Fewer dames were tougher on the 40s and 50s screen than leggy (5'9") "B" star Adele Jergens, the tough-talking, plump-cheeked peroxide blonde who gave her fair share of tawdry trouble in backstage dramas, film noir, crime potboilers, and adventure yarns. She was just as headstrong at trying to bust out of the chorus lines and cheesecake parts to become a topnotch "A" actress draw. She failed in the latter but nevertheless left a respectable Hollywood legacy for the host of hard-as-nails babes that did leave an impression.
Born on November 26, 1917, in Brooklyn New York, the youngest of four to working class Norwegian parents, she was christened Adele Louisa Jurgens (some sources say Jurgenson) and started her youth as a sports-minded tomboy before setting her young teen sights on an entertainment career as a dancer. After years of study (she earned a scholarship) at a Manhattan dance studio and following her graduation from Grover Cleveland High School, the knockout-looking 18-year-old found her way into the Broadway chorus line (billed as Adele Jurgens, her real name) of the 莫斯·哈特/科尔·波特 musical "Jubilee!", which introduced the classic Porter songs "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things" and starred Melvin Cooper and 玛丽·博兰 as the King and Queen and a young 蒙哥马利·克利夫特 as Prince Peter.
The John Robert Powers Agency saw in Adele top runway model potential and quickly signed up the gorgeous girl and her gams. She willingly played the starlet game by being squired around town by big Broadway stars and handsome male eligibles, and finding promotional titles to further attract pin-up attention -- "Miss World's Fairest" at the New York 1939 World's Fair, as well as "The Champagne Blonde" and "The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs". She was even dubbed "The Number One Showgirl in New York City" at one point. By this time she had revised the spelling of her last name for the stage (Jergens). In between modeling assignments, Adele found dance work in other in cabaret revues, nightclubs, in the Rockette chorus line, and in such Broadway shows as 科尔·波特's "Leave It to Me!" (1938) again starring Gaxton and Moore and co-starring "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" singing star 玛丽·马丁; 科尔·波特's "DuBarry Was a Lady" (1939) with 埃塞尔·默尔曼 belting out "Well, Did You Evah?" and "Friendship"; "Louisiana Purchase" (in a replacement role) (1940), "Banjo Eyes" (1941) starring 埃迪·坎特 and the burlesque revue "Star and Garter" (1942) in which Adele had a featured role while understudying one of its headliners, 吉普赛·罗斯. She went on for Ms. Lee, Hollywood took immediate notice with Twentieth Century-Fox signing her up.
Adele started at the bottom rung at Fox with the usual decorative showgirl or good time girl parts in the musicals 春风得意 (1943), Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943), 高朋满座 (1943)and 海报女郎 (1944). When Fox dropped her option she was snatched up by Columbia in a seven-year contract. After minor parts again in the musicals Dancing in Manhattan (1944), Tonight and Every Night (1945) and State Fair (1945), she was entrusted with the lead femme role as Princess Armina of Baghdad in the Eastern adventure A Thousand and One Nights (1945) with 菲尔·西尔沃斯 and handsome 柯纳·王尔德 as Aladdin. She also displayed a brusque comic flair as the aptly-named Allura in the 罗莎琳德·拉塞尔 comedy 半推半就 (1945) as an hilariously-accented blonde briefly competing for Russell's man 李·鲍曼. She top-lined her own musical albeit the quickly forgotten When a Girl's Beautiful (1947) which co-starred 马克·普莱特 and Stephen Dunne.
After a lull, the former WWII pin-up (once nick-named "The All-American Girl" by the men of the 504th parachute infantry) was now being billed by Columbia as "The Eyeful" and returned to the musical genre with the fantasy 坠入凡间 (1947). 丽塔·海华斯 plays a heavenly muse who, disturbed by a Broadway musical below the clouds that is mocking Greek mythology. Turning mortal, she takes things in her own hands by turning mortal and (not easily) replacing the show's tough-talking original goddess 阿黛尔·杰金斯 in order to manipulate the proceedings. Adele gets to tap and sing (dubbed by Kay Starr) before she is fired.
Outside of musicals, the hard-looking blonde (especially when her hair was let down), Adele started making headway in crime dramas and film noir starting with a nifty featured role as a glamour girl in 箱尸案 (1947). She followed that with hard-boiled roles in I Love Trouble (1948), The Dark Past (1948), 孝感动天 (1950), 血战街头 (1950) and 警探飞车 (1950). For the most part, however, it was the usual over-served hash that, while keeping her busy, also kept her locked in the "B" support ranks -- 贼王子 (1948), Law of the Barbary Coast (1949), 法国小调 (1949), Make Believe Ballroom (1949), Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952), Somebody Loves Me (1952) -- when not leading in inconsequential material such as Ladies of the Chorus (1948) (as the mother of Marilyn's Monroe's character), The Mutineers (1949), The Woman from Tangier (1948), The Crime Doctor's Diary (1949) and the serial Radar Secret Service (1950).
Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949) was notable for the casting of Adele and future husband 格伦·兰甘. One might think that gorgeous Adele would end up a divorcée many times over, but she and Langan, who wed on October 6, 1951, stayed married until his death almost 40 years later. The 1950s, following good parts (Sugarfoot (1951)) but far more routine ones (Beware of Blondie (1950), The Traveling Saleswoman (1950), Blues Busters (1950)), Adele moved into TV work. After having son Tracy in 1953, Adele took a brief break from her career, then resumed it and found work on such programs as "Dangerous Assignment", "The Abbott & Costello Show", "Mr. and Mrs. North", "Make Room for Daddy", "The Public Defender", "I Married Joan", "My Favorite Husband", and "The Burns & Allen Show". Co-starring on film with husband Langan again in The Big Chase (1954), Jergens worked for a couple more years then left the business as the quality of her movies diminished with tawdry roles in Fireman Save My Child (1954), 迈阿密故事 (1954), The Lonesome Trail (1955), Girls in Prison (1956) and Runaway Daughters (1956). She never returned but husband continued his career until the early 1970s; he also dabbled in real estate.
Glenn Langan died of cancer in 1991 and their only child, 48-year-old Tracy, who had become a film technician, died in 2001 of a brain tumor, which devastated the actress. Her health declined quickly after her son's death; she died the following year of pneumonia on November 22, 2002, just days before her 85th birthday.
Played 玛丽莲·梦露's mother in Ladies of the Chorus (1948) despite the fact they were only nine years apart in age. This was Marilyn's first co-starring role.
Bottle-blonde bombshell of 1940s and 1950s "B" films who gained entry into Hollywood via the modeling and chorus girl venues. She typically played hardcore floozies, burlesque dancers, and the like. Went on to TV and played sexy foils to 雷德·斯克尔顿, 巴德·阿伯特 and 卢·科斯特洛, among others.
In 1939, she was named the Fairest of the Fair at the New York World's Fair.
In the early 1940s, she worked as a Rockette, and was named the Number One Showgirl in New York City.
She was dubbed "The Eyeful" by a publicist at Columbia Studios.
She was dubbed "the girl with the million dollar legs" by one of her dancing instructors.
Got her first break into the big time understudying 吉普赛·罗斯 as a burlesque strip artist in the Broadway show "Star and Garter" in 1942. Lee fell ill for two weeks during the show's run. A talent scout for Columbia Pictures caught Jergens's performance and signed her to a contract.
Predeceased by her only child, her son Tracy Langan.
Her role as "Cameo" McQueen in 演出船 (1951), a role not in the stage version or in any other film version, is referred to in the dialogue by 凯瑟琳·格雷森 and 霍华德·基尔 as if it were a fairly significant bit part. But in the final release print, it was trimmed to literally a cameo, with absolutely no dialogue.
Her singing voice was dubbed by Kay Starr in 坠入凡间 (1947).
Profiled in "Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames" bu Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner (McFarland, 2004).
Appeared with her husband, 格伦·兰甘 in the "Poverty Row" films Treasure of Monte Cristo (1949) and The Big Chase (1954), both Lippert Studio productions, and in Outlaw Treasure (1955), released by Amerian Releasing Corporation.
According to her baptismal record (U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969) she was baptized as Adele Maude Lillian Jörgensen, daughter of Anders Christian Jörgensen and Karen Bie, and her date of birth was given as November 24, 1917. However, other records, including censuses, give her parents names as August Jergens and Adele M. Buhmann.
Lived at 1708 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
Peroxide-blonde hair