As an introvert myself this is particularly sad. It's a shame she could not follow her true passion, her art. Maybe when her contract ended. But the camera obviously loved her and she did have talent. She needed guidance instead of being thrown to the wolves at 17. Many highly sensitive or introverted people compensate in some way, but you have to find healthy support. I hope she's at peace now.
I started drinking at a young age too to cope. Now looking back I understand why. I was highly sensitive and introverted and alcohol took the edge off and I could relax like everyone else around me seemed to be and not be in a constant state of over analyzing everything. Also I could socialize better, it was almost excruciating to sit face to face with people and chit chat. Sounds crazy! Haha but that’s just how my brain was/is wired. I drink occasionally now sometimes in social situations and still feel uncomfortable sitting face to face with others but as I’m getting older I care less what people think and that helps
@smakkdat I totally get that. You're so AWARE of everything whereas others aren't. smSo it doesn't effect them. (Ignorance is bliss.) You come up with coping mechanics to reduce the awkwardness somehow.
its not so much hollywood was her problem more her mothers for pushing her into it thats happened with a lot of stars to didnt really want to be stars. once the rot sets in its over. glad to hear the Duke was kind to her, i love John Wayne always will.
Love the movie "The Uninvited". So sad to know that Gail Russell was so terrified of acting. It's a shame that she could not just persue her art and live a happy life.
Everyone talks about Marilyn Monroe's death at 36. However, another gorgeous beautiful introverted actress tragically died at 36 from her addictive life. I couldn't help not to look at her sad eyed beauty. Gail Russell. I would love nothing better than to have Gail's life put on the silver screen today.
As someone who struggles with chronic anxiety, panic disorder and PTSD (very long story, but in a nutshell: accident caused by a drunk driver nearly killed me, _did_ kill my family, and I found out firsthand what fresh hell being a "survivor" can be.) but even before that I was a _very_ shy child. I completely sympathize with skipping school to avoid speaking to the class, although I never actually skipped; I just took the 0 or the "incomplete." I was a straight A student, but frequently received C's and D's simply because I _just could _*_not_* speak in public. To this day, a knock on the door, a ringing phone, text alerts... fill me with dread. What I'm saying is *I **_get_** it,* and at only 5ish minutes into this, my heart is already broken for Gail Russell. Anxiety truly is straight from the pits of hell. Also, people! Please, for the love of God, *STOP* living vicariously through your children! Whether it's the stage, the pageant circuit, sports or academics, it doesn't matter; you are a horrible human being if you see nothing wrong with placing the burden of _your_ unfulfilled hopes and dreams onto the shoulders of your _child._ Your child is not your "do-over." *LET YOUR CHILDREN BE CHILDREN!*
Brandy McNamee your comment sounds just as if I wrote it , I went threw the same kind of life , as a child had no idea what was wrong with me until I was in my twenties before I even heard of anxiety, anyways I don't comment much ,but had to reach out to you an understanding of the common condition we have shared , May God Bless you and fill your anxieties with his faith and glory,and protect you from evil! ❤️🙏🏽🇨🇦
I also live with a severe anxiety disorder caused by a near fatal car accident. Near fatal for me but fatal for the 2 children in the car with the drunk driver who caused the accident and fatal for my friend who was seated next to me in the back seat when we were hit by the drunk driver. I know exactly what you mean when you talk about the panic caused by a ringing phone, a knock at the door, a text notification. I can't even use regular alarm clocks because the jarring sound they make can turb my entire day into a complete mess where it can be a struggle to even leave my bed after waking up to that sound. Those who have never experienced it have no clue how much anxiety this severe can ruin a life. Thank you for your comment, sometimes I forget there are people out there that know exactly what I experience and your comment was a nice reminder I'm not alone in struggling with this.
Thank you to everyone who has had the strength and courage to reach out and share here. I think sometimes being the survivor is the hardest thing, and anyone who has experienced anxiety or stress-related disorders themselves, or has seen how profoundly it can affect, even almost control the life of anyone affected by it (including those of close family), knows how much courage it takes for people living with this just to wake up, get up and face each day. I too am a survivor, and have suffered quite severe survivor guilt. As a former clinician I knew exactly what it was, and why I was experiencing it. Knowing intellectually is one thing though, actually coping with the emotions it engenders is something else. For anyone feeling alone, overwhelmed, and perhaps even “stuck” by a major event, I just wanted to say you are not alone. Some things can never be forgotten, but with time I hope you learn a way of managing how to learn to live with what has happened, and eventually be able to become “unstuck” and move forward with the rest of your life. This is not easy (I know) & often feels like two steps forward, one step back, and there will be bad days. Joy often only comes in moments but to feel it all, as I do sometimes now, can be a major step forward (though personally I still cannot yet feel joy without guilt). I admire you for reaching out. I applaud the courage you find to face each new day. However isolated you feel you are not alone, and if it feels as if everyone in the world but you is organised, busy, energised and coping and you are the only one who is not please know this is not true, there are many of us - & though I wouldn’t wish this feeling on anyone in a weird way knowing that there are others out there who understand, who know exactly how I’m feeling even if I don’t know who they are, has helped me - & I hope will help you too. You are unique. You are amazing. I admire you, and you are not alone. I understand & admire your courage. Remember to be kind to yourself and take it gently. Kindest regards xx
Who are you to tell parents they are "horrible human-beings" for living vicariously through their children. You have major issues so maybe you ought to focus on not freaking out over a text message.
@@elissam.corsmeier469 Have you done that, living through your children? You ought to take lessons from what Gail Russell went through. How dare you be condescending to other people's problems? Maybe you should check (I mean your head) yourself before throwing stones at others! Children's needs have to come first, not the parents'!
After that whole breakdown and court hassle with John Wayne’s wife, she should have walked away completely, gone to a quiet place and rediscovered her art...such a sad story...she was so beautiful, so misunderstood...simply can’t let someone else dictate one’s life...learned that from experience...
some cannot handle booze--it is very insidious, agreed. and stardom must exacerbate addition--one has to have good head on shoulders in that hard business
Omg...you scare me in just watching you running into someone..Not the Damn Ghost..Literally scared that your gonna run into a Crazy and cant find your Tazor..Marie..im quickly gettin more and more grey headed...pls be safe! Keep your tazor close...lol..Luv you guys
That producer/writer Andrew J. Fenady is like a parody of a producer/director of old Hollywood. I think he was enjoying the attention and cranked it up to 11.
Wow glad I found this, especially comments about autism, aspergers, social anxiety etc. I look at pictures of my youth and I resemble this Gail, except I have hazel eyes. So I wud wonder, what the he'll was wrong with me? People always commented on my looks, but that wasn't important to me. I also started drinking in college due to social anxiety. I only completed 2 years and dropped out bc I couldn't convince myself to take speech class!! Now in my 50's, what saved me from dying in my mountain of regrets was the knowledge that God forgave me for being a coward, and it's behind me now. I was saved from alcoholism due to faith in Jesus sacrifice. But yeah, living with consequences can be difficult, but not impossible. Praise God I'm still alive!
Gail was not the first tragic actress that Hollywood ever had; since the silent film days, there have been quite a few actresses who lives and careers caused them to be tragic figures that caused them to have short careers and, at certain times, early deaths that saddened fans, colleagues, friends and family alike. Silent film actress Barbara La Marr(1896-1926) is an example of the so-called "tragic actress" with how her end happened with her death in early 1926.
The despite all the drinking and insecurities she suffered as an actress, all the movies I have seen her in show her to be not only an excellent actress but also a memorable one. She had the look. There was something about her that captured the imagination. She was one of those actresses that was not easy to forget once seen. In fact she is unforgettable.
she's a natural actress---very much like bergman-natural. the studio figured this out right away. I only wish Gail had enjoyed bing a star. unforgettable!!
There is a lot of wickedness having to do with Hollywood. People just need to know and understand how to excuse themselves or GET OUT of something if they choose to no longer do it or be a part of it. Know when enough is enough and just leave! LIVE FOR YOU!
She died of malnutrition. Screams anorexia to me, an in remission anorexic. II said towards the beginning of the video that she had no control over her own life and she would say that often, it made me instantly think oh no I bet she developed an eating disorder. Anorexia isn't what the media tells you it is. It isn't about looking thin the vast majority of anorexics know they don't look fat at all. They know they look too skinny and that they look sick because anorexia isn't about looks, it's about control. Some people have so little control over their own lives, even the most minor decisions, that the only thing they can control is their food intake. It is the very minority of anorexics who ALSO have body dysmorphia who think they're fat while being underweight. It isn't anorexia alone it is the body dysmorphia that causes the warped view of how they look. But that isn't sensational enough for the media. The media wants to blame thin supermodels for causing anorexia when that couldn't be further from the truth. Does looking at obese models make you overweight? No it doesn't. You can't catch anorexia and you can't purposefully give yourself anorexia no matter how hard you try. You might be able to skip a few meals but for the normal person their body will kick into overdrive and force them to eat. Anorexia is a mental illness about control. Body dysmorphia is about looking in the mirror and thinking you look totally different than you actually do. Most anorexics do not have body dysmorphia, and most people with body dysmorphia do not have anorexia. SOMETIMES these mental illnesses overlap but that is very rare. No one whose only mental illness is alcoholism starves themselves to death. She most likely had anorexia AND an alcohol addiction.
Sure the alcohol would deprive her body of nutrients - it's also called "liquid fat" - so if she was skinny that means she was not eating other calorie sources.
I actually feel very bad for her. Having to go through her whole life doing something she didn't want to do must be horrible to have to go through. I hope that she finds peace and is able to do what she really wanted to do in life in heaven. RIP Ms. Russell
She really had a beautiful face. So sad she suffered from anxiety and self medicated with alcohol. That guy with the cigar is the epitome of the Hollywood schmuck..what a bastard
clenelyn I know right, what's with the dramatic smoking & holding of the cigar. Could he really not do the short interview without smoking the cigar like really!
She's at peace now doing what she had wanted to do from the very beginning which was art this is one time where Hollywood wasn't to blame for Gail's death I blame her mom and classmates.
I know what she was going through because i suffered with anxiety. It took me my whole life to grow out of it . im 64 now . i had enough musical talent that if I'd gone to los angeles , i had a chance to make it big . but in ths last frw years i realized that it would have killed me like it did her because i couldn't be around people unless i was drinking .she proved that even with looks , there is much on the inside that you have to have to make it in life . anxiety is something that you can't imagine if you don't suffer ftom it . by the way , in my eyes she was the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on .
Those two old producers that talked about her are two of the most melodramatic men I’ve ever seen. “ she died of unhappiness “ and the other one “ the night has a thousand eyes but the night she died it had a thousand and two “ JESUS CHRIST!! Not only are they melodramatic.... it’s also corny as hell “ That one producer looking at his cigar as he talks is like he is acting in a scene. That guy is over the top with the histrionics.
Dearest Sister Elizabeth, I know the feeling, because it did 'Wreck' my life. Fortunately for me, I found the LORD, or should I say he found & saved me. Praise GOD!!!! Take care & GOD Bless!! SuperSniperSal
@Jameson Serono I have actually. Please don't assume you know me. We have never met. This is my opinion. You have your experience . I will not call your opinion nonsense. As it is your experience / opinion . I understand this subject is emotive. I do take your point, they have to want to get well. ☺️ Have a peaceful weekend.
A good friend of mine is dying from alcoholism. He was an MBA, top salesman, crawled into a bottle in 1996, and has lost everything. He had so much promise. He is now barely able to walk to the dumpster and throw his empty wine bottles away.
Quite the talent--I loved her in both The Uninvited and The Unseen--and truly one of the most beautiful faces ever to grace to silver screen, or for that matter, God's green earth.
I loved her in "The Uninvited". One of my all time favorite movies. Life can be a hard and most of us have our crutches we use to soften the blow and most have their downsides. Some worse than others.
There's medication for anxiety now; too bad it wasn't around in her time. But she should never have been forced into movies in the first place. I wonder why she didn't quit when her Paramount contract was up, and become an artist the way she wanted to be. She could've stayed home and let her husband keep acting. Oh well.
Who says she wouldn't have become an alcoholic anyways or become addicted to Valium she got from a doctor? She had a predisposition for alcoholism, and it's not like an artist has never drank themselves to death.
The episode said she never wanted to be an actress that's what her mother wanted her to do. She wanted to be an artist and that's what she had every right to be. Yes, she still could've fallen into alcoholism but it would've been easier for her to seek help privately as an anonymous movie poster artist.
There really wasn't much in the way of treatment for alcoholism or social anxiety in the 1950's. Most doctors would have prescribed her Valium because that was pretty much all there was one the market. Plus people back then were much more hush hush about family problems like substance abuse, mental illness, or domestic violence and were much less likely the seek help for it. Unless they got hauled off to the local mental hospital, which were pretty terrible too.
You're missing the point, my friend. The point A.J. Benza and I are making is that acting wasn't the life for Gail Russell. She wanted to be an artist and that's what she should've been all along. People should pursue the careers they want to pursue as long as it makes them happy and being an artist made Gail happy.
How many bloody mom's have ruined their child like this They should have. Skipped having a kid and lived their dreams out and ran their own lives into the ground alot more of these cases than stars
I have seen really good singers and performers fight nerves and stage fright who are experienced. It's a tough pressure cooker. After doing auditions and bombing I can appreciate how tough acting is. I quit.
The guy with the cigar is acting and doing too much. Ugh.... It said he was a writer and he's acting it out instead of being genuine in his explanations.
No he's trying to get his 2sec of fame by someone's horrible nightmares. The show was poor outline of a person that gave in to others wants of stardom I don't think it's what she wanted , shame bigtime R.I.P.
Don Rickels ( never did watch him ) What's the deal with Mexico? Why not Iceland? Scotland? Is he a low life relative that you like? His wife left him because he was a rude jerk? She was from Mexico? Or maybe a idiot of a bro or father? Why Mexico? You don't like Mexican beer? Seems like you could have consumed enough to make no sense.
@UCSeeajce5eJrJ0A4OCi6xUw you are fun. Seems your fundamental characteristics are anger, overreaction to people's opinion on most likely any given subject. In other words your a rude loose unintelligent cannon. And have limited use of the english language except perhaps if one was visiting a gutter.
Just watched the Criterion DVD of The Uninvited, with "Introducing Gail Russell" in the opening credits. Never heard of her before. But when a young woman opened the door for Ray Milland, I was struck by her dazzling eyes and innocent beauty and wondered if that was Gail Russell. It was. Good grief, what a tragedy - her clinical shyness and artistic temperament was not compatible with being steered apparently unwillingly into Hollywood movies as a beauty queen. Her beauty was her curse. She didn't deserve the gossipy, smarmy, unsympathetic tone of this program's host and some of the other guys.
***** Yes, Gail, Judy & Jean Harlow have a lot in common when it came to stage moms. Mothers wanting to be rich & famous themselves but didn't have the talent their daughters had so they decide to live their dreams through their children. That's wrong in so many ways.
Very sad started at 19 done by 26. Angle and the Badman John Wayne was a drinker, so he couldn't save her.. Just because you look good, doesn't mean they want to be an Actress.
A young introverted artist entering and working for the cameras and studios of Hollywood - a Deadly Mix. This Stunningly Beautiful Lady could have followed her heart as an artist which was perfect for her and never gave in to the imposing wish of her controlling mom for her to be an actress which was not fit for introverted people (Gail became the victim and escape hatch for her moms broken dream of becoming an actress)... RIP Gail Russel...
These few interviews give only a narrow view of Gail Russell. She was a much misunderstood actress,and had the Paramount executives given her the training she deserved, she would have been a very successful star. She was given only one weeks training before she was thrust into her first film. Her drama coach,Bill Russell,told the Paramount Front Office they were pushing her too fast. It was that way for ten years,one film after another,with little or no time off to relax,to enjoy her career. If you would like to know more of this lovely,but tragic, movie actress, Ingram Sparks.com has just published my biography of Gail Russell,"Fallen Star". It is now available on Amazon.com,Ebay,Ebooks,and Barnes and Noble Booksellers. You can also visit my Gail Russell Tributes on RU-vid which contain added information not included in my book.
@@gordjackson9650 I will soon be adding new Gail Russell Tributes on RU-vid which will include the Hedda Hopper Interview,plus even more information on her which will include more portraits and candids not included in my book.This hit job by Mysteries and Scandals only concentrated on the notorious aspect of her life, not on the kind and gentle person she was in real life.
@@theuninvited1944GR Cool. I'm currently reading your book and am looking forward to further You Tube tributes. As for the Mysteries and Scandals hit job, the les said the better.
I've been hooked on Wayne since I was 15, my first John Wayne movie was angel and the bad man. Gail was gorgeous. All of her story happened before I was born. But that movie is still a favorite.
Alcoholism is NOT a disease! Nothing that a person can inflict on themselves is a “disease”. That’s one of the most ridiculous things that someone could make up. What a stupid thing to say. Alcoholism can’t be caught by rubbing up next to another alcoholic. Diseases have never been self inflicted by a human. If an alcoholic sneezes on you does that mean you’re now an alcoholic because you caught the “disease”. A disease is something that is bloodborn. There is nothing sold in a liquor store that can cause a “disease”. If I over eat and become obese does that mean I have “foodism” which now means I have a “disease”? Get the F outta here with that 💩 crap!!!
I agree with you. It's amazing how the human mind picks and chooses it's own crutch. From booze ,food, weight lifting, spending money on what some people would consider foolish. Some people fake sickness for human kindness & need. Some are rude angry to defend themselves before their hurt. Some smoke pot , take docs meds to a whole new level. It all seems to protect or change life because were not happy. Maybe the worst disease is not understanding when people feel lost and have to fill the hole because there's no love.
I wonder why Gail just didn't leave Hollywood and do what she really wanted to do. I would not have stayed in a profession that made me so sad and unhappy, especially being in front of a camera when she was so shy.
She was beautiful but had no business being an actress. Just because you are a beauty doesn’t automatically make you a candidate for stardom. Not her thing!
Gail really didnt belong in Hollywood, or in the spotlight. That would be okay if she wasnt pressured into Hollywood and the spotlight. A beauty and a tragedy. 😔
She would've been a great & talented artist had she not been forced to become an actress by her witch of a mother. I don't understand why her dad didn't step in maybe his wife told him "Our daughter would be making big money enough to support us all." I wonder where her parents were when Gail was going downhill thanks to alcohol? If Gail wanted to once she was older she could've quit acting & pursued her dream of being an artist.
She was the most ethereally beautiful lady I have ever seen: she was SO gorgeous in her youth (before 195O) that she made young Liz Taylor look "hard" in comparison.
brainsareus Liz never had innocence, in fact she was groomed purely for adult acting despite being signed as a child. Even excutives thought she was too adult for kid roles as a child.
Danielle Not sure what your larger point is. was she "groomed",or did her looks make it impossible for them to see her any other way? a sort of Chicken/egg question;as in,which came first?
brainsareus She was beautiful but looked more like an adult than a child. Excutives signed her with the pure intention of wanting her for movies when she was older. They put her in a few movies as a child but wanted her for sexy more mature roles. By signing her the company got to groom her as they groomed every Hollywood actress but they got her at a much younger age which was a win for them.
I'm also a big fan of Louise Brooks and while their temperaments are extremely different, there are similarities of their stories. Both wanted to be something other than what they became - Louise wanted to be a dancer. Tragic that both these true artists were undone, ultimately, by the "system". Gail got to me when I first saw her in "The Angel and the Badman" and then "The Uninvited". Her pull on me was beyond her beauty although I agree that she was one of the most beautiful of them all.
She was the greatest at what she could be. So many people are ' Evil, Mean & Nasty,' when it comes to all the negative comments that they have made about her tragic yet wonderful career. I myself am a recovering alcoholic and a Highly Decorated, Disabled, United States Marine, Retired. Had she not been pushed into acting at the tender age of 17 when she was very shy and terribly afraid of all the lights and cameras, she probably would have been in better control. But because she was pushed, by the ugly sin of 'Greed' of man, (PARAMOUNT), from that time forward, she was fighting a battle in a war that she could not possibly win. Greed is the sin of all sins, the sin that caused ' Lucifer ' to be cast out of heaven! I will see you in Heaven, Gail GOD Bless you all!! SuperSniperSal
Sgt. Salvador Monteverde, USMC, Retired thank you for your service 🙏🏼❤️ and happy to hear you’re currently sober, that’s no an easy task, I had to go to a rehabilitation clinic for pills I was put on to help me with my chronic pain illnesses. Didn’t know I had an addictive personality until I was given something addictive, since I’ve never been a drinker or a smoker. I wish Gail could’ve been given the right kind of help. She was a beautiful lady and definitely gone way too soon.
She sounds like another Marilyn Monroe...so vulnerable and yet wanting to please...... Marilyn also doubted herself... both died at a similar age too...
funny how some who didn't want to be stars--gail--became ones--and those who desparately wanted to stars never became one. it seems that becoming a star was a curse for so many--poor gail---such a fragile waif in a tough business--been better if she had been a house wife in Dubuque, Iowa.
+Renee Richburg Hey there Renee---WHAT IS WITH THE LAUGHING SMILEY ICONS???---YOU FIND THIS UNFORTUNATE WOMAN'S ULTRA-TRAGIC ,TOO SHORT LIFE SOMEHOW AMUSING???????????? LET ME IN ON THE JOKE ,BECAUSE I DON 'T FIND ANYTHING FUNNY ABOUT THIS WOMAN'S LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES.......HOW OLD ARE YOU ,ANYWAY???!!!???,DID SOMEONE TAKE YOUR CANDY,LITTLE GIRL...IS IT "FIT-PITCHING" TIME?..YOU CAN CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE HER MOTHER OR HER LIFE, EITHER!!!! ...SHAME ON YOU FOR LAUGHING AT THIS DEAD WOMAN' ULTRA SAD LIFE STORY....SO..WHAT IS YOUR GLITCH,ANYWAY????
