Gladys Gale Explained

Gladys Gale
Birth Date:15 January 1891
Birth Place:Monmouth, Illinois, United States
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, United States
Birthname:Gladys Lanphere
Occupation:Actress
Spouse:Park Benjamin
Yearsactive:1927 - 1946

Gladys Gale (January 15, 1891 – October 4, 1948) was an American nightclub singer and vaudeville performer, before becoming a character actress in films during the 1930s and 1940s. The wife of a millionaire, she led a checkered life before dying under mysterious circumstances in a Los Angeles hotel room under an assumed name.

Life and early career

Born Gladys Lanphere on January 15, 1891, in Monmouth, Illinois,[1] she married millionaire Park Benjamin.[2] During the Prohibition Era she became a nightclub performer in a speakeasy in New York City, also appearing on the vaudeville stage in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Film career and death

Gale went to Hollywood in 1931, where she made her film debut in RKO's Smart Woman in a small role.[3] She used the stage name of Gladys Gale, instead of her married name, Gladys Benjamin.[4] Over her fifteen-year film career, she would appear in over 30 feature films, mostly in smaller roles, with the occasional featured part.[5] Some of her more notable films include: the gangster film, She Couldn't Take It (1934), starring George Raft and Joan Bennett;[6] the Mae West 1936 vehicle, Klondike Annie, in which she played a dance hall girl at the age of 45;[7] Frank Capra's 1938 classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Claude Rains;[8] and the 1942 melodrama, Lady for a Night, starring John Wayne and Joan Blondell.[9] Her final screen appearance would be in a small role in Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946), which starred Gail Russell.[10]

On October 3, 1948, Gale checked into a Los Angeles hotel under an assumed name with a man, calling themselves Mr. and Mrs. Statler. In the morning her body was discovered, nude, with the room trashed. No cause for her death was ever established. Gale is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Filmography

Gladys Gale filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
1931Smart Woman Mrs. Preston - Peggy's MotherRKO Pictures[11]
1932The Music Box Mrs. von Schwarzenhoffen (uncredited) MGM
Laurel and Hardy short film comedy		[12]
1934Broadway BillHead nurseColumbia Pictures[13]
1934Desirablelarge womanWarner Bros. Pictures[14]
1934Wake Up and Dream Prima donnaUniversal Pictures[15]
1934The Party's OverPatron in Art Gallery (uncredited)Columbia Pictures[16]
1934Among the Missing Mrs. RandallColumbia Pictures[17]
1934Fugitive LadyMiss SmithColumbia Pictures[18]
1934Men of the Night Mrs. EverettColumbia Pictures[19]
1934The Captain Hates the Sea Passenger's wifeColumbia Pictures[20]
1935Circus Shadows Peerless Pictures Studios[21]
1935A Feather in Her HatColumbia Pictures[22]
1935Love Me ForeverColumbia Pictures[23]
1935She Couldn't Take ItColumbia Pictures[24]
1935CarnivalBaby judgeColumbia Pictures[25]
1935Men of the HourColumbia Pictures[26]
1935She Married Her BossColumbia Pictures[27]
1936Klondike Annie Dance hall girlParamount Pictures
Screenplay by Mae West who also starred		[28]
1936Navy BornRepublic Pictures[29]
1936Pride of the Marines Woman managerColumbia Pictures[30]
1936Dancing FeetMrs. BlaneRepublic Pictures[31]
1936CounterfeitTouristColumbia Pictures[32]
193745 Fathers20th Century Fox[33]
1937The Devil Is DrivingColumbia Pictures[34]
1937I Promise to Pay ReceptionistColumbia Pictures[35]
1937Find the WitnessMrs. RiceColumbia Pictures[36]
1938Up the RiverBingo player20th Century Fox[37]
1939Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonCommittee WomanColumbia Pictures[38]
1942Joan of OzarkMrs. FaddenRepublic Pictures[39]
1942Lady for a NightMotherRepublic Pictures[40]
1943So's Your Uncle Elastic womanUniversal Pictures[41]
1945An Angel Comes to Brooklyn Sarah GibbonsRepublic Pictures[42]
1945Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe Unknown20th Century Fox[43]
1945Our Hearts Were Growing UpMrs. AppleyParamount Pictures[44]

Stage

Date! scope="col"
TitleRole
Oct 02, 1912 - Oct 19, 1912The Charity GirlMadame Bowwowski[45]
Dec 30, 1912 - Apr 05, 1913All for the LadiesChorus[46]
Mar 30, 1914 - May 09, 1914The Belle of Bond StreetHilda[47]
Feb 17, 1916 - Jun 10, 1916Robinson Crusoe, Jr.Chorus[48]

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&dq=Gladys+Lanphere+january+1891&pg=PA266 Resting Places
  2. News: Discarded Wife Weighs Fruits of Being a Sport . New York Daily News . August 11, 1940 . 120.
  3. Web site: Smart Woman . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  4. Web site: Mae West: Gladys Gale . Mae West Blog . 5 October 2012 . February 10, 2015.
  5. Web site: Gladys Gale . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  6. Web site: She Couldn't Take It . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  7. Web site: Klondike Annie . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  8. Web site: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  9. Web site: Lady for a Night . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  10. Web site: Our Hearts Were Growing Up . American Film Institute . February 10, 2015.
  11. Web site: Smart Woman . UCLA Film and Television Archive . October 9, 2020.
  12. Web site: The Music Box . UCLA Film and Television Archive . October 9, 2020.
  13. Web site: Broadway Bill . AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  14. Web site: Desirable . UCLA Film and Television Archive . October 9, 2020.
  15. Web site: Wake Up and Dream. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  16. Web site: The Party's Over. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  17. Web site: Among the Missing. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  18. Web site: Fugitive Lady. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  19. Web site: Men of the Night. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  20. Web site: The Captain Hates the Sea. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  21. Web site: Circus Shadows. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  22. Web site: A Feather in Her Hat. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  23. Web site: Love Me Forever. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  24. Web site: She Couldn't Take It. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  25. Web site: Carnival. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  26. Web site: Men of the Hour. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  27. Web site: She Married Her Boss. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  28. Web site: Klondike Annie . UCLA Film and Television Archive . October 9, 2020.
  29. Web site: Navy Born. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  30. Web site: Pride of the Marines. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  31. Web site: Dancing Feet. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  32. Web site: Counterfeit. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  33. Web site: 45 Fathers. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  34. Web site: The Devil Is Driving. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  35. Web site: I Promise to Pay. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  36. Web site: Find the Witness. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  37. Web site: Up the River. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  38. Web site: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. AFICatalog . October 9, 2020.
  39. Web site: Joan of Ozark . Turner Classic Movies . October 9, 2020.
  40. Web site: Lady for a Night . Turner Classic Movies . October 9, 2020.
  41. Web site: So's Your Uncle . Turner Classic Movies . October 9, 2020.
  42. Web site: An Angel Comes to Brooklyn . UCLA Film and Television Archive . October 9, 2020.
  43. Web site: Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe . Turner Classic Movies . October 9, 2020.
  44. Web site: Our Hearts Were Growing Up . Turner Classic Movies . October 9, 2020.
  45. Web site: The Charity Girl . IBDB . October 9, 2020.
  46. Web site: All for the Ladies . IBDB . October 9, 2020.
  47. Web site: The Belle of Bond Street . IBDB . October 9, 2020.
  48. Web site: Robinson Crusoe, Jr. . IBDB . October 9, 2020.

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