]] was president of [[Dot Records]], and he liked Storm so much that he called to sign her before the end of the television show. Her first record, "[[I Hear You Knockin']]", a [[Cover version|cover]] of a [[rhythm and blues]] hit by [[Smiley Lewis]], sold over a million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first=Joseph| last=Murrells| year=1978| title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|location=London, UK|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/77 77]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/77}}</ref>

Linda's father asked her who was singing and was told it was Gale Storm from ''My Little Margie''. Linda's father [[Randy Wood (record producer)|Randy Wood]] was president of [[Dot Records]], and he liked Storm so much that he called to sign her before the end of the television show. Her first record, "[[I Hear You Knockin']]", a [[cover version]] of a [[rhythm and blues]] hit by [[Smiley Lewis]], sold over a million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|location=London, UK|page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/77 77]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/77}}</ref>


The follow-up was a two-sided hit, with Storm covering [[Dean Martin]]'s "[[Memories Are Made of This]]" backed with her cover of [[Gloria Mann]]'s "[[Teen Age Prayer]]". That was followed by a hit cover of [[Frankie Lymon]]'s "[[Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)|Why Do Fools Fall in Love]]". Storm's subsequent record sales began to slide but soon rebounded with a cover of her own labelmate [[Bonnie Guitar]]'s haunting ballad "[[Dark Moon (song)|Dark Moon]]" that went to No. 4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} Storm had several other hits and headlined in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] and appeared in numerous stage plays. Storm recorded for only about two years with Dot and then gave up recording because of her husband's concerns with the time she had to devote to that career.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
The follow-up was a two-sided hit, with Storm covering [[Dean Martin]]'s "[[Memories Are Made of This]]" backed with her cover of [[Gloria Mann]]'s "[[Teen Age Prayer]]". That was followed by a hit cover of [[Frankie Lymon]]'s "[[Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)|Why Do Fools Fall in Love]]". Storm's subsequent record sales began to slide, but soon rebounded with a cover of fellow [[Dot Records]] recording artist [[Bonnie Guitar]]'s haunting ballad "[[Dark Moon (song)|Dark Moon]]" that went to No. 4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} Storm had several other hits, headlined in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] and appeared in numerous stage plays. Storm recorded for five years with Dot Records, then gave up recording because of her husband's concerns with the time she had to devote to that career.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Storm was married and widowed twice. In 1941, while still a teenager, she married Lee Bonnell (1918–1986), then an actor and later a businessman. They had four children: Peter, Phillip, Paul, and Susanna. In 1988, two years after she was widowed, she married Paul Masterson (1917–1996), who also predeceased her.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|title=RootsWeb: Database Index|publisher=Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=2014-08-20}}</ref>
Storm was married and widowed twice. In 1941, while still a teenager, she married Lee Bonnell (1918–1986), then an actor and later a businessman. They had four children: Peter, Phillip, Paul, and Susanna. In 1988, two years after she was widowed, she married Paul Masterson (1917–1996), who also predeceased her.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|title=RootsWeb: Database Index|website=Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|access-date=2014-08-20}}</ref>


In her later years she struggled with [[alcoholism]], in her own words:
In her fifties, Storm struggled with [[alcoholism]]. She later said:
{{quote|During the 1970s I experienced a terribly low and painful time of dealing with alcoholism. I had Lee's unfailing support through the entire ordeal. My treatment and recovery were more than rugged. At that time, there was such a stigma attached to alcoholism, particularly for women, that it could be hazardous to your reputation and career. I thank God daily that I have been fully recovered for more than 20 years. During my struggle, I had no idea of the blessing my experience could turn out to be! I've had the opportunity to share with others suffering with alcoholism the knowledge that there is help, hope, and an alcohol-free life awaiting them.<ref name=StormBio>{{cite web | url=http://www.galestorm.tv/bio | title=Gale Storm Biography | publisher=galestorm.tv | accessdate=August 21, 2017}}</ref>}}
{{blockquote|During the 1970s I experienced a terribly low and painful time of dealing with alcoholism. I had Lee's unfailing support through the entire ordeal. My treatment and recovery were more than rugged. At that time, there was such a stigma attached to alcoholism, particularly for women, that it could be hazardous to your reputation and career. I thank God daily that I have been fully recovered for more than 20 years. During my struggle, I had no idea of the blessing my experience could turn out to be! I've had the opportunity to share with others suffering with alcoholism the knowledge that there is help, hope, and an alcohol-free life awaiting them.<ref name=StormBio>{{cite web | url=http://www.galestorm.tv/bio | title=Gale Storm Biography | website=Galestorm.tv | access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref>}}


She later became an active member of the South Shores Church. She once said: "Life has been good and I thank God for His many blessings and the happy life He has given to me."<ref name=StormBio/>
Storm later became an active member of the South Shores Baptist Church. She once said: "Life has been good and I thank God for His many blessings and the happy life He has given to me."<ref name=StormBio/> Storm was a registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and campaigned for U.S. Senator [[Barry M. Goldwater]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EfI0AgAAQBAJ&q=Gale+Storm+Republican&pg=PA173 | title=When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics | first=Donald T. | last=Critchlow | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] | location=New York, New York | date=2013 | isbn=9781107650282}}</ref>

Storm was a registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and campaigned for U.S. Senator [[Barry M. Goldwater]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EfI0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA173&lpg=PA173&dq=Gale+Storm+Republican&source=bl&ots=11PdhianvC&sig=9QOxV3YxRTrT4muQjnFf-uEvlLo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tcPGU_P2F4O_sQT64oKAAw&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Gale%20Storm%20Republican&f=false | title=When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics | first=Donald T. | last=Critchlow | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] | location=New York, New York | date=2013 | accessdate=2014-08-20}}</ref>


==Later years==
==Later years==
Storm made occasional television appearances in later years, such as ''[[Love Boat]]'', ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]'', and ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''.<ref name=Sun/>
Storm appeared on two episodes of ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]],'' 1964 and 1965. Storm made occasional television appearances from 1979 to 1989, such as ''[[The Love Boat]]'' and ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''.<ref name=Sun/>


In 1981, she published her [[autobiography]], ''I Ain't Down Yet'', which described her battle with [[alcoholism]]. She was also interviewed by author David C. Tucker for ''The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms'', published in 2007 by McFarland and Company.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Women_Who_Made_Television_Funny.html?id=1kKCs1QNkSsC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q=gale%20storm&f=false | title=The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms | first=David C. | last=Tucker | chapter=Chapter 9: Gale Storm: ''My Little Margie'' and ''The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna'' | pages=141–156 | publisher=McFarland & Company | date=2007 | isbn=978-0-7864-2900-4 | accessdate=August 21, 2017}}</ref>
In 1981, she published her [[autobiography]], ''I Ain't Down Yet'', which described her battle with [[alcoholism]]. She was also interviewed by author David C. Tucker for ''The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms'', published in 2007 by McFarland and Company.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1kKCs1QNkSsC&q=gale+storm | title=The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms | first=David C. | last=Tucker | chapter=Chapter 9: Gale Storm: ''My Little Margie'' and ''The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna'' | pages=141–156 | publisher=McFarland & Company | date=2007 | isbn=978-0-7864-2900-4 | access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref>


Storm continued to make personal appearances and autographed photos at fan conventions, along with Charles Farrell from the ''My Little Margie'' series. She also attended events such as the Memphis Film Festival, Cinecon, the Friends of Old-Time Radio and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
Storm continued to make personal appearances and autographed photos at fan conventions, along with Charles Farrell from the ''My Little Margie'' series. She also attended events such as the Memphis Film Festival, Cinecon, the Friends of Old-Time Radio and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}


==Death==
==Death==
Storm lived alone in [[Monarch Beach, California|Monarch Beach]], California, near two of her sons and their families, until failing health forced her into a convalescent home in [[Danville, California|Danville]], California. She died there on June 27, 2009, aged 87.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/arts/television/29storm.html "Gale Storm, 87, Is Dead; Earned Television Fame for Her Wholesome Roles"], nytimes.com, June 29, 2009; accessed December 14, 2015.</ref>
Storm lived alone in [[Monarch Beach, California|Monarch Beach]], California, near two of her sons and their families, until failing health forced her into a convalescent home in [[Danville, California]]. She died there on June 27, 2009, aged 87.<ref name="NYT">[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/arts/television/29storm.html "Gale Storm, 87, Is Dead; Earned Television Fame for Her Wholesome Roles"], Nytimes.com, June 29, 2009; accessed December 14, 2015.</ref>


Storm has three stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for her contributions to television, recordings, and radio.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/28/obit.gale.storm/index.html?iref=mpstoryview|title=TV sitcom pioneer Gale Storm dies|last=Duke|first=Alan|date=2009-06-28|publisher=cnn.com|accessdate=2009-06-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/gale-storm|title=Gale Storm &#124; Hollywood Walk of Fame|publisher=Walkoffame.com |date=1960-02-08 |accessdate=2015-08-17}}</ref>
Storm has three stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for her contributions to television, recordings, and radio.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/28/obit.gale.storm/index.html?iref=mpstoryview|title=TV sitcom pioneer Gale Storm dies|last=Duke|first=Alan|date=2009-06-28|website=CNN|access-date=2009-06-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/gale-storm|title=Gale Storm |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |date=1960-02-08 |access-date=2015-08-17}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 93: Line 94:
* ''[[Revenge of the Zombies]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Revenge of the Zombies]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Campus Rhythm]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Campus Rhythm]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher]]'' (1943)
* ''[[The Crime Smasher]]'' (1943)
* ''[[G. I. Honeymoon]]'' (1945)
* ''[[G. I. Honeymoon]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Sunbonnet Sue]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Sunbonnet Sue]]'' (1945)
Line 161: Line 162:
|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1955
| rowspan="3"| 1955
| align="left"|"[[I Hear You Knocking]]"<br /><small>b/w "Never Leave Me" (from ''Gale's Great Hits'')</small>
| align="left"|"[[I Hear You Knocking]]"<br /><small>b/w "Never Leave Me" (from ''Gale's Great Hits'', not on ''Gale Storm'')</small>
| align="center"| 2
| align="center"| 2
| align="left" rowspan="3"|''Gale Storm''
| align="left" rowspan="3"|''Gale Storm'' ([[Dot Records|Dot]], 1956)
|-
|-
| align="left"|"[[Memories Are Made of This|Memories Are Made Of This]]" /
| align="left"|"[[Memories Are Made of This|Memories Are Made Of This]]" ''Gale Storm'' (Dot, 1956)
| align="center"| 5
| align="center"| 5
|-
|-
| align="left"|"[[Teen Age Prayer]]"
| align="left"|"[[Teen Age Prayer]]" ''Gale Storm'' (Dot, 1956)
| align="center"| 6
| align="center"| 6
|-
|-
| rowspan="6"|1956
| rowspan="6"|1956
| align="left"|[[Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)|Why Do Fools Fall In Love]]"<br /><small>b/w "I Walk Alone" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|"[[Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song)|Why Do Fools Fall In Love]]"<br /><small>b/w "I Walk Alone" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="center"| 9
| align="center"| 9
| align="left" rowspan="2"|''Gale's Great Hits''
| align="left" rowspan="2"|''Gale's Great Hits'' (Dot)
|-
|-
| align="left"|"[[Ivory Tower (1956 song)|Ivory Tower]]"<br /><small>b/w "I Ain't Gonna Worry" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|"[[Ivory Tower (1956 song)|Ivory Tower]]" ''Gale's Great Hits'' (Dot)<br /><small>b/w "I Ain't Gonna Worry" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="center"| 6
| align="center"| 6
|-
|-
Line 185: Line 186:
| align="left"|"[[Now Is the Hour (song)|Now Is The Hour]]" /
| align="left"|"[[Now Is the Hour (song)|Now Is The Hour]]" /
| align="center"| 59
| align="center"| 59
| align="left"|''Gale's Great Hits''
| align="left"|''Gale's Great Hits'' (Dot)
|-
|-
| align="left"|"A Heart Without A Sweetheart"
| align="left"|"A Heart Without A Sweetheart"
Line 193: Line 194:
| align="left"|"My Heart Belongs To You"<br /><small>b/w "Orange Blossoms"</small>
| align="left"|"My Heart Belongs To You"<br /><small>b/w "Orange Blossoms"</small>
| align="center"|
| align="center"|
| align="left" rowspan="4"|''Gale's Great Hits''
| align="left" rowspan="4"|''Gale's Great Hits'' (Dot)
|-
|-
| rowspan="7"|1957
| rowspan="7"|1957
| align="left"|"Lucky Lips" /
| align="left"|"[[Lucky Lips]]" /
| align="center"|77
| align="center"|77
|-
|-
Line 207: Line 208:
| align="left"|"Love By The Jukebox Light"<br /><small>b/w "On My Mind Again"</small>
| align="left"|"Love By The Jukebox Light"<br /><small>b/w "On My Mind Again"</small>
| align="center"|
| align="center"|
| align="left" rowspan="6"|''Gale Storm Sings''
| align="left" rowspan="6"|''Gale Storm Sings'' (Dot, 1959)
|-
|-
| align="left"|"Winter Warm"<br /><small>b/w "Go 'Way From My Window" (Non-album track)</small>
| align="left"|"Winter Warm"<br /><small>b/w "Go 'Way From My Window" (Non-album track)</small>
Line 235: Line 236:
|}
|}


===Albums===
⚫
{{Portal bar|Biography|Texas|Los Angeles|California|Music|Film|Television|Christianity}}
*''Sentimental Me'' (Dot, 1956)
*''Gale Storm'' (Dot, 1956)
*''Gale's Great Hits'' (Dot, 1958)
*''Softly and Tenderly'' (Dot, 1959)
*''Gale Storm Sings'' (Dot, 1959)
*''I Don't Want to Walk Without You'' (Hamilton, c. 1960s)

⚫
{{Portal bar|Biography|Texas|Music|Film|Television }}


==References==
==References==
Line 249: Line 258:
* {{IMDb name|0832561}}
* {{IMDb name|0832561}}
* {{EmmyTVLegends name|gale-storm}}
* {{EmmyTVLegends name|gale-storm}}
* {{FAG|38850751}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 257: Line 265:
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
⚫
[[Category:Actresses from Texas]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Dot Records artists]]
[[Category:Dot Records artists]]
[[Category:People from Victoria County, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Victoria County, Texas]]
[[Category:People from Houston]]
[[Category:Actresses from Houston]]
⚫
[[Category:Singers from Houston]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:San Jacinto High School alumni]]
[[Category:San Jacinto High School alumni]]
Line 269: Line 277:
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]
[[Category:Baptists from the United States]]

Latest revision as of 21:47, 23 April 2024

Gale Storm
Storm pin-up from Yank, The Army Weekly, 1944
Born
Josephine Owaissa Cottle

(1922-04-05)April 5, 1922
Bloomington, Texas, U.S.
DiedJune 27, 2009(2009-06-27) (aged 87)
Danville, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1940–1989
Labels
Spouses
Lee Bonnell
​
​
(m. 1941; died 1986)​
Paul Masterson
​
​
(m. 1988; died 1996)​
Children4
Websitegalestorm.tv

Josephine Owaissa Cottle (April 5, 1922 – June 27, 2009),[1] known professionally as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show. Six of her songs were top ten hits. Storm's greatest recording success was a cover version of "I Hear You Knockin'," which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1955.

Early life

[edit]

Storm was born in Bloomington, Texas, United States.[1] The youngest of five children, she had two brothers and two sisters. Her father, William Walter Cottle, died after a year-long illness when she was only 17 months old, and her mother, Minnie Corina Cottle, struggled to raise the children alone.[citation needed]

Storm attended Holy Rosary School in what is now Midtown, Houston.[2] She performed in the drama club at both Albert Sidney Johnston Junior High School and San Jacinto High School.[citation needed]

When Storm was 17, two of her teachers urged her to enter a contest on Gateway to Hollywood, broadcast from the CBS Radio studios in Hollywood.[3] First prize was a one-year contract with a movie studio, which she won, and was immediately given the stage name Gale Storm. Her performing partner (and future husband), Lee Bonnell from South Bend, Indiana, became known as Terry Belmont.[citation needed]

Career

[edit]
Storm in My Little Margie in 1953

Storm had a role in the radio version of Big Town.[4] After winning the contest in 1940, Storm made several films for the RKO Radio Pictures studio. Her first was Tom Brown's School Days, playing opposite Jimmy Lydon and Freddie Bartholomew.[3] She worked steadily in low-budget films released during this period. In 1941, she sang in several soundies, three-minute musicals produced for "movie jukeboxes".

She acted and sang in Monogram Pictures' Frankie Darro series, and played ingénue roles in other Monogram features with the East Side Kids, Edgar Kennedy, and the Three Stooges, most notably in the film Swing Parade of 1946. Monogram had always relied on established actors with reputations, but in Gale Storm, the studio finally had a star of its own. She played the lead in the studio's most elaborate productions, both musical and dramatic. She shared top billing in Monogram's The Crime Smasher (1943), opposite Edgar Kennedy, Richard Cromwell, and Frank Graham in the role of Jones, a character derived from network radio.

Storm starred in a number of films, including the romantic comedies G.I. Honeymoon (1945) and It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), the Western Stampede (1949), and the 1950 film-noir dramas The Underworld Story and Between Midnight and Dawn. U.S. audiences warmed to Storm and her fan mail increased. She performed in more than three dozen motion pictures for Monogram, experience which made possible her success in other media.

In the 1950s, she made singing appearances on such television variety programs as The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.[5][6]

In 1950, Storm made her television debut in Hollywood Premiere Theatre on ABC. From 1952 to 1955, she starred in My Little Margie, with former silent film actor Charles Farrell as her father. The series began as a summer replacement for I Love Lucy on CBS Television,[3] but ran for 126 episodes on NBC and then CBS. The series was broadcast on CBS Radio from December 1952 to August 1955 with the same actors. Her popularity was capitalized on when she served as hostess of the NBC Comedy Hour in the winter of 1956.

In 1956, Storm starred in a situation comedy, The Gale Storm Show (Oh! Susanna), featuring another silent movie star, ZaSu Pitts. The show ran for 143 episodes on CBS and ABC between 1956 and 1960. Storm appeared regularly on other television programs in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957 she was both a panelist and a "mystery guest" on CBS's What's My Line?[7]

Recording artist

[edit]
Storm with Billy Vaughn. The two wrote "You're My Baby Doll" and performed it on Storm's television show in 1958.

In Gallatin, Tennessee, in November 1954, a 10-year-old girl, Linda Wood, was watching Storm on a Sunday night television variety show, NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour, hosted by Gordon MacRae, singing one of the popular songs of the day. Linda's father asked her who was singing and was told it was Gale Storm from My Little Margie. Linda's father Randy Wood was president of Dot Records, and he liked Storm so much that he called to sign her before the end of the television show. Her first record, "I Hear You Knockin'", a cover of a rhythm and blues hit by Smiley Lewis, sold over a million copies.[8]

The follow-up was a two-sided hit, with Storm covering Dean Martin's "Memories Are Made of This" backed with her cover of Gloria Mann's "Teen Age Prayer". That was followed by a hit cover of Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". Storm's subsequent record sales began to slide, but soon rebounded with a cover of fellow Dot Records recording artist Bonnie Guitar's haunting ballad "Dark Moon" that went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[citation needed] Storm had several other hits, headlined in Las Vegas and appeared in numerous stage plays. Storm recorded for five years with Dot Records, then gave up recording because of her husband's concerns with the time she had to devote to that career.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

Storm was married and widowed twice. In 1941, while still a teenager, she married Lee Bonnell (1918–1986), then an actor and later a businessman. They had four children: Peter, Phillip, Paul, and Susanna. In 1988, two years after she was widowed, she married Paul Masterson (1917–1996), who also predeceased her.[9]

In her fifties, Storm struggled with alcoholism. She later said:

During the 1970s I experienced a terribly low and painful time of dealing with alcoholism. I had Lee's unfailing support through the entire ordeal. My treatment and recovery were more than rugged. At that time, there was such a stigma attached to alcoholism, particularly for women, that it could be hazardous to your reputation and career. I thank God daily that I have been fully recovered for more than 20 years. During my struggle, I had no idea of the blessing my experience could turn out to be! I've had the opportunity to share with others suffering with alcoholism the knowledge that there is help, hope, and an alcohol-free life awaiting them.[10]

Storm later became an active member of the South Shores Baptist Church. She once said: "Life has been good and I thank God for His many blessings and the happy life He has given to me."[10] Storm was a registered Republican and campaigned for U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater in the 1960s.[11]

Later years

[edit]

Storm appeared on two episodes of Burke's Law, 1964 and 1965. Storm made occasional television appearances from 1979 to 1989, such as The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.[3]

In 1981, she published her autobiography, I Ain't Down Yet, which described her battle with alcoholism. She was also interviewed by author David C. Tucker for The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms, published in 2007 by McFarland and Company.[12]

Storm continued to make personal appearances and autographed photos at fan conventions, along with Charles Farrell from the My Little Margie series. She also attended events such as the Memphis Film Festival, Cinecon, the Friends of Old-Time Radio and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.[citation needed]

Death

[edit]

Storm lived alone in Monarch Beach, California, near two of her sons and their families, until failing health forced her into a convalescent home in Danville, California. She died there on June 27, 2009, aged 87.[1]

Storm has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to television, recordings, and radio.[13][14]

Filmography

[edit]
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1952–1955 My Little Margie Margie Albright 126 episodes
1955 The Ford Television Theatre Hope Foster 1 episode
1956–1960 The Gale Storm Show Susanna Pomeroy 143 episodes
1964–1965 Burke's Law Honey Feather Leeps
Dr. Nonnie Harper 		2 episodes
1979 The Love Boat Rose 1 episode
1989 Murder, She Wrote Maisie Mayberry 1 episode

Recordings

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated 		US
Hot 100 		Album
1955 "I Hear You Knocking"
b/w "Never Leave Me" (from Gale's Great Hits, not on Gale Storm) 		2 Gale Storm (Dot, 1956)
"Memories Are Made Of This" Gale Storm (Dot, 1956) 5
"Teen Age Prayer" Gale Storm (Dot, 1956) 6
1956 "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"
b/w "I Walk Alone" (Non-album track) 		9 Gale's Great Hits (Dot)
"Ivory Tower" Gale's Great Hits (Dot)
b/w "I Ain't Gonna Worry" (Non-album track) 		6
"Tell Me Why"
b/w "Don't Be That Way" 		52 Non-album tracks
"Now Is The Hour" / 59 Gale's Great Hits (Dot)
"A Heart Without A Sweetheart" 79 Non-album track
"My Heart Belongs To You"
b/w "Orange Blossoms" 		Gale's Great Hits (Dot)
1957 "Lucky Lips" / 77
"On Treasure Island" 74
"Dark Moon"
b/w "A Little Too Late" (Non-album track) 		4
"Love By The Jukebox Light"
b/w "On My Mind Again" 		Gale Storm Sings (Dot, 1959)
"Winter Warm"
b/w "Go 'Way From My Window" (Non-album track)
"South Of The Border"
b/w "Soon I'll Wed My Love"
"I Get That Feeling"
b/w "A Farewell To Arms"
1958 "You"
b/w "Angry"
"Oh Lonely Crowd"
b/w "Happiness Left Yesterday"
1960 "I Need You So"
b/w "On Treasure Island" (from Gale's Great Hits) 		Non-album tracks
"Please Help Me I'm Falling"
b/w "He Is There"

Albums

[edit]
  • Sentimental Me (Dot, 1956)
  • Gale Storm (Dot, 1956)
  • Gale's Great Hits (Dot, 1958)
  • Softly and Tenderly (Dot, 1959)
  • Gale Storm Sings (Dot, 1959)
  • I Don't Want to Walk Without You (Hamilton, c. 1960s)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Gale Storm, 87, Is Dead; Earned Television Fame for Her Wholesome Roles", Nytimes.com, June 29, 2009; accessed December 14, 2015.
  2. ^ Gabriel, Cindy (2003-04-24). "Holy Rosary Catholic School alums to gather for 'Last Hurrah' Sunday". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  3. ^ a b c d "Notable Deaths Elsewhere: Gale Storm, 87". The Baltimore Sun. June 30, 2009. p. 16.
  4. ^ Wolf, Tom (October 30, 1941). "Television Promises to Create New Market for 'Etheral' Beauty". The Indiana Gazette. The Indiana Gazette. p. 32. Retrieved March 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Episode Guide, Pat Boone Chevy Showroom". Tv.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  6. ^ "The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom". Researchvideo.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  7. ^ What's My Line? - Gale Storm; Robert Monkhouse (panel) (Nov 10, 1957)
  8. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London, UK: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 77. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  9. ^ "RootsWeb: Database Index". Ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  10. ^ a b "Gale Storm Biography". Galestorm.tv. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Critchlow, Donald T. (2013). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107650282.
  12. ^ Tucker, David C. (2007). "Chapter 9: Gale Storm: My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna". The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms. McFarland & Company. pp. 141–156. ISBN 978-0-7864-2900-4. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  13. ^ Duke, Alan (2009-06-28). "TV sitcom pioneer Gale Storm dies". CNN. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  14. ^ "Gale Storm". Hollywood Walk of Fame. 1960-02-08. Retrieved 2015-08-17.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Sitcom Queens: Divas of the Small Screen by Michael Karol (2005) ISBN 0-595-40251-8
  • The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms by David C. Tucker (2007) ISBN 0-7864-2900-3
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gale Storm.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Gale_Storm&oldid=1220456193"