Gentlemen Prefere Blondes....but I enjoyed the brunette . RIP Jane Russell

The beautiful and talented Jane Russell passed away on Monday at age 89.  She was sexy, smart, and wildly entertaining.  In Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, she played opposite Marilyn Monroe, my all time favorite lady of the 1950s, but I enjoyed Jane in the film much more that the Blonde Bombshell.

Ms. Russell shot to fame as the sexy star of Howard Hughes' 1941 Western, The Outlaw. "Hughes, the eccentric billionaire, put her onto the path to stardom when he cast her in "The Outlaw," a film he fought with censors for nearly a decade to get into wide release. With her sultry look and glowing sexuality, Russell became a star before she was ever seen by a wide movie audience. The Hughes publicity mill ground out photos of the beauty in low-cut costumes and swim suits, and she became famous, especially as a pinup for World War II GIs" from ABC News

She was in a number of movies during her acting career.  The two I like best are Macao (1952) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).  I am not going to do a movie review on either this morning, we will save that for a Saturday Matinee Review.  What I would rather do is remember Jane Russell in photos.  She was a great example of not just a 1950s beauty, but a timeless beauty.

Sexy.

What vintage loving woman would not enjoy this dress?

Ms. Russell said "I'm going to die in the saddle, I'm not going to sit at home and become an old woman" Associated Press

I especially like this photo.  She looks so natural, unmade-up.  Beautiful.

Jane Russell was also known as an advocate for children.  "During the 1950's, actress Jane Russell began a mission which has resulted in the adoptive placement of nearly 38,000 children through her organization, WAIF.

Working on behalf of the 300,000 American children living in foster care and institutions, WAIF operates national advocacy, public and professional education programs. Locally, WAIF sponsors adoption recruitment events for children who are older, handicapped or of a minority race.

Jane Russell knows that every child, every waif, has the right to a permanent and loving family. For over 30 years, Miss Russell has turned the extraordinary publicity of her acting career to focus on the plight of homeless children. She devotes her heart and soul to see to the placement of children in a loving home.

Miss Russell championed the passage of the Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment of 1953, which allowed, for the first time, children of American servicemen born overseas to be placed for adoption in the United States The ensuing years have allowed single parents to adopt, for children to be moved across state lines for adoptive placement, and most recently, the implementation of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act which mandates the reform of the adoption and foster care system in all 50 states.

Since 1981, Jane Russell has testified before the US. Congress and met with over 150 Senators and Representatives, as well as with President George Bush. In addition, her appeals have appeared in thousands of newspapers and magazines, and she has appeared on all TV network news programs and scores of television interview shows. ALL FOR THE CHILDREN WHO NEED A CHAMPION.

Jane Russell is truly leaving, for thousands, her successful living legacy" from The Women's International Center.