Gale Storm
Encyclopedia
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
.
in Victoria County
, 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 seventeen months old, and her mother, Minnie Corina Cottle, struggled to raise the children alone. One of her sisters gave Josephine the middle name "Owaissa," an American Indian word meaning "bluebird." Storm's mother Minnie took in sewing, then opened a millinery shop in McDade
, Texas, which failed, and finally moved the family to Houston
. Storm learned to be an accomplished dancer and became an excellent ice skater at Houston's Polar Palace. She performed in the drama club at both Albert Sidney Johnston Junior High School and San Jacinto High School.
When she was 17 years old, two of her teachers urged her to enter a contest on Gateway to Hollywood, broadcast from the CBS Radio
studios in Hollywood, California
. 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.
and Freddie Bartholomew
. 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 acted and sang in Monogram Pictures
' popular 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
, and Frank Graham
in the role of Jones, a character derived from network radio.
American 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. She became an American icon of the 1950s, starring in two highly successful television series. It was also in this decade that her singing career took shape. She appeared on such variety programs as ABC
's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
.
from 1952 to 1955. The show, which co-starred former silent film
actor Charles Farrell
as her father, was originally a summer replacement for I Love Lucy
on CBS, but ran for 126 episodes on NBC and CBS. The series was broadcast on CBS Radio
from December 1952 to August 1955 with the same actors.
Storm's 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
(aka Oh! Susanna), featuring another silent movie star, ZaSu Pitts
. The Gale Storm show ran for 143 episodes 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 What's My Line?
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 version
of a rhythm and blues
hit by Smiley Lewis
, in turn based on the old Buddy Bolden
standard "The Bucket's Got a Hole In It," sold over a million copies. 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 "A Teenage 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 her own labelmate Bonnie Guitar's haunting ballad "Dark Moon
" that went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Storm had several other hits and headlined in Las Vegas
and appeared in numerous stage plays. Amazingly, Storm only recorded for approximately 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. Equally amazing, almost her entire recording career was based on her quickly recording cover versions of new hits by other artists (one, a cover of Joni James' "I Need You So," was never released). Many felt that Storm's covers often were better than the originals, and she developed a large following.
In her later years she struggled with alcoholism, in her own words:
"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."
Storm was a great believer in the benevolence of God
and was very much a Christian
and later became an active member of the South Shores Church. She once said of this:
"Life has been good and I thank God for His many blessings and the happy life He has given to me."
, Burke's Law
, and Murder, She Wrote
. 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.
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, the Friends of Old-Time Radio and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.
, California. She died there on June 27, 2009.
Storm has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
for her contributions to recording, radio, and television.
My Little Margie
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D...
and The Gale Storm Show
The Gale Storm Show
The Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 143 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC...
.
Early life
Storm was born Josephine Owaissa Cottle in BloomingtonBloomington, Texas
Bloomington is a census-designated place in Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,562 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in Victoria County
Victoria County, Texas
Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 84,088. Its county seat is Victoria. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. 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 seventeen months old, and her mother, Minnie Corina Cottle, struggled to raise the children alone. One of her sisters gave Josephine the middle name "Owaissa," an American Indian word meaning "bluebird." Storm's mother Minnie took in sewing, then opened a millinery shop in McDade
McDade, Texas
McDade is an unincorporated community in northern Bastrop County, Texas, United States located along US Hwy 290.The McDade Independent School District serves area students....
, Texas, which failed, and finally moved the family to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Storm learned to be an accomplished dancer and became an excellent ice skater at Houston's Polar Palace. She performed in the drama club at both Albert Sidney Johnston Junior High School and San Jacinto High School.
When she was 17 years old, two of her teachers urged her to enter a contest on Gateway to Hollywood, broadcast from the CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
studios in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. 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
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, became known as Terry Belmont.
Film career
After winning the contest in 1940, Storm made several films for the studio, RKO Radio Pictures. Her first was Tom Brown's School Days, playing opposite Jimmy LydonJimmy Lydon
Jimmy Lydon is an American movie actor and television producer, whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenage actor in the 1930s....
and Freddie Bartholomew
Freddie Bartholomew
Frederick Cecil Bartholomew , known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of all time, he became very popular in 1930s Hollywood films...
. She worked steadily in low-budget films released during this period. In 1941 she sang in several Soundies
Soundies
Soundies were an early version of the music video: three-minute musical films, produced in New York City, Chicago, and Hollywood between 1940 and 1946, often including short dance sequences. The completed Soundies were generally released within a few months of their filming; the last group was...
, three-minute musicals produced for "movie jukeboxes."
Storm acted and sang in Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
' popular Frankie Darro
Frankie Darro
Frankie Darro was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles in adventure, western, dramatic, and comedy films, and later became a character actor and voice-over artist.-Early life:Darro...
series, and played ingénue roles in other Monogram features with the East Side Kids
East Side Kids
The East Side Kids were characters in a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys, and several of them later became members of The Bowery Boys....
, Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
and The Three Stooges, most notably in the film Swing Parade of 1946
Swing Parade of 1946
Swing Parade of 1946 is musical comedy film. In it the Three Stooges help an aspiring singer, Carol Lawrence , and a nightclub owner, Danny Warren , find love...
. 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
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher is a 1943 American film directed by James Tinling. The film is also known as Cosmo Jones in 'Crime Smasher' .- Cast :*Edgar Kennedy as Police Chief Murphy*Richard Cromwell as Sgt...
(1943), opposite Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
, Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (actor)
Richard Cromwell, born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh , was an American actor. His family and friends called him Roy, though he was also professionally known and signed autographs as Dick Cromwell. Cromwell's career was at its pinnacle with his work in Jezebel with Bette Davis and Henry Fonda and again...
, and Frank Graham
Frank Graham (voice actor)
Frank Lee Graham was an American radio announcer and cartoon voice actor.-Biography:Graham was born in Michigan to Frank L. Graham and opera singer Ethel Briggs Graham and travelled with his mother on tour....
in the role of Jones, a character derived from network radio.
American 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. She became an American icon of the 1950s, starring in two highly successful television series. It was also in this decade that her singing career took shape. She appeared on such variety programs as ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom is a half-hour variety show that aired on ABC from October 3, 1957 to June 23, 1960, starring the young singer Pat Boone and a host of top-name guest stars. The program was of course sponsored by Chevrolet...
.
Television career
Storm starred in My Little MargieMy Little Margie
My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D...
from 1952 to 1955. The show, which co-starred former silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actor Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell was an American film actor of the 1920s silent era and into the 1930s, and later a television actor...
as her father, was originally a summer replacement for I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
on CBS, but ran for 126 episodes on NBC and CBS. The series was broadcast on CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
from December 1952 to August 1955 with the same actors.
Storm's 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
The Gale Storm Show
The Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 143 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC...
(aka Oh! Susanna), featuring another silent movie star, ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children...
. The Gale Storm show ran for 143 episodes 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 What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
Recording artist
In Gallatin, TennesseeGallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
in November 1954, a 10-year-old girl, Linda Wood, was watching Storm on a Sunday night television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
variety show, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Colgate Comedy Hour, hosted by Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
, 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
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
, 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 version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of a rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
hit by Smiley Lewis
Smiley Lewis
Smiley Lewis was an American New Orleans rhythm and blues musician. The journalist, Tony Russell, in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, stated "Lewis was the unluckiest man in New Orleans...
, in turn based on the old Buddy Bolden
Buddy Bolden
Charles "Buddy" Bolden was an African American cornetist and is regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz.- Life :...
standard "The Bucket's Got a Hole In It," sold over a million copies. 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 "A Teenage 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 her own labelmate Bonnie Guitar's haunting ballad "Dark Moon
Dark Moon (song)
"Dark Moon" is a 1957 country song by Ned Miller. With its haunting rhythm and forlorn lyrics, it scored on both the country and popular charts in the year of its release. Singer Bonnie Guitar took it to the country charts; Gale Storm to the pop charts. Storm's version, with Ned Miller himself on...
" that went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Storm had several other hits and headlined in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and appeared in numerous stage plays. Amazingly, Storm only recorded for approximately 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. Equally amazing, almost her entire recording career was based on her quickly recording cover versions of new hits by other artists (one, a cover of Joni James' "I Need You So," was never released). Many felt that Storm's covers often were better than the originals, and she developed a large following.
Personal life
Storm was married and widowed twice. She married Lee Bonnell (1918–1986), then an actor and later a businessman, in 1941. They had four children: Peter, Phillip, Paul and Susanna. She married again in 1988 to Paul Masterson (1917–1996).In her later years she struggled with alcoholism, in her own words:
"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."
Storm was a great believer in the benevolence of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and was very much a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and later became an active member of the South Shores Church. She once said of this:
"Life has been good and I thank God for His many blessings and the happy life He has given to me."
Later years
Storm made occasional television appearances in later years, such as Love BoatLove Boat
The Overseas Compatriot Youth Formosa Study Tour to Taiwan, informally known as the Love Boat, is currently a four-week summer program for about 400–600 college-aged Overseas Chinese. In Chinese, it is also colloquially referred to as mei-jia-ying - America and Canada Camp, a reference to where...
, Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
, and Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
. In 1981, she published her autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, I Ain't Down Yet, which described her battle with alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. 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.
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, the Friends of Old-Time Radio and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.
Death
Storm lived alone in Monarch Beach, California, near two of her sons and their families, until failing health forced her into a convalescent home, near San Francisco in DanvilleDanville, California
The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that uses "town" in its name instead of "city". The population was 42,039 in 2010. Danville is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Oakland and San...
, California. She died there on June 27, 2009.
Storm has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
for her contributions to recording, radio, and television.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Tom Brown's School Days | Effie | Alternative title: Adventures at Rugby |
| 1941 | Let's Go Collegiate Let's Go Collegiate Let's Go Collegiate is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough.The film is also known as Farewell to Fame in the United Kingdom.- Plot summary :... |
Midge | |
| 1941 | Saddlemates Saddlemates Saddlemates is a 1941 American Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by Lester Orlebeck.- Cast :* Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke* Bob Steele as Tucson Smith* Rufe Davis as Lullaby Joslin* Gale Storm as Susan Langley... |
Susan Langley | |
| 1942 | Rhythm Parade | Sally Benson | |
| 1943 | Nearly Eighteen | Jane "Janie" Stanton | |
| 1945 | G.I. Honeymoon | Ann Gordon | |
| 1946 | Swing Parade of 1946 Swing Parade of 1946 Swing Parade of 1946 is musical comedy film. In it the Three Stooges help an aspiring singer, Carol Lawrence , and a nightclub owner, Danny Warren , find love... |
Carol Lawrence | |
| 1947 | It Happened on Fifth Avenue | Trudy O'Connor | |
| 1948 | Liza Crockett | ||
| 1949 | Abandoned Abandoned (1949 film) Abandoned is a 1949 American crime film noir directed by Joseph M. Newman. The drama features Dennis O'Keefe, Gale Storm, and others.-Plot:... |
Paula Considine | Alternative title: Abandoned Woman |
| 1950 | Irene Kain | ||
| 1950 | Catherine "Cathy" Harris | ||
| 1951 | Al Jennings of Oklahoma | Margo St. Claire | |
| 1952 | Woman of the North Country | Cathy Nordlund |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952–1955 | My Little Margie My Little Margie My Little Margie is an American situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D... |
Margie Albright | 126 episodes |
| 1955 | The Ford Television Theatre | Hope Foster | 1 episode |
| 1956–1960 | Susanna Pomeroy | 143 episodes | |
| 1964–1965 | Burke's Law Burke's Law Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud... |
Honey Feather Leeps Dr. Nonnie Harper |
2 episodes |
| 1979 | Rose | 1 episode | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,... |
Maisie Mayberry | 1 episode |
Singles
- 1956: "I Hear You KnockingI Hear You Knocking"I Hear You Knocking" is a popular rhythm and blues song with emphatic syncopation, written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King and published in 1955. The original recording was made by Smiley Lewis, reaching #2 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.The lyrics concern a former lover whose knocking at...
"/"Never Leave Me" (Dot 15412) (#2) - 1956: "Memories Are Made of ThisMemories Are Made of This"Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955.-History:The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin. It reached #1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956, and became his biggest hit...
"/"Teenage Prayer" (Dot 15436) - 1956: "Why Do Fools Fall in LoveWhy Do Fools Fall in Love (song)"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is a song that was originally a hit for early New York City-based rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers in 1956. It reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, No. 6 on Billboards Pop Singles chart, and number one on the UK Singles Chart...
/I Walk Alone" (Dot 15448) - 1956: "I Ain't Gonna Worry"/"Ivory TowerIvory Tower (1956 song)"Ivory Tower" is a popular song written by Jack Fulton and Lois Steele. Popular versions by Cathy Carr and Gale Storm, and a rhythm & blues version by Otis Williams and the Charms all received major popularity in 1956...
" (Dot 15458) (#6) - 1956: "Tell Me WhyTell Me Why (1956 song)"Tell Me Why" is a popular song, written by Titus Turner in 1956. It is a slow, strong rhythm and blues ballad, and has a melody reminiscent of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee"....
"/"Don't Be That Way" (Dot 15474) - 1956: "Now Is the HourNow Is the Hour"Now Is the Hour" is a popular song, though often described as a traditional Māori song. It is usually credited to Clement Scott, Maewa Kaihau & Dorothy Stewart....
"/"A Heart Without a Sweetheart" (Dot 15492) - 1956: "My Heart Belongs To You"/"Orange Blossoms" (Dot 15515)
- 1957: "Lucky Lips/"On Treasure Island" (Dot 15539)
- 1957: "Dark MoonDark Moon (song)"Dark Moon" is a 1957 country song by Ned Miller. With its haunting rhythm and forlorn lyrics, it scored on both the country and popular charts in the year of its release. Singer Bonnie Guitar took it to the country charts; Gale Storm to the pop charts. Storm's version, with Ned Miller himself on...
"/"A Little Too Late" (Dot 15558) (#4) - 1957: "On My Mind Again/Love By The Jukebox Light" (Dot 15606)
- 1957: "Go 'Way From My Window"/"Winter Warm" (Dot 15666)
- 1957: "South Of the Border"/"Soon I'll Wed My Love" (Dot 15783 )
- 1957: "I Get That Feeling"/"A Farewell To Arms" (Dot 15691)
- 1958: "You"/"Angry" (Dot 15734)
- 1958: "Oh Lonely Crowd"/"Happiness Left Yesterday" (Dot 15861)
- 1960: "I Need You So"/"On Treasure Island" (Dot 16057)
- 1960: "Please Help Me I'm Falling"/"He Is There" (Dot 16111)
Further reading
- 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