Talk:Jane Russell

File:Jane Russell in The Outlaw.jpg scheduled for POTD

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Jane Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model who became one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. This publicity still, depicting Russell reclining on a bed of hay and holding a pistol, was taken by George Hurrell for her film debut in Howard Hughes's film The Outlaw (1943), which launched her career. She went on to star in more than twenty films, including opposite Marilyn Monroe in the hugely successful Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).

Photograph credit: George Hurrell

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Her kindness, humor, and love of astrology

As a young teen I met the then Mrs Waterfield and on occasions was invited to visit with her in her home in Orange County, California. She was always gracious and inviting, found my artwork of value, and engaged me in conversation on a range of topics. I was both aware that she had been an important star and that her husband, who I never met, was a famous football star and coach with the Rams. As neither much of a filmgoer nor particularly a football fan, I have no memory of being intimidated when in her company, just welcome and comfortable. Jane insisted we do my astrological chart and I can still remember her intensity while doing the math and her apparent depth of knowledge on the subject. This is admittedly not much of a "Hollywood" story... yet it occurred to me that it might do no harm to mention that (beyond her cinema life and fame) "Jane Russell" presented herself to a then 14 year old kid as a relaxedly welcoming and intelligent woman, and a tremendously kind and often broadly funny hostess to whose home I was always made to feel welcome, and of worth. Patricmcm (talk) 02:39, 3 April 2022 (UTC)

Picture of her says 1934

she was born in 1921, she doesn't look 13 to me in that pic. 172.77.163.48 (talk) 01:36, 6 January 2023 (UTC)

confusion in origin of son Thomas

It seems clear that in 1952 Russell adopted an infant son named Thomas. In the article, the child's birth mother is named Hannah McDermott. However, other sources give different names: Fintan O'Toole's We Don't Know Ourselves gives the last name Kavanagh, and similarly an article "How blue-eyed Irish boy won icon's heart" in the Irish Independent [1] gives the name Florrie Kavanagh. Mraptor0910 (talk) 17:15, 24 January 2025 (UTC)

The bra

The 'still' is evidently not from the film, it is a specially set up publicity shot. What I heard is that she wore her own lacey bra and Hughes didn't like the way the lace showed all bumpy through the sweater in the initial takes, and so designed a smooth replacement (which may have raised her breasts as well). On the account given here she went back to her own bra, but clearly padded the *outside* with tissue paper to smooth out the lace; the way it is written one would assume she padded the inside to enlarge her breasts still more (hardly necessary).

And in the publicity shot she is clearly not wearing a bra at all - where is the shoulder strap that should be visible? I would like to see instead an actual frame from the film, but can't access a streamable copy to find it (and no doubt WP would say it was copyright). Wolstan Dixie (talk) 23:28, 11 April 2025 (UTC)